Stella snorted. “Any idea what that adventure is going to be?”
“Boston? Wasn’t that your plan?”
Again, Stella had nearly forgotten about Boston altogether. That had been her dream when she was young. When Brenda stood in her living room and asked her what she wanted, it was the only thing Stella could think of. Boston. Big-city life. Now, Stella couldn’t really picture it.
“You know better than anyone that life rarely goes according to plan. I’ve never been one to believe in signs from the universe, but maybe I should take the breakdown on the side of the road and the car-part delays as a sign that Boston isn’t meant to be.”
“I don’t know about that,” Sam said quickly. “I mean, crazy things happen all the time. Maybe the breakdown is a test—a hurdle for you to jump over. I wouldn’t give up so quickly.”
“That’s just it, though. I don’t even know what I’m giving up. Boston was just the first place I could think of. I don’t think it’s my dream, necessarily.”
They both went quiet for a while, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was peaceful. Stella felt perfectly comfortable sitting next to Sam in the dark, both of them lost in their own thoughts. It was the calmest Stella had felt in a long time.
Eventually, Sam cleared his throat and spoke softly. “Well, if it isn’t your dream, that’s one thing. But if it is, don’t let this delay deter you. I’d hate to think you gave up on your dreams because of me.”
“I won’t give up on my dreams, but even if I did, it wouldn’t be your fault, Sam. You can’t control when the part arrives.”
Sam smiled and nodded, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. Stella could tell he didn’t entirely believe her.
The conversation ebbed and flowed, focusing on lighter subjects before dipping back into something heavier. It wasn’t anything important—Sam loved rare steak and the color green, and he worried about Drew Baldwin more than himself—but sometimes, the little things mattered more than one might expect.
“He’s capable of anything, and I hope he knows that,” Sam said. “Getting cut from the baseball team hurt him a lot, but it’s not the end of his road. It’s only a hurdle. He’s a great writer, and he could pursue sports journalism if he put his mind to it. He’s also wonderful with kids, so he’ll make a great coach. But more than any of that, he has a good thing going with Ashley, his girlfriend who is studying to be a vet, and I hope he doesn’t let her get away. He keeps telling me he wants to be settled before he makes a commitment, but look how that turned out for me.”
“Was there someone you let get away?” Stella asked.
“No, because I didn’t even want to date before I felt settled. I didn’t want to get into anything serious until I knew I could make it work long-term. And you know what? I still don’t feel settled.” He laughed humorlessly. “I’m as settled as any person could be—with a business and a house and great friends—and I don’t feel settled the way I thought I would as a kid. From what I can work out, that’s because none of those things are what I really wanted. Family is what I always wanted. If I’d focused on that, instead, I think I’d feel settled.”
“It’s not too late.”
Sam tilted his head to the side and grinned. “I know. It took me longer than I’d like to realize, but I still have time.”
His eyes on her felt heavy—not with expectation or pressure, but with hope. Stella didn’t flatter herself by thinking Sam could already be hopeful she would be “the one” for him, but she could see that something about her presence in Willow Beach had given him hope. The fact that he’d agreed to this date after refusing so many others meant he had hope. Stella could very well be the first step towards Sam finally feeling settled, and while she was happy for him, his hope settled on her shoulders like a heavy, wet blanket.
She’d be leaving soon, and she wouldn’t see how Sam’s story played out. Or Drew’s. Or any of the other Baldwins’.
She wouldn’t get to know Alma and grow accustomed to her booming voice and big personality.
She wouldn’t get to see how her sets looked in Meet Me in St. Louis or see Sam’s hand-built trolley roll out for the trolley song.
Instead, Stella would go back to her house that felt suddenly too big. She’d go back to her job that felt suddenly too restrictive. And she’d go back to her social circle that felt suddenly too sparse.
“It’s not too late for you, either.” Sam nudged Stella’s arm, pulling her from her thoughts.
For a minute, it felt like he had been reading her mind, and her cheeks flushed a deep red. “What?”
“Boston,” he said. “It’s not too late for you to make it to Boston. The part will be in tomorrow. I’ll fix your car, send you on your way, and you can get back to your vacation as planned.”
“Oh.” Stella searched Sam’s face for any sign of disappointment at her departure. Would he miss her? Was he hoping she’d stay? If he was, she didn’t see any signs of it in his face. He was smiling down at her, and Stella did her best to smile back. “That’s good news.”
Before they left, Sam grabbed Stella’s hand and led her across the pebbly sand and closer to the water. He skipped flat rocks across the water, skipping one far enough that it hit a wall of stone on the other side of the lagoon.
The moonlight reflected off the
