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Sebastian appeared next to her and checked his watch. “We should get going,” he said, climbing into the truck.
Oliver’s jaw tightened as he saw the man getting comfortable in the driver’s seat.
“You’re not driving it this year?” he asked Carly, nodding to Sebastian.
“Um...no. The extra size and weight makes me a little nervous, so I thought I’d ride back here during the parade and make sure Sealena doesn’t fall into the crowd,” she said with an awkward laugh, surely meant to ease the tension.
“I could have driven it for you,” he said.
Carly’s expression was full of frustration as she turned toward him. “The parade has never been your thing. You’ve refused to attend for years.”
He swallowed hard. He deserved that. He deserved her tone and her cold shoulder. He deserved that she’d asked someone else to drive the float that day. He knew none of it was meant to hurt him—she’d just had enough of his bullshit.
Truthfully, he’d had enough of his own bullshit.
Unfortunately, now wasn’t the right time to try to tell her or demonstrate that.
“You’re right. Sorry about that. Tess and I will be there today.”
Tess swung around to face him and her look of surprise matched Carly’s. “You’re going?”
He nodded. He needed to start letting go and embracing the community—whatever that meant for his future involvement in it. He forced a smile. “I heard they’re giving out Sealena-themed foam fingers this year,” he said.
Garnering him another look from the ladies.
Sebastian honked the truck horn, breaking the moment. “Ready to go?” he asked through the open window.
Carly nodded. “Yeah, we probably should. Parade lineup starts in an hour on Main Street.” She hesitated as she walked around to the passenger side of the truck. “But I’ll see...both of you there.”
Oliver nodded as Sebastian pulled the truck and flatbed out of the shed and slowly headed down the street. Carly waved through the window, the look of confusion on her pretty face only making Oliver more determined to make things right.
WHATTHEHELLwas happening?
If anyone had told her that Oliver—her best friend and love of her life Oliver, frustratingly infuriating Oliver—was going to attend the annual parade that year, Carly would never have believed it.
Yet he was going. And he was joking about Sealena-themed foam fingers?
She shook her head in bewilderment, staring out the window as they drove away from the lighthouse.
She’d been more than a little relieved to see him and Tess seeming much better that day than they had a few days ago. They were obviously coming to terms with the cold case being solved and so was she. In their own way, they’d all been forced to move on three years ago, learn to accept not having Alison and Catherine in their lives. So, while the revelation of what happened that day had been sad and disappointing, they’d all gone through the stages of grief once before, and now this round was passing more quickly. Knowing didn’t change anything; Alison and Catherine had been gone a long time and they’d all known they weren’t coming back.
“You okay?” Sebastian asked.
Carly nodded. “Yeah, fine. Thanks again for driving today.” Dex was working the bar at the Serpent Queen Pub for the huge after-parade crowd expected to pour in. And Rachel and Skylar had adamantly refused to try driving the large float. But she wouldn’t hurt Sebastian’s feelings by admitting he was her fourth choice. She was just happy that Oliver didn’t let the grudge between him and Sebastian cause any issue that day.
“No problem,” he said, lowering the sun visor as the early-morning sun nearly blinded them. A picture fell onto his lap.
Ah, the photo... Oliver had always kept a family photo under the visor in a clear plastic case. It had been there for as long as she could remember. It was one of the things she found so endearing about him.
But her heart raced as Sebastian picked it up and quickly glanced at it. “Nice pic of the three of you,” he said.
Carly frowned, reaching for it. It was the family photo, but added in the plastic film next to it was one of her, Oliver and Tess that they’d snapped with the old-fashioned tour camera the night of the BBQ.
She swallowed hard, staring at their three smiling, goofy-looking expressions. The smallest thing holding so much significance.
“Okay, I’m not going to say that I like the guy, or that I think you’ve made the right choice, but I will say that you deserve to be happy. And if that’s with Oliver, then you need to fight for that.”
Carly glanced at Sebastian. “It’s complicated.”
