Chapter 34
THAT’S THE MAGIC OF LOVE
I felt an odd mix of calm and excitement as I walked back to the Pink House. With the weight of the decision-making off my shoulders – and knowing that Finn didn’t hate me for how I’d treated him – I sank fully into the moment, letting my toes drag through the sand and the ocean breeze tease my hair. Overhead, pinprick stars shone like sequins between the cotton-candy clouds, and the moon walked a bright tightrope across the gently lapping waves.
A night fisherman sat quietly out on the pier, a lantern glowing beside him as he contemplated his shadowy line.
I hope she chooses right by her own heart, came a whisperwind, winding its way straight into my ear.
I smiled into the night; that one was for me.
When I got back, Mom, Rosie and Tiff were watchingPractical Magicwhile sipping wine and nibbling on Rosie’s famous coconut rum balls. There was no sign of Jack and Lara – although a buzz from my phone informed me that they’d made themselves scarce out of respect for my love life.
I want all the details, babe, Lara added via text.
‘Here’s our resident heartbreaker,’ said Rosie, raising her glass.
I shot her a sheepish grin, then tried to hide my blushing face behind my splayed fingers.
‘Don’t worry, we all knew how it was going to turn out,’ said Mom.
‘Even Finn,’ said Tiff.
I felt like I was being lectured by a Greek chorus.
‘You all knew? Why didn’t you say something? I’ve been agonizing for weeks.Agonizing.’
‘Oh, we know,’ said Rosie, her eyes mirthful behind her cat’s-eye glasses. ‘But it wasn’t our place to say anything.’
‘I mean, Tiff certainly tried,’ I said.
Tiff opened her mouth, as though to try again, but Rosie gave her a warning look. ‘Love isn’t something that someone else can figure out for you. It’s not something that responds to checklists or even common sense. And something that looks so right to someone else from the outside can feel so wrong when it’s your heart on the line.’
‘Ugh, like Caleb,’ said Mom, cringing. ‘Remember him? With the moustache, and the moccasins?’
‘I do, unfortunately,’ replied Rosie. ‘But you got yourself figured out in the end.’
I raised an eyebrow. This was the first I was hearing about a moustachioed Caleb.
‘We’re just happy that your heart finally showed you what it needs,’ said Mom. ‘And what it needs is currently out in the art studio.’
She pointed with her glass, smiling.
Rosie stood to give me a hug. ‘You have my blessing. Just be good to each other.’
The heat rose in my cheeks. ‘We will. I promise.’
I left them quoting along with Nicole Kidman and hurried outside, picking my way down the softly lit garden path to the art studio. Something about the garden felt more lush than it had in recent days. The roses were huge and silky, and the box hedges had expanded outwards. Even the hydrangeas, which had been giving poor Rosie grief as she’d tried to figure out her soil pH issues, rose up in vibrant purple pompoms.
An orb weaver was hard at work spinning a web between two rhododendrons, her handiwork gleaming as the moon plucked it. I smiled. The Pink House was full of treasures. But then my heart twisted. The house might belong to someone else soon, and all those memories as well.
But no, I couldn’t focus on that now. I had another priority that deserved the full attention of my heart and soul.
The studio was quiet, as though it was pondering the aftermath of the storm and everything that had led to it. Water dripped slowly from the eaves. A tiny bird peeked out from its birdhouse nest.
As always, Noah’s silhouette moved quietly behind the curtains. I stood for a moment, observing him from the outside, wondering if he was looking right back.
Should I just push my way in? Or should I knock?
