Lynn Combs

One More Sunset tells the story of a lifelong love rooted in a single beach. The narrator recalls meeting a boy there as a child, their friendship blossoming into first love, sealed by a kiss on a pink-and-gold evening sky. Summers became milestones: a shy seaside proposal, a barefoot wedding, the birth of family traditions, and countless returns to the shore during both joy and hardship.

The beach witnessed everything—youthful laughter, marital struggles, reconciliations, and the shaping of their children’s lives. It became the couple’s sanctuary, a reminder of who they were and the enduring strength of their bond.

Now, years after her husband’s passing, the narrator sits once more on their rock, remembering how their love was not perfect but persistent, stitched together by time, pain, and joy. Though he is gone, the sea carries his presence in its rhythm. When her daughter comes to take her home, she lingers a little longer, holding onto their story with a quiet request: just one more sunset.

This story took First Place in the ORA (Ozarks Romance Authors) Third Quarter Contest.