31 Cora #2
That’s when the realization started to dawn on her, and optimism began to kick in.
Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
This time, she was the one who took a tiny step in his direction. “No? So where are you going?”
“Houston.”
She couldn’t help but grin. “Well, as you pointed out before, we have two million people in Houston. That’ll give you a nice little candidate pool to choose from.”
He closed the rest of the gap between them, dropping his poster to the side and sliding his free arm around her waist. “There’s
only one out of that two million I’m interested in. In fact, there’s only one in the entire world. If she’ll have me.”
“But—”
She didn’t know where she was going with that argument, except it was her natural instinct to put her walls back up. She’d
already been hurt by Jax once. And as much as she was trying to open up and let love in, she wasn’t sure she could handle
having her heart broken by him twice.
But he didn’t let her finish her argument. Instead, he launched into one of his own.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you. The truth was I never planned on falling in love. Forever was never in my picture. Then I met you.
You’re strong and independent and passionate and funny. The more I hung out with you, the more I couldn’t imagine not being
with you. I’m not even sure where it happened, but somewhere between the blueberry pie and that amazing dress, I realized
that what I wanted more than anything in this world wasn’t a job. It was you.”
Tears that, once again, had no business being there stung her eyes.
He slid his other hand behind her head and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I love you, Cora. Now and forever. In the easy
times and hard times and whatever else is thrown our way. I promise, I am not leaving you. Where you go, I go. Whatever you
go through, I go through.”
She let the words resonate inside her, calming the fears she’d held on to so tightly for so many years.
Was letting herself fall in love still a risk? Absolutely. But she trusted Jax.
“I’ve got a better idea,” she said, sliding her arms around his waist and staring up into his eyes. “How about we do it all
together?”
He smiled down at her. “Sounds about perfect to me.”
And then she kissed him. It was long and slow and perfect. And the only thing she could think was that she couldn’t wait to
do this for the rest of her life.
“So you really gave up the SVP job?” she asked when they finished the kiss.
“I did. I realized that my uncle was right about one thing. I’m not ready to settle down quite yet. But I’ll still be involved
with the company, just in a different capacity. And who knows? When he retires, we might reopen the conversation.”
“So what are you going to do in Houston? Besides live out your blissful days with your one in two million, of course.”
“I’ve been talking with my buddy about expanding the security transport business. Seems like a second office might make a
lot of sense.”
“You’re going back into the spy business?”
“Something like that.” He grinned. “Plus, I realized I liked it more than I thought I did, which was probably one of the reasons
I kept letting myself get pulled into new jobs.”
“But we can start telling people what you do, right? No more secrets?”
He nodded. “No more secrets.”
“Well, in the spirit of full disclosure, you should know I’m going to start spending more time in Atlanta. I’m making an effort
to spend more time with family.”
“I fully support that decision. Family is important. And in full disclosure I’m going to have to travel for my job.”
“Maybe we can coordinate schedules for when we have to be out of town,” she said.
He grinned. “I think we can figure something out.”
She narrowed her eyes, as if they were negotiating. “And what would you say to spending summers at the beach?”
He seemed to consider the question. “Since that’s where my family is, too, I’d say it sounds like the perfect plan.”
“Are you sure you can handle my big, loud, meddling family?”
He pulled her in close to him. “I love your big, loud, meddling family. Without them, I never would’ve met you.”
“What happened to serendipity?” she teased.
“Like they say, sometimes it needs a nudge.” He pressed his lips against hers in another quick kiss.
“I mean, I know I said take your time,” Bianca called from the distance. “But, like, we can’t wait all night to start the
movie. It’s a bucket list item, you know.”
Cora shook her head. “Family,” she said in mock annoyance. “Can’t live with them...”
“But life isn’t worth living without them,” Jax finished. He offered his hand. “Shall we?”
They walked hand in hand through the sand to join her family.
Together.
***
For the first time since they’d arrived, Cora thought something on Savannah’s Summer Bucket List lived up to its name. Movie
night on the deck was perfect.
Okay, it wasn’t perfect in the sense that everything went according to plan, because pretty much nothing went to plan.
Besides having to wait on her and Jax to join them, Bianca had burned the popcorn. Cora had no idea how their dad used to
get the sheet to stay between the two umbrellas, because it didn’t matter how much tape they used, it refused to stay put.
They ended up going with Cora’s original idea to hang the sheet on the house. Where it also didn’t stay.
But none of it mattered anyway, because by the time they got the sheet figured out, the Wi-Fi went out.
Even in the midst of the mess-ups, they were having fun. There was laughter and talking and sparklers and games. By the time Chris whisked the girls off to bed and Luke and Jax headed home, Cora thought it had been the best night of the summer. And most of that was because they were all together.
She was sitting out on the deck, chatting with her sisters in the moonlight, when they heard the doorbell ring through the
screen door.
Instantly the conversation froze, and they all looked at one another. “Are we expecting someone?” Bianca asked.
Savannah checked her watch. “At nine fifty-five at night?”
Cora laughed. “Haven’t we had this conversation before?”
“Well, I can confidently say it’s not an ax murderer,” Bianca added.
“How about a future business partner and potential boyfriend?” Cora asked, eyebrow raised.
Bianca shrugged. “Then he’s out of luck, because the position is already taken.”
Savannah laughed and pushed herself out of her seat. “I’ll get it. Luke or Jax probably forgot something.”
They all made their way through the house, except when they opened the door, it wasn’t either one of the men they were expecting.
It was a woman dressed in a polo shirt with an airline logo stitched onto it.
“Hi!” she said in a chipper voice. “Sorry to disturb you so late, but I thought whoever this belonged to would want it tonight.
I have a missing bag for...” She checked her clipboard. “Cora Prestly.” She motioned at the suitcase by her side.
“That’s me.” Cora pushed through her sisters to sign for the suitcase that had made it around the better part of the country.
After thanking the woman, she pulled it inside.
“Well, look at that,” Savannah said. “Everything worked out in the end. Even the suitcase.”
“I think this is what they call the ‘better late than never’ rule.”
“Agreed.” Bianca nodded. “Speaking of late, should we clean up tonight, or can we leave it until tomorrow?” Bianca eyed the
movie night mess in the kitchen and everything left out on the deck.
“Tomorrow,” Cora said confidently. “Tonight is for enjoying.”
“I second that,” Savannah said. When her sisters looked over with shocked expressions, she shrugged innocently. “What? Y’all
aren’t the only ones trying out something new.”
“Well, if we’re trying something new, how about a midnight”—Bianca checked her watch—“I mean, 10:00 p.m. swim?”
“Absolutely not,” Savannah said instantly. “I might be trying new things, but I’m not going crazy.”
“How about a midnight wade? I’ll put my feet in the water,” Cora said.
Bianca shrugged. “I can go with that.”
The three of them headed out the back door with their phones lit up like flashlights, heading for the water’s edge.
“Next year we go skinny-dipping on the first full moon,” Bianca said.
“Swimming at sunset,” Savannah compromised.
“I love the ocean, but if I can’t see below the surface, I’m pretty sure nothing except my feet are going in,” Cora said.
“She does have a point,” Savannah added.
Bianca just shrugged. “You laugh now, but it’ll be a thing. Just wait and see.”
When they got to the shore, they kicked off their shoes just above the waterline. Then, with their arms linked together, just
like they used to do when they were kids, they waded out into the dark water.
“You know, Mom was right when she said we needed to come here,” Bianca said as the waves washed over their ankles. “We needed
this.”
Savannah nodded. “They say the beach has healing properties.”
“This beach does, for sure,” Cora agreed.
Although it occurred to Cora that maybe it wasn’t the beach. And maybe life wasn’t perfect like they thought it was all those
years ago. Maybe what was perfect, maybe the thing that had brought them healing, was just being together.
“We’re doing this again next summer, right?” Savannah asked.
“Absolutely,” Cora replied.
“Wait.” Bianca tilted her head to the side like she was thinking. “This will be my home then. That’s weird. I guess you can
count me in, because I’ll already be here.”
Cora looked over at Savannah. “But next time Chris and the girls should stay the whole time, too. I mean, the family’s not
just us anymore.”
“Agreed.” Savannah nodded. Then she paused for a second, as if thinking it all the way through. “Although maybe we can have
a little time when it’s just the sisters.”
“Of course. Sister week. It will be a new tradition,” Cora said.
“I like it,” Bianca agreed.
“Because the Prestly girls always pull through together,” Cora said.
“Always,” Savannah agreed.
“Always,” Bianca echoed.
Cora, who was in the middle, rested her head on Savannah’s shoulder and pulled Bianca in a little tighter.
Always, she thought. Because no matter what else came their way, they always had one another.