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"You are coming back tonight, right?" Dani asked, a question in her eyes. "Or is there someone else you want to spend time with? Kade did save our lives, and you two seem like you've gotten close."
"We've gotten close, and we've also gotten further apart. Our mother played a part in his father's murder. Even if she didn't pull the trigger, she also didn't go to the police and turn herself in or tell anyone that Max killed Kade's dad. I have a feeling that when he looks at me, he's going to remember all the lies and the tragedy of his father's death."
Dani gave me a sad but understanding look. "I wish I could say you were wrong, but I don't know. It's a big hurdle to get over."
"Yes, it is. And besides all that, we've only known each other a few days."
"Life can change in an instant. We've certainly seen that."
"We have. It was funny, watching Mom and Rachel together. They went back and forth like we do, finishing each other's sentences. They spent their whole lives trying to protect each other."
"You said they would be a mirror for us, but I think they're a broken mirror," Dani said. "Of what can go wrong when you don't live your own life."
"They're also a mirror of what can go right when you love with your whole heart. Their love for each other is the most honest thing about them, and it's incredibly strong. They made a lot of mistakes but loving each other wasn't the worst of them."
"Well, thankfully, we are not as messed up as they are," Dani said. "We're not broken, Brynn. We're just a work in progress."
I smiled. "I like that description. And we won't stay close because of guilt or fear or duty, but because we love each other, and we're going to push each other to be better, right?"
"I don't think I can ever stop pushing," Dani said with a self-deprecating smile. "I know I can be bossy."
"And I can be too eager to please, so we'll both make some changes. Now, you should get out of here. I want you to go home, put your feet up, and just love the hell out of your husband."
"I can do that," she said.
When we got out front, Kade was standing by his truck, and Steve was next to him, his vehicle parked in front of Kade's.
Dani and I gave each other a long, tight hug, and then I stepped back as she and Steve got into their car. When I joined Kade in his truck, he gave me a questioning look.
"What?" I asked.
"I'm not ready to go back to the house. Do you feel like taking a walk on the beach?"
I was thrilled to do anything that would put off saying goodbye to him. "Absolutely."
It was only a short drive to the beach. There were things I wanted to say to Kade, but the words weren't ready to come. After parking at Ocean Beach, we walked out onto the sand and sat down. The wide expanse of beach was empty, which was not surprising for midday on a Tuesday. The weather was brisk, the wind blowing back my hair as we looked out at the waves.
"It's funny," I said. "Five days ago, I went to the beach near my store and took a call from my friend about the orchestra position. I looked at the waves and thought about how turbulent my life was about to get. A few hours later, I got another call, and that one made a mockery of the first one. My life wasn't going to just get complicated; it would be turned upside down. Everything I thought I knew was a lie." I gazed over at him. "Now I know what's true, and…"
"You feel calm?" he suggested.
"Hardly. I feel overwhelmed. I have answers, but I don't like a lot of them."
"The truth doesn't always set you free."
"What about you? How has the truth made you feel?"
He didn’t answer right away. Then he said, "I feel like I got some justice by killing my father's killer. I wanted revenge for most of my life. I thought it would ease the pain. It didn't do that, but it brought me some closure. I'm still sad that my dad's gone, that he didn't have a chance to live his life, to love his family. That will never change."
"No," I agreed. "You'll never get back what you lost. The truth didn't put my family back together, either. It just explained why it fell apart. But I learned a lot about myself through all this. And you helped with that."
"How so?"
"You showed me what it looks like to go after your passion, to be free, to take risks, and I'm going to make some big changes going forward."
"That's good."
"Do you think you'll be able to let go of the rage, the darkness in your soul now?"
