The Captain's Second Chance

by Elana Johnson

  Brooklynn dug in her flower garden, enjoying the scent of fresh earth and the way her pups romped through the grass with one another.

  A few weeks had passed since the big storm, and the weather had cleared enough for all the weeds to grow. They were relentless in their pursuit to take over her flower beds and lawn, and Brooklynn found herself doing yard work every evening after grooming dogs.

  Cinnamon, Cory, and Callie sure liked the time outside, but Brooklynn didn’t like the mindless work. It meant she had plenty of time to stew about Dave. He’d texted for several days after she’d broken up with him, but she hadn’t heard from him in a while now.

  Her heart skipped a beat, but she acted like nothing had happened internally. Sometimes, out of nowhere, tears would choke her, and she’d have to try to remember what she’d been thinking about that had upset her.

  The answer was always the same.

  Dave.

  She’d continued her therapy, but the conversations were now about Dave and not the ocean or the beach or her fears. She felt like she was living inside her greatest nightmare, and she couldn’t wake up.

  She’d declined her invitations to the family dinner, because she didn’t want to face her parents. She’d briefly seen her father when he’d come to get his truck, but they hadn’t spoken. Not really. She’d texted that she was fine, and her mother had tried to get her to come to dinner every day since.

  Brooklynn wasn’t seeing anyone these days. Just her clients and her dogs. So when the sound of an engine met her ears and didn’t just drive by her house, she glanced up to see Laci had arrived.

  She stood up and brushed her gloved hands together, though she still had half a flower bed to weed. “Hey,” she said to her sister, wiping her bangs off her forehead.

  She’d cut her hair since her evenings had become free. She’d taken up walking after dinner, something else the dogs really loved. She simply needed something to fill her time, some way to find herself again.

  It was absolutely unbelievable that she’d lost herself all over again.

  “Your yard looks amazing,” Laci said, gazing around. “I haven’t even started on mine.”

  “I hate spring,” Brooklynn said, though she normally loved it. Loved the blossoms. Loved the scent in the air. Loved the thought of a rebirth after a long winter.

  “Wondering if you wanted to go to lunch,” Laci said.

  “I don’t want to go to town,” Brooklynn said. “There’s too much gossip. Too many people stare at me.”

  “So you’re going to avoid Main Street forever?”

  Yes, Brooklynn thought. “No,” she said. “I still eat out plenty. Trust me.”

  Laci smiled and shook her head. “You love that Grub to Go.”

  Yes, she did. No, it wasn’t a crime.

  “You aren’t working today?”

  “We hired a new tech who can’t work a few days during the week,” Laci said. “So she’s on every weekend now.”

  “Lucky,” Brooklynn said.

  “Yeah.” Laci toed the ground, her tell that she had more to say and wasn’t saying it.

  Brooklynn didn’t want to go to lunch, but she did want to hear her sister’s news. She’d missed her family more than she wanted to admit. Same with Dave.

  She peeled her gloves from her hands and tossed them on the sidewalk. “Let me wash up, and we can go to Bell Hill for lunch.”

  Laci perked up. “To the mac and cheese place?”

  Brooklynn could definitely use some carbs, so she said, “Definitely. Be right back.” She dashed inside, calling her dogs after her, and washed her hands. After a quick change of clothes, she got in the car with Laci.

  They chatted about their siblings and parents on the way to Bell Hill, and Brooklynn really liked talking to another human adult. She told all kinds of things to her dog clients, but most of them still looked at her with doleful eyes, as if she was trying to harm them by giving them a bath.

  “Dr. Paul asked me out,” Laci finally said once she’d pulled into the parking lot at the restaurant.

  “No,” Brooklynn said, a gasp following. “What did you say?”

  Laci looked at Brooklynn, something raw on her face. “I said yes. I’m…tired of pining over a man who’s already moved on.”

  “But—have you—are you ready to move on?”

  “I’m not getting any younger, and he’s a good guy.” She smiled, her eyes dancing with a light Brooklynn hadn’t seen on her sister’s face since her break-up. “We’re going out tomorrow.”

  “Where are you going?”

  Laci sobered. “Brunch up at the lodge.”

  Those tears flew into her eyes, and Brooklynn blinked so they wouldn’t fall. “That’s great,” she said, but the words sounded false to her own ears.

  “Dave’s miserable without you,” Laci said.

  “How do you know?”

  “He comes and gets a dog every weekend now. Before, it was just every once in a while.”

  Brooklynn wanted to believe her sister. She did. But Dave obviously didn’t miss her that much, or he’d do something about it.

  What do you want him to do? The question was harsh inside her mind. He’d sent her food, he’d texted her, he’d invited her over. She was the one who’d cut him out of her life.

  All of that was great. Nice, even. But she wanted him to quit his job, which was one of the most selfish things on the planet, and she would not say it out loud.

  “We’re just not meant to be,” she said softly. “We weren’t as kids, and we aren’t now.” She sniffed, glad none of her tears had made it down her face. “He’s always loved the ocean, and he’s wanted to be in the Coast Guard for as long as I’ve known him.”

  “There was an article about the rescue in the paper,” Laci said. “Did you see it?”

  Brooklynn shook her head, her memories of Dave suddenly overwhelming her.

  “They said good things about him,” Laci said. “His commanding officer said he was the best captain the Coast Guard has had at this station in a long time.”

  Brooklynn didn’t doubt that for a moment, but she wasn’t sure what Laci’s point was. “I’m starving,” she said, getting out of the car and hoping the conversation would move to something else when they went inside.

  Thankfully, it did, and Brooklynn asked Laci as many questions as she could about Dr. Paul. But her mind never strayed too far from Dave, the ocean, and why she couldn’t answer his texts.

  May faded into June, and Brooklynn’s loneliness only increased. Julie had started coming over on Fridays after work, and that eased some of Brooklynn’s talking to herself or her dogs. She went back to the family dinners, firmly telling her mother at the first one, “I don’t want to talk about Dave. If you bring him up, I’m leaving.”

  Her mother had been on her best behavior, and so had everyone else. Aunt Mabel got engaged to her boyfriend, and that stole all the wind out of every other piece of gossip in Hawthorne Harbor. It was all anyone was talking about—even the canines.

  Not really, but they might as well have been. Brooklynn supposed Aunt Mabel’s engagement was a pretty big deal. After all, it wasn’t every day that a couple that was almost ninety decided to start their lives together.

  Brooklynn went to visit her great aunt the day after the announcement had been made, and she carried a loaf of her coconut lime bread she’d been perfecting over the weeks. She hadn’t been up to the Magleby Mansion in a long time, nor to her aunt’s cottage just down from it.

  The summer breeze came off the ocean, and Brooklynn paused to drink in the sight of the beach below and the water beyond. It didn’t hold the same fear it usually did, and she took a deep breath of the briny air, getting a hint of lavender in there too.

  The Lavender Festival lay just a few weeks away, but Brooklynn wasn’t volunteering for anything with this town event. Her grandmother had been asked to judge the cooking contest, as a Magleby was always involved with such things at the Lavender Festival.<
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  She’d thought about trying her hand at a recipe with lavender in it, but it had never been one of her favorite flavors, and she’d decided against entering.

  “Aunt Mabel,” she called as she knocked on the door of the cottage.

  “It’s open,” her great aunt called, and Brooklynn went inside to see nearly every flower in town had made its way inside the house. Another woman stood there, and Brooklynn recognized her as Gretchen Herrin.

  “Oh, I didn’t know you were busy.”

  “It’s fine,” Aunt Mabel said, getting up from the kitchen table. “Just fine. Fine.” She hurried in her hobbled kind of way toward Brooklynn, adding, “Is that the coconut bread?”

  Brooklynn chuckled and handed it to her. “Yep.”

  “Gretchen, we have to have this at the wedding.”

  “You aren’t catering your own wedding?” Brooklynn asked.

  “Heavens, no,” Aunt Mabel said. “I’ve waited my whole life for this, and I’m not lifting a finger.” She smiled so wide her face shone with happiness, and Gretchen sniffed as she wiped her eyes.

  Aunt Mabel unwrapped the coconut lime bread and sliced several pieces before handing one to Gretchen. “You know Gretchen, don’t you? She owns the flower shop across from the park.”

  “Of course,” Brooklynn said, shaking the other woman’s hand. “I think I’ve come out to the lavender farm for grooming.”

  “Sounds right,” Gretchen said with a smile. She took a bite of the bread, a groan pulling through her throat. “Oh my goodness.” She looked at the bread with wonder in her eyes. “This is fantastic.” She met Aunt Mabel’s eye. “You should hire her to cater the wedding.”

  Fear grabbed hold of Brooklynn’s heart. “Uh, no,” she said.

  “Maybe we could just have it at the wedding shower,” Aunt Mabel suggested, hope shining in her bright blue eyes.

  “Now that I can do,” Brooklynn said, feeding off the enthusiasm of her great aunt. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.” She grinned and giggled, maybe the first rays of happiness she’d felt since walking out of Dave’s house all those weeks ago.

  “I was in love with Clyde when I was younger,” Aunt Mabel said. “He was the one who got away. I’m not letting that happen again.” She gazed off into memories only she could see. She startled and cleared her throat. “Sometimes second chances do happen, even when you’re an old woman like me.”

  “Drew and I got a second chance,” Gretchen said, something curious in her voice.

  Brooklynn didn’t like the energy in the cottage all of a sudden. “Well, I just came to say congratulations.”

  “Are you going to get back together with Dave?” Aunt Mabel asked. “If that’s not a match made in heaven, I don’t know what is.”

  Brooklynn felt like someone had poured liquid nitrogen down her throat. She couldn’t move and breathing was quite difficult.

  “I know a couple of women circling,” Gretchen said, eyeing her. “But they’re not sure it’s a good time.”

  “When would be a good time?” Aunt Mabel snapped. “Don’t be ridiculous. Even if they asked him, he’d say no. He’s only had eyes for Brooklynn for years. While she was married even.”

  Brooklynn shook her head, tears splashing her face. She hadn’t even realized they’d gathered in her eyes. “No, Dave and I…no.”

  “Okay, you tell her,” Aunt Mabel said, sitting down at the table. “I’m old and tired of repeating myself.”

  Gretchen stepped away from the dozens of flowers she had spread over the table. “Okay, so your great aunt told me once that I couldn’t let Drew get away. That I’d regret it all my life if I let him walk out of my life.” She smiled at Aunt Mabel, who sat at the table and ate her bread as if the conversation wasn’t happening around her. “And she was right.”

  Brooklynn shook her head. “I just….”

  “My husband died too,” Gretchen said, reaching out and touching Brooklynn’s shoulder. “I understand how scary it can be to open your heart up to love again.”

  Brooklynn just stared into the other woman’s eyes, searching for an answer to life’s greatest questions. She wasn’t even sure what they were, but Gretchen seemed to have figured it all out already.

  “So don’t let him get away,” Brooklynn said, her tongue thick in her mouth. “I think I pushed him away.”

  “Of course you did,” Aunt Mabel said in her usual tactful way. “So go get him back.”

  “How?” Brooklynn asked, looking from Gretchen to Aunt Mabel and back.

  “How should we know?” Aunt Mabel asked, sifting through the blooms on the table. “You two had a special relationship. What is at the core of it? Show up with that, and Dave will take you back.” She tilted her head. “I think I like these pink ones, Gretchen. What do you think?”

  Brooklynn stayed for a few minutes while they talked about flowers, and then she bent down to kiss her great aunt on the forehead. “I’ll see you later, Aunt Mabel.”

  “Be brave, my girl,” Aunt Mabel whispered, and Brooklynn left the cottage. She walked up the hill to the Mansion instead of going to her car, trying to find what was at the core of her and Dave’s relationship.

  Food.

  The man loved to eat, and Brooklynn could think of a dozen things to take him right now.

  Dogs.

  The man loved dogs, and Brooklynn had three she could take over there right now—and access to dozens of others through Laci. Dave wanted a big dog, she knew that. One he could take running on the beach with him and throw a ball to. He’d brought home boxers and mixed breeds, and she wouldn’t dare make a decision without consulting him first.

  But that meant she’d have to talk to him.

  “You want to talk to him,” she told herself as she reached the top of the hill, out of breath. She gazed out over the town, the sense of home engulfing her.

  There was a piece missing for her, though, and she knew exactly what it was.

  Dave.

  Always Dave.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Dave pushed into the station, already in a surly mood. He had two more weeks of making this drive, and it was getting harder and harder. Getting up at five o’clock to go running was hard. Heck, making coffee was hard.

  Everything was hard without Brooklynn in his life.

  He’d driven to Port Angeles with Audrey today, and she’d talked almost nonstop about his retirement party and dinner. The announcements had gone out last week, and she’d received hers in the mail.

  Which meant Brooklynn had too.

  “Can I see the RSVP list?” he asked his secretary, and he shuffled a few papers and folders on his desk before producing it.

  “This is what we have so far, sir.”

  “Thanks, Rick.” Dave scanned it, the one name he wanted on the list not there. Had Brooklynn not received her invitation? Had she not realized what it meant?

  His fingers itched to call her, but he wasn’t sure he could handle the rejection if she didn’t pick up. He’d been through everything over the past sixty-five days. He’d thought about getting a dog and making a grooming appointment with her. But she only serviced dogs less than forty pounds, and he wanted a bigger dog than that.

  He’d considered getting a puppy, but he literally didn’t have time. After I retire had become a mantra to him, and he’d been so busy helping Brian go through transfers and profiles to get a new captain before he left.

  Calvin Wingman had arrived last week, and Dave didn’t go home all week as he and Cal trained on the Adelie together for long hours.

  “There’s a lot of people already,” Rick said, brining Dave back to the fact that he stood outside his office, throttling an innocent piece of paper.

  “Yes,” he said, handing it back. “Are you coming?”

  “Of course, sir.” He smoothed the paper on the desk.

  “I didn’t see your name on there. And you should bring Candice.” Dave smiled, but he didn’t have a happy cell in his body. “
Let me know when Captain Wingman arrives.”

  “Yes, sir,” Rick said, and Dave went in his office and closed the door. That right there should’ve been a dead giveaway to anyone walking by that he didn’t want to be bothered.

  But no one seemed to care, as his office became a revolving door for everyone who wanted to say congratulations. Didn’t they know that was what the party and dinner were for? He hadn’t wanted to do the event at all, but Brian had suggested it, and since he needed a reason to get Brooklynn in the same room as him, Dave had agreed.

  And now the woman wouldn’t RSVP.

  “Sir, Captain Wingman is here,” Rick finally said, and Dave sighed as he got up and stuffed his hat on this head.

  “Thank you,” he said to his secretary as he exited the office and saluted the other captain. He managed to put the RSVP list out of his mind while they ran the ferry lines to Victoria Island and back and did a patrol on recreational boaters. This summer seemed extraordinarily busy to Dave, but that could’ve just been because he couldn’t wait to not be on this boat.

  What an odd thought that was. He’d dedicated his whole life to the Coast Guard, moving wherever he was assigned and putting up with whatever new seaman he got on his crew.

  “So what are you going to do once you retire?” Cal asked as they stood at the front of the boat.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Dave said with a sigh. He liked Cal well enough, and he was an excellent captain in his fifth year. “Probably get a dog and go hiking.” He grinned, because that did sound like a great life—if he could get Brooklynn to do it with him.

  Cal chuckled. “Sounds pretty amazing.”

  “How’s the family settling in?” he asked, because he didn’t want to talk about what he’d do once he was retired. He honestly had no idea, and a thread of fear pulled through him.

  “Good,” Cal said. “Chris got the kids enrolled in school for the fall, and she’s slowly getting the house in shape.”

  Dave mm-hmm’ed in all the right places as Cal talked about the fixer upper they’d bought just outside of Port Angeles, about their two cats not liking the wide open space, and how great the beach was.