“What do you mean?” Reese asked as the men walked up to the deck.
“After you and I talked about wiggle room the other night, I thought, you know, there’s no reason we can’t have wiggle room. The past doesn’t have to mark our future.”
They picked up the plates to carry outside as her mother explained, “Your father and I are shaking things up a bit. We danced the night away at the resort the other night, and your father even signed up for a cooking class.”
“Dad signed up for a cooking class?” Her parents had such a traditional marriage that she couldn’t imagine her father cooking.
Her mother lowered her voice again. “I know. Can you believe it? I really do love cooking and making dinners, but now we’ll do it together. I’m delighted about it. Oh, and we’re going to take sailing lessons, too. I guess it really is never too late to make things even better.”
“I’m so glad, Mom,” Reese said as Trent came inside.
“Let me help.” He took a plate from each of them. “This looks delicious.”
“Thank you, sugar.” Her mother took the remaining plate from Reese’s hand and said, “I’ll take these out to your father.”
“I’ll go get the coffee.” Reese heard Trent come back inside as she set cream and sugar on the tray. His arms snaked around her waist and his stubble tickled her neck. She turned toward him. “Frisky, aren’t we?”
“Always. And I’m just so happy to be part of your life again.” He pressed his lips to hers, and it took all of her restraint not to disappear into that kiss and revel in the happiness that rushed through her entire body.
And as they joined her parents out on the deck, Reese knew they had just taken another huge step closer to putting the past where it belonged...and building a beautiful future together.
Chapter Thirty-Two
MONDAY MORNING TRENT stopped by Shelley’s Café to see if Quinn needed any last-minute help before the grand opening later that afternoon. The bushes had been trimmed, the lawn was freshly manicured, and with the tables and bright umbrellas that complemented the colors in the sign, the old mill looked revitalized and ready for business.
Inside, the wood floors had been refinished and the shelves Trent had built on the right side of the rear wall were now filled with fresh flowers, coffee mugs with the Shelley’s Café emblems, and several bags of the delicious organic coffee that Shelley was already becoming known for around the island. Tables were set up throughout, and the counter on the left rear of the room sparkled in the sunny overhead lights. Trent touched the old millstone as he passed by on his way to the stairs, thinking about the night he and Reese had bumped into each other after so long and all of his dreams had started to come true again.
He stepped up the first riser and looked out the front windows. Without the bushes in the way, he had a clear view of Reese’s gallery and the shops on Old Mill Row. He gazed at the sign above her gallery door, thinking about how good their relationship was now and how far they’d come. Building their new strong foundation step by step, piece by piece.
The sound of Shelley giggling pulled him from his reverie, and he mounted the stairs.
“Quinn? Shelley?” he called up.
“Don’t come up here!” Quinn said. Then Shelley giggled again, kicking Trent’s brain into gear. He heard them shuffling around and quickly realized he’d interrupted a private moment.
“I’m leaving,” he said with a chuckle. “Carry on.”
As he made his way outside, he was struck by how envious he’d been of Quinn and Shelley’s connection a few weeks ago. Now he realized it wasn’t envy that he’d felt. It was longing for what—for whom—he’d lost.
When he reached the sidewalk, Reese’s car sped around the corner and came to a screeching halt in front of him. She jumped out, her eyes filled with despair as she flew into his arms.
“Tilly’s in the hospital.”
* * *
REESE SQUEEZED TRENT’S hand and clutched the flowers they’d bought for Tilly against her chest as they rode the elevator up to the third floor. Reese hated hospitals, from the sterile smell to the too-white walls and the looks of sadness that seemed to be etched into every face. She hadn’t been in the hospital since her grandmother passed away when she was younger.
It seemed to her that the world that existed inside hospital walls was completely separate from life outside. Outdoors, birds sang as they sailed through the sky, flowers bloomed, and the wind blew off the bay. The shore changed with every wave, leaving behind seaweed and snails and clams that dug underground. Life was everywhere, being nurtured by the elements, whereas within the hospital walls, it felt like life was slowly slipping away. At least on this floor.