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“And I know I didn’t help things with the B and B proposal and I am sorry about that.”
Carly turned in her seat toward him and took a deep breath. Now was her chance to make a proposal of her own and she wouldn’t overthink it or get cold feet. This was the right thing, what she wanted, and Sebastian was right—if she wanted a life with Oliver and Tess, she had to fight for it.
She cleared her throat. “About the B and B...”
“Yeah?” he asked, curiosity in his voice.
“I have a proposal of my own.”
MAINSTREETWASfull of residents and tourists already by the time Oliver and Tess made it. The streets were barricaded and local police were rerouting vehicles toward side streets to bypass the floats lined up and ready to go. All of the local shops had closed for the day’s event and would reopen once the crowd had dispersed. The mood and energy all around them was electric as everyone anticipated the best parade Port Serenity had ever held.
“Dad! I told you we should have left earlier. We’re never going to get a good spot up front,” Tess chided as they hurried through the busy crowds, standing three deep on the sidewalks on both sides of the street.
“Don’t worry. I’ll put you on my shoulders,” he said, holding tight to her hand as they wove in and out of the crowd.
Reports hadn’t been lying when they said Port Serenity’s tourism was up to 90 percent of what it used to be that year. He also knew that with the closing of one of the local B and Bs, the town was struggling to accommodate booking requests. Some tourists were staying a short drive away in Sirens Bay, which wasn’t ideal.
Sirens Bay had a new mayor and a wealthy businessman had moved to the community the year before to open a high-end steak house. He claimed not to have any political aspirations or plans to build anything else in the small community, but the fear was that the town would soon try to compete with Port Serenity for the tourists. Sending them there due to lack of accommodations wasn’t in the town’s best interest.
It didn’t bode well for Oliver’s case about not turning his home into a vacation rental. But the last few days, he was changing his way of thinking. Maybe the new restructuring plans were in the town’s best interest, and as he’d told Tess, home was where they were together.
Letting go of the lighthouse would be tough, but not impossible, and in time, he knew he’d learn to be okay with it.
Seeing an opening in the crowd as a group of teens decided they were too cool to watch the parade after all, Oliver quickly hurried into the opening. “See? Best viewing place available.”
Tess sent him a look. “We got lucky.”
The sound of the local high school marching band approaching in the distance had everyone around them turning in the direction of the oncoming parade. With Tess in front of him for her safety, Oliver peered down the street as the group approached.
The song was the “Ode to Sealena,” which had been written by a local artist ten years before, and he couldn’t deny the sound of it did give him a sense of pride. He may have had his issues with the mythical sea serpent queen, but there was just something about feeling like a part of something, and the town’s folklore gave the community that. It bonded them and connected them all. Standing there now, hearing the music and seeing all the excited faces, Oliver knew he was truly part of something special.
Next was the high school’s cheerleading squad, dressed in their green-and-gold uniform.SSon the front forSerpent Squad—the local sports teams were all called the Serpents. Tess’s eyes lit up, seeing them as they stopped to perform a daring athletic stunt to a round of applause from the crowd. As the cheerleader flew through the air, even Oliver’s heart was in his throat, until she was safely on the ground.
“I can’t wait to be on the Serpent Squad,” Tess said excitedly.
Oliver could.
The next to pass were the mayor and his wife in a convertible, waving to the crowd, and several of the local business owners tossing candies to the kids from their cars. Three large balloons passed overhead, held by dozens of volunteers. And then the promised Sealena-themed foam fingers were distributed by a large supply van, volunteers racing them out to the crowd.
He and Tess put theirs on and high-fived one another. She giggled and held his hand, squeezing it tight, obviously happy he was there. He couldn’t deny that he was having a good time. It made him feel bad that he’d missed out for so many years, but he couldn’t change any of that. He was there now and he was determined not to miss out on any other aspects of life.
Then, in the distance, the actual floats appeared.
The first one was from the local fish market. Their design featured various types of fish and Oliver laughed as the owner, dressed as a codfish, was chased around the flatbed by his cleaver-wielding wife, who was dressed as a cook. The older man struggled with the limited mobility of the costume and it was a close call several times.
The next one was from the conservation wildlife center and their display featured a lab setup with large fish tanks and specimens being cared for and researched. Along the side were sea life and environmental facts. Dr. Ann, dressed in her lab coat, waved to them from the platform and they waved back. Then Ann nodded toward a man he didn’t recognize, also on the float. Her face lit up and Oliver clued in—the mysterious long-distance boyfriend. The man must have shown up for Ann. Oliver winked at her, happy for her.
But it only made him long for his own happiness with Carly.
He knew painting the truck and attending the parade were a start, a step in the right direction of showing her that he was ready to go all in, but they still had some things to figure out.
Following the conservatory float was the coast guard vehicle, the crew dressed in their uniforms and rescue gear, waving to the crowd. There was more than one swooning woman around him as they passed. There was a reason the yearly coast guard calendar featuring the brave and attractive crew was the biggest charity fundraiser in town.
Even Tess looked slightly gaga over the handsome men in uniform as they waved and handed out brochures about water safety to the children.
Oliver leaned over her shoulder and pointed to one of the safety rules. “Don’t go out into the water unsupervised. Huh. That sounds like an important one,” he said pointedly.
Tess rolled her eyes. “I get it. I won’t do it again.”
