Harrison looked at Owen. He seemed oblivious to the concern he’d caused. “I’ll bring him back.”
“Thank you,” Daniella said, her voice softening. “See you soon.”
Harrison ended the call and turned to Owen. “That was Daniella. Your family’s worried about you.”
Owen frowned. “They don’t need to be. I haven’t been gone that long.”
“They’d like me to give you a lift home.”
Owen seemed to hesitate, his eyes still on the lake, but after a moment, he nodded. “Sure. At least it beats hauling this backpack to Mom and Dad’s place. Did Daniella say why they’re worried?”
“They didn’t know where you’d gone.” He started walking, giving Owen time to digest that news.
The scrunch of a pair of heavy boots followed Harrison along the trail.
“Has Daniella told you much about me?” Owen asked from behind Harrison.
He waited for Owen to catch up before continuing along the trail. “Not a lot. She mentioned you were a police officer in Detroit. Why do you ask?”
Owen shrugged. “Just wondering. Sometimes it’s hard to know how people see you, especially after... well, after everything.”
Harrison waited, sensing there was more Owen wanted to share.
Owen sighed, a deep, heavy sound. “There was a mass shooting at a shopping mall where I was working. A lot of people didn’t make it out, including a close friend of mine. It messed me up pretty badly. A doctor diagnosed me with PTSD. That’s why I came back to Sapphire Bay. I needed to be somewhere safe, somewhere familiar.”
Harrison looked at Daniella’s brother with a different level of respect. It was hard enough dealing with PTSD, but to have a job where you put your life in danger each day, knowing what it was doing to your mental health, must be overwhelming. “I’m sorry. That’s a heavy burden to carry.”
Owen didn’t say anything for a while. “It is what it is. Some days are better than others. Being home and around family helps.”
“Have you seen a counselor or a psychologist?”
“I saw a psychologist. It sort of helped, but it’s a long process.”
As they walked along the trail, Harrison weighed his words carefully. He knew how delicate a topic like mental health could be, especially for someone who’d been through a lot of trauma. Taking a deep breath, he decided to open up about his own experience, hoping it might offer Owen some kind of support.
“I’ve been attending a PTSD support group at the local church,” Harrison said gently. “It’s helped me a lot.”
Owen turned to him, a flicker of interest in his eyes. “I didn’t know they had something like that here. Can I ask what happened?”
“My wife died in a car accident. I was driving and fell asleep at the wheel.” He glanced at Owen. He’d probably seen more car accidents in his career than Harrison ever would. “The church’s PTSD group is great. People from all walks of life are there. Each person’s dealing with their own battles. It’s a place where you can talk, or just listen, and not feel judged or alone. And the food’s pretty good, too.”
There was a moment of silence as Owen absorbed what Harrison had told him. “I never thought about joining a group,” he admitted. “I always figured I could handle it on my own.”
Harrison understood where he was coming from. “I thought the same, once. But there’s strength in sharing, in understanding you’re not the only one. It might not be for everyone, but it’s worth a try.”
Owen looked straight ahead, frowning as he seemed to consider Harrison’s words. “Maybe I’ll check it out. It can’t hurt. And Mom and Dad might not panic if they see I’m doing something to help myself.”
Harrison nodded. “I’ll give you the details before I go home tonight. And talking about going home, you’d better be the navigator. I have no idea where your parents live.”
Owen grinned. “That I can do.”
Harrison had a lot on his mind as they returned to his truck. The conversation with Owen, combined with his mom’s call, had created a lot of questions about his own future in Sapphire Bay.
Should he stay? The question had constantly echoed in his mind since he’d arrived. He enjoyed the sense of community and the satisfaction that came from working on the cottages, but was it enough to keep him in Sapphire Bay permanently?
How would his parents react if he decided to move away? They wanted him to find peace, to settle in a place where he could heal and grow. But would they understand if that place wasn’t in Nashville, but here in this small town that was slowly weaving its way into his heart?
And what about the job in Nashville? He missed the connections and the sense of purpose that came from helping to bring out the best in people. In Sapphire Bay, his role had shifted. He was a builder, a fixer of homes, not lives. Was there a middle ground? Could he find a way to merge his career as a counselor with what he was doing now?
