Kayla rushed after Chad, and by the time she reached him at his rental car, her hair and shirt were already soaked.

“Chad.” She reached for him.

“Go back inside, Kayla, you’re getting soaked.”

“I haven’t told Connor anything bad about you.” The rain and the chill in the air made her shiver, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

“No, I could see that.” Chad’s voice had turned sad. “I didn’t mean to…” He shook his head. “I’ll go,” he said softly.

“What do you say we try this again,” she blurted out. She hadn’t planned it, but after seeing the pain behind Chad’s eyes, she figured he deserved a second chance. Like the one she was getting by moving to Silver Cove.

His eyes met hers and, after a moment, he nodded. “I’ll stick around town for a few days.”

“How about we stop by the hotel tomorrow? That way we can do this in private.”

Chad nodded again. “I’m in room 201.” He sighed. “Go back in.” His eyes turned to the diner. She followed his gaze and saw Rowan looking back at them. “Tell the kid I’m sorry.” He turned back to her. “I am, you know. I let my parents…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded and watched him get in his car before darting back into the diner.

“Everything okay?” Rowan asked.

She used her napkin to wipe the water from her face. “Yes.” She glanced over at her son who was almost asleep in Rowan’s arms. She could tell he’d cried himself to sleep.

He looked safe and warm with Rowan’s arms wrapped around him.

“Is he okay?” She nodded to Connor.

Rowan ran a hand over her son’s blond hair and nodded. “He’ll be okay. I can call and reschedule…”

She shook her head and stopped him. “No, we’ll be okay. I think I’ll take a day off from helping my mother. Besides, JT is back in town. We’re supposed to have dinner with him tonight.”

His eyebrows shot up.

“Sorry, I meant to tell you last night we wouldn’t be around tonight, but things got… crazy.”

“It’s okay.” He reached for her hand. “Everything will be okay.”

“I’m going to meet him again tomorrow.” Her eyes met his. “He should get a second chance.” She felt his hand jerk slightly in hers, but then his thumb ran over her skin and relaxed.

“If you want… need anything…” he supplied.

Her eyes met his again. “We’ll be okay. Thank you for… being here.”

He drove them back to the house, then carried Connor up and deposited him on his bed. Rowan pulled her close and she shivered when his warmth hit her. She hadn’t realized how cold she was.

“Go, you’re going to be late for work.”

He looked towards Connor’s room. “Tell the kid… I’ll see him tomorrow.”

After he left, she called her mother as she peeled off her wet clothes. JT was already there, helping clean up the last room in the house. Her mother told her that they would meet her and Connor at the docks at four.

Her brother had purchased an older home on a private five-acre island when he’d sold his first book.

She’d been out to JT’s place a few times since he moved out there. The place was huge but in serious need of work from years of neglect. She knew her brother had been working on the place and wondered how much he’d gotten done.

She stood under the hot water and let the weariness from the morning wash away. She just couldn’t get the warmth to spread through her. When she climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her, her head felt dull.

She pulled on an older pair of sweats and walked back into the bedroom. Connor had woken up and came into her room and was now lying in her bed, the remote to the TV in his hands as he watched cartoons.

She climbed in next to him, pulled a blanket over herself, and snuggled down for a few hours of downtime with her son.

She’d never needed a slow rainy day with her son more than she needed it now. They watched cartoons and she actually took a fifteen-minute nap, then she got up and did some laundry while Connor helped fold and put away his own clothes.

They colored and read and took another nap before they got ready for dinner.

Rowan had texted her, asking how they were doing. She sent him a shot of the picture Connor had colored for him. He’d asked if he could have it for his office.

She didn’t want to say it, but Connor had colored five more for Rowan. Actually, every picture her son colored had been for Rowan. She had asked if she could have one, and Connor had spent the next five minutes coloring one for her.

She was finding it a little hard to believe that she was second in her son’s book now. Still, it felt good to know that he had opened up so much to a man. Especially because it was Rowan he’d chosen.

By the time they met JT and her mom at the docks, she was feeling more centered. She parked her car in the parking lot and met them at the end of the dock to wait for the ferry to take them to JT’s place.

“How was your day off?” her mother asked, taking Connor up in her arms.

Her son held onto the woman after handing her a picture he’d colored for her.

“Wonderful. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been needing it.”

“How is… I heard about Connor’s father’s visit,” she said softly.

She sighed. “We’ll talk later.” Her eyes moved to Connor.

Her mother nodded as the ferry arrived.

“I’m thinking of having Todd take over for me full time,” JT said as the man pulled the ferry to a stop.

“Oh?” Their mother turned to JT. “I thought you enjoyed driving it.”

“I do, it’s just, with the movie coming out and my new deadlines…” Her brother ran a hand through his long blond hair. “Things have been a little crazy. I still have some work on my place and could use the time to get things done.”

“I never understood why you wanted to drive a ferry on top of your writing,” she said once they were aboard and the ferry was heading away from the shore.

Her brother leaned against the railing while she and her mother sat on a long bench with Connor.

“When I bought my house, I liked my privacy, but then I realized how lonely it could be if I didn’t get out and see people.” JT scanned the horizon. “Driving the ferry doesn’t take up a lot of time and it fills that void.”

“What’s changed?” her mother asked.

JT’s eyes moved back to them. “I’ve spent a few weeks in California. Too many people.” He shook his head. “I don’t need that drama.” He smiled and sat next to her. “Hey, kiddo.” He reached for her son, who easily went into his arms. “When does the cast come off?” JT asked her.

“It should be in the next week or so.”

“How’d he break it…again?” JT asked.

She took a deep breath and decided to tell her family the truth.

By the time the ferry stopped on JT’s private dock, she’d told him everything, including the fact that she planned on meeting Chad tomorrow at his hotel.

“I’ll go with you,” JT said, carrying her son up the long dock that led towards steep stairs.

“No, we’ll be okay.” She held out her hands and took her son from her brother so he could lead the way.

They were silent as they followed him up the stairs, which opened into a long circular pathway. To the right, she could see a large boathouse that she knew housed his other boats and the ferry when it wasn’t in use. They walked around and the white colonial home came into view. She noticed the new green shingles on the roof. Surrounding the stone pathway leading to the place, the trees and bushes were well manicured and she could tell her brother spent a lot of time keeping his yard up.

She thought back to the few hours she’d spent mowing her mother’s place and tried not to let her anger show as he led them up the wide stairs of the front porch. Her brother had locked himself on the private island away from any family responsibilities. He’d been so selfish. That thought stopped her and her shoulders sagged.

“Mom, would you take Connor inside for a moment? I’d like to talk to JT.” She handed her son to her mother, who waited for JT to open the door. “Go on back, we’ll start dinner soon.” He nodded towards the back of the house. “Maybe Connor would want some juice and crackers?”

When JT shut the door, he nodded towards the front swing, and she was reminded of clearing her mother’s front porch.

She shook her head and chose to stand instead. He shrugged and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest while he waited for her to talk.

She took a moment to compose herself. The anger was trying to bubble out, but she kept it in check.

“Part of me wants to explode,” she finally admitted. “Seeing all this.” She glanced around at the perfectly manicured yard and home. “Knowing that our mother was… living the way she was. But I know I was selfish to go off and leave you both. What difference does it make that you’re less than ten miles away while I was more than ten hundred.”

“Kayla,” JT broke in.

“No, let me finish.” She held up her hands. “Do you know how she was living?” She turned her back to him and looked out at the water as the sun started to sink lower in the sky. “Surrounded by filth, alone.” She closed her eyes. “Part of me wants to hate you.”

She felt his hands on her shoulders and couldn’t stop them from slumping with weariness.

“I was there, almost every week. Trying to shake her out of it. I hired a crew to mow and maintain her yard. She threatened them with Dad’s old rifle.” He turned her around until she looked up into her brother’s matching blue eyes. “So, I tried doing it myself. Even bought her a new mower.” He shook his head. “She called the cops on me. She was… lost.” He rested his forehead on hers. “I didn’t think anything would wake her up. After a while… I just stopped trying.” He looked back into her eyes. “It was exhausting trying to help someone who didn’t want help. We fought every time I stepped foot in that place. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day? The day where you would return and help out?” His hands rubbed her shoulders. “I don’t blame you for leaving.” He smiled. “I understand your frustration. I’ve been living it for the past few years as well.”

She smiled. “I’m sorry.” She felt a tear slide down her face.

Her brother dropped his arms. “God! You’re not going to cry, are you?”

A burst of laughter escaped her as she watched a look of sheer horror cross her brother’s face.

“No.” She wiped her face clean and smiled. “Still can’t stand tears?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Women use them as weapons.”

“No.” She took a deep breath. “Lori used them as weapons. For me, they are just a way to show you that I’m sorry.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you for sticking around and trying.”

* * *

The following day, Rowan tried to focus on work, but he kept worrying about Kayla’s meeting with Chad. He glanced down at his watch all morning long. When he took his lunch, he texted her.

-When are you meeting Chad?

-In half an hour.

-Text me when you get there and when you leave.

He waited for the response. Almost a full two minutes went by before she responded.

-You’ll have to take a number behind JT and my mother.

He smiled as he typed.

-I would think I get first place since I’ve seen you naked.

The emoji she replied with made him chuckle.

-Text me. I worry about you two.

-I will

For the next half hour, he worried. He was with a patient when he got her text.

-At the hotel now

He quickly finished up with his appointment and returned to his office.

His phone chimed again, but this time it was the 911 operator. He’d registered with them to be an emergency contact so he could respond to car accidents and other major events.

-911 at Best Western off the highway. Body found. A caller requested you by name.

His entire body shivered and he felt his heart and brain stop completely. He read the text two more times before he could move.

He punched Kayla’s number, only to have it go to voicemail.

He ran out the front door of his building without saying a word to anyone. When he got behind the wheel, he took several deeps breaths and tried to steady himself before he pulled out of the parking lot. His tires squealed as he turned onto the highway. The hotel was almost five miles away. He felt like he couldn’t get there fast enough.

When he pulled in, there were two cop cars and an ambulance blocking the entrance of the building. He parked behind them and left his keys in the car as he raced into the lobby.

When he saw Kayla sitting on the sofa, holding Connor, he rushed over and encased them in his arms, knowing he would never let go again.

Her sniffles broke him from his trance.

“He’s dead,” she said softly into his shoulder. “He…” She shook her head as he pulled back slightly.

“Dr. Holley,” someone was saying behind him. He glanced over and frowned at Tom. “We need you to sign the death cert. If you’ll follow me.”

Rowan looked at Kayla again. She closed her eyes and hugged Connor closer. “Go,” she said without opening her eyes. “We’ll be here.”

He released her and followed Tom down the hallway and up a flight of stairs into a room that had been marked off with yellow tape. There were two other cops still in the room. That was when he saw Chad hanging by the crisp white bed sheets. His neck was at an odd angle and one of his eyes had released from its socket, yet there was a peaceful smile on the man’s lips.

He walked over just as one of the officer’s pulled the sheet free. He helped catch the body and laid him gently on the ground. He checked the man’s neck for a pulse, but it was just a formality.

When he walked back to the lobby, he was still dumbstruck. He gathered Kayla in his arms and started walking towards the front doors with the pair of them.

“Dr. Holley?” someone called after him. “We’ll need her statement.”

He glanced back and nodded. “They’ll be at my place,” he told Tom. “Give us an hour, then—”

“I’ll be there myself,” Tom broke in. “I’m sorry, for your loss,” he told Kayla, who nodded and walked out with Rowan.

Since he didn’t have Connor’s car seat in his car, he strapped the kid in the back and drove ten miles under the speed limit.

“I should call…” Kayla said, looking down at her phone.

“It can wait.” He took her hand as he pulled onto his street. “We’ll make the calls together.”