“Charlotte!” My mom gasped again. “You’re getting a black eye. We should take you to the hospital.”
I grimaced. “I’m fine.”
Fern draped an arm over my shoulder. “I’m going to get this girl home. What she needs is a hot bath and some tea.” Cole raised his eyebrows and smirked. I smiled back. After today, I think everyone could use a cup of Fern’s spiked tea.
Deputy Roberts approached our group and motioned for Cole. He gave me a reassuring pat on my shoulder before leaving with the deputy. My family and I made our way back up the dock. As I walked past Cole who was now talking on his phone, he took a step toward me. “I’ll come see you later,” he whispered, before returning the phone to his ear.
I managed a shaky nod. From his serious expression, I wasn’t sure if his intent was business or personal. I hoped it was the latter.
The first thing I did when I arrived back at Fern’s was to strip out of my waterlogged clothes in the laundry room. My boots and coat were probably ruined, and having lived in the same outfit for almost the entirety of my visit, I’d say they’d served their purpose.
Then I took a long, scalding bath, since I’d literally been chilled to the bone, and combined with all the gunk in the harbor, I needed boiling water to kill whatever parasites and bacteria were lurking on my skin.
Fern made me a cup of hot tea and a sandwich, since I’d skipped lunch. It wasn’t special tea, though. After what happened with my breakup with Kenny way back when, I’d been firm in my resolve to avoid the stuff.
I’d settled into the overstuffed chair with a giant fudgy brownie Fern had whipped up while I was taking a bath. Moose jumped onto my lap, purring as loud as a trolling boat motor.
“Charlee, would you like some hot chocolate?” Fern asked from the kitchen.
“No, thanks, I’m good with tea.” I petted the giant Maine Coon as he settled in for a nap. If I consumed any more sugar, I’d be headed for a coma.
Fern joined me a minute later, kicking out the footrest on her recliner.
“Kenny stopped by earlier,” she disclosed, seeming none too pleased about it.
“Really?” I reached for my tea on the end table and took a drink.
“Yeah, I told him you were taking a nap.” She picked up her knitting needles.
“But I—”
“You were upstairs looking for warmer socks. If I told him that, he would have asked to wait,” she admitted.
Fern didn’t sugarcoat how she felt about the situation.
“Did he say anything else?”
“He wanted to make sure you were okay. He might come back later.” She sounded annoyed by this.
“Ah, I see. I take it the whole town knows what happened by now,” I speculated.
Fern chuckled. “Are you kidding me? This was bigger news than Earl’s murder. You caught the killer, and figured it out before the police, I might add,” she beamed with pride.
“Caught is a subjective term. More like Russell caught me.”
“He gave you that black eye, didn’t he?” Fern’s anger rose.
“No, Sting Ray hit me when he realized I was on the phone with you,” I explained. My aunt’s nostrils flared, looking like she was ready to hurt someone. “It’s okay. I’d gladly take a black eye over being dead.”
“Which you still could have been. I shouldn’t have let you go there by yourself. If Cole had been another minute late you would have been dead,” my aunt shuddered.
“Not necessarily. I think Sting Ray planned to take me on his boat and into the ocean to drown me, so that should have given the cops at least a few more minutes.”
“Is that supposed to reassure me?” Fern wasn’t amused.
It was actually, but I saw her point. “Well, it doesn’t matter now. It’s over, and I’m okay. You’ve been cleared and so has Patty. I’m just glad things can go back to normal.” I realized as soon as I said it that I wasn’t sure what that meant anymore.
My aunt gave me a questioning look. “That’s right. Does this mean you plan to go back to Portland soon?” Her use of Portland was purposeful, instead of saying “home.” It was clear she didn’t feel that was where I belonged.
“Actually…”
A tentative grin began to stretch across her mouth.
“When I thought I was going to die…”
Her smile vanished.
“I thought about my life — all that had happened with Kenny, and me leaving here.. But I also thought about what would never happen: my dream of having my own business. I’ve been doing what I love for years now, but I don’t love Portland, and I work just as much as I would if I had my own business. I think I’m ready to take a risk.”
Fern’s hands clapped noisily, startling Moose, who lifted his head to give her a sleepy glare. “Yippee! I’m so excited. First thing tomorrow, I’ll go talk with the leasing agent about the shop, and then…”
The implication of my decision drowned out my aunt’s rapid planning. After ten years, I was moving back home. To a place I thought I’d never return to. I waited for a wave of uneasiness to wash over me, or nausea even, as all the memories here usually had that effect on me.
But they didn’t come. Sure, there was some apprehension about starting my own business, and all the work that would involve, but I was more excited than anything. With Fern’s help, I was going to realize my lifelong dream.
When I was younger, I never would have considered embarking on something like this alone. It had always been my plan to do it with Kenny. Now I could see I how allowed him to steal that from me. When there’d been a hiccup in my dream, I’d permitted it to completely derail my life. For ten long years. Thankfully,
