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That made me smile. If Nyla had grown up in Oak Island, I knew we would’ve been best friends then, too.
We ambled around the side of the building until we made it to the front.
“There are five steps,” I warned her. I guided her up and let her go once she was safely on the porch. “Okay, you can take the blindfold off now,” I said.
Nyla carefully slid it off her forehead, her auburn hair getting caught in the knot. She released it quickly, and her eyes widened when she realized where we were.
“Why are we at your family’s practice?” she asked, brows furrowed curiously.
The answer was right behind her, leaning against the building and wrapped in shiny silver paper with a red ribbon tied around it.
“You have a present to open.” I nodded toward it, and she turned to see what it was.
Slowly, she walked over to it, and I knew it was going to be heavy. “Oh my God, what is it?” she asked, grunting with the weight of it.
She carried it over and when I sat down on the steps, I held my arms out for it so she could sit beside me. I placed it on her lap the second she sat, my stomach fluttering with anticipation.
“Open it,” I said, nudging her with my elbow.
Nyla’s trembling fingers fumbled with the corner flap of the silver wrapping paper. In one swift motion, she tore it open to reveal a wooden sign, and the gasp that escaped her lips echoed in the air. With wide eyes and a hand clamped over her mouth, she slowly turned to meet my gaze.
“Are you serious? Is this for real?”
Tears burned my eyes as I brushed my fingers over our names engraved on the bottom of the sign:Seaside Family Practice—Dr. Everleigh Abbott and Dr. Nyla Clark. My dad was ready to retire and when I offered to take it over, I saw such joy in his eyes that I knew it was the right choice. He wanted the practice to stay in the family, but I also knew I needed someone by my side. So, I brought up the idea of bringing Nyla on as a partner and he agreed—that way, I could still help out at the clinic when I wasn’t away performing surgeries.
Nyla hung her head and sniffled, tears dropping from her cheeks onto the sign.
“So, what do you say?” I asked, my voice thick with emotion.
Nyla threw her arms around me, her body shaking as she sobbed into my shoulder. Then, after a few moments, she pulled away and looked up at me, her eyes red and puffy.
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice choked with tears. “I’ll be happy to be your partner. Just tell me what needs to be done on my part.”
I held up a hand. “We have plenty of time for that. I’m just glad you’re happy. A part of me was afraid you might not want the responsibility of owning your own practice.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? This is a dream come true.” More tears fell down her cheeks. “And it wouldn’t have been possible without you. I owe you so much.”
I shook my head. “You owe me nothing. Having you here is going to be all I need.”
Sniffling, she wiped away her tears. “What about your specialty? You’re not giving that up, are you?”
I snorted. “Oh heavens, no. I love what I do, so I’ll still be doing surgeries. Of course, it’ll require some travel, but our clinic will have you to hold down the fort while I’m gone.” A smile spread across my face as I looked down at our sign. “My dad wanted Seaside to stay in the family, and I’m making his wish come true.” I met her gaze. “And I want to share it with you. Then, maybe one day, when we have kids, we can pass it to them.”
Nyla laughed through her tears and placed a hand over her heart. “That would be the life, Everleigh. Do you think it’ll happen that way?”
I took her hand in mine. “I have no doubt.”
32
EVERLEIGH
Iwas getting married in a little over two weeks!
It was hard to wrap my head around the thought. Nyla was all settled into her new home while Jensen and I started to make Hide Away by the Sea ours.
“Hey, babe! Do you want to go ahead and move the furniture before we head out to the water?” Jensen shouted from our bedroom. Smiling, I finished my coffee just as I heard his footsteps thumping down the hall.
“That works,” I said, turning away from the window and watching him step into the kitchen, his hair disheveled and dressed in only a pair of swimming trunks that hung low on his hips.
