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Marissa’s expression said she was clearly disappointed in him as she disappeared back inside the changing room and slammed the door.
Fantastic. Now his daughter was mad at him. And even worse: she was right.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The next morning, Sarah hurried down the boardwalk toward Harrison’s Blown Glass, the journal tucked beneath her arm.
The door to the shop was locked. Checking the hours sign, she saw that it opened at ten. It was only nine thirty, and she couldn’t wait. Lia would be losing her mind by now wondering where she was. She’d snuck out when she knew the woman was in the shower. Reunion guests were self-entertaining that day, but the local family and friends would be arriving in five hours for the event, and the caterers would be there to set up in three.
She contemplated knocking, but she wasn’t sure what she would even say to him. She just knew that the journal didn’t belong anywhere else. It was filled with letters to Jack, for Jack.
She walked around the side of the building, noticing a second entrance to his living area. She clutched the journal tight to prevent the news clippings and pictures from falling free.
This was the right thing. She wouldn’t second-guess the decision. This journal held her grandmother’s deepest secrets that had nothing to do with their family. No one else deserved to have this book except for Jack.
And it would be up to him if he decided to read it or leave the past in the past.
She hesitated before knocking, then listened for the sound of footsteps or anyone inside, but she didn’t hear anything.
She bit her lip. Leave it? Or bring it back tomorrow?
She wasn’t sure she’d get the courage again. And Jack was living on borrowed seconds.
Reaching into her purse, she grabbed a notepad, tore off the top sheet, and scribbled her own note:
I thought you should know…
Love, Sarah
Opening the screen door, she placed the journal inside, securing it between the inside and outside doors, and closed it softly. Then she wiped a tear from her cheek as she left her grandma’s secrets with the only other person who should ever know them.
…
Hours later, the reunion was going well. People seemed to be enjoying themselves. As she set up the virtual conferencing equipment for the surprise appearance of Grandmama, Sarah scanned the room. Food still looked good… Everyone had drinks.
Wes and Marissa hadn’t shown up yet, and her palms sweat thinking about how she was supposed to act around them. Had Wes told Marissa about their argument? Did the little girl know Sarah had actually made it to the parents’ day?
“Sarah.” Mayor Rodale’s voice as she approached behind her made her turn. Dressed in a pale-blue suit, white blouse, and sensible but stylish two-inch heels, the woman was small-town elegance.
“Hi, Mayor Rodale, nice to see you.” The older woman had been the mayor in Blue Moon Bay for almost thirty years. She’d seen a lot of changes in that time, and Sarah held her breath now.
“Darling, this place looks amazing.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“Seriously, dear, I’ll be honest—when Whitney told me that Lia was holding the reunion here, I didn’t have high expectations. But you truly did something incredible. Dove is smiling down; I just know it,” the older woman said, patting Sarah on the shoulder before moving on to rejoin her family.
Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat. Mayor Rodale’s praise of the B&B gave her an unexpected, overwhelming sense of accomplishment. She’d brought the B&B back to life.
With Wes’s help.
Catching his eye now as he and Marissa entered the crowded event room had her hands fumbling with the cables of the virtual conferencing equipment. He looked amazing, dressed in charcoal pants and a pale-blue dress shirt, opened at the collar. It was the first time she’d seen him in anything formal. The shirt sleeves were rolled, displaying his tanned, muscular forearms, and it took everything she had not to rush into those arms.
She’d missed him so much the last few days.
Unfortunately, his simple head nod in greeting was completely unreadable. Was he as nervous about being there as she was having him? Or had he completely just disregarded everything they had together? One mistake and it was over? Albeit it was a big mistake. One she was still anguished over.
Next to him, Marissa scanned the room but didn’t see her, so instead she headed toward several other kids sneaking treats from the dessert table. Sarah sighed. She’d missed Marissa, too. She was dying to ask her about camp and talk to her about her plans to design her own apps…
