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“What do you mean?” he said, but she raised an eyebrow at him.
“There was only ever my Millie. I wouldn’t even know where to start trying to woo someone at my age.”
“From what I’ve heard, you wouldn’t need to woo that hard.”
“Are you some kind of romance expert?” He chuckled.
The thought of her own romantic dilemma dragged the corners of her mouth down.
“Uh, oh,” Forrest said. “What’s weighing on you then? Come on, I’ve got great hearing for someone my age. Spill the beans, kiddo.”
She sighed. “My coming back to Camden is supposed to be very temporary, but the longer I’m here the more people I think I’m going to hurt when I leave again.”
“Are you one of those people yourself?”
“I don’t know.” She slumped in her chair. “Maybe? It’s been better than I thought being back home and reconnecting with people, but my goal was to be back working in Toronto as soon as possible.”
“What’s waiting for you in Toronto?” Forrest rested his elbows on the table.
“My brother offered me a job in his company,” she said. “But I’d have to find a new place to live, since I doubt he’d want me sleeping on his couch for long. And, well, that’s it I guess.”
“That’s it? A job is great, but who is excited for you to get back to the big city? You must have friends there who miss you? Maybe a special someone?”
“Actually no. There’s no one there who misses me.”
He sat back in his seat, regarding her. “It seems to me,” he said, slowly scratching his chin, “that what you’re in the midst of is a changing of conditions.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I was in the navy, sometimes the condition of the seas would shift without warning. A storm would drop in on us, or we’d see one coming our way. We’d have to change our course according to the condition of the seas. It seems to me like you’ve hit rough seas, and maybe this is an opportunity to change course.”
“But wouldn’t that be giving up? Shouldn’t I persevere through the rough seas to reach my destination?”
“Well, I guess that depends on where you want to end up.” He eased himself out of his chair. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time for my own course correction. And Kylie, sometimes what you think you need and what you actually need are not the same things.” With that he patted her shoulder and left the table.
Forrest made his way across the room, said something to Edna then reached out his hand. She smiled and took it, getting up from the couch and slipping her arm through his as they carried on toward the dining room.
Kylie couldn’t help but grin and enjoy seeing two people she’d grown to care about being happy.
