Page 78 of Seven Summer Weekends

“But I knew Juliette would heal me. You may say that’s a lot to ask of a baby, but it turns out I wasn’t asking anything of her at all. I was asking something of myself. To love again. Love heals, Ben. Find someone who will sit in the car while you say hello to Julia.”

“I think I already have. But I screwed it all up. I’m scared. The last night we were together, I held her so tightly, as if she may slip away.”

“Lightning never strikes twice in the same place, you know,” Nora insisted metaphorically.

“That’s actually not true. It often strikes in the same place twice. Sometimes more.”

“Well, then, it’s a good thing you ran,” Nora joked.

“I thought that I got past the fear. Really, I did. I was all set to pack up Julia’s things and make room for Addison—literally and figuratively. But in the morning, I choked and ran.”

“Well, run back. What are you waiting for?”

Nora took her hand and, in one fell swoop, cleared off half of her snarky last message to him. The beach glass and shells that spelled out the wordawayfell to the floor, leaving just the wordGO.

And he did.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Sally heard her first and barked. It began as a low grumble and grew to a distinct warning that someone or something was there.

“What is it, girl?” Ben asked, swinging his feet off the side of the bed. He was relieved to have a reason to stop tossing and turning.

He switched on the porch light and looked out, expecting to see a raccoon or a fox. His eyes focused in the dark and settled on the image of Addison. It took his breath away. He leaned both hands on the glass door between them. She did the same.

Ben slid the door open, and they held each other for what felt like an eternity, with Sally jumping and nudging her nose between them, desperate to be a part of it. When they gave in to her request, breaking away to allow her in, they both had tears in their eyes.

They asked each other the same question, “Where did you go?”

And laughed as they both tried to answer.

Addison took a breath and said, “I went to the city, for a job interview.”

“Did you get it?”

“I did. But I don’t think I want it. At least not right now.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ben said. “As long as you’re back.”

“And you?”

“I ran away.”

He held her face in his hands and looked straight into her eyes.

“I’m so sorry I left. I was afraid,” Ben admitted.

“And you’re not afraid anymore?”

“Oh, I’m still afraid.”

“Afraid I’ll leave you?”

“Yeah.”

“I can say the same thing, you know?” Addison pointed out.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Ben assured her.

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