Second, Maggie was officially ready to date again. On his recent visit to Fayetteville, she’d asked Josh for help in that arena. The thought of lining up dates for her hit him like a wrecking ball.
No way.
Never happening.
Instead he would finally put his heart on the line. Tell Maggie how he felt about her. In his dreams she drew him into her arms and kissed him. In his nightmares she recoiled in horror.
Telling her was a huge risk, but the status quo was killing him. He’d finally reached a breaking point, and so he’d tell her the truth. Either she’d be open to exploring a relationship with him... or he’d lose her forever.
If the latter happened, he was putting some distance between them. She might live two hours away, but now that she was braving Seabrook again, she’d come around more often. She’d bring Zoey for holidays and birthdays and summer vacations. And if she turned him down, there was no way he was putting his tattered heart through those visits. He’d already set a plan in motion—just in case. He didn’t see how he’d ever get over her otherwise.
When they reached the building’s entrance, Josh’s phone vibrated with a call. Maggie’s picture flashed on the screen—the one he’d snapped a few years ago at the beach. Her hair was still damp, the natural curls coming out to play. The sun lightened her eyes to creamy caramel, and a few freckles had popped out on her nose.
He hung back as the others entered. “I’ll be right in, you guys.”
He tapped the Accept button as he crossed the dinky porch, and carnival sounds carried through the phone. “Hey, Mags. You there?”
“Can you come over here?”
He tensed at the strain in her voice. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Zoey?”
“We’re fine. I just— You have to come.”
“What is it?”
“You’re gonna think I’m crazy. I-I saw someone a few minutes ago. He looked just like—e-t-h-a-n. I lost him in the crowd and I need you to come help me search for him.”
His heart gave a sharp crack. “Maggie...” In the months following Ethan’s death, she’d regularly seen Ethan at the grocery store, the park, the mall. She’d seen a therapist for a while.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not like those other times. I saw his face. I saw the way he walked. Please just come and help me, Josh.Please.”
“Of course, honey. I’m on my way.”
Chapter 3
Maggie had never been so glad to see anyone. Just the sight of Josh striding through the crowd lifted a weight from her shoulders. An Island Tours tee hugged his athletic frame and a pair of khaki shorts completed his outfit. The wind ruffled his wavy dark hair as he made a beeline toward her.
She met him by the arcade door, Zoey in tow, and grabbed him in a heartfelt hug. “He looked just like him,” she said into his ear.“Just like him.”
“Where’d you last see him?”
“Heading up the main walkway toward the boardwalk. I lost him where it splits off. We’ve already been around the whole place. He just disappeared.”
He gave her a squeeze before he pulled back and tugged one of Zoey’s braids. “How’s my girl? Having fun at the carnival?”
“I rode the carousel and the spinny ride and the red-car ride—that was my favorite. And I ate a funnel cake with Mommy and it made her tummy hurt after the spinny ride.”
“Is that so.”
“It’s past my bedtime and we’re out of tickets so we can’t ride any more rides. I don’t wanna ride the big wheel, though, ’cause it goes too high. Did you find your friend?”
Josh sent Maggie a questioning glance. “I told her we were looking for someone you know.”
His gaze toggled back to Zoey. “Not yet, Cupcake. We’ll keep searching, though, all right?” He took her hand and they started down the walkway.
“He’s wearing a white ball cap and he’s tall.” Maggie gave him a pointed stare. “I didn’t imagine him, Josh.”
He squeezed her hand. “Okay, honey. Let’s keep searching. Two sets of eyes are better than one.”
