Ryder pocketed his phone, relieved he had an officer like Murph he could rely on. She’d hardly bothered him during his time off, and when she did, she kept it brief. Ryder’s first reaction to the time off—that his sense of purpose was being stripped away—now felt more like potential freedom.
Maybe I could take a trip to Georgia.
“Kinley James. I knew I recognized your name,” he heard Sophie say from the end of the hallway. She and Kinley were tucked right around the corner from the sounds of it. Ryder perked his ears, curious but not wanting to interfere. “I have something for you.”
“Me?” Kinley asked.
“I started cleaning out some of the closets at the lodge before the wedding. I ran across this in a box stashed way in the back of one. Had no idea who it belonged to until now.”
Ryder crept closer until he could sneak a peek around the corner. He spotted Sophie handing Kinley a manila envelope.
“It has your name on it,” Sophie explained. “I haven’t opened it or anything, but I think it’s from Aunt Patty.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kinley
Kinley’s hands trembled as she accepted the large envelope from Sophie. Sure enough, her name was scribbled across the center. “Th-thank you.” The floor spun beneath her feet, the possibility of what the envelope contained making her dizzy and sick all at once.
“You worked for her?” Sophie asked. “Patty.”
“Yeah.” The strangled word barely made it past her lips. She needed to sit down. Drink a glass of water. Jump into an ice bath.
“Hey,” Ryder said, swooping in with his strong arms seconds before her wobbly knees threatened to collapse. “There you are. You ready to go? Those kayaks won’t paddle themselves.” Kinley doubted they’d keep their plans to go out on the water today, but she appreciated that he sensed her caginess and swooped in with the excuse.
“Yeah, we should probably . . .” Words might be her enemy for the rest of the day. She battled her erratic pulse, willing her thundering heart to slow. The envelope might contain nothing of significance. Something Mom left behind during her time working at the lodge that Patty came across years later. It didn’t promise to reveal her dad’s identity, but Kinley felt certain it would.
“It was nice to meet you, Kinley.” Sophie touched her arm softly. “I really hope I get to see more of you.”
Ryder ushered them out of the house with impressive swiftness, effectively dodging the drawn-out good-byes and questions she couldn’t handle right now. Outside in the breezy air, Rowdy trotting beside them. Kinley felt as if she could finally breathe.
“What do you want to do?” he asked Kinley in the driveway, hands on both her shoulders. She felt steadier now, his touch reassuring her she wasn’t alone unless she wanted to be. How would she manage to say good-bye to him tomorrow? “Kin?”
“I-I need . . .”
He opened the passenger door of his truck and ushered her inside. “We’ll get the Buick later.”
Kinley didn’t bother to ask where they were going. She didn’t care. As long as she could leave the windows rolled down to invite in the late spring breeze, she’d calm down. Her fingers clenched the edges of the envelope so fiercely her knuckles turned white. “There’s no way this . . .” She stared down at the envelope, too thin to contain much. “I just— Where are we going?”
Ryder drove into the tree-covered park along the water. “Thought some fresh air might go well with whatever you decide to do. Plus, we’re walking distance from ice cream if that tempts you at any point.”
“Thanks, Ryder.” In this moment, she wanted to let her Army enlistment expire. To move home and see where things with him could go. But she’d promised herself she wouldn’t make any rash decisions untilaftershe returned to base. She had to know for sure it was time to close that chapter before she promised Ryder, or anyone else, she’d open another.
Rowdy, prancing on the end of her new leash, led them to a bench pointed toward the water. In two weeks’ time, after their town doubled in size with tourists, there’d be few daylight hours when any spot was deserted. But today, it was theirs for the taking.
“Do you want me to take a walk or something?” Ryder offered.
She caught his wrist before he could stand up. “No. Please stay.” Though her breathing had returned to normal, her fingers still shook as she broke the seal of the manila envelope. “I’m going to feel really stupid if this is like a senior picture of my mom or something and that’s it.”
Ryder didn’t say anything, just rested his arm behind her back on the bench.
She found a handwritten note, written on a flowery-themed kitchen notepad taped on the outside of another envelope, and swallowed.
Kinley,
I fear my days on this earth are numbered. You still haven’t come to see me after I mailed your mother’s letter, and maybe you’ve decided you don’t want the answer. But if you’ve changed your mind, I want to make sure the truth doesn’t die with me. If you don’t want to know, don’t open it.
I hope I’ll see you once more before it’s too late. But if I don’t, I want you to know I’m proud of you. Nothing inside this envelope changes who you are.
