Chapter 16
Garrison
Warm sunlight shines down as Sawyer, Katelyn, and I guide our kayaks through the tall spartina grass along one of South Carolina’s hidden waterways. It’s a true gem, only half an hour outside of Stormwatch Landing, yet very few ever come this far.
Most people prefer the beaches. But there’s something deeply serene about being out here. The still water. The way the grass bends with the breeze, swaying without breaking. To me, it feels more alive than any stretch of sand.
The air hums with energy. And on quiet days like this, we might even catch sight of dolphins exploring the waterway that winds toward the ocean miles away.
We never experience the same day twice.
Each one is new.
A surprise.
And then there’s today.
My gaze lands on Katelyn just ahead of me, tucked between Sawyer and me. Sunlight pulls amber from her hair, and she’s smiled more in the last hour than I’ve seen in all the time we’ve spent together. And I mean really smiled. It’s the first time I’ve seen unguarded happiness from her.
I knew today was going to be hard on her. I almost let fear stop me.
But seeing her smile—even once—was worth every nervous second I spent wondering if she’d say no. As if she can feel my thoughts on her, Katelyn turns and smiles at me.
“Having fun?” I blurt. Does she know I was staring?
“I am. This is gorgeous.”
I couldn’t agree more. “Definitely. Sawyer and I try to come out at least once a month.”
“I can see why. Out here, everything feels so simple. So calm.” She closes her eyes for a moment, then opens and grins at me. “I can feel the life all around us, yet, at the same time, it’s almost as if we’re completely alone.”
“There are few places in this world that calm my mind. This is one of them.”
“It definitely—” She squeals and shifts in her seat as her kayak rocks.
“Easy!” I call out, paddling a bit faster to get to her. I’m about two feet away when I see a dolphin break the surface of the water. Another comes up beside it before slipping back beneath the surface.
“Was that a dolphin?” she squeals and leans over the edge of the kayak.
“Yes, but be careful because—” But I’m too late. Her kayak tips, and Katelyn falls into the water with a loud splash. “Katelyn!” I call out and tip my own kayak over to get to her. Just as I hit the water, Katelyn surfaces and starts laughing so hard that tears slip down her face.
“I can’t believe I did that! But it was a dolphin! Did you see it? It was right there!”
I swim toward her, stopping only when I’m close enough to grab her should anything happen. “Are you okay?”
Her gaze locks on mine, and the air around us charges.
Her laughter dies, and her expression shifts to something else—something so similar to the desire coursing through my veins that I almost pull her into my arms right here in the water.
Would she pull away? Or lean into what I’m offering?
“Yeah, I—sorry.” Her cheeks turn pink. “I should have been more careful.”
“It’s nothing I haven’t done before,” I tell her.
“I’ve never seen one so close. It caught me off guard.”
“Yeah. I know something about that.” I move a bit closer. You caught me off guard. I want so badly to confess that to her. Sure, I admitted that I’d love to date her. But what I feel is so much more than that.
So much more than anything I ever thought I’d find.
I reach up and push some of the wet hair from her face.
She looks up at me through thick lashes.
My gaze drops to her mouth.
Her lips part. An invitation maybe? Does she want this as badly as I do?
And then—Sawyer clears his throat. “You two going to swim the rest of the way?”
I glare up at him, and based on the grin he’s sporting, he knows exactly what he just did.
“Thanks so much for this,” Katelyn says as she drops down on the log beside me.
In front of us, flames crackle in the fire ring of the campground.
Sawyer sits across from us, shooting a glare at where Anastasia and Jack sit, all while Cowboy and Tank try their best to distract him so he doesn’t do something stupid.
It shouldn’t make me happy that Sawyer is frustrated, but after what he interrupted earlier—well, let’s just say I’m taking a bit of satisfaction from his irritation.
“Of course. I’m glad you had fun.” I pop a fry in my mouth and offer her one from what’s left of the dinner Anastasia and Jack brought out for all of us just before sunset.
We’d spent the rest of the afternoon finishing our kayak adventure—wet clothes and all.
By the time we were taking off our life vests, the sun had dried us.
Katelyn takes a fry. “I really did.”
“How’s Thomas doing?” I gesture to where she set her phone between us.
She smiles brightly. “He’s doing fantastic. Which only added to my joy over the day. This is the first time he’s done anything like this, and he’s just—he’s having the time of his life.” Her smile fades slightly. “It makes me wish we would have done this sooner.”
“Baseball camp?”
She finishes chewing the fry she put in her mouth. “Settled in.”
“What kept you from settling?”
Silence carries between us even as the conversations around the fire continue on. There’s a heaviness settled on her shoulders that wasn’t there just a few seconds ago. “Just never found someplace that felt like home, I guess.”
But it’s not the truth. Not the whole truth, anyway. Still, I don’t press.
“I’m glad you found your way to Stormwatch Landing.”
Katelyn’s gaze levels on mine, and she smiles softly, firelight illuminating her features. “Me, too.”
Once more, that thick tension settles in the air around us until Anastasia claps her hands. “All right. It’s time.”
“Time for what?” Sawyer asks.
Anastasia stands. “Be right back.”
“So, Katelyn, how long have you lived here?” Jack questions.
“Uh, a few months.” She smiles, but it’s awkward. Uncomfortable. My guess is that it has something to do with his occupation. Did she have a bad interaction with the police before? Maybe filed charges on her ex-husband and had things go sideways?
“You like it?”
“I do. It’s a great place.”
“Yeah, I’d have to agree with you there.” He glances behind him. “I’m thinking about moving here myself.”
Sawyer starts coughing uncontrollably, sucking in air like he just completed a competition dive. “Swallowed wrong,” he chokes out. Ryker fights a grin as he pats him on the back.
“Sure you did,” Ryker replies, earning a glare from Sawyer and a chuckle from Weston.
“Well, it’s a great place full of great people.” Katelyn glances my way before she looks back at Jack.
The fact that she looked at me at all brings me more joy than I’ve had in a long, long time. Those walls she’s had up nearly every day are gone, and I can only hope they stay that way.
“Okay, back!” Anastasia announces as she steps into the light, a violin case in her hand. Because, of course, she brought it.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I groan as Anastasia hands it to me.
“It’s been so long. Besides, it’s tradition. Campfire equals music.”
“So get Weston’s guitar.”
“I don’t have a key to Weston’s house.”
“And you never will,” Weston retorts.
Anastasia sticks her tongue out at him, then turns to me.
“You play violin?” Katelyn asks me.
“I do. It was my aunt’s favorite instrument. I learned it for her birthday one year.”
“Yeah, yeah, Demo’s a great guy. Super talented. Now play,” Sawyer says.
“Come on, Garrison, please?” Anastasia asks as she takes her seat beside Jack, who puts his arm around her shoulders and presses a kiss to her temple.
I look at Katelyn, feeling the heat building on the back of my neck. “All right. Fine. But I’m hiding this better in the future.” After unzipping the instrument case, I lift the violin and bow. As I settle it beneath my jaw, the weight is familiar and steady.
The smooth curve of the chinrest fits the hollow of my throat. My left hand slides up the neck, finding the strings. As I draw the bow, slow and careful, I work to adjust the tuning of the instrument.
The fire crackles softly as I draw the bow more intentionally now. The violin answers, and “Amazing Grace” drifts into the night, the melody carrying a story of the Lord’s mercy and redemption.
And then she starts singing.
My eyes fly open.
Katelyn’s eyes are closed, her voice steady and clear as it fills the space around us. My heart hammers in my chest as I keep playing, though I barely hear the instrument anymore.
For all I know, I miss every note. It doesn’t matter. With her singing, my attention narrows until she’s all that exists.
The others join in—everyone except Weston—but their voices fade beneath hers.
She’s all I hear.
All I see.