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I looked up at Billy, his usually cool demeanor now something closer to despair as Mrs. Joyner prattled on about her granddaughter and her upcoming trip to the island. When she finally got to the point of asking whether he might be interested in meeting her, Billy faltered. He opened his mouth to answer, but I managed to beat him to it.
I swiveled my head back toward the table I’d just left in a hurry. Jake sat there, his head buried in his phone, no doubt trying to find a solution to his wife’sbroken-down carsituation.
“Jake!” I hollered, interrupting the granddaughter discussion completely.
His head swung up immediately.
“I’ll take a look at Molly’s truck. Tell her I’ll swing by in half an hour.”
His eyes widened in surprise, but he simply nodded.
I turned back to the Joyners. “Well, we’d best be letting Billy get back to work now. You two have a lovely time in Corolla and safe travels.”
They seemed distracted enough that they didn’t bother finishing their conversation with Billy, and he took the opportunity to run off, delivering his dishes to the various hungry customers.
But a few minutes later, as I walked back to my house, taking a much more leisurely pace this time, I got a single text from him that simply said,Thank you.
* * *
After a quick shower, I headed over to the inn that Jake and his wife, Molly, owned.
By the Bay Inn was one of those iconic places in Ocracoke that visitors came back to time and time again. I was sure when most locals drove up and saw that weathered gray siding, it stirred a feeling of nostalgia and memories of happy days gone by. The McIntyres were known for hosting big cookouts and inviting nearly everyone in the town.
Nearlybeing the operative word.
My family had never been one of them.
My dad used to say there were two types of people in the world—those who were handed everything on a silver spoon and those who had to work for it.
“They ain’t us, son. Don’t even bother.”
I didn’t know why those words had stuck with me for all these years. Most of what he’d said to me, growing up, had fallen by the wayside. But whenever I saw my former classmates, all their happy smiles and successful lives, I heard his words in the back of my mind.
And they stung.
I’d no sooner put my car in park than I saw the front door open, and Molly walked out to greet me.
As she stepped off the porch toward me, I noticed the slight swell of her stomach and the gentle way her hand rested there. The announcement that the town doctor and his wife were expecting their second child had spread like wildfire a few weeks back. It brought back memories of another pregnancy announcement that had been the talk of the town.
One I’d rather forget.
“You’re pregnant?” I breathed out, echoing the words she’d just said to me.
“Yes,” Kristy answered, her voice timid, as she placed a single hand on her stomach.
“Are you sure?” I asked. My eyes were fixated on that hand.
This could be our chance to start over.
We’d tried so hard, for so damn long.
“Yes, Macon,” she answered. “I’m sure. But?—”
“But what?” I asked, searching her face for signs of distress. But all I saw was sadness. Sadness and regret.
And that was when I noticed the absence of her ring and the reality of our situation.
I should have known.
