Page 52 of Jasmine Street Blues

They left the depot hand in hand, the way they’d entered it. At first Loran thought no one had followed, but then Henry pushed his way out of the door, calling her name.

She and Mac both turned to face him; Mac looked like he was ready to go to battle for her. Years of running, of hiding, of being afraid, they were hard to shake off. Her heart pounded. Henry took a step forward, took one look at Mac’s face, and stopped in his tracks.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” Henry said. “I had no idea… I’m still not certain about all this, ghosts and messages from beyond, but your record shop guy is pretty convincing.”

“I didn’t understand it myself,” Loran said. “I had no way to understand what was happening, so it was impossible to explain to anyone.”

Henry nodded. “I just… I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone from here on out. I’ll take down the message board.”

“Message board?” Loran screeched.

Henry grabbed his phone from his pocket. “I can do it from here,” he said quickly.

Mac joined the conversation with a low, “Now.”

They turned and walked away, while Henry fiddled with his phone.

No one was looking for her. She didn’t have to hide. Maybe there were a few stragglers out there, but if they found her she now had an explanation for everything that had happened. Not an easy explanation, but it was better than what she’d had before. Nothing.

She could go anywhere in the world. Since she didn’t have to worry about being found she could buy a house, open a studio with her name all over the place, maybe even get married, one day. She’d given up on having so many things for herself. A home. A love. A family. Babies?

“I hope Carrie is at that cafe,” Mac said. “If she’s not, I have to keep looking.”

“We won’t give up on her.”

He looked down at her. “Carrie thinks she killed a man, but she didn’t. Knowing the truth will set her free, even if she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. Her mom told her a lot of lies. I don’t know how to undo that.”

Tomorrow was uncertain, but today was good. She reached out and took Mac’s hand. “We’ll find her and make sure she knows the truth. We’ll fix it.”

“Can we?”

“Sure we can.”

We, again and again. It had been a very long time since she’d been part of a we. She liked it.

Many of the shops weren’t yet open, and still, a few tourists strolled the streets window shopping, or sat at small outdoor tables that would be unbearable this afternoon after the heat rolled in.

Mac pulled her into the shade of the antique store awning, held her close. They were face to face, chest to chest, and she didn’t care who saw.

“You can stay,” he said in a low voice.

“I can, and I will.” She kissed him lightly. “No more running for me. Seawolf Beach is home.”

“Want a dog?” he asked.

Loran laughed lightly. “Are you still trying to give Bubbles away?”

“Oh, no, the mutt is mine, but I’d be willing to share him. If you don’t mind having a dog and a roommate.”

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Yeah. Too fast?”

“Not at all. You will have to let me hang a few paintings on your sad, bare walls.”

“Deal.” Loran moved around him, grabbed his hand again, and walked along the sidewalk feeling lighter than she ever had. She was madly in love, and she was free.

“Mind if I stop by the studio for a minute?”