That he only just made it back to Clifton Falls in time, and he struggled to forgive himself for putting his needs before his brother’s…
That he felt overwhelmed with confusion because he couldn’t imagine life without her, even if she was once Jesse’s girl…
That he was falling in love with her?
His eyes blurring with emotion, Jake traveled down the hill, over the bridge, and onto the Eastern Pacific Highway. It was just after ten when he reached Petrie Bay, and as he drove onto the beach track and headed for the thicket of pines, a shimmer of moonlight slipped across the water.
He dozed in his truck until dawn, then strolled along the shore as the sun rose above the bay. Later, as he sat on the dunes while watching several surfers brave the water, he realized he couldn’t face going into work. Not today. Instead, he returned to his truck and drove to Lime Tree Hill’s farm-gate store to grab something to eat before heading to the falls, where he spent the rest of the day hiking along Iron Ridge.
As dusk descended, Jake pulled up outside the cemetery and parked to the left of the chapel entrance. The gates were locked. Not that it mattered, as the stone wall surrounding the cottage-style church was less than a meter high.
With the light on his phone illuminating the way, Jake stumbled past the now-spent rose garden to his brother’s final resting place. While he hadn’t been back since the funeral, it seemed fitting that in a day full of unchecked emotions, Jesse was his last call.
Jake crouched and placed his palm flat against the headstone. He talked to his twin about the bakery and its astounding success. Next, he spoke of their mother, the way her grief had almost destroyed her, but how he believed she was finally making her way back to some semblance of acceptance. Lastly, he moved on to Molly. How he didn’t understand why she’d come into his life when she did, his initial reluctance to accept her, and how, despite his best intentions, falling in love with her had been inevitable, then his conflicted feelings after the fact.
As Jake fastened his jacket collar against the chill, his thoughts turned to Molly in the bakery, watching him with tenderness as he opened her gift, her eyes wide when he explained the significance of that last autograph.
Was he merely a substitute for his twin, as his mother claimed? Her conviction wouldsuggest so, and when Jake left Jesse’s grave, he made it only as far as the chapel before his grief overcame him.
29
Molly rolled over in bed and grabbed her phone off the nightstand on the second ring. Normally, she wouldn’t answer calls from an unknown number at night, but for some reason, her instincts overrode that rule.
“Hello?”
“Molly, it’s Hazel Sinclair, Jake’s mother. Sorry to call out of the blue, and I hope you don’t mind that Alexia gave me your number, but I’ve been trying to get hold of Jake, and he isn’t at home or answering his phone. I thought he might be with you.”
Molly sat up straight and leaned back against the headboard. “No, I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”
“It’s just… we had a family dinner last night. Thank you for that lovely photo book, by the way. It was very thoughtful of you. I will treasure it always. Anyway, Jake seemed very upset when he left.
“I checked his place late this afternoon and Henry’s just been back there, but he isn’t home. Todd hasn’t heard from him, and he left a message at the patisserie to say he wouldn’t be in today. I’m worried sick.”
The word cemetery popped into her head before Molly could formulate a response. “I think I know where he might be. I’ll go for a drive and text you in half an hour.”
“Would you mind? I had a couple of wines with dinner to calm my nerves, so I don’t want to drive.”
“Of course not.”
It was getting on for eight when she arrived at the cemetery to see Jake’s truck parked beneath the row of eucalyptus trees that framed the main gates.
Molly spotted him sitting on a bench outside the chapel and was thankful she didn’t have to venture into the actual grounds. Cemeteries during the day were bad enough but at night… frightening beyond measure. She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and flicked his mother a quick text.
Molly:I’ve found him. I’ll make sure he gets home safely.
Hazel:Thank you.
Jake raised his head as she approached, his face barely illuminated by one ineffectual lamp at the chapel’s entrance. He wiped his eyes with his jacket sleeve and looked her way.
She took a seat beside him and offered her hand, but neither of them spoke, and as he laced his fingers through hers, Molly felt her heart would burst. This strong man—her lover, her friend—so accomplished and respected, had finally returned to say goodbye once more to the soul he’d shared a lifetime with.
They sat in silence for some time, the stars twinkling to announce their presence and the night air cooling around them.
Jake eventually spoke. “How did you know I was here?”
She shrugged. “Your mother called me. She’s worried about you. I just messaged to tell her you’re with me.”
He leaned forward and rested his head in his hands, his legs spread wide. “I’ve never cried for him before.”
