Chapter 24
D arlene stepped onto the front porch the next morning. Her heart squeezed at the sight of Felicity’s and Brent’s luggage lined up near the top of the steps, each bag a reminder of the imminent goodbye.
Felicity turned to her, eyes bright with unshed tears. “Are you sure you’ll be all right, Gran?”
She pulled her granddaughter into a fierce hug, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. “Of course I will.” She smoothed Felicity’s hair, just as she had done when her granddaughter was small. “This is your adventure. Your chance to spread your wings.”
“But with everything that’s happened—Dean, and now Mark leaving soon…” Her voice wavered.
“Life keeps moving forward, sweetheart.” She pulled back to look at her granddaughter’s face. “These past weeks have taught me that change isn’t always bad. Sometimes it’s exactly what we need.”
Brent picked up their bags and took them out to his car. The sound of the trunk closing echoed across the quiet morning.
“The B&B—” Felicity started.
“Has survived plenty of seasons, and will survive plenty more.” She squeezed her granddaughter’s hands. “You’ve given so much of yourself to this place. Now it’s time for you to chase your own dreams.”
Felicity’s eyes welled up. “I love you, Gran.”
“I love you too, sweet girl.” Her voice grew thick with emotion. She looked at Brent, who stood respectfully to the side. “Take care of each other out there in California.”
“We will. And we’ll be back soon to visit. I promise,” Brent assured her.
Her arms tightened around Felicity one last time. She breathed deeply, storing away this moment, knowing her granddaughter was no longer the little girl who needed her, but a woman ready to forge her own path with the man she loved.
She waved as they pulled away, a smile firmly placed on her lips until they drove out of sight. It was hard to feel sorry for herself when Felicity was so happy. Off on her great adventure. She turned to head inside. There was work to be done. Always work to be done.
Darlene looked up from where she was folding napkins in the kitchen when the door opened. Mark stood in the doorway.
“Are you busy?”
“Just finishing up some chores.” She motioned to the stack of napkins before her.
He took a step into the room. “So I noticed that new guest you had the last few days. That man.” Mark shifted from foot to foot. “And… um… I saw you, Felicity, and him the other morning when he was leaving. I didn’t mean to be watching… I was just looking out the window and saw you.”
She set down the napkin she was folding. Her heart skipped a beat. Of course, Mark would have noticed Dean’s presence over the past few days. She drew in a deep breath. “That was Dean.” She paused, gathering her thoughts.
Mark’s eyebrows shot up. “Your ex-husband?”
“Yes. He showed up unexpectedly.” She absentmindedly smoothed the napkin beneath her fingers. “He wanted to make amends before…” She swallowed hard. “He’s dying.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” He walked over and sat on the chair beside her.
“I am too.” She stared at the stack of napkins before her.
“He needed to make peace with what he did all those years ago. For leaving me when I was pregnant with Felicity’s father.
” The old pain surfaced, but it felt different now—duller, more distant.
“I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in over forty years. ”
“That must have been difficult.”
“It was.” She picked up a napkin again, finding comfort in the familiar motion of folding them. “But… I think we made our peace. I gave him what he came for.”
“What was that?”
“My forgiveness. And Felicity got a chance to get to know her grandfather. I’ll never regret that.”
“And you’re okay?” He reached out and almost— almost —took her hand before snatching his hand back and resting it on the table.
“I am okay. All that bitterness and pain has eased. I think I’ve finally made peace with my past.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“And now, maybe you can make peace with your past too.” She looked at him.
His gaze met hers. Sadness hovered in the depths of his eyes. “Maybe. It feels like it never will let go of its stranglehold on me.”
“I hope you find a way to change that.” She kept herself from reaching out to comfort him.
He gave her a small smile and stood up. “I hope so too. Anyway, I came to tell you that I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. Well, she knew the day was coming soon. She rose from her chair. “Well, I’m glad you came to Magnolia Key and glad you found your words again.”
“Darlene—I—” He stopped and just stared at her for a moment. “I’m glad I came here too. I’m leaving very early tomorrow to catch the first ferry. I have an early flight. So… I guess this is goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Mark.” The finality of the words hung between them.
“Goodbye, Darlene… I…” He gave a little half-shrug. “Good night.”
He disappeared out the door, and she sat down, staring at the napkins waiting to be folded. Even her familiar tasks, which usually brought her comfort, couldn’t help her now. Felicity left this morning and now Mark was leaving tomorrow.