“Absolutely,” Richard said, smiling at the way his wife embraced Jill. He looked at Grayson. “You’re going to be just fine, son.”
“Thank you,” Grayson replied, his cheeks turning a bit ruddy.
Presley almost expected him to shuffle his feet. They were a stronger family than they knew. They were used to stepping up for each other and were still learning how to accept help from the outside. Hopefully, her little parting gift would be well received, in the spirit she intended.
“Can we have cake now?” Ollie asked, her index finger stretching toward the chocolate.
Jill grabbed the finger and pretended to chomp on it, making Ollie squeal with laughter.
Everyone else joined in.
The cake was delicious. One layer of vanilla, one of chocolate, with chocolate frosting. Everyone chatted about cabin four, the hiking, how the fishing had gone. No one talked about goodbyes or leaving. It was almost like Presley could pretend it wasn’t happening. Until it was.
Jill checked her phone. “Tevin is here to take you guys to the mainland.”
There were hugs and some tears, promises to stay in touch. Jill and Ollie walked them to the dock. Grayson, Beckett, and Mr. Dayton were chatting about one of the boats, and Presley was stacking the plates when they came back in.
“You don’t have to do that, Presley,” Jill said, sending an admonishing look toward her brothers.
Presley laughed. “I don’t mind. I’d rather do this than talk about boats.”
“Will you come back next year like Mel and Richard?” Ollie asked her quietly, looking up at her with her big brown eyes.
Presley crouched down. “Maybe I will. That would be fun.”
She didn’t dare look at Beckett. What if she came back one day and he was married? Settled down? Riding tandem bikes with a woman who loved fishing and hiking?
She stood up, tempted to unstack the plates so she could stack them again and keep her hands busy.
“Do we have some time?” Grayson asked.
Jill nodded. “Guests have been made aware of lunch options and told they are free to explore the grounds or lodge, sign up for the hot tub, or hang by the lake.”
She walked over to an armchair beside the couch, sank into it. Her hair was still in a perfect bun at the back of her head. She wore dark blue jeans and a light sweater. She looked like she belonged here, or anywhere else she wanted to be.
Beckett’s eyes met Presley’s. He gestured for her to join him, so she did. They sat side by side on the couch, with Mr. D at one end of it. Grayson grabbed a chair from the table and set it on the other side of the coffee table.
“Can I play on the iPad?” Ollie asked, picking it up off the table.
“You sure can. We’re going to have a meeting, then I thought we could go check your plants,” Jill said, giving her daughter a hug.
“Okay.”
They all sat quietly for a minute, like they collectively needed a breath. A lot had happened in the last week. Beckett’s fingers found hers, settling on his thigh.
“I could sleep for a week,” Jill said with a sigh.
Grayson frowned. “You’ve been doing a lot.” He looked around,smiling at Beckett, Presley, and Mr. D. “You all have. I’ve taken advantage of your generosity in time and help.”
Beside her, Beckett’s body tensed. She wished he could share his happiness about the bike rental. Maybe with Grayson’s news, he’d be able to.
“What happened at the bank?” Jill asked, looking between him and Mr. D.
“Well,” Grayson said, his smile low and controlled, “we had a substantial deposit put into the lodge account. We have a silent partner.”
Mr. D laughed. “Don’t think anyone has ever called me ‘silent’ before.”
Everyone else laughed, but Presley felt the strain in Beckett’s posture. This was very good news, a relief for everyone, but was it enough for him to take the step he was scared to? He said his hesitation was about wanting to be there for his family, but part of her recognized something in him that he didn’t see for himself: fear. Presley saw it because she’d shown up on this island after realizing the life she’d been living was a facade. Presley believed that Beckett’s deeper issue, the one pulling at the reins more than the lodge, was making a concrete decision and sticking with it. Not that he didn’t have the ability to do so, but more as though he was afraid to choose wrong.
