by J. L. Berg
She made a disgruntled sound. “Well, none of it makes a lick of sense to me,” she said. “But, nonetheless, I’m glad to have you back. Didn’t like the guy you brought in to replace you. He wasn’t one of us.”
“He was perfectly fine,” I argued. “You just didn’t like that he wasn’t Southern.”
“He talked funny.”
“He spoke completely normal,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Exactly,” she grumbled.
“So, when is the big date?” Jake asked, having just found out that Terri and Henry, the produce-stealing restaurant owner, were getting hitched. I’d only heard the news recently myself having been abroad for most of the last year working my way around the world. Now I was bursting with new ideas and recipes for the inn.
“Next month maybe.” She shrugged. “I haven’t decided. Maybe when we grab the next ferry for supplies.”
I shook my head. “Well, that sounds romantic.”
“I’m eighty years old,” she argued. “He’s lucky he’s getting me to that courthouse at all. Getting married at my age? Ridiculous.”
Jake and I laughed, loving to see her squirm. She might be complaining up and down about getting married to Henry, but both of us knew otherwise. She loved that man more than all the produce in the world.
And that was saying a lot.
“Speaking of getting hitched, what about you two?” she asked, blankly looking at both of us.
I opened my mouth to answer but had nothing.
“Oh, um, we’re taking it slow this time,” Jake said. “Doing it right. Don’t want to mess things up.”
I nodded. “Right.”
“Mmhmm,” was all Terri said before gathering up my veggies. “Well, take care of yourselves. And I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. Don’t skip out of town again, Jakey. Got it?”
He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed tightly. “Got it. I’m here to stay. Promise.”
“Ready to go?” Molly asked, our hands intertwined as we stepped out of Terri’s small house.
“Yeah, you go ahead,” I said, looking toward the old blue house. “I need to do something first.”
“Sure,” she replied, squeezing my hand. “Are you going to be okay?”
I turned toward her. “Yeah,” I answered. “For the first time, I think I am.”
She leaned into me, placing her warm lips on mine. I couldn’t resist.
It had only been a few weeks since our reunion in that crowded restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. Since then, it had been a whirlwind of activity. I’d packed up my house, put it on the market, and made all the arrangements to move.
The hardest part?
Leaving my friends and patients behind.
Makayla and Mara had promised to visit, both being huge fans of the Outer Banks, especially Mara who was a native of our state, and I had several work friends who now had the place on their bucket lists.
As for the patients, that was harder. I would miss the parents and their kids and watching all of them grow and change.
Luckily, I had other doctors I’d brought into the practice along with several nurse practitioners. They could take the load until someone else was hired.
When I’d called to let the guy I’d hired to replace me in Ocracoke know I was returning, I swore I’d heard his screams of delight all the way in Chicago. He’d never taken to the island and stayed out of duty.
But I knew he was happy to let it go.
And I was happy to return to my roots.
And Molly.
But there was still one thing I needed to do.
So, with one final kiss, I let her go and headed over to the old blue house where I’d grown up. I quickly ran inside for a small box I knew was waiting for me and then I headed straight for the family garden where there were now two memorials instead of one.
It had been ages since I was in the garden, the last time being the first week I’d arrived for the funeral of my father.
Since then, Terri had taken on the task of preserving his memory, placing a large stone to match my mothers. She’d hired someone to etch his name. Walking up to it, a twinge of guilt hit me firmly in the gut when I saw it, knowing I could have done more.
I should have done more.
Kneeling in front of both, I found myself drawn to my father’s side more, knowing I had much to say to the man I’d shut out for most of my life. I took a moment and gathered my thoughts. Talking to a giant boulder wasn’t the easiest thing to do.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” I finally said. “I’m sorry for everything really. For blaming you. For casting you aside.”
I let out a ragged breath.
“I get it now. I do. The guilt you must have felt. I can’t imagine what kind of life you had after she died, especially with an asshole of a son like me.”
My eyes squeezed shut as I remembered all the hateful things I’d said to him.
“Instead of gathering together as a family, I pushed you away, and you died lonely and broken. I guess I was lonely and broken for a long time, too. But I’ve been working on it. Thanks for never giving up on me, Dad, even when I gave up on you. And I hope you and Mom are together and happy. I promise to try to do better by you, to give back to this island as much as you did. And to make a difference every day. And when you and mom are looking down on us from Heaven, I hope you’re proud of the man I’ve become, of the life I’ve chosen. And don’t worry mom, I promise to give you grandbabies soon. I’m working on it.” I smiled to myself.
Rising from my seat, I placed a hand on each stone.
“I love you guys,” I said, rising from grassy spot I’d chosen. With the box still in my hands, I opened it, a single tear falling down my cheek as I looked down at the last remains of my father, a man who left this world too soon.
With little fanfare, much like the man himself, I spread his ashes over the garden he’d loved so much, knowing he’d now share it with the love of his life.
With one last look, I bid my parents a fond farewell. “See you later. I love you.”
Walking out of the garden, I patted the siding of the old blue house, feeling it crumble slightly beneath my hand. I stopped suddenly, an idea forming so quickly I knew I had to act on it right away. Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, I dialed a local number and made some plans.
“Are you worried he’ll run again?” my sister asked, her pushy voice blaring over the phone.
“No. Well…no!” I replied adamantly. “It’s different this time. We’re different. We both did our much needed soul searching, and now, we have our yin-and-yang thing down.”
“Your what?”
“Our yin and yang. It’s something Mom told me. She gave me this necklace a few years ago—a yin and yang. She explained how she and Dad had to find their balance in life, and so did I.”
“And you think Jake has, too?” she asked.
“Oh, I know he has. You should see him in the clinic now. He loves it. It used to be a prison, and now, he is like the damn Santa Claus of the Ocracoke Medical Clinic. The kids love him.”
“Well, good. I’m glad you found your yang or whatever. Finally. But I will miss our girls’ trips.”
“Who says I’m not going on girls’ trips anymore? I’m in a relationship. I’m not dead.”
She laughed. “Good answer. I was just testing you!”
The doorbell rang as we were finishing up.
“Oh, I’ve gotta go. I think those are my new guests for the weekend.”
“Okay, tell Mom and Dad I love them. I’ll be there next month!”
“Love you!”
We hung up, and I got my phone in my pocket just as I opened the door. But, instead of finding a middle-aged couple from Virginia, I found Terri, holding a single red rose.
“Um,” was all I could say.
“There’s a note on it. My job is done.” She handed over the rose and turned around without another word.
Completely confused, I pulled the small tag tie
d around the stem. “Go to the yellow room.”
It was written in Jake’s familiar yet incredibly messy script. I found myself smiling.
“Okay,” I said out loud, “I’ll play along.”
I ran up the stairs, my rose still clutched between my fingers, and I plowed through the door of the yellow room. There, on the bed, was another red rose with a note attached.
Feeling like a kid on Christmas morning, I jumped on the perfectly made bed, not caring in the least that I’d have to redo it, and I read the note.
“Here, in the yellow room, we gave each other our bodies, knowing our hearts would never be the same. One night, we said. But we knew it’d never be enough. Now, go out to the patio.”
I took a moment to sniff the perfect red rose. My eyes closed as I breathed it in, remembering the red corsage he had given me for prom that smelled just as sweet. Now holding two flowers in my hand, I charged down the stairs and out the back door. It took a moment of searching, but out toward the water, on a bed of grass, was another single rose.
I hurried down the path and snatched it up.
“Here, under the stars, we let each other go, knowing two broken shards could never make a whole. Find your next rose at the blue house.”
My eyes widened, as I was excited my little goose chase was continuing. Grabbing all three roses, I ran by the kitchen, snatched my purse, and headed out to the car, knowing he could only be referring to one specific blue house—his parents’ place. I thought briefly about running the short distance, but then I laughed at the idea.
It was the middle of summer.
I wasn’t fond of melting.
Driving down the old road, I caught sight of the blue house almost immediately. It was nestled between several old trees and had a grand entrance. Pulling to the front, I hopped out of the car and began hunting around.
I found what I had been looking for on the porch.
Picking up the rose and I read the note. “But we took the time, and went our separate ways. But now I’m ready to for an adventure. Are you? It requires a hammer, a few nails, and one other important piece of equipment. Meet me at the beach. You know where.”
My heart was hammering in my chest. Was he asking me to move in with him? Here?
I looked up at the old house, and suddenly, I could picture it. Kids in the yard, their happy laughter as I cooked dinner, and Jake building them a tree house.
Running back to the car, I drove like a maniac down to the spot where I knew I’d find him. It was the place we always went as kids when we wanted to be alone at night.
No tourists.
No parents.
No prying neighbors.
Just the two of us.
Parking the car in the sand, I slipped off my shoes and headed out to the dunes. There, in the distance, was Jake, holding one last rose.
I ran as quickly as I could in the deep sand. With a wide smile spreading across my face, I leaped into his arms, feeling happier than I had ever felt.
“You haven’t read my last note yet.” He laughed.
“I love you,” I said, kissing his face all over.
“Well, I love you, too, but would you let a guy talk?”
I laughed, letting my feet sink into the sand.
A smug smile tugged at his lips before he sobered slightly. “A long time ago, I buried something on this beach. Something precious to me. I always swore I’d come back for it one day.”
He pulled something out of the pocket in his shorts—a small wooden box.
My eyes darted to the side of us where a large hole had been dug in the sand. “Wasn’t this your art project senior year? You really buried this?”
He nodded. “Fourteen years ago.”
“What is it?” I asked.
Placing it in my hand, he whispered, “Why don’t you open it and see?”
My hands shook as I did exactly as he’d said, pulling open the top of the intricately carved box. There, inside, was another box. But not just any box. A velvet ring box. My eyes instantly flooded with tears.
“But, fourteen years ago, we were—”
“Babies, I know. But I still knew, Molly.”
I pulled out the tiny box and cracked open the rusty hinges and my hand instantly went over my mouth as I gasped. He was serious. A single diamond ring sat nestled inside.
“I saved up every cent since the day I was fourteen, and I bought that ring on my eighteenth birthday. I buried it the morning I left, unsure of what the future held for us but positive about only one thing—that you and I belonged together.”
He carefully took the ring from my shaking hands and dropped to one knee in the sand. “Will you do me a favor and read the note now?” he asked, handing me the last rose.
I sniffled, grabbing the note that hung off the flower.
Tears fell harder as I read the words aloud, “Will you marry me?”
All the emotions poured out of me into one giant crying mess. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes!”
He placed the ring on my finger and wrapped his arms around me. We spun around on the sand, laughing and crying together, enjoying our moment.
Because it had finally arrived…our forever. Maybe not the fairytale the two lovesick teens had envisioned so many years ago on this very beach, but this was real. This was honest and every choice we’d made had brought us to this very moment.
A moment of endless possibilities…together.
Dean Sutherland had his entire life ahead of him. A wedding, a career, a family who adored him.
Until one night changed it all.
Now he must learn to adapt to a new life, one that is far more complicated since he’s met Cora Carpenter, a nurse with mysterious past.
Will she be the answer to his prayers or just another complication on his road to recovery?
The Scars I Bare…A By The Bay Novel, coming February 2018.
Other Books by J.L. Berg
The Ready Series
When You’re Ready
Ready to Wed
Never Been Ready
Ready for You
Ready or Not
The Walls Duet
Within These Walls
Beyond These Walls
Behind Closed Doors
The Cavenaugh Brothers (includes Within These Walls, Beyond These Walls, and Behind Closed Doors)
Lost & Found
Forgetting August
Remembering Everly
The Tattered Gloves
Fraud
Now Or Never – Halsey
Breathe (2 AM) – Anna Nalick
Come Home – OneRepublic
Red – Taylor Swift
Whatever It Takes – Lifehouse
Home – Michael Buble
Hurt – Lady Antebellum
It’s Not Over – Daughtry
I Ran Away – Coldplay
Landslide – Dixie Chicks
Slow Hands – Niall Horan
Never Say Never – The Fray
Stay – Zedd, Alessia Cara
Time After Time (Acoustic) – Cyndi Lauper, Sarah McLachlin
Too Good At Goodbyes – Sam Smith
Wicked Games – Chris Isaak
After thirteen books, this section starts to feel a little redundant, mostly because I find myself thanking the same people over and over.
But you see, that’s why it’s so important. Because after thirteen books, these amazing people are still here, cheering me on, helping me create and being part of a team I couldn’t imagine having when I first started. So indulge the emotional author for a page or so as I thank all those special people in my life.
Again.
To my wonderful husband who always reads my books. Thank you for being my best beta reader—seriously, you’re gifted. And on the flip side, thank you to my daughters for not reading my books, but being super supportive anyway. I couldn’t do what I do without my crazy, geeky family.
To the rest of my family, thank you to my parents who are neve
r embarrassed to say their daughter is a romance author, even my dad who proudly shows off my smut books to anyone (not that he gets out a lot but it’s the thought that counts).
A big thanks to my brother and sister in law for always encouraging me AND for giving birth to the most adorable little boy ever. Our family needed another baby and I’m so glad you supplied one so I didn’t have to!
Now on to thanking my team. I could thank these people a hundred thousand times and it would never be enough.
First, a huge thanks goes to my personal assistant Jill Sava. You are amazing, both personally and professionally. You kick ass at life and I don’t know how I managed for two years at this author thing without you.
Nina Grinstead, my wonderful publicist. Thank you for constantly having my back. You have consistently reduced my stress level since taking me on and for that, I adore you. Also a huge shout out to everyone at Social Butterfly PR for supporting this release.
Ami and Jovana, my amazing editors. After thirteen books, I’m not sure I’d ever trust anyone with my words but you two. I know when I send my manuscripts off to one of you, it’s in good hands. Plus, you’re both amazing people.
Sarah Hansen and Regina Wamba! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You made my cover dreams possible and I am embarrassed to admit how many hours I’ve spent looking at this one. It’s truly stunning.
Stacey Blake, thank you for always making the inside of my book as pretty as the outside. Your skills with formatting is genius.
Lastly, thank you to my readers. Those who consistently come back, book after book to dive into another story and those who are just starting out. Thank you for making my dreams a reality. Never forget, each day is a blessing. <3 JL
J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready series, the Walls duet and the Lost & Found series. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls that drive them batty on a daily basis. When she’s not writing, you will find her cuddled up, watching a movie with her family, obsessing over minions or devouring anything chocolate! J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC.