Page 98 of Beach Cottage Kisses
She didn’t.
There was no way to fix that.
Without a single backward look, Iris called Angel and trod the sand with strong steps, not stopping until she’d reached her cottage.
At which point, shaking…everywhere…she sank to the ground and fell apart.
Her time with Scott was through.
* * *
Scott didn’t follow Iris on Friday night. Nor did he try to contact her over the weekend.
He’d taken a chance. Played his entire hand.
And had read her wrong.
Still, he stood by his decision. As he’d sat on the beach with her and his family Friday night, he’d seen the potential for failure. And had also realized that the bigger failure was in not trying. A lesson Iris had inadvertently taught him.
She’d been right. Failing wasn’t a bad thing. It was to be celebrated because it meant you were trying. You didn’t learn to walk unless you tried again. Not trying…that was the failure he had to avoid.
He’d seen something else, too. That while Iris had taken a huge step over the past few months, and was growing in her newfound freedom, taking up the reins of life again, she was also continuing to hide. She’d acknowledged who she was.Had found a way to bring her past with her as she moved on to new ways to be happy.
But she was still hiding. Refusing to let herself love again. To make the family she’d always envisioned for herself. By going along with their plan to never commit, to never be more, to never let their relationship grow, he’d been helping her to continue to hide from her own heart. Giving her the means to flatline.
Scott was done hiding.
Turned out, his father had been wrong. Failure wasn’t the worst thing. Not trying was.
When Saturday passed with no word from Iris, and no sign of Angel on the beach, and Saturday night came and went with no word from her, he hurt. A lot.
But knew he’d done the right thing.
On Sunday, he went surfing.
On a long enough board to sustain his height. With a thicker tail making it easier for novices to get up on top of a wave. At a spot where beginners learned to surf. He didn’t ask himself to take on anything big. Didn’t swim far out. He just stood and glided.
Because he loved the waves and wanted to be one with them. Because he wanted to learn to surf. Not because he didn’t want to fail.
He’d probably never be a champion. Or even a noteworthy surfer.
But as long as he had the desire to surf, he’d be out there trying. Baby steps one at a time. Like learning to walk.
Toddlers didn’t run marathons. But after innumerable falls on their butts, they learned to stay on their feet. To balance without holding on. To take steps. To walk. And then to run.
Even then, not everyone had the physique, the musculature or the desire to run marathons.
No one could excel at everything.
And failing didn’t make you a failure, either.
Not trying for fear of failure…that was the thing to avoid.
Sitting on the beach Friday night, it had all become clear to him. And with clarity, he’d done what he’d known he had to do.
He’d tried.
He’d lost Iris.
