If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,129

waved at the girl, who waved back. Then Emily wiped her cheeks dry.

Leaving was the right thing to do, so why did it hurt so much?

She tucked the envelope in her purse and made her way inside, positioning herself at the center of the boat and trying not to remember Andrew and his little red-and-yellow backpack. Her first day back on the island had only been a couple of months ago, and yet so much had changed—she’d changed.

And yes, a part of her had wanted to believe it was all real, but none of it was. It was only a way to help her learn the truth, that people couldn’t be trusted.

Her head spun with conflicting emotions. She was angry with Jack for not coming forward sooner, too angry to consider giving him a second chance. She was sad about losing Hollis, though she knew it was safer this way. She was furious with her grandparents for keeping the truth from her, for interfering the way they did in her parents’ relationship. Her head was filled with more what-if questions than she knew how to manage.

What if her parents had gotten married?

What if her grandparents had stayed out of it all?

What if they’d told her mother the truth from the beginning?

What if Isabelle had gotten her happily ever after?

She reached inside her bag and found the book of letters, her only connection to her mom. She pulled out the letter that explicitly told her to be careful when it came to love and she reread the words, words she’d practically memorized.

Dear Emily,

In matters of the heart, I’ve learned one very important lesson: be cautious. You don’t want to go around giving your heart to just anyone, and even if you do let yourself fall head over heels for some guy, remember there’s still the great probability he’s going to hurt you. Statistically, most relationships end, so you’d be smart to be very careful.

None of this “reckless abandon” stuff. It’ll just get you into trouble.

Hollis didn’t believe any of that. He’d flat-out said her mother was wrong. And Emily could admit he’d almost convinced her—his words had made love sound like something different, like something worth risking her heart for.

But she knew better.

She watched as the boat moved away from the dock. She stood and walked toward the window, trying not to replay every memory she’d had that summer and failing miserably.

It was as if every happy moment had stuck itself on a continuous loop in her mind.

She slid into a seat near the window, still watching as the island grew smaller and smaller behind them.

“That’s what you do, isn’t it? You run.”

Hollis’s words ripped through her mind, an unwanted memory.

She wasn’t running. She was making a conscious decision. She’d decided she didn’t want to risk the heartache. That wasn’t the same thing.

She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, wishing she could fall asleep, but instead lingered on what she’d learned about her parents and her grandparents.

Jack and Isabelle had fallen in love—a hormonally driven kind of love, but love nonetheless. Her mother had approached it the way she’d cautioned Emily not to—with reckless abandon. Nothing had held her back. And while she’d made mistakes, Emily had to believe her mother loved Jack, more than she’d ever loved anyone before.

Then Mom’s parents interfered, split the couple up, broke Isabelle’s heart.

Isabelle wrote that letter through her pain, a warning to Emily—a warning she herself hadn’t exactly heeded as well as she should’ve.

Hollis said her mother was wrong.

Emily sat with that for a long moment. Would Isabelle have thrown that letter away if she’d lived a few more years? Her thoughts turned to the night her mother died. She’d run into Jack in town, and he must’ve told her the truth. He must’ve explained he didn’t want to leave, but he’d been convinced it was the best thing for Isabelle and Emily. Convinced by her parents.

Isabelle was furious. She was angry. She was on her way to Cliff Road.

Jack lived on Cliff Road.

Isabelle was going to Jack. After everything that happened, she was going to give him another chance. She was going to introduce him to his daughter.

Isabelle loved him even after everything they’d been through.

Emily opened her eyes but saw nothing. Instead she wrapped her mind around the realization she’d just had.

Her mother was throwing caution to the wind. Her mother was diving in headfirst. Her mother was going against her own advice in hopes that her relationship