“I do. I complain, but I secretly love it.”
“You have a great family, Julie. You’re very blessed.”
She took a sip of her wine and nodded. “I am very blessed, for sure. Can I ask you something?”
Emma froze in her seat, her breath catching in her throat. Was she going to start asking her personal questions? She felt the sudden urge to bolt and run straight back to lighthouse.
“Of course.”
“Have you ever heard of an author named Charlotte McLemore?”
Emma let her breath out. “I think I’ve heard of her in passing. From a couple of friends. Why?”
“Everybody is talking about her books, and I have one I’m supposed to start reading but every time I get started, I get distracted by something else. I promised myself that I would sit in bed tonight and at least read the first chapter. If I like it, I’ll continue.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Emma said, laughing. “Every time I try to read in bed, I fall asleep within minutes.”
“Same here. I’ve given Dawson permission to elbow me until I finish chapter one.”
She really enjoyed talking to Julie. Emma really understood her. Even though she hadn’t been married or had a cheating husband, she certainly knew what it was like to run away from her old life and try to start a new one. She hoped that she would be as lucky as Julie had been.
“Well, I better get back. I’m so exhausted from today, and I want to get a really good night of sleep before tours start in the morning. I understand we have a third grade class coming for a field trip.”
Julie laughed. “You better get a lot of extra sleep for that.”
Emma stood up and gave Julie a quick hug. She was so thankful to already be making new friends. There was just something special about Seagrove Island, and she was thankful that God had somehow led her there. She felt like she had support, even from the people she hadn’t met yet.
“I’ll see you soon. I want to come by the bookstore.”
Julie smiled. “You’re going to love this little town. Let it support you, Emma. Whatever situation you came from, you can always find a new start in Seagrove. I am a testament to that.”
William couldn’t remember a time when he had felt more nervous than he did right now. After picking up Janine, who was dressed for a night on the town, they had gone dancing at an adorable jazz club in Charleston. The whole time they were dancing, he was afraid that she could feel his heart pounding out of his chest. Or could she feel that little black box with the diamond ring shoved down in his dress pants pocket.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy dancing, throwing around her thick curly hair to the music. He was so happy to be out with her having a good time. Lately, they had seemed so busy with work that they didn’t get to do the fun things they used to.
Now, sitting across from her in the dimly lit restaurant, a single candle between them, he looked at her trying to figure out the words to say. He’d never done this before, after all. Proposing to a woman was something he had always planned to do, but the right woman had never come along. Until Janine.
He kept sneaking glances at her when she wasn’t looking. The way that the candlelight danced off her features just made her more beautiful. He didn’t even know that was possible. She smiled as she saw someone she knew across the restaurant, holding up her hand and waving at them. They often ran into people that took her yoga classes, and everyone loved her. She put her whole heart into everything that she did, and helping people was the most important part of who Janine was.
“I can’t wait to get my food. I’m starving,” she said, putting her napkin in her lap. The restaurant was fancier than any one they had ever been to. Cloth napkins and a maître d’. William had to check his credit card to make sure he was going to have enough money to pay for it, and that wasn’t something he often had to think about. It was just that expensive. But he wasn’t going to spare any expense when it came to proposing to the love of his life.
“Me too,” he said.
“Are you okay? You’ve seemed kind of nervous all night. Is everything all right at work?”
William laughed. “What could possibly go wrong on a boat?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just figured that something must be going on because we never go out on fancy dates like this, and you seem awfully nervous.”
“No. Just happy to be here with you,” he said, reaching across the table and holding her hand. Maybe he would do it right now. There was no reason to wait for the dessert. He should just go ahead and do it so that he didn’t have to feel nauseous all the way through dinner.
“I love you,” she said, smiling at him. Yes, now was the exact right time to do it. It was the romantic moment he’d been waiting for.
“Janine, I need to ask you something…”
Before he could finish his sentence or drop to one knee, the waiter two tables over started banging a fork against a wine glass. Everybody in the restaurant turned to look.
“Ladies and gentlemen, join me in congratulating Sarah and Tate who just got engaged!”
The whole restaurant erupted in cheers and clapping, and William felt like he was going to throw up. He’d missed his chance. There was no way he was going to propose to Janine right after someone else had already done it. He wanted her to have the perfect moment, and this wasn’t it.
“Oh, that’s so sweet. They look like a really cute couple,”
“Yeah. Cute couple,” he said, his words coming out one at a time
