“As soon as I can.”
School started in six weeks. Could she get back before then? She still had to get the rest of the boxes out of the house she’d bought with Will, make sure he sold it, and possibly have a yard sale for everything that wouldn’t fit into her apartment. Then, she’d have to move in, which would take some time. But she could squeeze in a week somewhere, right?
“I thought about driving to you,” Patrick said, “but I’m inundated with preparations for the launch of the restaurant, and Winston and I enrolled Stormy in training classes. I promised to take him.”
“It’s easier for me to come to you.”
“Come anytime you can. Sooner rather than later. Surprise me for all I care.”
She laughed. “I’ll check my calendar.”
“Okay. Hey, a huge delivery just showed up at the restaurant. I’ve gotta go. I can call you later?”
“Of course.”
A strange, sobering weight filled her chest when she hung up the phone. She paced around for a little while, her mind full. Unsure what to do next, she went into her bedroom. She’d been so busy that her suitcase was still against the wall, like a symbol of the place where she’d become the person she was now.
The only change from when she’d been at the beach house to this moment was that now, when she asked herself what she wanted, she knew.
THIRTY-TWO
The next morning, while tidying her apartment, Emily was unsettled. Patrick’s excitement over her text, and their subsequent call, had put tiny fissures in the wall of her new life. Just when she thought she’d gotten everything worked out, they’d reconnected, making her doubt her choices. Was that new apartment right for her? Did she want to rope herself into another year-long lease? Yes, she needed to, she told herself.
She eyed the suitcase that was still against the bedroom wall. It was time to put it away. It had been long enough. Emily made to roll it down the hall and into the closet. But as she pushed it toward the door, a pull in her heart stopped her, and in a moment of total impulsiveness, she switched gears.
She turned her suitcase onto its side, unzipped it, and began putting new clothes in it. She darted to the bathroom and scooped up her toiletries, then ran back to her bag, lumping them in. When she had everything packed, she zipped up the case, took it to the door, and went into the apartment hallway, locking the door on her way out. A ping and then the hum of the pulley’s engine rang through the silence as the elevator made its way to her floor.
She stared at the suitcase. What was she doing? Could she just leave everything right now? But a little voice inside told her that she knew exactly what she was doing: She was choosing. Finally, a choice for herself. She knew what she really wanted. She just had to figure out how to get it.
The suitcase rolled behind her as she made her way to the parking deck. When she got to her car, she put the suitcase in the backseat and got in the driver’s seat. She pulled up Patrick’s address from her contacts and typed it into her navigation. With the directions chirping through the car, she began to drive.
On the way, Emily called her school on her hands-free and asked for Martha Rogers.
“Hi, Emily,” Martha said in her usual friendly tone. “What’s up?”
“Hi. I have a question for you.” She turned the corner and followed the map to the second turn, leading to the highway.
“Of course. What is it?”
“Am I able to get out of my contract due to an unexpected life change?”
“Oh goodness, is everything okay?”
“It’s better than okay. There’s a possibility I might move to another state.”
“Well, I’d hate to lose you, Emily. But it’s still early enough in the summer that I could let you out of your contract. It’s not something I like to do, but given the circumstances of an unforeseen move, I could do it for you.”
“Okay, thank you. I’ll let you know in the next few days.” She ended the call and then used voice commands to call the apartment complex and back out of her lease application.
She had no idea what came next, but for once, the unknown wasn’t terrifying. The one thing she knew for sure was that there was a boy by the coast who made her realize she could change her mind, and a part of herself that finally believed she didn’thave to choose between loving someone and loving her own life. So she drove toward the horizon, toward the beach, toward whatever future was waiting.
Eight hours later,in the soft glow of early evening, Emily pulled onto the familiar drive in the woods. She prayed Patrick would be home from work by now, since she hadn’t seen his truck outside the restaurant when she’d driven through town. Her heart pattered at the sight of it in the driveway. She hadn’t even considered what she’d have done if he hadn’t been home.
She came to a stop and her breath caught at the view. After she got out of the car, Emily walked around to the side of the house to get a better look.
A stone path led to the fishing shed. It had been completely repainted a bright white, with window boxes full of purple and blue flowers flanking the front door. A little mat on the stoop read “Welcome.” What was this for? It was too big and beautiful to be a playhouse for Winston…
“Looking for a rental?” Patrick said from behind her.
