by Olivia Miles
Andrea glanced at Heather, who just shrugged. “Good news, I hope?”
Kim nodded firmly. “Very good news. I’ll share everything over dinner. When we’re all together.”
All together. Andrea liked the sound of it.
She hurried down the hill to town, but she knew she wouldn’t stop at the Main Street Market just yet. Instead, she went past it, scanning the harbor, recalling the day John had shown her the boat. The kiss they’d shared. It felt like something in her distant past even though it had been only a few days ago. But time was funny here on this island. It made you slow down and catch your breath. It made you think.
She was nervous by the time she got to the Lakeside Inn, not about what she had to say, but about the possibility of not being able to find him before she went back to the city tomorrow. She scanned the lobby and then the dining room, but she suspected that he would be outside on this beautiful afternoon, and she was right. She found him down near the pool, talking with one of the staff, going over some of the paperwork she recognized from their conversations.
He turned when she said his name, looking just as confused at seeing her as he was pleased. He said something to the other man, who nodded and walked away with the folder tucked under his arm.
“Well, this is a surprise.” John smiled as he approached.
“I hoped to find you,” she said, suddenly unsure of what she wanted to say. “I…I wanted to invite you to a party we’re having tonight. Everyone will be there. Gemma. Leo. Mandy. Lena. It’s a tradition.”
His eyes turned knowing, and a little sad. “A going away party, I take it.”
Her shoulders sank, but not for the reasons he might think. She had lost time, or maybe squandered it. But she wasn’t the type of person to make the same mistake twice.
“I have to go back to Chicago tomorrow,” she said. “I have a big project due on Monday.”
He nodded. He knew all about it, of course. He gave her a kind smile. “The one that might seal your fate for partnership. I’m sure it will.”
Andrea was nearly certain that it would too, even though Jace had a way of worming his way into Arthur’s good graces. The design was original, unique, curious, and inspired. And most of all, it had heart.
And that was why it didn’t matter if it landed her the partnership. It wasn’t about what the design could do for her. It was about the way it made her feel.
“I promised the client I’d have it to them next week, and I like to think I’m a person of my word,” she said. Which was why what she was about to say next meant so much. It was a promise. To herself. To her mother, maybe. And possibly, to John. “But I’m not going to accept the partnership if it’s offered. I’m going to be giving my notice instead.”
John stared at her, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure if he’d even heard her, if she’d even managed to say the words, because she hadn’t said it to her sisters, even though it was there, noodling in her mind all week, taking root, building a new plan in better clarity than any blueprint.
“I stopped by the historical society yesterday, just to get a feel for things. It was…well, it was very inspiring. But then, a lot of things are here.”
His eyes were wary despite a hint of a smile that curved his mouth. “But that partnership is something you worked hard for, Andrea.”
She nodded. “It was, but somewhere along the way, I lost sight of why it mattered. My mother left us that house, but it wasn’t just the walls and the banister and the pocket doors and the crown moldings that she passed down or cared about, really. It was what the house held inside it. The memories. The laughter. The people. I’ve been designing houses all this time but I haven’t stopped to think about who they’re for, or why they matter. And now that I see it, I can’t go back to the way it was. And I don’t want to either.”
“You won’t regret giving it up?”
She had thought about this, a lot, but every time she did, she came to the same conclusion. She had regrets. A lot of them. And now was the time to start fixing them.
“The only regret I’ll have is walking away from this island again. And…”
His eyebrow cocked as he stepped toward her, his grin pulling a smile from her face. “And?”
“And…I’d like to see what I could build here. Professionally, and personally.”
“I guess that means I don’t have to chase you down in Chicago.” John’s hands found hers as he grinned.
Her heart skipped a beat. “You weren’t…?”
He shrugged. “It’s like you said, Andrea. No regrets. And I would have regretted not coming after you. Life doesn’t always give us a fresh start or a second chance, but that’s what I came to the island to find.”
She blinked back tears as he leaned down to kiss her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him tight, because just like him, she’d followed one path, only to change course and pursue another. And just like him, she’d found her heart. Right where she’d left it.
Epilogue
Everyone knew that Kim had always wanted a big wedding, but they weren’t surprised to learn that she had changed her mind.
Now, when Kim thought of her dream wedding, she thought of her closest friends and family, the man she loved standing at the end of a petal-strewn path, her father at her arm, her mother’s veil atop her head, and her sisters at her side.
And today, all of that was coming true.
Her friend Kate had hand-delivered Kim’s mother’s wedding gown and veil. There was the small matter of shoes to consider, but this was a simple wedding, one that would be held outside, along the lakefront, just as the sun was starting to set.
Heather had of course volunteered to handle all the food for the reception, as well as most of the decorations, and Kim couldn’t help but notice how she came alive at the task. She was in her element, doing what she loved, and with Billy as her right-hand, she was perhaps also with the one she loved.
John had offered up his hotel for the reception, but Kim knew that this house was where everyone was meant to gather. It was large enough to host them all, and it had been empty for long enough, even if it would never be empty again now that Andrea had decided to stay on the island.
Kim had just finished adjusting her veil when there was a knock at her door. She expected it to be one of her sisters, who would wear matching blue cotton sundresses from one of the boutiques in town, but instead, she was surprised to see her father standing in the doorway.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be able to come on such short notice,” she said when she saw him.
“And miss your wedding day? Impossible.”
Kim’s pulse quickened when she thought of the impact of her father’s arrival. Introducing his girlfriend might be even more awkward than listening to Bran explain to his mother that they’d decided to essentially elope, and that had been a conversation that had not gone well at all.
Still, after a few days of adjusting to the idea, Bran’s parents had made the trek to Evening Island and were gathered across the road along with the other small pool of guests. Andrea had already whispered to Kim that she’d heard Lynette admit, however reluctantly, that this was all much nicer than she’d expected it would be.
Nicer. Better. The way it was meant to be.
“Is…”
“Barb is visiting with her sons this weekend,” Kim’s father explained. “It’s her eldest’s birthday, and… This day isn’t about me, it’s about you. And all of us. I want to introduce you to her, of course, but when the time is right. I’m sorry if I caused any stress for your wedding, honey.”
Kim almost laughed out loud. There was so much stress leading up to this day that it almost didn’t happen at all. But had it not been for all of that, they wouldn’t be standing here right now. She in her mother’s gown and veil, her father in a seersucker suit, tears shining in his eyes.
“You look beautiful, Kimmy,” he said quietly. “You look happy.”
She squeezed his hand. “You
too, Daddy.”
“Your mother had a better way with words—”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. And somehow, it was. She pulled in a breath. “Walk me out?”
He held out his elbow and she slipped her arm through it. Carefully they made their way down the stairs, the ones that she and her sisters would sprint down eagerly those glorious summer mornings, eager to start another carefree day on the island. She half expected to see her mother standing at the base of the stairs, shaking her head at her with an amused smile gracing her mouth, but instead, she was met by her sisters, each clutching a bouquet of local flowers. Andrea held the largest one out to her.
“I cleared a space on the wall for you,” Andrea said, motioning to the framed photos that she had eventually found in the attic. One of their grandparents on their wedding day, standing on the porch of this very house, and another of their parents, looking young and happy, laughing on the wicker chair. And another of their mother, sitting on the lakefront across the road, her auburn hair blowing in the breeze, her smile one of laughter, as if she’d just heard something wonderful. Kim stared at it, wondering what might have brought such joy to her in that moment.
She’d never know, but she’d always remember her like this. Full of life.
“You’re carrying down the tradition,” Heather said wistfully.
Kim looked down at her dress, which she’d carefully preserve for Andrea one day, just in case... “We all are.”
Heather beamed. She had a glow about her since deciding to move to the island, even though it had only been a week since she and Andrea had made their journey back to the city, and quickly returned. Kim would visit next summer when her work schedule permitted, and Bran would join her too. The island would bring them all together again, like it always had.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Kim said as the reality of the moment hit her. “I can’t believe we’re all standing here. In this house. It feels…”
“It feels like yesterday,” her father said, pulling Heather in for a squeeze with his free arm.
“It feels like home,” Heather said.
It felt complete, Kim thought to herself, as she looked around the room, at the knicks and scrapes on the woodwork that were evidence of years of love and memories.
And as they walked together out onto the porch and then down the creaking steps toward the water, where so many people she loved and cherished were waiting for her on the rocky shore, she closed her eyes and thought of that picture again.
Her mother wasn’t here to witness this perfect day, but Kim knew that she was with her, her hair blowing in the breeze, and her smile radiant. That this was what she’d always wanted…for all of them.
About the Author
Olivia Miles is a USA Today bestselling author of feel-good women’s fiction and small-town romance. She has frequently been ranked as an Amazon Top 100 author, and her books have appeared on several bestseller lists, including Amazon charts, Barnes and Noble, BookScan, and USA Today. Olivia lives on the shore of Lake Michigan with her family.
Visit www.OliviaMilesBooks.com for more.
