Chapter 12
Fireworks
Peyton
I take a deep breath and feel the restriction in the bodice of my dress. A new, pale blue number covered in tiny white flowers with thin straps and a skirt that moves when I walk. I bought it last Tuesday on my lunch break from a cute little boutique in town.
I regret not trying it on first, even though the size was right and I was pressed for time.
The elevator dings my arrival to the top floor and I step out, walking toward the exit that leads to the rooftop terrace where Danny’s Fourth of July party has already begun.
Kids games and activities started at three, but the invitation gave me the impression five would be the best time for the adults to arrive, anyhow.
So here I am. Alone. Hoping Jake isn’t far behind me.
His last text came in around noon: Charter’s loading. Big group. See you tonight.
I haven’t heard from him since.
The roof exit swings open and I have to take a step back as three kids come barreling out one after the other. Music, laughter, and the distinct scent of meat on a grill follow. I catch the door and take in the transformed space.
Danny, same as he did with the lobby, has outdone himself.
String lights crisscross overhead in neat rows, warm and golden against the bright blue of the early evening sky. Red, white, and blue bunting lines the railings. There’s a bar cart in the corner, a speaker playing something upbeat and country, and more people than I expected fill the space.
I recognize some of the faces from the building, a few from town, and the fact I recognize anyone brings a smile to my face.
I didn’t want to say it out loud, but this party…meeting people, getting to know my neighbors, is important to me. How else am I supposed to create a life for myself in Hemlock Point? A girl has to start somewhere. And I did, with Jake, at least.
“Peyton!” Danny materializes at my elbow in a full Uncle Sam suit, hat and all, the brim nearly catching me in the chin. “You look absolutely lovely, my dear.”
“Thank you, Danny.” I smile, accepting the patriotic koozie-wrapped drink he presses into my hand. “You’ve outdone yourself up here.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” He waves a hand, then leans in conspiratorially. “Though, I do think the firecracker elevator doors were a particularly inspired touch.”
“Truly inspired,” I agree.
He beams. Then his face shifts into something thoughtful—that particular Danny expression I’ve come to recognize as the one he wears right before he says something that isn’t quite as casual as he wants it to sound. “Now where is your hunky arm candy for this evening?”
I blush. “Oh, he’s, um, on his way…hopefully.”
Danny hums a moment. “He is, I’m sure of it,” he says as if he knows for certain.
I don’t question him, simply daring to hope he’s right.
Danny ushers me around the party, introducing me to other residents of the building and a few locals living in town.
We finally make it around to the man behind the grill who took over when I arrived.
“And this is our wonderful, delightful, wise and handsome mayor, Caleb Foster,” he announces. “He’s also single.” He winks.
The broad shoulders of the youngest, hottest, tatted-est mayor I have ever seen, shake with laughter. “Your introductions seem to be getting wilder and wilder by the hour, sir,” he says, extending his hand to me. “You can call me Caleb. Welcome to Hemlock Point, Miss Moore.”
I shake his hand. “Peyton. It’s lovely to meet you. Your town truly is stunning.”
“Thank you.” He grins, beaming with pride in his shirt that says It’s a bad day to be a wiener! with a dancing hotdog stretched over some serious pecs.
Danny excuses himself a moment later and I debate if I should wait to eat or—
“Peyton!”
I turn, catching sight of Jake’s brother and his girlfriend heading straight for me.
“Happy Fourth of July,” Molly sing-songs, stunning in her flowing flag-themed dress. “How are you? Oh, my god—have you seen Danny’s hat!” She giggles.
I smile, her laughter contagious.
“My brother here?” Luke asks.
I shake my head, peering around him to the only door to the roof. “Not yet.”
He nods, scanning our surroundings.
We make our way over to the railing, looking out over the bay. I can see The Tides, the marina, and a vast majority of the town itself set beside a breathtaking ocean view.
I sigh.
“Did you eat yet, Peyton?” Molly asks kindly.
“Not yet. I was hoping to wait for Jake, but…” I trail off the moment my stomach growls something fierce.
Luke grunts. “No sense on starving while you wait.” He wraps an arm around Molly to lead her over, lifting his chin for me to follow.
The moment I turn away from the rail, I’m faced with the hunky boat captain Danny promised me. He’s wearing his sun-bleached jeans and a loose white button-down with a tattoo or two peeking out. His hair wind swept and messy, but he’s handsome all the same.
“You’re here,” I breathe, my pulse jumping with excitement as I take a hurried step toward him. He made it.
Jake grins, his thick forearm encircling my waist and dragging me against him. “Hello to you, too, sweetheart.”
He leans in for a kiss and a not-so-quiet awe has me smiling against his lips.
The evening sets off from there.
Drinks, food, friends, and so much laughter my face hurts. The whole while Jake is at my side, right up until the music stops and the sound of a live, acoustic guitar fills the cool, darkening night air.
A crowd forms around the mayor of all people as he sits perched on a stool with a classic, wooden guitar in his hands. People shift as couples start pairing off and a dance floor is quick to form. Molly is one of the first ones to drag her man behind her.
Jake and I chuckle at the look of pure torture on Luke’s face, yet he doesn’t stop her. He simply wraps his arms around her and they start to sway to the music.
Jake shifts to stand in front of me, palm extended between us. “Care to dance, sweetheart?”
I gush dramatically. “I thought you’d never ask, darling.”
Jake throws his head back with a bark of laughter, then leads me out onto the impromptu dance floor. His strong, sure hands land on my hips and I bring my arms up and around his neck as more couples decide to join us.
We sway together while the mayor’s guitar fills the warm night air, and I think I could stay right here forever. Jake’s hands are steady on my hips and I feel it the way I always do with him.
Safe. Held. Home.
“I owe you an apology,” he says quietly, above the music.
I pull back just enough to look at him. “For what?”
“For making you wonder whether or not I would show up tonight.” His jaw works. “Whether I was serious.”
The guitar plays on around us.
“Jake.”
His hands tighten at my hips. “I’ve been so caught up in the boat coming back together that I didn’t stop to make sure you knew where we stand.”
I search his face. “And where is that?”
He looks at me for a long moment, steady and sure, all the walls he walked in with that first night are gone.
“When I walked into that bathroom two weeks ago, I was already broken. Not just my boat, but me. And I told myself I was doing you a favor by holding back.” He pauses, grinning. “But then you ordered takeout for two.”
My gaze fogs at the edges, but I can’t look away.
“My ex told me I’d never be enough and I believed her.
For years, I believed her. I carried it everywhere, onto every tour, into every room.
And then you were there. On the worst night I’d had in a very long time, but you didn’t see that.
You told me to stay.” His hand comes up, brushing my hair over my shoulder.
“I’ve been navigating my life wrong for a long time, sweetheart.
That boat is my livelihood. The water is my life.
But you…” His voice cracks slightly. “You’re the one thing I want to find my way back to.
Every time. For as long as you’ll let me. ”
A tear tracks down my cheek, but he doesn’t swipe it away.
“I love you,” he says. “I know it’s fast, but I—”
“Jake,” I whisper, on a rooftop filled with people. “I love you, too.”
His grin is wide and his eyes glisten under the countless string lights as he drags me tight against him, leaning down to meet my lips.
The moment his lips meet mine, the first firework shoots off with an echoing boom.
The rooftop breaks out in cheers as the sound of the guitar stops playing.
But none of that matters as he draws me in tighter, tilting my head to open for him.
The distant thud of another launch surrounds us, the whistle climbs, and then the sky above the marina explodes in red and gold.
I pull back with a gasp, turning to look up.
He keeps his arms around me from behind, his chin resting on the top of my head as we watch the bursts of light break across the water.
I’ve heard people say the resort’s display is the best in the country, but seeing it now, in this moment… Finding this town, these people—Jake. It’s more than I could have ever dreamed.
I never thought I could find my place again in this world alone. And I suppose my boat captain may have felt the same at one point in time.
“It’s beautiful,” I sigh.
“Yeah,” he says as I peer back and up at him. But he’s not looking at the sky, his eyes are on me.
I turn in his arms and kiss him again, while the sky explodes above us. And for the first time in a long time, I stop looking for solid ground.
I’ve already found it.