Page 16 of The Lighthouse Sisters
“I totally understand why. Wow, just wow,” Raelynn took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “You know, this other one is for a friend, but I think I might need two more to go. I’m not sure how long this other one will last before I give in to temptation.”
The shop owner laughed. “Everyone orders extra. We normally sell out within the first hour of opening up.”
“Good to know. I’ll be sure to get here early tomorrow. I don’t want to miss this,” Raelynn took another bite and mumbled a thank you, her mouth too full to say much else.
Raelynn had gotten up early that morning to explore more of the island with few tourists around. Although she had nothing against tourists and knew that they would be her bread and butter once the lighthouse was open for business, she appreciated the silence of not being in a crowd.
Wearing a sheer blouse with a small tank top under it and a pair of shorts, she walked along the beach, enjoying the feel of the sand between her toes. She carried her shoes in her hand, not wanting to ruin the special moment by letting anything get between her and the feel of the sea against her feet. The water was still a little cool, so she had decided against a quick wade and, instead, had headed up to the boardwalk to grab something from the shops she had explored yesterday. That was when she found the gem of a bakery she was in now.
Leaving with her hands full, she decided not to go straight back the way she came. Truth be told, part of the reason she had wandered so far away from the house was because Dave had called early and had soured the mood quickly. At first, Katrina was going to walk to town with her, but then she had found herself on the phone with Dave for the next half hour.
Raelynn pulled out her phone and looked at it. That had been at least an hour ago. She figured her friend would be ready for coffee and croissant by the time she got back. Nothing made Raelynn feel better than carbs and coffee in the morning, and she knew Katrina felt the same way.
That’s why we’re friends,she thought humorously to herself.
Feeling light and free for the first time in recent weeks, she made her way to the pavilion where several locals were already fishing. She remembered the pavilion from when she was a little girl. She couldn’t believe it was still there. She knew its popularity among the locals probably had a lot to do with it. She realized that she was reminded of her childhood everywhere she went on the island. She hadn’t realized how much of an impact Tybee Island had had on her until she was visiting it again as an adult. She remembered then that she hadn’t brought Dylan to Tybee Island since he was a little kid.
She remembered how he would run back and forth on the beach, trying to catch the waves. She remembered his pudgy little legs and how he would kick them, furious with her when she made him leave the beach after a long day. She missed her boy, she realized then. She wished that he was there with her. She knew he would be just as excited about preserving a bit of history as she was. After all, he had been a history major in college. Law school had been his father’s idea. He hadn’t wanted Dylan to become a “broke professor,” as he called it. Dylan had, of course, trusted his father and followed his advice. Law school had been a breeze for him because he had always been a smart kid, and when Dylan had told his father that he wanted to go into environmental law, his father had balked. So, Dylan took an internship at a real estate law firm instead. John had arranged it all. At the time, Raelynn had felt relief that John had helped secure Dylan a prestigious internship, but now she felt ashamed. She had let her husband manipulate her son into a life she wasn’t sure he even wanted.
She hadn’t heard from Dylan since the other day.
He is probably still angry,she thought. She didn’t blame him. Hadn’t her parents reacted the same way when she had told them she wanted to marry John?
She told herself that this was different, but it really wasn’t. And she realized that maybe that was why she was so strongly against Dylan marrying Claire right now. He had the rest of his life ahead of him, and she didn’t want him to wake up one day and realize that it wasn’t the life he wanted. She knew Dylan needed room to make mistakes, but she didn’t want his marriage to Claire to be one of them.
Missing her son, she watched a few of the older fishermen reel in a few fish and thought of her father. He was a fisherman, not by trade, but it was his passion. She wondered if he would like to come visit her out on Tybee. They had been supportive of the move, and she had plans to make them their official first guests at the lighthouse. Smiling at the thought, she turned to walk away when she bumped straight into someone, spilling both coffees between them.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” she found herself saying. The coffee had spilled all over the man’s shoes, which she noticed as she bent down to pick up the coffee cups. As she stood up, she noticed splashes of hot coffee had splattered across the front of his shorts too.
Standing up to face him, she opened her mouth to apologize and then closed it quickly.
It was the guy from the restaurant. The handsome one who had been listening to her pep talk. And she blushed. To her surprise, he wasn’t angry at all. In fact, he was smiling at her with a look in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in a very long time.
ELEVEN
“I’m Michael Lange,” he said, extending his hand. His voice was warm and deep. She heard an accent there that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. It was blurred by his Southern drawl, but her ears picked up on it. It was subtle, and it made her curious. A man of mystery?
“I’m Raelynn, Raelynn B…Moss,” she corrected at the last moment, sliding her hand into his. She realized that it was the first time in over two decades that she had introduced herself using her maiden name. It felt awkward, but it also felt strangely liberating. She forced herself to remove her hand from his. She realized that she was still holding it and staring at him.
“Well, Miss Moss, or is it Missus?”
“Miss, please,” she said, liking the sound of his voice. She could listen to it all day.
Immediately, she felt embarrassed by her thoughts. She had only been divorced for a few days and was already feeling giddy over another man. She buried the self-critical little voice in her head, reminding that voice that John didn’t deserve her loyalty. He was the one who ended what they had.
“I saw you the other day,” he said. His green eyes met and held hers. He was as tall as John, but wider in the shoulders. She guessed that he was probably younger as well, or he just took really great care of himself. It looked like Michael was a runner. He was wearing shorts as well and a t-shirt that advertised a marathon for foster kids. His legs, she couldn’t help but notice, were muscular. They looked strong, like a runner’s.
Raelynn had a million shirts like that as well, but they were mostly from 5Ks since she wasn’t much of a runner.
She spent so much time staring at him that she had missed part of what he was saying. The only part she had heard was that he had seen her the other day.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Now he’ll think I’m a complete airhead,she thought, feeling silly.
“I was just saying, I heard you the other night talking about Tybee and the lighthouse. You seemed very passionate about it.”
She nodded. “I was. I mean, I am. Yes. Passionate.” She felt silly. She was 47. She could talk to a handsome man in full sentences.
