“Where are you headed?” Colleen asked as she sat down with Vivi on her lap. Within seconds, she was plundering though everything on the top of Colleen’s desk. The empty stapler seemed to be her favorite.
“I went by the bakery so grandma could see Vivi, and then I stopped by the bookstore to get her some learning cards. We’re starting to teach her to read.”
Colleen stared at her. “Isn’t she a little young to be reading?
“Actually, this is a great age to start teaching her to read,” Tucker interjected. “Studies show…”
“Never mind, Mr. Know-It-All,” Colleen said with a laugh as she pried her most important file out of Vivi’s hands. She gave her a little stuffed teddy bear to play with, until she got bored with it, of course.
“Did y’all hear the latest news?” Meg asked.
“No, what?”
“Well, it seems we have a new resident here. Grandma told me all about it. Some woman moved here to take care of the lighthouse.”
“I thought that place was closed down?” Tucker said.
“Not anymore. They fixed it up and will be giving tours.”
“I’m glad to hear it. The lighthouse is such a big part of Seagrove. Can’t wait to see the view from up there,” Colleen said. “Maybe a date night in the near future?”
Tucker smiled. “Anything you want, dear.”
“Even though you’re afraid of heights?” she said, smiling up at him.
“I’m not exactly afraid. I just prefer the ground.”
“Uh huh,” she mumbled as she tickled Vivi in an effort to distract her. Letting her run around the office would be a disaster. They worked in the toy industry, after all. She’d break every prototype they were working on.
“Well, I better get home. Christian is coming home early so we can chill out and watch a movie tonight as a family.”
“Sounds fun,” Colleen said, standing up and handing Vivi back to her sister.
“The reality is that we’ll probably fall asleep before it’s halfway over. This wedding planning is exhausting!”
“Oh, that reminds me. I tried on the maid of honor dress, and it just needed some hemming. Otherwise, we’re good to go on that. We still need to meet at the florist one day soon, though.”
“Right. I’ll add that to my ever-growing list,” she said, typing it into her phone. “See y’all later!”
As Colleen watched her little sister disappear down the sidewalk, she couldn’t help but be proud of her. Having a child so young couldn’t be easy, and she admired how she’d handled it. She was a great mother, and she was going to be an amazing wife too.
Emma stood at the top of the lighthouse. She stared off into the ocean, her thoughts a mixture of gratitude and sadness. Disappointment in herself and hope for a better future. It was quite a dichotomy.
Her grandmother, for all the trouble she’d caused in her life, had given her a good piece of advice once. “Emma,” she’d said, “Life is going to throw rocks at you one day. At first, they’re going to nail you right in that pretty face of yours. You’ll have scars and pain from it, but next time you’ll know to put your hands up. Because, after all, nobody wants life to beat them up and make them look ugly for the rest of their days. When life throws rocks, for goodness sakes, put your hands up and fight.”
Moving to Seagrove was her way of fighting. Maybe others would consider it running away, just like her boyfriend did. But, for her it meant preserving her sanity. Giving her room to breathe again. Getting out of the spotlight that she’d found herself in unwillingly.
She watched a bird fly overhead, and a feeling of loneliness washed over her. She knew no one on this island, apart from Henrietta and Roger. And, unless she wanted to join the local senior center, she doubted those two people would be her new best friends.
A part of her wanted to find new friends. She was only forty years old, after all. She wasn’t retired. She needed interaction. But the other larger part of her said no. She didn’t need anyone who would ask questions or judge her. She’d had quite enough of that.
Just as she was about to make her way down the stairs and into the cottage for an early dinner, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She usually didn’t answer it, but she couldn’t say no when it was her only real friend, Caroline.
They’d met when they were in kindergarten, and the only person who’d really been there for her over the last year was Caroline. From burying her grandmother, to the day she wanted to forget, her friend had tried so hard to be her rock. “Hello?”
“Emma? Thank goodness! I’ve been worried sick about you! Where on earth are you? Steve said you took your things and left?”
“That’s right.”
Caroline paused a moment, like she was unsure of what to say. “Honey, are you okay? Tell me where you are so I can come to you.”
“I… can’t.”
“What do you mean? Is somebody holding you?”
Emma chuckled. “No. I just need some time.”
“I understand, but you shouldn’t be alone, Em. I’ll come, and I won’t tell a soul. I promise.”
A tear welled in her eye. “I know you would come, but I just want to do this alone, okay?”
“Emma, I have to ask this question…”
“What question?”
“Are you… a danger to yourself?”
“No! I promise I’m not. In fact, my head is starting to feel clearer already.”
“Are you sure? I can get you whatever help you need. You know that.” Caroline was a licensed clinical social worker, and her skills had helped Emma after the “incident”. But there were still dark corners of her soul that no amount of counseling was going to touch. Her hope was that the ocean would wash them away.
“I’m sure. Look, I’m going to be okay. I just needed to get away from all of it. I know Steve doesn’t understand, but I need
