Page 15 of Too Close To Call

Then when Daisy came along, they were all excited and supportive. Well, after the shock wore off. Even Ryan. He’d asked me to marry him, but I didn’t love him and I knew I never would. My heart has always belonged to one man—Case. Marrying Ryan would have made us both miserable. Being with him was a mistake that never should have happened. I still can’t believe I could do that. How could I be with Ryan when I was so completely in love with Case? But I did and I wouldn’t trade my baby for anything. She was the one bright spot in a time in my life when I needed it most.

Sometimes things work out the way they are supposed to. Ryan met and married a sweet, kind woman, Meghan. They now have two sons, Trey and Crayton. Daisy loves being an older sister to the twins and Ryan has been an incredible father.

Daisy gives a yelp of surprise when the ferry jolts as we leave the dock. In only a few moments, an announcement is made that passengers can exit their vehicles.

“Can we go look over the side of the ferry? I want to watch for dolphins. Daddy said I might see them fly out of the water.”

“Sure, but hold my hand,” I caution. I have no idea if the ferry ride might be rough and I don’t want to take a plunge over the side.

We end up taking a flight of stairs to the upper deck and sitting on a bench for our dolphin watch. Daisy maintains her usual chatter about anything and everything. A response is rarely needed and my mind wanders to Case and how I’m going to get him to talk to me.

It’s been weeks since the night he found out about Dad and Daisy. Weeks since he left without a word and pulled himself from the race. I never thought he’d do that, but I did find out through one of the board members that he made an anonymous quarter million-dollar donation to the hospital.

I should have gone after him then, but I have responsibilities. My life isn’t my own. Daisy had to finish school for the year and there were work commitments I had to honor.

I rented a house on the beach at Faire Island for a month. I’ve never been away from work that long. It’s not that I need the money. Dad left me well off, and I never need to work another day in my life if I don’t want to, but I need to work to keep myself from going in a tunnel of loss and memories. I have so many regrets, Case being a major angst factor.

Ryan is coming to pick Daisy up in two weeks and then I’ll decide if I’m going back home or sticking it out for two more weeks. If things look hopeless with Case, there’s no reason for me to hang around and wallow in what could have been.

* * *

We’ve been on Faire Island for less than an hour and already I know it’s a very friendly town. As soon as we drove off the ferry, people have been so nice. I park in one of the downtown roadside spaces and as soon as we get out of the car, a sweet older man introduces himself as Homer Brockton and asks if we need directions.

He directs me to the real estate office and slips me a coupon for ten percent off at his grocery store, the Stop N Shop, with a wink and a nod. I stuff the coupon in the pocket of my jean shorts and when we walk by the hardware store, another older man rushes out and introduces himself as Victor Bradley.Victor is charming and asks if he can give Daisy a candy. From his shirt pocket, he pulls three flavors of suckers and of course my girl chooses cherry. When Victor discovers we are vacationing for a month, he offers to take us to dinner to welcome us. He reminds me a lot of my dad so I ask for a raincheck. We need to get settled into our rental and use Homer’s coupon to stock the fridge.

The real estate and rental office is near the end of Main Street. The town is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The buildings, signs, and streets look like they are plucked from the 1700s. There have obviously been renovations and upgrades over the years, but caution has been used to maintain the historical feel.

“Mommy, can we get ice cream there?” Daisy asks and points to a brick and glass-front shop with a sign above in calligraphy script, The Creamery Shoppe.

“We haven’t had lunch yet, sweetie, but yes, we will get ice cream there while we are here.”Probably more than we should.

Case had been just as fit and handsome as ever which is the total opposite of the extra baby weight I’m still carrying five years later.

“Let’s get the key to our house and then we can grab lunch.”

As soon as I say my name, the lady at the rental agency looks like she’s going to cry. Melanie Winters is an older lady with graying hair pulled back into a high ponytail and kind blue eyes. “Sweetie, I am so sorry.”

“Sorry?” I question.

“When housekeeping went into your rental earlier today, they discovered an infestation of palmetto bugs. The exterminator has been called, but there’s no way the house will be treated and cleaned this week.”

The house we’d rented was a two-bedroom cottage and I fell in love with the rocking chairs on the back deck that looked out on the ocean. “Oh, okay. That’s no problem. We can just take another rental, even if it’s not oceanfront.”

Melanie’s lower lip begins to tremble and she gives me a weak smile. “That’s just it. Everything is booked. I called Kimberly at the Inn and she’s booked as well. Now there is the new spa and resort, but unfortunately they don’t have any openings for the next two weeks. I usually take in renters myself, but with it being the start of the summer, I already have my two rooms booked.”

“I see.” But I really didn’t. “Are you saying there’s no place on the island we can stay?”

“I can’t tell you how unusual this is. We’ve never had full capacity before. At least not in my lifetime. While it’s wonderful for our town, I’m afraid, dear, it’s a problem for you.”

I glance down at Daisy, who’s staring up at me, her blue eyes imploring me to fix this. I bite my bottom lip as I try to think of anything other than going back home.

“It’s a shame you aren’t looking for a job,” Melanie says offhandedly. “There are several jobs that come with lodging.”

That perks me up. “What type of jobs?”

Melanie points to a bulletin board on the opposite wall. “Everything is listed over there.”

Daisy follows as I walk to the board and find the Help Wanted paper. I go down the list and almost swallow my tongue when I see that the garage in town needs a mechanic. The person to contact is none other than… Case Murphy.Bingo.Is this fate or just weird luck? Maybe neither because getting the job is another matter. I worry my lip again and consider how to get Case to hire me instead of running me out of town on sight.

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