For one breathless second, she was airborne, suspended between solid ground - until she landed into Logan’s waiting arms.
He caught her with a grunt of surprise, his hands strong at her waist as her momentum carried them both backward. They stumbled against the gentle roll of the boat, his back connecting with the cabin door as he steadied them both.
"Well," he breathed, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and admiration. "You always did know how to make an entrance."
Jess was acutely aware of his hands at her waist, the solid warmth of him against her, the faint scent of cedar and salt that she'd always associated with him. Her heart hammered against her ribs, partly from the exertion of her sprint and jump, partly from the proximity she'd been both seeking and avoiding all week.
"Your concierge … said you were … off today," she explained, breathless. "I thought I might find you here."
"You thought right." His expression softened, his eyes searching hers with quiet curiosity and wonder, as if he couldn’tquite believe she was back in his arms. "Though I didn't expect company.”
The boat continued to drift from the dock, carried by the outgoing tide and the gentle spring breeze. Neither made a move to return to shore. Behind Logan, the harbor opened toward the Sound, endless blue stretching to the horizon.
"Where are you headed?" she asked, making no effort to move from the circle of his arms.
"Nowhere specific." His smile held a hint of the mischief of their younger days. "Sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination." He paused then, his expression shifting to something more serious. "Guessing the wedding's still off then?"
The question hung between them, weighted with all they hadn't said - all the paths not taken, the feelings never acknowledged.
"Definitely off," she confirmed. “We both realized we were better as friends than..." She trailed off with a small shrug. "Well, anything else."
"I'm sorry," Logan offered, though his eyes suggested otherwise.
Jess felt a smile bloom across her face. "Don't be."
She rose on tiptoe, closing the remaining distance between them. His lips met hers with a sureness that belied their years apart, as if some part of him had always known they would find their way back to each other.
Behind them, Nantucket grew smaller against the horizon.
Ahead, the sea stretched endless and inviting.
Epilogue
July sunshine beatdown on Centre Street as Finn stood back on the cobblestone sidewalk, squinting critically at the fresh white paint that brightened the clapboard exterior of Sea Glass Bridal, the new pastel blue awnings unfurled like butterfly wings above pristine display windows.
Three months of renovation had erased decades of salt damage and neglect, but preserved the essential character of Ellen Doyle's legacy.
He adjusted a pot of blue hydrangeas flanking the entrance, their lush blooms nodding in the gentle harbor breeze as he stepped back to assess his handiwork. The brass door handle gleamed under his polishing cloth, catching the midday light and throwing it back in golden winks.
Finn rubbed the last smudges away with meticulous care, the same attention he'd given every detail of the renovation. His reflection wavered in the polished surface - tanned face, eyes crinkled at the corners from squinting in the sun.
And the quiet contentment of a man in love.
"If you polish it any more, you'll wear it down to nothing," Logan called out, as they drew closer, his brother’s voicecarrying on the morning air. He and Jess approached arm in arm, their figures silhouetted against the harbor view behind them.
Finn set down the cloth then wiped his hands on his jeans. "Needs to be perfect for the grand reopening."
"It's beyond perfect," Jess enthused, releasing Logan's arm to give Finn a quick hug. She stepped back, her eyes traveling over the transformed storefront with genuine wonder. "Ellen would be..." She paused, emotion briefly crossing her face before settling into a warm smile. "She'd be speechless."
"High praise," Logan added, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "Considering Ellen always had something to say about everything.”
The shop's transformation was indeed remarkable - its century-old bones now complemented by thoughtful updates that honored tradition while embracing the present.
"So," Finn said, turning to Jess, "Enjoying being an islander again?"
She smiled, the expression reaching her eyes in a way it never had during her ill-fated wedding week.
“At first, I thought I'd miss the city, the constant motion, but..." She gazed down the street toward the harbor, where a fishing boat was heading out for the day's catch. "This feels right. Like I can finally breathe properly again. Plus," she added, bumping her shoulder against Logan's, "the commute is much better. Five minutes on a bicycle versus an hour on the subway.”
