Magic in the Moonlight: A Sweet Summer Romantic Comedy (The Magic of Moonrise Cove)

by Jules Barker

  Laurel pulled back and wiped her hands just as Officer Westergard reached her. “You get anything?”

  Laurel had already explained the gist of her abilities on the ride over. “Well, we know he’s here,” she said as he checked out the kayak for himself. “I suspect he’s either up on the hill, which seemed to be a favorite spot for him and his mom to fly kites, or he’s trying to sleep somewhere. He’s got to be exhausted.”

  “That makes sense.” He whistled and gestured to his partner. “Officer Okamoto will patrol the perimeter in case he can catch a glimpse of Donni from there; we’ll look inland and radio if we find him. If we don’t find him quick, we’ll have to call in help for a more thorough search.”

  Officer Westergard led the way down the path that cut through the center of the island. “We’ll check the hill first––it will also give us a good view of the island. Then we can tackle other areas.”

  Laurel followed his lead. He had only been in Moonrise Cove a few weeks, but he seemed confident in knowing the lay of the land. That, or he was reading the trail signs.

  Laurel was grateful her espadrilles were so comfortable. She hadn’t planned on an expedition today. It was still only mid-morning somehow, and walking in the shade of the trees cooled her skin. She imagined Donni attempting to sleep here on the island overnight and shivered. It might be summer, but camping off the ocean unprotected from the elements would still be uncomfortable.

  A small trail forked to the right and Laurel saw the maintenance shed the city kept on the small island. “Officer Westergard! Should we check that since we’re going past?”

  He jogged down the trail and Laurel followed. The metal door was padlocked shut, but Officer Westergard rattled it anyway. “It’s secure. I doubt he could have gotten in. I’ll radio for them to bring the keys just in case when I call in.”

  He turned away and Laurel was about to leave as well when a zing of emotion buzzed through her. The surge was powerful. She whipped around.

  “Donni? Are you there?”

  She heard Officer Westergard pause on the trail, but didn’t hear a reply. She gestured to him and crept around the side of the shed. “Donni?”

  She rounded the corner in time to see a small blue form dart the opposite direction, only to run smack into Officer Westergard’s waiting arms. He’d circled around the other side of the shed. Donni struggled in his grip.

  Relief flooded Laurel’s veins. They’d found him.

  “Whoa, there. Relax. I’m a policeman,” Officer Westergard said, attempting to keep hold of Donni.

  “Are you going to arrest me? I didn’t steal anything. I swear! It’s my mom’s kayak!”

  Donni’s fear was strong enough that Laurel could feel it from several feet away reverberating off the shed walls.

  “No, no. I’m here to help. Protect and Serve, right? We don’t only arrest bad guys. Besides, you aren’t a bad guy, are you Donni?”

  Donni hesitated. “No.”

  Laurel could tell Donni was still hesitating. Officer Westergard let Donni go carefully, and he backed up a few steps. Donni’s eyes kept cutting to Officer Westergard’s utility belt and the gun holstered there.

  Laurel drew Donni’s attention. “Hey there. Remember me? Ms. Penwythe? I helped in Mrs. Graham’s room sometimes.”

  Donni nodded and Laurel felt the surge begin to fade.

  “I’m here to help, too. Your dad had to stay back home in case you went back. He didn’t want to miss you. But they thought I could be here so you could still have someone you know while we get you back to your dad.”

  Donni looked down at his shoes and tears spilled from his eyes. “Is he really mad at me?” he asked in a small voice.

  Laurel bent down and reached out to touch Donni’s shoulder. “Well, he was scared for you. And really worried. And sometimes that can look like mad, can’t it? You know how sometimes your feelings come out different than you mean them to, don’t you?”

  She waited for a response. Donni finally looked up at her and nodded.

  “Sometimes your dad’s feelings come out not the way he means them. He cares a lot about you, Donni.”

  “No, he doesn’t. He doesn’t care about me and you don’t know what you’re talking about!” Donni grabbed an orange backpack from the ground and held it protectively in his arms.

  “Don’t even think about running again, kid,” Officer Westergard said. “I’m fast.”

  Donni scowled into the distance, and refused to look at either of them or respond when Laurel spoke again.

  Officer Westergard shrugged his shoulders at Laurel and put his arm out to escort Donni. “Come on. Let’s get you back to your dad.”

  As they were escorted back to the police boat that would be waiting at the dock, Laurel chewed over her problem. What could she say that might help Donni? Even though she’d helped find him, she doubted Mr. Shaw would let her around them anytime soon. This might be her last chance to reach out to him.

  Once they were back on the boat and cruising toward town, Laurel took her chance. “You know, my parents died when I was a kid.”

  Donni was sitting next to her on a bench behind the enclosed cabin where the two officers were conferring. Officer Okamoto had sternly lectured Donni and he seemed more subdued now. He glanced over at her. “Both of them?”

  “Yeah. Both.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “That means you’re an orphan. That’s really sad. Who took care of you?”

  “My gran. We lived on her property already, so I didn’t have to move. But I was older than you. I also think losing them both was maybe a little easier.”

  “Easier how?” he asked, looking up at her.

  “Well, it gave me comfort to know they were together, even though I was really sad for myself. I can imagine them happy together. But even more importantly, they didn’t have to live without each other. I know how sad I was when they were gone. I can’t imagine if my mom or dad had to live without the other one. They were really in love and thought they’d have their whole lives together. I would have been really sad to watch my mom or my dad be lonely.”

  Laurel looked at Donni out of the corner of her eye and saw him scrunch his eyebrows together. “Yeah. I don’t like that, either.”

  “Why did you run away, Donni?”

  He looked up at her. “Because of that. My dad misses my mom so much he can’t stand it. He’s angry that she left us and whenever he gets sad, he drinks so he can be mad again. But he doesn’t talk about her even though he’s thinking about her all the time. He’s never thinking about me. He doesn’t care about me, only her. I’m just a burden.”

  “Oh, Donni.” Laurel wrapped her arm around him. She couldn’t counter that directly; she could tell Donni wouldn’t simply believe her. An idea came to her. She had to help him see his dad differently, just like she needed to convince Nate to see her in a new light. “Donni, why did you try stealing from my store last month?”

  Donni ducked his head. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Are you going to tell on me?”

  Laurel laughed. “Probably not. But I want to know why first.”

  “Because––because that statue reminded me of my mom. I wanted to take it with me when I ran away, and maybe place it on her grave if I made it out to Redmond one day. And I missed her.”

  “Do you ever tell your dad how you feel?”

  “No. It would make it harder for him.”

  “Oh. I see. So, what looked like you being a thief and a bad person was really you just missing your mom? And wanting to give her a gift?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So should I forgive you because I know why you did it?”

  “Yes?” He looked at her hopefully.

  “Well. You shouldn’t steal. The reasons don’t make it okay and you need to not do it ever again. But I can forgive you, because I can see why you did it.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “And I won’t tell the police.”

  Donni sighed in relief.

  �
��But I’m going to ask you a favor in return. Can you try to see your dad a little differently? Don’t get me wrong; he’s got to change and his actions aren’t okay. Not at all. And you’ll have people in town watching out for you two. But can you try to see why he’s doing what he does?”

  “Why does he?”

  “Remember what I said earlier about our emotions not always coming out the right way? Yes, your dad misses your mom very, very much. But I also think he loves you a lot, too. I saw him worried sick over you. It made him look kind of mad, but I could tell he was a very worried dad. Each person has their own pain and emotions to wrestle with, but if we can see them for who they are, it helps us understand them better. I think your dad tries to hide his sadness from you a lot and it comes out wrong, just like you missing your mom came out wrong in your actions.”

  “I can kinda see that,” Donni said.

  “Your dad is going to have to change. But maybe he doesn’t have to do it alone? You’re the kid and it’s not your job to fix things, but if you’re ready, you can be a big help. If he knows you can see him clearly, maybe he’ll learn to see you clearly, too. And neither of you will have to go through your feelings alone––you can go through them together. Think about that, okay?”

  Donni nodded and stared at his hands in concentration. Laurel could almost hear the thoughts in his mind shifting.

  When they reached the shore a moment later, Mr. Shaw was there. The officers must have radioed ahead.

  Officer Okamoto helped Donni out of the boat. When Laurel stepped out onto the dock, Donni and his dad were standing apart, staring at each other. Was Mr. Shaw that angry? But before Laurel could worry more, Mr. Shaw took two large steps forward and dropped to his knees, wrapping Donni in a fierce hug.

  “I don’t ever want to lose you, son,” he said.

  The gravel in his voice from restrained tears made Laurel’s own throat tighten in sympathetic emotion. She wouldn’t intrude on this moment between them. Slowly she walked farther away, as did Officer Westergard.

  But though she wouldn’t listen in, she wasn’t above peering at them from the corner of her vision. She was rewarded for her snooping when Donni threw his arms around his dad and they both began crying.

  “So what happens next?” Laurel asked Officer Westergard.

  “They come down to the station. Social Services will follow up with them in the coming weeks. Thanks for your help today, by the way.” Officer Westergard smiled.

  “You’re welcome,” Laurel said. “My mom and Gran always said ‘magic is a Gift that’s meant to bless others’.”

  Laurel really looked at Officer Westergard for the first time, now that the events of the morning were settling down. He was handsome, in a man-in-uniform kind of way. Her feelings were engaged elsewhere, but she knew he’d be snapped up soon if he wasn’t already.

  “You can go back to your day,” he said. “If we need you for anything we’ll contact you, although I don’t think we will.”

  Laurel said goodbye and walked to the parking lot. The police dock was adjacent to the ferry port on the south end of town and their parking lots merged. She was about to get out her phone when she heard someone call her name off to the right.

  Nate. It was time to be brave.

  23

  I Can See Clearly Now

  Leaning against his truck, Nate stood with both hands in his pockets. He smiled as he watched her walk toward him.

  The slow grin melted Laurel’s insides. But her feelings were complicated because her nerves decided to spark at the sudden reminder of what she needed to confess to him. The combination turned her to putty. If she didn’t woman up and say what needed saying soon, she’d get too flustered.

  “You were amazing, Laurel,” he said. “I have no right to say so, but I’m proud of you.”

  Laurel’s smile hitched. “I wish you had the right to say so,” she muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing! Nothing. Thinking out loud.”

  Nate nodded behind him at his truck. “Do you want to go to Pastries and Potions for that hot chocolate still, or did you work up enough appetite for waffles?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

  “Actually, do you mind if we walk a bit?” Laurel gestured to the beach. It was close enough that she wouldn’t lose her nerve.

  Nate grew somber at her seriousness. “Sure. No problem.” The look on his face was a mixture of mild concern and worry. Poor boy. He was about to get sideswiped.

  The walk across the parking lot to the beach was quiet. Nate shoved both hands back in his pockets again and Laurel fiddled with the short scarf tied around her neck. The mid-morning sun reflected on the gentle waves, casting a halo of light on the beach that was undergoing the morning shift change: early dog walkers and bird watchers being replaced by families with young children and college students with frisbees. Laurel reached up a hand to shield her eyes. Without speaking, Nate moved to her other side to block her face from the sun as they walked.

  “So––” they both said at the same time.

  Laurel grimaced and Nate chuckled awkwardly.

  This was going so well.

  “Sorry,” Laurel said.

  “Me, too.” Nate sucked in a big breath. “I’m the one that asked to talk, so I guess I’ll start. This wasn’t how I planned our conversation to begin, but who could have predicted a missing child, right?”

  Laurel tried to listen to Nate, but the buzzing in her brain blocked out his words. She couldn’t wait and listen to him explain how he wanted to draw a line between them, stop working on her cottage, and put her in the friend-zone once and for all or even sever the relationship completely… He’d suggested as much last night and she couldn’t hear it. She cut him off.

  “Nate. I know you’re the one who said we need to talk, but I’m going first.” She stopped and turned to face him. The sun behind him was nearly blinding. Maybe it was good she wouldn’t be able to see his expression well.

  “I like you,” she blurted.

  “Well, thanks. I––”

  Laurel held up a hand to stop him. “No. I really like you. Like, butterflies in my stomach, first person I want to call with news, makeout with you whenever you pick up a hammer…” Whelp. That was TMI. Laurel swallowed and plowed ahead. “I know you said last night you want to “wrap up” this part of our relationship and put me in my place, but you have to give me a chance! You only saw me as a kid, a little butterfly, all these years. Even when I sort-of kissed you the night before you left, you pushed me away saying I was Simon’s little sister. You said you came back with new eyes, so can’t you try to see me differently? You call me a butterfly, but you’re keeping me trapped in a cocoon!”

  “My butterfly,” Nate said quietly.

  Laurel completely lost her train of thought. “What?”

  “Not a butterfly,” Nate said again. “My butterfly.”

  He reached out and took her right hand in both of his, stepping forward so he blocked the sun from her eyes.

  Laurel’s brain glitched. Train derailed. His butterfly?

  “You’re right. I did say I wanted to wrap things up at your house, but not because I wanted to put you in your place or be done with you. I want to begin again with you.”

  He began rubbing her hand with his thumb and Laurel’s heart did a quickstep.

  “I admit I kept trying to put you back in the place of Simon’s little sister when I first came back, but I didn’t need to practice seeing you differently. I saw you differently a long time ago, and that was the problem. All the things I said that night you kissed me, it was because I needed to remind myself that you were off limits. You were barely sixteen, you’d been in a bad place, and I didn’t want you to like me just because I was hurting, too, or because you’d grown up with me around and I was familiar. Even now I had to respect that you might only see me as an extension of your older brother and not push my feelings on you. Every time I called you butterfly or ruffled your hair, I was remi
nding myself to go slow. Give you time.”

  “Oh.”

  Did he…? That meant he…? And all this time? “What about Vicki?” she asked.

  “What about her?”

  “Don’t you like her?”

  Now Nate seemed confused. “What? No. She’s nice but just a friend. You’re the one who always seemed to be pushing me to her. Why did you do that if you liked me?”

  “Simon. He said you liked a girl who was new to the island. Plus I saw how you two interacted.”

  “Simon,” Nate growled. “No. I didn’t want to tell him everything so I said I liked a new girl, meaning one I hadn’t allowed myself to like before. Simon must have assumed that meant she was someone new on the island. Simon and his snooping.” He rolled his eyes.

  Laurel recalled the retractable pencil keychain and what she’d read in it. “But are you attracted to her?”

  “I guess she’s pretty, yeah. But I’m not attracted to her like that. I already said so. Why are you asking?”

  “Well, I kind of read your retractable pencil and it led me to believe you were not only super attracted to Vicki but had real feelings for her.”

  “Why would that pencil have anything to do with Vicki?”

  “Because she’s the one that gave it to you. And she was playing with it at Crowthorne’s when you two were all steamy outside…”

  Nate busted up laughing. “You’re adorable. That retractable pencil makes me think of you. You’re the one who picked it out and teased me about it. You’re the one who got tangled up in it on the beach and I nearly pinned you to the sand and kissed you senseless. You’re the one whose rooms I remodeled using this pencil for every measurement to make sure it was just right. This pencil and everything you read in it is all about you.”

  Laurel remained upright, but only because she was gripping Nate’s hands in a death grip. She released them and wiped her hands on her skirt. She started to walk without really deciding to and Nate walked quietly by her side, seeming to know she needed time to process everything.