Kayla nods. “Exactly.”
She’s quiet for a moment, but I can see her eyes glancing over to me and then to Toby, and I’m pretty sure I know what’s coming next. Before she has to ask the awkward question, I offer up the answer.
“His mom died giving birth to him. It’s been just me and Toby for the last five years,” I say quietly.
Her hand flutters down on top of mine and gives it a gentle squeeze. Her gaze is full of compassion.
“I’m so sorry, Sam.”
I shrug. “Thanks. I won’t lie and say I don’t miss her, but it’s been long enough that I’ve made peace with it. I tell Toby stories about her so that he can know her in a way. He’s never seemed bothered by not having a mom, probably because my own mother has always been so involved.” Thinking about my mom and her reaction to us moving, I let out a low chuckle. “Grandma’s having a tough time accepting our move to the island. Not being able to pop over any time she wants is going to be hard on her, and on Toby, but personally I’m ready for a bit of space and, like I said, time to breathe.”
“Yeah,” Kayla says softly. “It’s hard on family when you move away. But sometimes you just need a change. Something different. Something that lets you be yourself and not the person everyone expects you to be.”
I turn to face her, careful to still have an eye on my son.
“Is that why you left?”
She nods. “My parents died when I was a teenager. Everyone on the island rallied around us and I’m grateful for their support, but I needed to go somewhere that I wasn’t known as Kayla Michaels, the girl whose parents died. Or Kayla Michaels, the girl whose family founded Westmount Island. I just wanted to be Kayla Michaels.”
I take both her hands in mine, and let my thumb slowly stroke across the back of her hand. After a moment, Kayla raises her eyes to look at me, and the sadness mixed with longing that I see there hits me.
“I see you, Kayla Michaels. Just you. And I really like what I see.”
3
Kayla
Damn. This guy should come with a warning label — ‘risk of swooning’. He’s so easy to be around, I feel my confidence returning, making it easy to tease and flirt with him. I’ve never felt this depth of attraction to a guy before, and the irony of the fact that this is how my twin sister met her now husband — on a ferry boat — is not lost on me. Not that I’m hearing wedding bells or anything. I mean, Sam and Toby are moving to the very island I was always so desperate to get away from. Still, I can’t deny the fact that my goals and priorities have begun to shift lately. As much as I love the freedom of being a nomad and traveling the world, I’ve started to want a home base. Living out of a backpack and sleeping on friends’ couches gets old after a while, and I’ve found myself missing my sisters even more than usual.
But a part of me is quite certain that after a few weeks on the island I’ll be itching to run away again. And that’s why I probably shouldn’t let myself get too attached to the handsome single dad and the adorable little boy who are currently looking picture perfect as they look over the railing at the island, which is just coming into sight. Acting on autopilot, I grab my camera out of the bag that is always with me and start snapping pictures. The lighting is perfect this morning, glinting off Toby’s curls and giving him an angelic halo of light that I’m sure Sam will laugh at.
After a moment, Sam glances over and when he sees me with my camera, his quizzical look has me feeling a bit guilty, so I’m quick to explain.
“I’m a photographer, and you guys just looked so perfect. I would’ve asked if you were okay with it, but candid shots are the best kind. Here, look.”
Sam walks over with Toby in his arms and together they lean down to look at the small screen on the back of my Canon. This brings Sam’s head dangerously close to me and mere inches separate his face from mine. Somehow, I hold myself back from leaning in closer and sniffing him, or worse, kissing him. That would be insane.
When he stands back up, Sam is smiling.
“Those are amazing, Kayla. You’ve got such a good eye. Can I have a copy?”
I blush, which is so unlike me that I’m taken by surprise. “Of course. You can have them all.”
“Daddy, look! The dock!” Toby’s excited voice interrupts us. Sure enough, we’re nearing the dock on the island, a fact that is confirmed by the voice coming over the loudspeaker telling us to return to our vehicles.
“So, lunch in an hour?” Sam stares at me, like he’s not going to let me go until I confirm our plans. I nod swiftly.
“You bet.” I reach over to ruffle Toby’s hair. “See you soon, squirt.”
“Bye, Miss Kayla,” he says cheerfully. Sam just quirks a small smile at me, then turns to head toward the vehicle deck. I hold back, needing a second to regroup before I go to my car.
“What the fuck was that?” I whisper to myself as I watch them walk away.
I slowly make my way to my car, musing on the insane feelings swirling inside of me. Looks like I have even more to confess to my sisters. Maybe telling them I met a guy will soften the blow of telling them about being trapped.
Oh, who am I kidding. There’s nothing that can soften that blow. Tawny’s going to freak and Ella will probably start to cry. I know their reactions will come from their love for me, but I can’t help but dread the moment I come clean about why I’m really home. I know they’ll both start pushing for me to stay on the island. And if I so much as hint at the fact that I’m willing to consider the idea of at least making Westmount my home base and traveling less, they’ll never give up. That kind of pressure is the last thing I need right now. Briefly, as I wait for my turn to disembark from the ferry, I debate not telling them right away. But I dismiss that idea almost instantly. My sisters know me too well; they’ll see right through any façade I try to attempt.
Sam’s reaction when I told him I wouldn’t be staying with my family was pretty much what I expect from everyone. I’ve always stayed with one of my sisters when I visit, and sure, by being at the inn that Tawny runs, I’ll see them lots. Especially since Ella and Marcus are still staying in her cottage, which is on the inn’s property. But knowing I have a private room to which I can escape each evening is what made me email Carrie, the front desk manager at the inn, and ask her to keep a room free for me.
