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“What’s that?” Ellyn eyed the frame as she took her first sip.
“A thank-you gift from Mateo.” Molly avoided looking at it as she took the second mug from Hadley.
“Oh, fun! May I see?” Ellyn asked.
“Sure.” She stared at it. Two, possibly three silent seconds ticked by with her not making any move to touch it.
“You might have to, I don’t know, show it to us for us to see it.” Hadley eyed the picture then eyed Molly.
“You okay, sweetie?” Ellyn asked from her other side.
“I think I’m in love with Grant.” It felt strange to say those words out loud. She’d thought them, sure, but she hadn’t let herself say them before. There was something oddly freeing about uttering them now, like a weight had been lifted.
“Oh, we don’t think. We know. You’re totally in love with him,” Ellyn agreed.
“And please let the record show that I called that match on day one.” Hadley had a confident glow.
“I’m in love with Grant,” Molly said again slowly, this time considering the ramifications of the words.
“I’m guessing you still haven’t talked to him?” Ellyn asked gently.
Panic started to rise inside of her like the foam of a soda that had been poured too quickly. “The man I love is leaving today, and I’m going to let him go.” Which was the right decision, wasn’t it? There were too many risks. Too many unknowns. Too many opportunities for someone to get hurt.
“Or you don’t,” Hadley said with an air of finality. She fixed her gaze on Molly. “The Molly I know, the one who’s taken Emerald Cove by storm, isn’t afraid of a challenge. She doesn’t let the unknown scare her off.”
“No sirree,” Ellyn added from the other side. “The Molly I know isn’t afraid to jump into the deep end when the need arises.”
“I can confidently tell you that Molly is afraid of those things. Very afraid, in fact,” Molly said. The memory of the day her life as she knew it came crashing down around her skidded to the front of her mind. She couldn’t let that happen again. Shewouldn’tlet that happen again.
“But the Molly we know doesn’t back down. Not when the right thing is on the line.” Hadley held her hand out, and Molly took it. She gave her a gentle squeeze. “You’ve got this, my friend.”
“But do I?” It was one thing to jump into the middle of the ocean while wearing a life jacket to save a turtle, or step out on to the platform of a lighthouse with someone there to help her. Risking it all on love was something else entirely. And in case anyone was wondering, there was no safety gear when it came to falling in love.
“You do,” Ellyn said with all the confidence of someone betting on a one-person race. “And you have your friends behind you, backing you up the entire way.”
“No matter how far away you are.”
The foamy panic started to subside, disappearing until there was nothing left but the truth.
And suddenly, in the morning light of what promised to be a beautiful summer day, everything became clear.
“You guys, I have to go.” She popped out of her chair, sloshing some of the lukewarm coffee onto her hand. There was an urgency as a plan started to form in her mind. She tossed back the rest of the cup o’caffeine and handed Hadley the empty mug. “Thanks for the mocha. And the pep talk.” She blew kisses to each of her friends and headed for the door to her apartment. She only hoped she hadn’t waited too long.
“Go get him.” Hadley beamed as Molly pulled open the sliding glass door and stepped in to her apartment.
“And don’t worry,” Ellyn called after her. “You can show us the picture another time.”
Chapter Twenty Four
Grant was ready to go.He’d already said goodbye to his sister, had taken one last lap around the turtle tanks, and had done a final check of his boat. His course was plotted, his gas tank was topped off, and his fridge was full. The only thing left was to untie from the dock and push away from Emerald Cove.
He put a few bottles of water and a couple of snacks for his trip in a small cooler and secured it by the helm. He ignored the feeling that he was forgetting something, or leaving something behind. He’d tied up all the loose ends, hadn’t he? Everything else he was setting free, which was the right thing to do. He was sure of it. Fine, maybe not sure. Maybe it was more accurate to say he was moderately confident.
Or maybe it was better if he didn’t think about it at all.
He trotted down the steps to the deck then wove his way through it, stopping to tighten one of the latches. It was time to focus on what was ahead. As if to prove it to himself, he mentally reviewed the path he’d plotted. His mind was completely consumed with all things trip-related by the time he got to the spot where his boat met the dock.
“Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?”
