After All (Cape Harbor 1)

The four of them continued through the street fair; each stop at a vendor turned into a twenty-minute gab session for people to fawn over Carly. After the fourth or fifth table, Brooklyn had had her fill. It was enough for her to become a recluse, and she could now completely understand why Carly shut herself off. Everyone was talking about Austin as if it were yesterday or last year when he passed, not fifteen years ago. She had loved Austin more than anyone aside from his mother, so she understood a little bit but felt like the town using his passing to come together every year since was a bit too much.

Austin was, by all accounts, the perfect person, according to the people they ran into. If there was an elderly person needing to cross the street, he not only stopped traffic but would get out of his truck to help them. He held doors and carried groceries, he would stop and help someone weed their garden, and he told his mother he loved her every day.

Aside from the kindness, he had the good looks. From the moment Brooklyn had met him, she was smitten, lost in his rich brown eyes. She saw her soul mate when she gazed into his eyes and knew that he was her future. Others thought the same. Some hadn’t cared that he had a girlfriend and had tried their best to grab his attention. At times, it worked. At times, Austin paid too much attention to someone who wasn’t Brooklyn, and those times resulted in them fighting. And as with most couples, hurtful words ensued. Through it all, Brooklyn wanted to be with Austin. She never had any doubt in her mind, even when he told her those dreams were hers and not his. Even when he said the most hurtful words possible. And even when she opened her heart again on that fateful night.

“Brooklyn.”

The sound of her name and the tugging on her hand brought her attention back to the street fair. They were on the sidewalk with people passing by. She couldn’t remember how she got here, too lost in her thoughts about Austin to pay attention. But Simone was standing beside her, facing the wall, shielding Carly.

On instinct, Brooklyn put her arm around Carly. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s tired. It’s too hot out here,” Simone answered for her.

“Let’s go home, then.” She contemplated her words as she waited for Carly’s approval. Carly looked around, almost as if she were checking to see if people were staring. Brooklyn knew what she was doing and acted. “Just hold my arm. No one will be any the wiser because you’ve been holding it for the past hour and a half. Simone will be on your other side, and Brystol will clear a path for us.”

Carly patted Brooklyn’s hand and said, “Thank you.” They did exactly as Brooklyn laid out. With Brystol leading the way, looking like an angry teenager, very few people tried to stop them. Many said hi, and Carly returned the sentiment but kept walking. Inside Brooklyn’s SUV, she blasted the air conditioner and pointed it directly at Carly.

“That was fun,” Carly said jovially. Simone laughed, but Brooklyn gawked at her like she had three heads. The woman had almost passed out, had spent far too much time in the sun talking to people she hadn’t seen in years, and had had to leave due to exhaustion. That was fun for her? In some sense, Brooklyn thought it probably was, since Carly never left the inn.

Later that evening, they could smell the bonfire and hear the laughter. Brooklyn planned to go work at the inn to occupy her time, while Simone said she would start dinner. Brystol wanted to read, but Carly had other plans.

“I think we should go.”

Brooklyn wasn’t having it. “No.”

“It would be awkward if I went by myself. Everyone knows you’re here.”

Thanks to you, the gossip mill, and the field trip you made us take. “You barely made it through the street fair.”

Carly brushed off the statement. “I just needed a little water.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Carly walked over to Brooklyn and took her face between her hands. The two focused on each other, and Brooklyn felt tears start to prick her eyes. “I’ve made many mistakes in the years since Austin died. I closed myself off, changed my whole life because of heartbreak. I know you’ve done the same.” Carly paused as she worked through a coughing fit. This concerned Brooklyn. She wanted to tell Simone what happened earlier and talk to her about getting Carly in to see a doctor—if not in town, then one in Seattle.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, dear. I’m tired of watching the world go by. Since you and Brystol arrived, I’ve realized how much I’ve missed. I’m reenergized. Simone was right—I needed the inn to reopen so I could find my purpose.”