Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
W hen Brandon got back to the inn after spending the day with Cora, his head spun. Were things really going that great between them, or had he been off? All night, he thought about kissing her, but with her family around, he decided to take it slow.
As he got into his room, the last thing he wanted to do was sit down and write, but that was what he planned to do. Until he finished his book or had some fish and chips.
He hoped for both.
When he finished his fourth cup of coffee and dawn slowly crept out of the shadows, Brandon left the inn and walked down to the shore. He was the only one on the beach, along with a few seagulls. He pulled his hood up as a cool wind blew against him. With the tide out, he found a granite boulder with a perfect spot to sit and looked out.
The sun’s rays reflected on the water as it rose over the horizon. He sat motionless, taking in the whole scene as a lobster boat cut across the water off in the distance. He couldn’t believe this was real life.
He imagined waking up to this every day. Syncing his breath to the rhythm of the waves, surrounded by beauty, and feeling nothing but peace.
Waking up in his apartment, all he heard was traffic and sirens most days. The only bit of nature might be the pigeons outside his window, but other than that, unless he went out of his way, his nature was surrounded by concrete.
He completely understood why Cora left the city and why she was inspired when she arrived in Blueberry Bay. He hadn’t written that much in a long time. Even though his mind occupied thinking about Cora, he had nearly finished his novel. All he had to do was write the last few pages, and it would be complete.
As the sun became brighter, Brandon forced himself to get up. From the corner of his eye, he saw something pop up out of the water. He stood up to get a better look, not sure what he saw. It rose out of the surface, a large shiny head with long whiskers. The seal’s big, round black eyes stared back at him, bobbing in the waves.
That’s when the ending of his novel came together in his head.
When he looked back for the seal, it disappeared into the water. He checked each wave coming onto shore to see if he’d see the seal’s head pop up again, but it never reappeared.
When he returned to the inn, he got right to work writing. Words came out of his fingers before he even knew what he was writing. The rest of his story rolled out in front of him as if he had unlocked a magical passageway. Everything became so clear that he didn’t stop writing until his phone buzzed, jolting him out of his subconscious state.
He expected to see Cora’s name on the screen but instead saw Father Michael.
Are you writing?
Brandon smiled at the message. He opened up the conversation and typed back. Just about finished.
If you have a second, want to give me a call?
Father Michael hadn’t asked Brandon to call him before, so he immediately dialed the number.
“I hope I’m not interrupting you,” Father Michael said as he answered the phone.
“I needed a break,” Brandon said, but he wanted to know why Father Michael had asked him to call. “What’s up?”
“Julian checked himself out today,” Father Michael said.
“He did?” Brandon looked at the framed print of a seascape. “When?”
“This morning,” Father Michael said. “One of the counselors let me know when I called.”
Brandon's shoulders sagged as he took in the information. “I hadn’t heard.”
“Have you heard anything?” Father Michael asked.
“No, I haven’t.” Why would he check himself out after just a couple of weeks? “He was doing so well.”
“You can show them the path, but they have to be willing to take the journey,” Father Michael said, but he didn’t use his priest's voice. “Would you mind reaching out and at least leaving a voicemail? He didn’t answer my call.”
Julian silenced a phone call from a priest?
“Yeah, sure.” Brandon could tell Father Michael was concerned about what this would mean for Julian. When people check themselves out of rehab, it’s usually not because things are fine. What happened to make Julian leave?
Another message vibrated his phone. He quickly looked down to see an image on his screen.
I’ve got the fish and chips ready to go. Cora sent a picture of floured fillets of fish.
He should tell Cora about Julian. She would be concerned.
“I’ll give him a call,” Brandon said, but he dreaded making the call. He’d have to be honest with Julian, telling him where he was and why.
He dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. He left a message: “Hey Julian, it’s Brandon. I just heard you checked out of the center. I wanted to make sure you’re doing alright.”
A heavy feeling crept up his legs as he sat there staring at the print of the Atlantic Ocean. In it, the waves crashed against a rocky coastline, with a ray of light coming out from a lighthouse off in the distance. It wasn’t Blueberry Bay, but it might as well have been. A little village with a white steeple, small fisherman cottages protected among the trees, and a lighthouse sitting high above the water warning the sailors of danger.
He tried Julian’s number again, this time hanging up before the voicemail started. He then sent a text.
Let me know if you need anything.
He turned off silent mode and waited to see if he would receive a message, but no message came.