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“Are you ready to see him?” Liz asked quietly.
“Yes. No. Maybe.”
Liz chuckled. “You’re ready. Do me a favor though?”
“Sure.”
“Make him grovel.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “I’ll try, but mostly I’m going to be telling myself not to burst into tears when I see him. That would be embarrassing.”
“You won’t,” Liz assured me. “You’re a new woman now. You take no shit from men. You make them grovel at your feet. Beg for a second of your attention.”
I grinned. “Gotta go, bestie. Thank you.”
“Always your hype woman.” She hung up on a giggle.
I put my phone back in my crossbody purse and pushed my suitcases along the sidewalk and into the parking garage where I’d left my Jeep. Everything looked so beautiful as the sun went down, casting the roadway in golden tones. The stretch of keys became familiar the closer I got to Sunshine Key. I rolled down the windows and sucked in a lungful of briny air, my hair pulling out of the messy bun I’d kept it in during the flight.
I’d come here at the beginning of the summer with my life in shambles. I’d been scared. Lost. Maybe even a little hopeless. I was returning with a renewed faith in myself and hope for the future. I didn’t know where things stood with the man I loved, but I knew myself now and that made all the difference.
I pulled into my driveway, the sun now long gone and the moon the only light guiding my way. Of course, my head swiveled to Dec’s house immediately, but I didn’t see any lights on. I nearly wrenched my shoulder getting the suitcases out of the back of the car, but I accomplished it, wheeling them loudly into the house.
“I’m home!” I called out.
Mom came running to the door to hug me, Daniel not far behind. He gave me a hug too, an easy acceptance that still had me a bit baffled. I’d never had a father figure in my life, so having one now was both curious and wonderful.
“Welcome home, Kenna,” he said kindly, taking my suitcases from me even when I resisted. “Let an old man feel useful, love.” I couldn’t argue with that, so I let go, allowing Mom to usher me into the living room.
“Tell me all about your trip.”
So I did. I explained my run-in with Justin, my plans with Liz, and the relief I felt being back on this coast. Daniel got up and came back with wineglasses and a bottle of my favorite red wine.
“Figured you could use a glass before bed, and besides, we have a lot to celebrate.”
I took the glass from him and sipped, feeling content. As I gazed around the house, I realized that the wall above the fireplace had been finished. The stacked white, sparkling stone looked amazing. Mom saw the direction I was looking.
“Daniel and I thought we could help out a bit. Come to find out I’m pretty good with that thin stuff.”
I grinned, imagining Mom trying to tile. “Thinset?”
Mom grinned right back. “I was washing that crap out of my hair for days!” She leaned over and put her arm around my shoulders, giving me another hug. “I missed you, kiddo.”
I didn’t bother mentioning it had only been a few days. It was nice to hear. Daniel set his glass down on the coffee table.
“Dec isn’t in town.”
“Oh?” I pretended that this news didn’t send my heart into a nosedive. “I saw some things online. Looks like it was pretty brutal.”
Daniel tilted his head left and right. “It wasn’t anything he hasn’t faced before. At least this time he’s facing it head-on.”
“What do you mean?” I’d been out of the loop being in San Francisco. I also hadn’t answered Dec’s text the day I left. I felt guilty about it, abandoning him when he was going through it with the press, but I needed the space and I couldn’t apologize for doing what I needed to get my head screwed on straight.
Daniel stood, offering his hand to Mom. “That’s for him to explain. But it’s late and I think we all could use some sleep.”
Mom hopped up and the two marched upstairs to her room, leaving me with the rest of my wine and a lot of questions. I grabbed my phone and texted Char, hoping she was still up.
Me: Have time to get together tomorrow?
