He turned around and walked away, disappearing into the darkness. For a moment, Josie wondered if he had been some kind of apparition. Maybe she should go back to the hospital and get her head examined.
Sighing, she stood up and walked toward her car, ready to get home. Maybe she’d take a hot bath and drown her sorrows in a big vat of ice cream though she had little appetite.
“Leonard gives good advice.”
She quickly turned around. “Walker? I thought you left.”
He had a bag slung over his shoulder. “I was going to, but then I realized that isn’t who I am.”
She walked closer. “Who are you?”
He inched forward. “I’m a man in love with a woman who likes to give him a hard time.”
“Oh yeah? She sounds incredible,” she said, smiling slightly.
“She is, but, man, is she a lot of work!”
“Is that so?”
“But, you see, no matter how hard I tried to leave her behind so I could clear my head, my stupid heart kept pulling me back. So, I just sat here for hours on this boat I borrowed from my friend and stared up at the stars, trying to figure out what to do.”
She stepped closer. “And what did you come up with?”
“I decided that I would love her enough for the both of us.”
“What if she loves you too?”
“Then all the better,” he said, closing the gap between them. He looked down at her, cradling her chin in his hand. “I couldn’t leave, not even for a day.”
“I’m sorry about what I said. I reverted to some bad old habits. I was wrong about my mom. She has changed, and it turns out I’ve changed too.”
“You love me?” he said, going back to her previous comment.
“I do. And that terrifies me.”
“Change is always scary, Josie. That’s why I’m here, so you don’t have to go through it alone. You never have to go through anything alone again. Just don’t threaten to leave, okay?”
“Happy Harbor is my home now. Nana got what she wanted in the end. I’m home with my mother and daughter, and I’ve got a wonderful man. I run her beloved restaurant and live in her beautiful house. I miss her, but she blessed me more than I could ever have imagined.”
“Can we kiss now?” he asked, smiling down at her as he cupped her cheeks with his big hands.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
