Page 29 of Since the Day We Left

A hug? Full on or side hug?

A handshake? Please not a handshake.

The air between them felt charged—uncertain, waiting, stretching too long and too short.

Finally, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her in a brief hug.

“See you tomorrow?” she asked, reluctantly pulling away.

“Yeah. Tomorrow.”

She nodded, but didn’t step away. Neither did he.

“Well,” she said, jingling her keys. “Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight, Wendi.”

Another moment passed before he took a backward step toward the house. “Drive safe.”

Inside her car, she closed her eyes, tipping her head back against the seat.

Miles.

If Arthur hadn’t called his name ...

Her phone chimed, snapping her out of it. The screen glowed in the dark interior.

Laurel:Need your decision by Friday. The board wants someone this weekend, not the next, like I had said. They have a candidate they want to hire. I told them to wait until I heard back from you. Let me know either way.

10

Miles

Tuesday

Milesplacedthelastof Arthur’s painting supplies into the truck, everything packed with care: brushes sorted by size, paints arranged by color, and canvases tucked into the sleeve he’d found buried in the hall closet.

“We’re going to be late,” Arthur muttered, pacing beside the truck, eyeing the sky. “Can’t miss the light. It’s perfect this time of day.”

“Almost done.” Miles tucked the sunscreen into the side pocket of the supply bag, remembering the time he’d forgotten it on a day cruise in Savannah. His dad’s nose had turned lobster-red, and he’d never heard the end of it.

Not going through that again.

He patted his pocket and pulled out the pill organizer, quickly running through it.

Morning pills—taken.

Afternoon pills—done.

Evening pills—here.

Miles snapped the tailgate shut after one last check. He moved to help Arthur into the passenger seat, but his dad waved him off. “I’m not completely useless, you know.”

As they drove through town, Miles’s mind replayed last night on repeat—the weight of the paintings in his arms, the silver-blue moonlight catching in Wendi’s hair, that electric moment when they’d almost ...

What was he doing? He didn’t want to lead her on—she’d been through enough. Too much. The last thing she needed was him complicating things even more.

He wasn’t staying in Hadley Cove long-term—or was he? If he did, he’d still have to hire a full-time caretaker for his dad, eventually, or find a memory care facility.

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