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Royal smoothed his hand over Mackey’s hair. “Viv needs some time on her own, I think.”
Viv pressed her lips together, a wet sheen forming over her eyes. “You knew I was thinking of going?”
Royal nodded, a sad smile appearing on his face. “I guessed as much. You’ve had the same look on your face that you had when you left for the Suttons. The same yearning in your eyes.”
Kit bit her lip and studied Viv’s face. “You want to go to Highlands?”
Viv nodded.
“For how long?” Kit asked. “A couple weeks or—”
“No.” Viv shook her head. “I want to start over there—or someplace like it—like you did. I need a change in scenery.” She shrugged. “A change in perspective. A chance to start over. And I guess that’ll take as long as it takes. I know this isn’t ideal. I know we’ve partnered up with the Suttons, and that I had grand plans with Beau, but that didn’t exactly work out the way I planned.”
Kit squeezed her hand tight. “Viv, I—”
“No.” Viv smiled. “It’s the way it should be. You’ll have a chance to start over now, too. A chance to do so here, in a place you love.” She raised her head and smiled at Royal and Mackey, then met Kit’s eyes again. “With people you love. And I’ll have the same opportunity.” Her voice softened when she added, “Don’t you remember how you felt when you left, Kit? Don’t you remember how much you needed to go?”
Kit closed her eyes and nodded. “I understand if this is what you want—what you need—but . . .”
“Please let me do this, Kit,” she said softly. “Let me do this for me. For you and Beau. And for Dad and Mackey.” She grew quiet again, then said, “Beau asked me once what Mama would’ve wanted for us.”
“She would’ve wanted you girls to be happy,” Royal said, blinking back tears. “That’s all she ever wanted. No matter what her problems were or how low she ever became, she always looked up to you girls. Loved you girls. She wouldn’t have wanted you to live a life of regret. She would’ve wanted you to move on and be happy, and if that means I have to lose you for a little while—like I lost Kit—it’d be worth it to have you back whole and happy.”
Viv smiled. “I think this would be a chance for me to be happy.” She held her hand out and wiggled her fingers. “Is that okay with you, Mackey? If I take some time on my own? Do you think you could take care of things here for me while I’m gone? Maybe keep this room spiffy for when I come back?”
Mackey remained silent for a moment, then reached out, slipped his hand in Viv’s, and squeezed. “Yeah,” he said, managing a smile. “I can do that.”
Kit studied Viv’s face again. “I hope you know how much I’ll miss you—how much we’ll all miss you. I hope you’ll find your way back to us soon. There’s still another six months left on my apartment lease. You’re welcome to use it if you’d like until you find a place of your own.”
Viv threw her arms around Kit’s neck and hugged her tight. After a moment she whispered, “Well, if you’re feeling generous and decide to give me that car of yours, I think I’d make my way back here faster. Every place on this island that’s worth going to is within walking distance.” She laughed, her breath tickling Kit’s ear. “You don’t need it here, anyway, do you?”
Kit smiled and buried her face in Viv’s hair. “No,” she whispered. “I don’t plan on going anywhere. I’m already home.”
CHAPTER15
Kit grabbed the handle of an overly stuffed suitcase, hefted it off the dock and into Royal’s hybrid bay boat, then glanced over her shoulder and huffed out a breath. “How much more you got, Viv? If we load too much more, the boat might sink before we make it to shore.”
Viv, who had walked up the Teague dock with small overnight bags in both hands, laughed as she joined Kit by the boat. “This is the last of it.” Her steps faltered. “Except for—”
“Already got it,” Beau said, striding up behind Viv with another stuffed suitcase.
“And you forgot your to-go bag.” Royal hustled up behind Beau, holding a clear plastic bag packed with two sandwiches, crackers, and other snacks. “You can’t drive all the way into Charleston this late without something to put in your stomach before bed.”
Viv tossed her bags in the boat and, grinning, took the bag from Royal. “Thanks, Dad. But I’m pretty sure there’s a restaurant at the hotel, and I can always grab something out of the vending machine if I get desperate.”
Royal frowned. “Those hotel restaurants ain’t got nothing but pretty, overpriced food that has no taste. And can’t nobody live off the junk that sits in a vending machine for weeks.” He pointed at a sandwich wrapped in foil. “That right there is tuna, and I wrapped it up real good so it’ll stay cold for a while. There’s crackers. . . I know you like peanut butter . . . And if you get up in the middle of the night and have a hankering, you just dig on down in there and you’ll find—”
“Everything I need,” Viv said, then began to laugh. Her laughter trailed off as she looked up at Royal. She bit her lip. “You’ve done so much for me. I don’t just have everything I need. I have everything I want, too.” She lifted to her toes, threw her arms around Royal, and hugged him tight, burying her face in his shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you, Dad.”
Royal’s chin trembled, and he ducked his head, hugging her closer. “Well . . . I’m sure gonna miss you.”
Kit looked away and focused on the waves rippling along the creek as she surreptitiously wiped a tear from her cheek. Three days ago, Viv had followed through with her decision to leave Hope Creek by selecting a date of departure and starting the arduous task of packing her belongings. Kit had helped, and they’d focused on necessities at first, but the longer they had worked, the more evident it had become that Viv planned on staying in Highlands for far longer than a brief visit.
The more they’d packed, the more Viv had suggested they pack, and by last night, almost all of Viv’s belongings were stowed away in carefully secured bags. All that was left was to ferry Kit’s car back to the parking lot by the Hope Creek Water Taxi dock, which Kit had taken care of yesterday.
Kit wiped away another tear and started slightly when Beau’s hand squeezed her shoulder.
He looked down at her, concern in his eyes. “You okay?” he asked softly.
