If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,140
“I’m so glad.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the smooth white stone he’d given her on the ferry ride over—a ferry ride, it turned out, that would change her life. She’d kept it with her like a touchstone all these weeks.
Maybe she was more sentimental than she thought.
“Look,” she said, showing him the stone.
His eyes brightened. “You still have it!”
“Yep. It’s one of my most prized possessions.”
Andrew’s parents caught up to him. They exchanged pleasantries, and Emily invited him to participate in one of her shows when he was old enough, which, it turned out, would be a couple of years.
“Have a good rest of the summer, Andrew,” Emily said as they continued on down the beach.
He giggled and waved, then went back to chasing the water.
She turned back to Hollis, who put an arm around her. “Does that mean you’ll be here in three years when that kid is old enough to do a show?”
“I hope so.”
They sat on the beach—their beach—roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. Every once in a while, she’d steal a glimpse of him, his face only dimly lit by the fire.
Hollis was good and kind and everything she ever could’ve dreamed of in a man. Why God had brought them back together now, she didn’t understand, but she was so grateful he had.
It was strange to think about God that way after years of ignoring him, but she’d made a sort of peace with him here. It was as if her eyes had been opened to the fact that life wouldn’t be perfect, that bad things would happen, but that God was still good. No matter what.
Maybe God brought her back to help her move forward. Maybe he had more for her than the vagabond life of wanderlust she’d been living.
Emily glanced at Hollis and realized there was no “maybe” about it. The thought filled her with gratitude.
The waves lapped the shore, and Emily dug her toes into the cool sand.
“What will you do with the house now that it’s done?” Hollis asked after Emily’s update about running into Jack inside.
She looked back up at the cottage, focusing on the light coming from her second-story window.
“Well,” she said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about that.”
“You want to keep it, don’t you?”
She shook her head. “Actually, I want to sell it.”
He regarded her thoughtfully. “Really? You know you don’t have to worry about the money anymore, Em. I’m going to take really good care of you.”
She scrunched her nose. “Your job pays well, huh?”
He laughed. “I’m going to find a great job.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“It just might not pay as much as we’re used to.”
“No?”
He drew in a breath. “I think I want to coach.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“What can I say? You’ve inspired me.”
She smiled. “You’ll be so great at that.”
“Well, I’ll talk to you before I apply anywhere. I don’t want to move you to Alaska or something.”
“What’s wrong with Alaska?”
He rolled his eyes. “I forgot. You’ve lived everywhere.”
“So I can be happy anywhere,” she said. “Except Florida. Too muggy.”
He laughed. “Man, I love you.”
She startled at his words, the way he seemed unable to contain them. She’d never been loved so well in her life. She decided she liked it. She decided it was exactly what she’d been missing.
He grinned at her. “If you sell the house, will we stay at my family’s cottage when we come back to Nantucket? You know you’re committed to doing the show next summer.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” she said. “And I think we need our own place. Small. Cozy. White picket fence.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “I’m ready for a simple life, Hollis. And as long as I get to spend it with you, I’ll be the happiest woman in the world.”
He stood, walked around the fire between them, and knelt down in front of her. “Then prepare to be happy, Emily Ackerman. Because I’m never going to let you go.”
She closed her eyes, the warmth of the fire doing nothing to compete with the warmth of her flushed cheeks as she gave in to his knee-buckling kiss.
CHAPTER
1
HE SHOULDN’T BE HERE.
A diner in some little tourist town in Michigan was no place for Grady Benson, but here he was. From the second he walked in the door, it was clear he’d made a mistake. Eyes found and followed him all the way to this table, conspicuously located at the center of the space.
A girl with glasses and wild, curly hair rushed over and set a glass