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“He’s in remission!” Marla says as soon as she opens the door for me. They were just at my dad’s doctor. We embrace and Marla has tears flowing down her face. “It was a hard road, but I’m so happy we came out on the other side. We’re so much more fortunate than others.”
“That’s amazing.” I pull back and smile at her. “Can I see him?”
“He’s out back. You know, back to work as expected.”
“Thanks, Marla.” I walk past her to go to the deck, but she calls me back. “Yeah?” I turn around.
“I just wanted to thank you for talking to Emelia. Whatever you said really made a difference. She’s back to the happy girl she’s always been.” Tears fill her eyes. “Excited about the baby.”
“I’m glad I could help.” I turn to continue walking to the back of the house.
“Mind me asking what you said?” Marla asks, and I stop walking.
I slowly turn to face her. “I just told her that in this family, there’s no hers or his, there’s just ours. That I wasn’t yours, but you never made me feel that way.”
Another tear falls down her face. “Thank you, Xavier, that means a lot to me.”
“It’s the truth. Not sure where my family would be without you, Marla.”
More tears run down her cheeks. “Oh, look at me. Menopause.” She rushes over and grabs a Kleenex from the box.
A knock on the front door interrupts us. I wait while Marla opens it, sniffling from the tears.
Clara’s standing there and takes in the scene. “What happened? Hank? Where is he? Did you get bad news?”
Her terrified expression should have me rushing to tell her no, it’s good news, but I love that she’s so invested in my family. As if my family is hers, which I guess it is for the most part. My dad has been a father figure to her since her dad died.
Marla shakes her head. “Hank’s in remission. It’s good news. These are happy tears.”
“Really?” Clara beams. “Yay!” She rushes to Marla, hugging her tight, then pulls me in with them. The three of us are in a hug, Clara bouncing up and down. She releases us and then sets her gaze on me. “We need to talk.”
A cool rush of air chills the room.
“Oh, I should leave you guys alone then.” Marla walks away.
“What’s up?” I ask.
I reach for her, but she steps back. “Not so fast.”
“What could I have possibly done in the last two hours?”
She crosses her arms over her jacket. “I’d actually say you’ve been doing it for months.”
Oh shit. How did she catch me? I should’ve known she’s too smart for that.
“Babe…”
She holds up her hands. “Don’t babe me. I told you I wanted the town to help with this investment back into Sunrise Bay, not have the star quarterback pay it all.”
I frown. “But it’s important to you.”
“Yes, and so are the donations. I like the idea of the community coming together to make it happen and I don’t like that you tricked me. Not to mention that I was going all over town thanking people like an idiot.”
A laugh bubbles up my throat, but when I see her stern expression, I hold it back. “I never meant for you to feel that way. But the people in the town can’t all contribute. My dad told me the other day that the economy hasn’t been great. Mayor Klein really messed up our tourism. Gavin’s working to make things better, but it’s not the kind of thing you recover from in a few months or even a year. And regardless of the librarian sleeping in my bed at night, I do want to invest in my hometown. I have the means, so why stop me? Plus, think what the extension will do for the businesses in town. The people working on it will be at Handyman Haven buying tools and supplies, eating at Two Brothers and an Egg, getting their coffee fix at The Grind, having lunch at Truth and Dare, maybe buying flowers for their wives. No matter how you spin it, it’s good for Sunrise Bay.”
A small smile tilts her lips, and she sinks into my arms. “How did I not see any of that?”
I put my finger under her chin and lift it for her to look at me. “You’ve had a lot going on. Reconciling your killer friendship with a hot quarterback, and that hot quarterback has been keeping you busy late at night.”
