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Ellyn had apparently done the same, because when Molly looked to the right, in the place of her signature zip-up hoodie, Ellyn was sporting a matching teal T-shirt.
“You two are too much.”
“I tried to tell her that, but Ellyn’s middle name is Too Much,” Hadley said, casually sipping her coffee.
Ellyn rolled her eyes at her friend. “We want you to know that your legacy to this town and to the turtles and to us won’t be forgotten.”
Molly slipped the shirt over her head, the thoughtfulness of her sweet friends causing a lump to form in her throat. “Let’s not talk about goodbyes yet. I can only handle one send-off at a time.”
“Plus, you have a few more weeks before you leave, right?” Ellyn asked.
“Right.” Although, it sounded like the clock was already ticking down, which caused her chest to tighten. How was she going to say goodbye to the two people who restored her faith in friendship? For that matter, how was she going to say goodbye to this place in general?
Before she could dive too deep into that topic, she pushed it away. She would have to figure that out another day. Today was about Hope.
She reached around the partition to give Ellyn a hug. “Thanks for this. It means a lot.” She walked to the other side of her balcony and gave Hadley a hug. “And I’m still holding two spots for you in the VIP tent. Your names are on the list.”
“We’ll be there,” Hadley said.
She glanced at her watch. “Yikes. I’d better run or I’m going to be late.”
“Good luck, and go, Team Hope!” Ellyn cheered.
Molly waved to her friends and headed inside long enough to grab the bag she’d need for the day and her keys. She headed out to her car, but summer traffic made the short trip slower than she’d been expecting, and she pulled into an already full Turtle Rehab parking lot only five minutes before the briefing meeting.
“Hey, Kya!” Her voice was cheerful as she rushed through the giftshop to the Care Floor, where the meeting was taking place.
Kya picked up a two-way radio. “Molly just walked in,” she said into the speaker before returning the greeting.
“Am I late?” She checked her watch again, but according to the schedule she’d been given, she was still a solid three minutes early.
“Send her straight back,” Mateo’s voice came over the radio.
Kya shrugged innocently. “They started asking if you were here almost an hour ago. But don’t take it personally. They’re always like this on release day.” She held up the walkie-talkie. “But I get to play with this, so it’s not all bad.”
Molly chuckled. “Silver linings. Tell them I’m on my way.”
It wasn’t a necessary message, since she’d be walking out the back door about the same time Kya finished delivering it, but it would put all those jittery nerves to good use.
Molly broke into a jog when she got to the hallway and was out the sliding door in record time. But, if the crowd of staffers assembled in the staging area was any indication, she was the last to get there.
Claire and Mateo were standing on either side of a white board with a detailed schedule of how the next few hours would go and a diagram of the release site. Every rehab tech on staff, along with a few volunteers, were there with clipboards in hand, ready to take notes. Grant stood on the far edge of the group, leaning against a pole.
Molly slowed her jog and sidled up to him, hoping to not draw attention to herself. “You failed to mention that being five minutes early was ten minutes late on release days,” she whispered.
Grant handed her a clipboard and grinned, showing off the charming dimples she loved—liked. She meant liked. “First of all, you were considered ten minutes late ten minutes ago,” he whispered. “And second, I would’ve mentioned it, but you left without saying goodbye the other day.”
Ouch. So he’d noticed that she’d been avoiding him all week. “Sorry about that.” The familiar angst that had pulled at her for the past week swirled inside her.
Luckily, she didn’t have time to focus on it because Mateo’s gaze burned into her, keeping her focus on the task at hand.
“Now that we’re all assembled, our meeting can finally commence.”
She pulled a face to show she felt bad. “Sorry about that.”
Mateo didn’t acknowledge her apology. Instead, he launched into an explanation of the detailed schedule that was written out in large, bold letters on the white board in front and also on everyone’s individual clipboard.
“Commence?” Molly whispered to Grant. There might’ve been a smidge of judgment in her raised eyebrow.
