Chapter Twelve
Tyler
Why couldn’t there be something glaringly wrong with Mae? Why did she have to be so damn perfect for me?
I’d just dropped off my dad and situated him at the house. He was barely speaking to me after letting him know I wouldn’t be providing any more money for his gambling. I’d picked up some dinner for my parents to eat and ensured they knew when the contractors would start in the morning.
Pulling in at the grocery store, I thought about Mae’s list and chuckled. It wasn’t exactly a short list, and it was hard to believe it was all for one meal, but then again, it was Mae. She liked to do things right.
It was probably why her coffee shop was so perfect.
I pulled into the first available slot, parked, and pulled out my phone to go down the list.
An overwhelming wave of nostalgia hit me when I walked into the market. Sure, the market had been expanded, but the layout was the same. A large floral area was to my right, a new deli beyond that, then the candy aisle where my brother and friends would always spend our money when we were kids. We’d pedal to the market, load up on sugar, and spend the summer days at the beach.
Life was so much simpler then, but also extremely complicated.
Yet, I survived. I grew up under the same roof as my parents for eighteen years and made it out relatively unscathed. Now, the thought of spending a few hours there made my skin crawl.
I rolled a cart down the first aisle, searching for sesame seeds. When I found them, it felt like a victory. As I continued the hunt for all of Mae’s ingredients, I thought about how different this trip started from what I”d imagined.
I’d hoped to sneak onto Marigold, get my dad to physical therapy, manage some projects, and slip out of here before anyone noticed.
Yet everything about my plan blew up the morning I ran into Mae. She’d become this magnet, pulling me into the world of Marigold Island.
“Tyler Grant?”
I turned around to hear a familiar voice that made me smile from ear to ear.
“Mrs. Evans?”
“You remember me,” she gushed, opening her arms out.
I left the cart and smiled as she pulled me in for one of her monstrous bear hugs.
“Brad and Mae mentioned you were poking around the island. It’s so good to see you.”
Mrs. Evans had the same dark hair and green eyes as her son and daughters, but now the grey wove between her shoulder-length hair. Her smile was as warm as it had been all those years ago, and I suddenly felt like I’d never left Marigold.
It was an odd feeling.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Just trying to straighten some stuff up at my parents’ house and get my dad in the habit of doing his physical therapy exercises back at the house.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. Mrs. Evans had been someone I could always talk to growing up, so she knew more secrets than most.
“You know to call me Cynthia.” She grinned. “How are your parents?”
“About the same. A little sharper with the insults now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Tyler. You and Paul are good sons. I don’t know that I’d have the ability to help as much as you two have over the years.”
I’d often wondered why I felt compelled to do so. It would be so much easier if I’d just left the island and never reached out again.
The funny thing was that I was the one reaching out. I’d be surprised if I would have heard from my parents much had Paul or I not been the ones to stay in contact.
As I stared at Cynthia Evans, I felt a cold chill at the revelation.
Why was I inserting myself in a world where I wasn’t wanted?
“Well, I’m just here getting some last-minute travel things. Did Mae tell you?”
I nodded, remembering Mae told me last night that her parents mentioned retiring. She seemed surprised and nervous about the idea, which made me chuckle.
“We’re heading to Europe, and when we return, we’ll be officially retired.” She squeezed her shoulders up and grinned.
“Mae seemed extremely surprised.”
Cynthia nodded. “I think all the kids were shocked. We’d never really mentioned it before, but you know…” She let out a sigh. “We’re not getting any younger, and we’re at that age where we’ve had some surprise illnesses within the family, and our dear friend just lost her husband.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s life, but it made my husband and me wonder what we were waiting for. Our children are basically running the place, anyway.”
My phone buzzed, and I saw a text pop up from Mae.
“Oh, it’s Mae. Maybe she’s adding to the grocery list.”
Cynthia looked surprised. “You’re buying her groceries?”
I laughed. “It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t it always with our little Mayflower?”
I grinned and nodded. “She’s cooking me dinner after I offered to take her out as a thank-you for helping out at my parents’ house.”
Her mom laughed. “Sounds about right. She’s so motherly. Honestly, out of all my girls, I don’t know how Mae isn’t running around after six children, pulling shots at the coffee shop, and growing prize-winning dahlias. The girl is a phenomenon.” She shrugged. “But life had other plans for her. I had no idea you were going over there.”
“I probably wasn’t supposed to run into her mom at the store, so…”
She winked at me. “Ah, gotcha. Your secret is safe with me. So, are you married, attached?”
“Single as they come,” I said, rocking back on my heels, trying to hide a smile.
“Mae is, too.”
I nodded. “So I’ve heard.”
“Well, I”d better get going, or my husband will send the troops out after me, namely Dottie. Did Mae tell you she’ll be dog-sitting for us while we’re gone?”
I shook my head. “Nope. She didn’t mention it.”
“Well, like I said, she’s a good caretaker.” Mrs. Evans gave me a quick hug. “Hopefully, I’ll see you around when we return.”
“I doubt it. I’m planning on heading out this weekend.”
Her mom’s head tilted slightly as she looked at me. “Oh, that’s a shame.”
“It is.”
“Well, still… hope to see you around.”
I smiled as Mae’s mom pushed her cart down the aisle, and my phone buzzed again with Mae adding wine to the list. I wrote back a quick text telling her I ran into her mom and should be at her house soon.
But as I added things to the cart and thought about Mae’s mom, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I didn’t have to rush out of town so quickly.
The house would be completed by the weekend, and my dad would or should know how to do physical therapy exercises at the house. Whether he’d do them was an entirely different story. There wouldn’t be a real need for me to be around them.
As I paid for the groceries and drove to Mae’s, I wondered if I was crazy or if the sea air was getting to me to even contemplate staying.
For some reason, merely wandering around the grocery store felt like the good old times when I could buy some candy and follow Brad back to his house, where I’d hopefully run into Mae or, better yet, hang out with her in the treehouse.
I smiled at the memories from that magical little shack sturdily, yet crookedly, built in the Evans’ back yard among two large, big-leaf maples and a Douglas fir tree.
By the time I pulled into Mae’s driveway, I felt so much lighter.
She swung open the front door and bounded onto the little stoop dressed in a dynamite strapless red sundress.
Mae looked stunning as she walked toward my rental pickup truck, offering to lend a hand with the groceries.
“I was wondering whether you’d gotten cold feet,” she teased.
“Your mom and I had a good time catching up, and she informed me that you’re very motherly.”
Mae rolled her eyes. “Oh, my word. Never mind that I own my business, home, and car. Let’s zero in on making babies.”
I chuckled and handed her a bag. “Some things never change.”
“Tell me about it.”
We carted the groceries into her kitchen, where several piles of vegetables were already chopped.
“Not that it’s my business, but are kids something you want?” I set two bags on her counter, and she did the same before spinning to look at me.
“I’ve always wanted kids,” she said, shrugging. “But I’ve realized that having kids might not be in my cards, and that’s okay. I’m not exactly great at getting out there and dating. I’ve heard that’s kind of an important step.”
I smiled, knowing now wasn’t the moment to blurt out that I wanted kids too.
It didn’t matter.
Because I didn’t want to have kids just to have them. I hoped to find a partner who saw a similar vision of growing a family together, facing the highs and the lows, and hoping to give love… lots of love.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I’m in the same boat as you.”
She scowled and shook her head. “Not really. You live in two different states with highways, and towns, cities and… people.” She winked at me. “You have a way better shot at finding that special someone to start a family with. Marigold Island is kind of slim pickings.”
“There’s always Seattle,” I said, secretly wondering what Mae’s previous dating life looked like.
And I shouldn’t because it didn’t matter.
We were complete opposites, living on different sides of the world, and I had no intention of being within a hundred-mile radius of my parents.
“Seattle’s nightlife isn’t exactly my idea of a prospective gene pool. Any of the times I’ve gone with Audrey, I’ve regretted every second of it.”
“So, do you go out a lot?”
She twisted her lips into a playful pout. “What would you consider a lot? Quarterly? Bi-annually?”
I chuckled, realizing Mae wasn’t kidding when she said she didn’t date much.
“I did promise Audrey that I’d go out with her soon, so that’s unfortunate.”
My brows rose. “Really? When?”
“I don’t know. Probably after I’ve turned her down enough times before appearing rude.” She snickered, unloading the bag closest to her.
“What about you?” she prompted, looking over the paper bag.
“I’ve gone out now and then.”
She chuckled. “Oh, please. Women would fall all over you. A successful guy who owns his own business, has two homes, a body to fantasize about, and good looks?” She rolled her eyes, muttering, “Now and then?”
I caught her gaze and felt that instant pull. “Would it matter?”
Mae smiled and shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t matter at all.”
She pulled a green pepper out of the bag and rinsed it before slicing it thinly.
A casual silence hung in the air.
I wandered from the kitchen into her sitting room, overlooking the water. There was something so peaceful about Marigold Island and the town of Curiosity Bay. A sweetness existed that felt comforting and like home. I stood at the window, taking in the scene. The sky still sparkled its cerulean blue with the occasional white, wispy cloud floating out of reach. The inky water sat below a mysterious blanket coating the sea life living just underneath.
An orca surfaced in the distance, and awe washed over me.
“Mae, there’s an orca,” I called to her.
“Ooh, let me see.” The knife clanked against the cutting board, followed by her chirp of excitement. “Oh, I bet that’s from the J pod. We’ve been getting tons of sightings lately. I can see it.”
I looked over to see Mae peering out her kitchen window, and I knew why she loved living here.
It was perfection.
She left the kitchen and met me in front of the sitting room window, reaching for my hand.
“There are some things that are absolutely magical, wouldn’t you say?” she asked, staring out the window, watching the local orca swim the evening away, but I couldn’t pull my gaze away from Mae.
She was what was magical in life. Mae had probably seen this a hundred times since living here, but she was as excited as anyone would be the first time.
It was that enchanting allure that had tempted me from the beginning.
“Tyler, I can’t believe I can experience this with you.” She squeezed my hand, still staring at the whale. “Isn’t this incredible? What an amazing way to welcome you back home.”
I turned my attention back to the orca while it moved underwater as quickly as it had surfaced.
“It’s a sign,” she said, sighing happily and touching her chest before facing me. “Your good deeds at your parents’ and in life are paying off. Even the J pod sees how incredible you are.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Well, if the J pod recognizes that, I can’t ask for much more.”
She looped her fingers through mine and looked into my eyes. “I see it too, Tyler. You’re much more than the boy I had a crush on. You’ve become an incredible man.”