Page 55 of The Unbound Bookshop
But her family was here all along, both her anchors and her sails, given her need.
And she never wanted to lose sight of that blessing again.
Chapter 31
FLYNN
Flynn rootedaround in the closet of his childhood bedroom where the belongings he’d left behind had been stashed when he’d moved out. Although all his stuff had been stacked in boxes, the decor of his bedroom had largely remained unchanged. And why wouldn’t it? The large suite facing the ocean had been decked out by an interior designer from day one, with age-appropriate tweaks as he’d grown older.
For the most part, he didn’t mind that his room resembled a Ralph Lauren catalog. His sailing and regatta posters blended into the nautical theme so well, his mother barely even wrinkled her nose at his unauthorized additions. Although she did occasionally complain about the marks in the wall from all the push pins.
Aha! There it is.
Flynn found the Ziploc bag buried beneath worn copies ofDoveandSailing Alone around the World.
He crawled out of the closet and sat on the floor beside Cap, who happily chewed on the old baseball from middle school Flynn kept before he’d realized he was much better at tennis. “Enjoy that primo leather, buddy. Knowing Dad, that ball cost no less than a hundred bucks.”
Cap raised his bushy eyebrows, then resumed his contented gnawing, clearly unimpressed.
Flynn unzipped the plastic baggie, releasing the earthy scent of old paper and thread. He closed his eyes and breathed deeper, basking in the comforting aroma. So much better than the fake-smelling fragrance of whatever air freshener his mother had the housekeeper use to keep the empty rooms from turning musty. Why spritz imitation ocean breeze when theactualocean was right outside your window?
Flynn slowly opened his eyes and forced himself to study the contents of the baggie. His heartbeat picked up speed, like a sloop’s sail catching the wind.
The familiar gut-wrenching weight of guilt crashed into him.
Two items, so simple on the surface.
A benign slip of paper and a braided friendship bracelet.
Innocuous except for the harsh reality that they shouldn’t be here, in this house, in his hands.
They should be in a watertight trinket box, wedged in a very specific crevice in Coyote Cave. A crevice his brother had specially selected ten years ago, when he first had the idea for the time capsule.
Flynn scrunched his eyes shut again, pained by the memories bombarding him from all sides. His throat clenched, making it difficult to breathe.
Man up. Don’t wimp out now. It’s time you finally faced this.
As if sensing his distress, Cap nudged his hand.
Flynn opened his eyes, and gave Cap’s head a gentle pat. “Don’t worry, bud. I’m fine. Or at least, I will be. This is something I’ve been needing to do for a long time.” With a fortifying breath, he removed the slip of paper and smoothed out the haphazard folds.
His youthful handwriting filled the page.
It had been ten years since he’d penned the letter. And he couldn’t remember a single word he’d written.
“Well, younger self, what gems of wisdom do you have for me?” he asked aloud, more nervous than he’d expected to finally read his decade-old words.
Dear Future Flynn,
I don’t really understand why Kev insisted we do this. I guess it’s something he read about in one of those self-help books for wannabe billionaires. He has about every book on business ever written. And he’s read them each ten times. I don’t know why he tries so hard. He was born to be a big success. I bet those twelve extra minutes of life ensured he got all the overachiever genes.
But, hey. I’m not complaining. I’ll gladly stand in the shadows and cheer him on. All I want is to be with Sage and to sail. So, ten years from now, I just want to be doing what I love with the woman I love.
His heart ached at his naive optimism.
When he wrote the letter, he couldn’t imagine a life without Sage. Or his brother. Then, in the span of a single summer, he’d lost them both.
I may not knowThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleorWho Moved My Cheese, but I’ve always liked this quote by Robin Lee Graham. The guy’s a legend. And considering he sailed around the world at only 16, I think he knows a thing or two.
