“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I want to walk you home.” He tugged his bow tie out of his collar. “I look forward to this good-bye kiss at your door. I want to see how you feel about me.”
Natalie laughed. “Oh, I think you’ll know.”
And they walked all the way home together, barefoot, smiling at each other.
And smiling at the sunrise.
EPILOGUE
The February sun bounced harshly off the ocean waves as Natalie shaded her eyes and tried to see all the figures before her in the sand. She jostled her new nephew, Aaron, in the carrier in front of her.
“Do you want me to take him?” Olivia asked from beside her. She, too, stood shading her eyes and staring out at the sea.
“No, I’ve got him.”
“They sure look sexy out there, don’t they?” Paige asked, forming the third figure with her hand over her eyebrows.
They took in Jim, Garrett, the Colonel, John-O, Tag, Olivia’s husband, Jon, Elliott, and a new guy named A. J.—all standing with their feet in the sand, lining up crates along the shore, ready for the last sea lion release of the season.
Moe was in this release. He was one of the last three sea lions to make a full recovery from spring’s onslaught. It had taken him a little longer than everyone else, but he’d done it. He was almost unrecognizable now—a full year old, nearly three hundred pounds, his coat now a shiny acorn brown like his brothers.
“Well, Moe looks pretty good,” Natalie said. “But if you’re using the term sexy for the Colonel, young Garrett, or any of those married men, we’ve got to find you a date soon.”
“Tag and John-O aren’t looking too bad,” Paige said.
“There you go.”
“And, hey, yours isn’t married yet.”
“Back off, Paige.”
Olivia laughed. “Let’s get closer.”
They walked another ten feet in the sand along the shore break, picking up Lily on the way, who was doing cartwheels in the wet sand and racing up with a handful of seashells to show baby Aaron.
Natalie, though, kept her sights on Elliott. He turned to smile at them, and, as usual, Natalie’s heart wanted to burst with pride. He wore a casual sweatshirt that outlined his shoulders, which had grown even fuller and wider with all the sea lion hauling he was doing and all the eating Natalie was making sure he did. His beach shorts and bare feet were covered in sand as he hauled a heavy crate near the shore break. His hair was still a mess, even though Natalie tried to trim it for him regularly, but the sea air always blew it about his forehead in a way she’d simply come to love.
She handed Aaron off to Olivia and ran up to meet him. She could hardly keep her hands off him these days.
They’d been together about eight months now, and Natalie saw no end in sight. Rather than find him more and more annoying, as she had with boyfriends in the past, she found more and more reasons to adore Elliott. And her love for him—rooted in the deep caring and respect of friendship first—made her want to simply make him happy every day. She never wanted to see him hurt. She never wanted to see him sad. And she did everything she could to make sure he wasn’t, focusing on bringing him joy every day.
Of course, he returned the favor. He kissed her forehead every morning. He told her he loved her every day. He brought her potted flowers every few weeks, and he texted her love quotes whenever he thought of them. Normally, Natalie might have found all this suffocating, but with Elliott, she found it endearing. She’d shed the confines of commitment-phobia with this man, and his love warmed her rather than smothered her; it made her feel cherished rather than claustrophobic; it made her feel free rather than chained. And, much to her surprise, it grew stronger every day.
It was the best chance she’d ever taken.
Law of probability, indeed.
“Are they almost ready?” Paige yelled to the men manning the crates.
The townspeople began gathering along the stretch of shoreline in front of Elliott’s place, which he’d recently purchased from Dr. Johnson and that Natalie was now redecorating. They all slowed to a stop right before the tide pools.
“LET’S GO!” the Colonel yelled, calling everyone around.
This was a huge turnout for a February. Many of the townspeople had come for this release, as Moe had practically become a Friends of the Sea Lion mascot and town celebrity. He was in the paper almost every week, with detailed news of his slow recovery, and earning lots of donations from island visitors and residents alike, which went back into the center to help feed more sea lions.
The Colonel positioned everyone into two long rows, and Natalie, Paige, Lily, and Olivia joined the lines of onlookers, who formed a sort of tunnel toward the Pacific. Even Paige knew where to stand now, since she’d come to the island almost every other weekend last summer. Natalie and Olivia still couldn’t get her to move there with them, but she was starting to crack, her visits lasting longer and longer. Paige’s favorite visits were when they had sea lion releases like this one.
Once everyone was in place, Jim held up his hand. He’d come back to the island with Nell for good once their stint in Italy was over. They’d missed all the work they’d done at the center, and Nell wanted to raise Max in such a close community. They’d bought a cottage just two doors down from Olivia, and Natalie and Elliott had started having dinner with each family once a week. Sometimes Natalie and Elliott just went over to take Max and Aaron out on evening stroller rides after dinner, Lily bouncing along beside them in her new veterinarian costume.
As Jim’s hand came down among the crowd, all three crates were opened simultaneously, and the three sea lions popped their heads out.
“Good-bye to Jangles, Toast, and Moe!” Elliott called out.
The crowd all clapped as the three sea lions waddled slowly toward the ocean, first hesitantly, popping their whiskered noses into the air, then—as they instinctively recognized the call of the ocean—faster and faster until all three blubbery bodies leaped together into the waves.
The crowd cheered and yelled as the sea lions dove up and down through the whitewater, their bodies glistening in the sun. Within seconds, they all made short order out of diving down into the Pacific.
“Good-bye, Moe!” yelled Lily, jumping up and down and waving her little hands. “I’ll miss you!”
Natalie looked at the pride on Elliott’s face—the wind whipping his hair around his head—until he finally glanced back, caught her eye, and smiled.
She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze.
“I’m going to miss him, too,” he whispered into her hair, curling his arm around her back. “We have him tagged so we can keep an eye on him, but—as much as you want them to go back—you realize how important they became to you.”
She laid her head on Elliott’s chest. “Moe looks so happy out there. He truly found his home,” she said.
Elliott squeezed her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “So did I.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
So many thanks go to so many people for helping me bring these books to life.
Thanks, first of all, to the real-life volunteers at sea lion rescue centers throughout California—your constant dedication to helping marine life, and educating the public, is truly heroic and admirable.
Thanks to my very own romance hero, my husband, Chris—he brings me wine, he makes dinner, and he makes me laugh every day. It’s a true joy being married to your best friend.
Thanks to my sister-in-law, Denise Sanchez, who has played “roadie,” manager, and marketer for me. She’s a pillar of strength for our whole family and always offers help and support, no questions asked.
Thanks to friend Barbara Young, who has offered such unwavering support since the beginning of my writing journey—she went with me to my first writers’ meeting, threw my first launch party for
me, and always offers such wonderful encouragement and cheerleading. You are a true friend, Barbara.
Thank you to my amazing critique partner, Tricia Lynne. You always bring out the best in me and my writing, and always make my books better. Your skill and talent are unsurpassed.
Thank you to friends who read this book at various stages and gave me great feedback: beta readers Debi Skubic, Mary Ann Perdue, Barbara Young, and my mom, Arlene Hayden.
Thanks to friend Michelle Arconti Gordon, who offered some of her own memories of working with sea lion rescue teams.
Thanks to my wonderful Firebird sisters who are always superstar supporters. Especially those who lent a special hand in this book: A. J. Larrieu, who helped with the scientific lingo for Elliott; brainstormers Pintip Dunn, Lorenda Christensen, Wendy LaCapra, Priscilla Kissinger, Sheri Humphreys, Jean Willett, Jamie Wesley, Lexi Greene, Talia Surova, and Pamela Kopfler, who offered great brainstorming ideas; and especially Tamra Baumann, who constantly talks me off ledges.
Thanks, as always, to my terrific agent, Jill Marsal: I don’t know what I’d do without you.
Thanks to my editors at Montlake, Maria Gomez and Charlotte Herscher, and to the talented Montlake copy editors and cover designers.
Thanks to my kids for their constant support and encouragement—even from one thousand miles away on college campuses. And special thanks to my youngest—the only one still home—who goes without clean socks many a Monday as his mom is gunning for a deadline.
And a huge thank-you to my parents, Don and Arlene Hayden, who have always been so loving and supportive and are a fine example of a true love story, celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary this year. Mom and Dad, this one’s dedicated to you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2013 Shawn Oudt
Lauren Christopher is the author of the Sandy Cove romance series, which includes The Red Bikini and Ten Good Reasons, and now the new Lavender Island romance series, which kicks off with The Kiss on Castle Road. She has been a 2015 Holt Medallion Award of Merit winner and a 2012 Golden Heart finalist. A professional writer for more than two decades, she has worked on projects from NASA video scripts and restaurant reviews to feature stories on the origins of Santa Claus. A graduate of UCLA with a degree in English, she resides in Southern California with her husband and three children. She loves to chat with readers! Visit her at her website to say hello and learn more about her books at www.LaurenChristopherAuthor.com.
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