Epilogue
Four months later…
Most of their immediate family members were in Seaside Bay for Thanksgiving. Erin would fly down Friday morning, since she had to work the holiday. Laurel and Patrick were renting Ms. Esquivel’s condo, while she was visiting family in New Mexico. Uncle Paul and Aunt Sandy were staying in their condo and hosting the twins’ parents for the holiday, which meant Linda was sleeping on the couch. At least she wasn’t having a slumber party with her twin and her twin’s new husband in the living room.
Since Erin was arriving later than everyone else, they planned their big homemade meal for Saturday. On Thanksgiving Day, the Brees and Hauser families ordered Chinese takeout.
Linda stuffed herself with fried rice and egg rolls. After dinner, when Mason suggested a walk on the beach, Linda jumped at the chance to get outside for fresh air and spend some alone time with Mason.
“Look!” Mason pointed ahead of them to where a large group gathered on the beach. “It looks like a party.”
As they neared, the sound of a young girl singing and playing guitar wafted towards them. “She’s pretty good,” Linda noted.
“Yeah.”
“Want to hang out here and listen?”
“No, let’s keep walking.”
They continued past the small crowd gathered around a bonfire. As they approached, the guitar passed to a man who played a Neil Young song.
“Doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving,” Linda said. This was the first time in over ten years that the family had traveled to Florida for the holiday. Her mom preferred to be home and host in her own kitchen. But now that Laurel was married, they all agreed that it was time for some new traditions.
“I agree! No turkey, no holiday. Just like Erin, throwing a wrench into our plans.”
“Watch it, Mister. Next year, it might be you working on the holiday.”
Mason had recently accepted a permanent position at a hospital in Bloomington. He wouldn’t start until the first of the year, as he needed to wrap up his last rotational stint in Springfield and move back home. Linda had reached out to Grady’s new assistant to locate a rental for Mason. They’d been ecstatic to find one just three blocks from Linda’s apartment.
“That’s true. Are you going to regret dating someone who works crazy hospital hours, on-call shifts, and holidays?” Mason’s eyes were serious, but his tone was light.
“If it’s you, no. Never. We just need to communicate and have a shared calendar.”
“A digital calendar, right? Not a printable,” he teased.
“Fine,” she quipped back. “Digital it is. Whatever, as long as you’re happy.”
Mason chuckled and walked a few more steps. “Can’t believe we’re finally going to be living in the same city again. I’m excited about the future.”
As waves lapped her feet, Linda felt a wave of contentment wash over her. She was excited about the holidays and the year ahead. She’d be able to see Mason most days of the week. Her stationery business was taking off, and she was contemplating opening her own retail store.
“I am, too.” She paused. “I can’t wait for you to move closer. It feels sort of surreal right now. The past few months since you’ve been in Springfield have been wonderful. Seeing you at least once a week, sometimes twice, was great. But seeing you nightly will be even better. I’ve been searching for new recipes. I promise I’m going to learn how to cook. You will have the bigger kitchen, and you won’t have a roommate, so I was thinking we could make dinner at your place most nights. That would be good for me, too, because I’m working from home, and I get a little stir-crazy when I feel like I’m stuck at home all the time.”
I’m rambling. I probably didn’t need that second diet cola at dinner; the caffeine surge is racing through me.
Mason stopped and turned towards her. “I like the sound of that. But you know what would be even better?”
“What?” I said I would learn to cook. What could be better than that?
“When we live together, and you don’t have to come over every night to make dinner.”
“Sure, but I would still need an office to go to, so I’m not home all the time. Tilly’s fiancé has a coworking office space. I could probably rent out a space there. She was telling me about it last weekend. A lot of professionals and creatives use it.”
While she was chatting about office space, Mason knelt in the sand. “Hey, you’re going to get sand on your jeans,” she said, before it occurred to her that Mason wasn’t simply taking a rest.
“Lindy,” Mason said, beaming. “Before we move in together, I was hoping you’d traipse down an aisle with me. You’re my best friend, and you have been for a long time. Even when we were apart, I always thought of you as my best friend. I pretended that I’d be seeing you soon. It was easier to pretend than to face the fact that I’d screwed up and let you go.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. “I hope, in all our future days together I can show you how much you mean to me. I will strive to make you feel honored, cherished, and loved. Because I love you. I want to see you every day, not most days. And not just for dinner. Breakfast and lunch, too, when we can.”
He took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?”
Before she could answer, he continued, “Before I open this ring box, know that it is a placeholder. I’ve looked at rings, and I think I know what you’d like, but I wasn’t one hundred percent certain, so I want to go shopping with you, and let you pick the ring you love best. What do you say?”
Linda smiled. “To the proposal or ring shopping?”
“Are there different answers?”
She laughed. “No. Same answer to both. A resounding yes!”
He stood, wrapping her in his arms.
She squeezed him as she rested her head on his chest. This is incredible. How did I get so lucky? Not just reuniting with Mason but giving him my heart again. I think I stood on this very spot six months ago and told myself not to fall in love with him again. But now look at us. We’re going to get married! Yippee!
Someone yelled, “Congratulations! I guess she said yes!”
Mason pulled back a few inches and searched for the passerby. “She did! Lucky me!”
His lips brushed hers, and she answered by rising on her toes to deepen the kiss. Kissing him here reminded her of their very first kiss at fifteen—on this beach, close to the same spot.
She pulled back. “Mason, do you remember our first kiss?”
He smiled. “Of course. It was right here. That’s why I chose this spot to propose. See?” He turned and pointed to the large purple manatee statue that stood next to the door of a charming boutique hotel.
“You’re right! We were racing to see who could reach this spot first. I won.”
“No, I won.” His eyes widened. “I got a kiss that night.”
“OK. It was a tie. We both won.”
“Still winning. Let’s go back. I can’t wait to tell everyone and get out the champagne I bought.”
He took her hand and started walking.
“Did your family know you were proposing?” she asked.
“No.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t bear the humiliation if you said no. But I don’t think they’ll be surprised.”
“Well, let’s go tell them. Then I have a phone call to make.”
Everyone gathered in the Hauser’s condo to toast the engagement. Mason called Erin and put her on a video call to share the news.
After the excitement settled down, Linda excused herself to make a phone call.
She stepped out onto the balcony and pulled the door shut behind her. The sun had set, and the sky seemed to celebrate her news with an abundance of glittering stars. It reminded her of a story or a movie where the stars spoke to each other, but she could not remember the reference.
Sorcha answered her call on the second ring, and Linda could hear music and people talking in the background.
“Sorcha, I have news! Can you talk for a minute?”
“Hold on. Hold on.” There was a ruffling noise and then the background noise dimmed. “Okay, I popped into the pantry. What’s going on? Happy Turkey Day, by the way.”
“Right. Gobble, gobble.” She took a deep breath. “Mason proposed!”
“What?” Sorcha practically screamed into the phone. “Oh my gosh, I’m so, so, so happy for you! Called it. I woke up this morning and said something fantastic was going to happen today. I was hoping it might happen to me…” She paused for dramatic effect. “But you getting engaged is just as good. Congratulations!”
Linda laughed. “There are hours left in the day. Don’t give up hope just yet.”
“Right. Hey, send me a picture of the ring. Now!”
“About that…” Linda paused and took a picture of the plastic ring with the glittery pink seashell on it. She sent the picture and waited for Sorcha to open it.
“Um, that’s the ring?”
“Yes,” Linda giggled. “He wants me to pick out my engagement ring. He picked this up in a tourist shop yesterday. I don’t know. I think it’s adorable.”
“Cute, yes. Engagement, no. Ooh, I’ll help you shop. We’re going to Tiffany’s!”
“I’m in no hurry to replace this ring. I like it.”
A knock on the patio door caused Linda to turn around. Mason shrugged his shoulders and pretended to pout.
“Hey,” Linda continued. “I should get back to the impromptu engagement party inside. But I couldn’t wait to share the news with you. I was thinking we should plan a girls’ weekend at the beach soon to do some wedding planning.”
“How soon are you thinking? The holidays are coming up, and I’m busy through January…”
“Maybe spring break.”
“That would work if you’re not in a big hurry.”
“It’ll be fine. Maybe love will find you on our next trip to Seaside Bay. It worked for me.”
Sorcha clicked her tongue. “Not so fast. I’ve given up on love. I’m going to run off and join the circus.”
“Never give up on love! I suspect that the good feeling you had this morning is going to turn into love soon.”
“We’ll see. Get back to your party, Lulu. I’ll see you soon.”
Linda hung up and inhaled the refreshing cool air coming from the Gulf.
I can’t believe I’m engaged! Telling Sorcha made it even more real. There’s so much to do. I need to make a list. Loving the idea of a girls’ getaway in the spring. Though I may have all the wedding details planned out by then. Which would be good, because I’m on a mission to find a man for Sorcha. Someone who will appreciate all the things that make her great!