Nantucket Weddings - Pamela M. Kelley Page 0,4

It was a lovely day. The sun was shining, and it was warm enough that she only needed a light jacket. The beach was mostly empty except for a few other walkers and dogs. Mia strolled the length of the beach, stopping now and then so Penny could sniff around, or walk in circles before doing her business, which Mia immediately scooped up with one of the plastic bags that she always kept in her coat pocket.

A half hour later, they returned to the house. Mia took a deep breath before stepping inside. The air was cool and had a fresh, clean smell. It was instantly calming, and she was glad that she’d made the decision to move out of Izzy’s place. She hadn’t slept well the night before, and when she climbed the stairs, unlocked her door and stepped inside, a wave of exhaustion swept over her. The bed looked comfortable, and it seemed like a really good idea to lay down for just a minute.

She took her shoes off, then sprawled on the bed and pulled the soft comforter over her. Penny jumped up and settled on the pillow next to her. Mia reached over and petted her for a moment, then closed her eyes and let herself sink into a deep sleep.

She woke with a start and was surprised to see when she checked the time that almost two hours had passed. After a moment of panic, she relaxed and pulled her covers tighter around her. Her schedule was clear for the rest of the day. There was no one she needed to call or go see. Nothing until the next day at eleven.

There was plenty that she could do—fiddle with ads, follow up with people that had requested information a while back to see if they were close to a decision. But the thought of doing anything like that just made her more exhausted. Sometimes she fought these feelings, and other times she gave in.

Slowly, she swung her legs out from under the covers, stood and walked over to the window and stared out at the ocean, at the waves crashing against the shore. She cracked the window open a few inches and could hear the soothing sounds as the tide came in and rushed out again. Her eyes fell on the Keurig coffee maker and a small bowl with a few coffee pods and tea bags. Maybe a hot cup of tea would help her to come back to life a bit.

While the machine whirred and groaned as it heated up the hot water, Mia felt a wave of sadness rush over her. Her eyes welled up as she thought for the millionth time of her last day with Mark. It had been a Saturday afternoon, and she’d been sipping coffee and staring out the window of her condo, watching the boat traffic along the pier. Mark had walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck. She loved when he did that and she leaned into him, feeling safe and happy in his arms.

He’d died less than an hour later. While she’d been visiting with her sister, he’d taken his new motorcycle for a ride. They said he’d been killed instantly by a food delivery truck heading for Stop and Shop. Mark had taken a corner maybe a little too fast, hit a patch of sand and slid right into the truck head on. The truck driver was devastated. It happened so fast that he didn’t have time to get out of the way. It had been such a perfect day, and then just like that, it was over.

It still often didn’t seem real. So often, Mia reached for the phone to call Mark when something good or funny happened, before realizing that she couldn’t call him ever again. And just like that her good mood would vanish, like a candle that had been snuffed out. It happened far less often now, but still from time to time, her mind seemed to forget that a year had passed, and the hurt would be fresh and raw again.

But, for the most part, it was getting somewhat easier. Mia forced herself to focus on happy thoughts as she sipped her tea, and her mood lifted. When she finished, she took a hot shower, dressed in her favorite old jeans and faded baby blue sweatshirt, blew her long blond hair dry and felt almost like a new person.

She took