Chapter 16
Bess closed the door to her food truck for the last time. She hadn’t expected this to be as bittersweet as it was, but she was going to miss this little place that had been the scene of so many hopes, fears, and joys.
She’d finished her final lunch service and then made sure the truck was spic and span for the new owners who’d be coming to pick it up the next morning. She teared up as she thought about the hope bright on the faces of the two sisters who planned to market specialized grilled cheese sandwiches. She wished for them the same beautiful experience the truck had given her. The revival of a long lost passion, a lifeline when she thought she’d come to the end of her rope, and most of all, a freedom at a time she’d needed it most.
She thought about all of the early mornings and late nights toiling in that truck. The hours of wondering if she had any sort of future without her ex, Jon. Wondering if she was worth anything without him. But she’d pushed through all of her fear, even when failure was nipping at her heels.
She blinked away the emotion and thought to her future. Her brick and mortar restaurant that would be opening in just a few weeks, right on Elliot Drive, the main thoroughfare of Whisling. Who would have ever thought how far Bess could come?
She suddenly felt an arm around her shoulders and smiled. She’d know that bony arm anywhere.
She glanced to her side to see her best friend, Deb. The woman who had endured just as much as Bess had, and yet every time, every single time she’d needed someone, Deb had been there. An angel during Bess’ times of sorrow.
“Of course you knew I’d need you tonight.” Bess leaned on her best friend gratefully.
“We all thought you might need some cheerful faces,” Deb said lightly, causing Bess to walk a few steps forward and peer around the truck to see the eleven other women who’d also battled their way to their happily ever afters on Whisling.
Those tears that had just been threatening now overflowed. These women. These incredible women that Bess got to call her friends. Oh how she loved them.
“You guys,” Bess said, her emotions keeping her from speaking anymore as her lips quivered.
“Of course we’re here,” Alexis spoke the answer to Bess’ unasked question.
Alexis would be moving with Bess to her new location, but this still felt like the end of a chapter for them. Alexis had come to the island so unsure of herself, and look at her now. Brimming with confidence, excited for whatever the future might bring.
“We wouldn’t have missed this for the world, my friend,” Olivia said from the back of the crowd in her quiet way.
Bess joined them at the picnic table she’d sat at with a few of them so long ago, with no idea what the future would hold. That evening she’d watched that sun set, wondering if she’d ever have a new beginning.
And not only had she gotten that beginning, but she’d had incredible subsequent events—the perfect wedding, dozens of miracles, and most of all she’d gained the best sisters any woman could ask for. The sisterhood of Whisling.
Bess found some space between Gen and Lou as Deb sat on the other side of the table between Lily and Julia. Nora and her girls sat on the other side of Gen while Alexis, Seren, and Olivia crowded in on the other side. Piper leaned against the far end of the table and they were here together, lifting Bess at a time she hadn’t even realized she’d need support. But they’d known.
Some of the overwhelming feeling that had overcome Bess was beginning to dissipate as she grinned at her friends. “You guys are too much. You didn’t need to do this.”
“Yes, we did. You made me my first meal on the island,” Seren said, leaning forward so that she could meet Bess’ eyes.
“And you made me my first good meal on the island since the first few before that had unfortunately been cooked by yours truly,” Julia joked and the women laughed.
“You brought me countless meals after Alan’s accident. When I thought I was going to fall apart with even the smallest tasks, somehow you knew and always had the perfect soup or comfort food to bring me back,” Lily said, her dark hair blowing in the breeze.
“You gave me a chance when no one else would,” Alexis added.
“The three of us came to your truck when we first moved here because anywhere else would have felt awkward, but coming to you felt like coming home,” Amber said as she glanced from her mom to her sister.
“And,” Piper’s voice cracked. “On a day when darkness threatened to envelop me whole, I heard the chime of my phone and a text from you, saying dinner was on the porch. You saved me, Bess.”
Bess blinked away the tears that had begun once more.
“You all have saved me too,” she managed hoarsely.
“We know. Because that’s what we do. We save each other.” Deb put her hand on the table, offering it to Bess.
Bess took her friend’s hand and then gripped Lily’s hand with her other, and soon all of the women were holding one another’s hands, a chain that had been tried and tested but would never be broken.
How was Bess supposed to say goodbye? She glanced back at her truck. Being done with this phase felt like the end. And though she knew that wasn’t the case—it was more like a see you later—she would let herself mourn, let herself love. And then tomorrow would be the start to a beautiful new dawn. One she knew would be great.
“I love you all,” Bess said, leaning her head on Alexis’ shoulder as she gazed into the faces of each and every woman there. They’d been forged through a fire that no one would wish, and yet, they were here. Some days so much stronger, other days just holding on, but they were there.
“I feel like I should have fed you all,” Bess added, lifting her head, looking back at her truck that she knew was devoid of food because Dax had just taken the last of the ingredients down to the new restaurant.
“You’ve fed us enough, Bess. Today we’re just here for you. Watching the sunset, ready for a new sunrise,” Olivia said, causing each woman to turn her gaze to the horizon, to the gorgeous reds, oranges, and pinks that told them night was coming, but with each twilight and night came a new day.
They’d finally made it. She’d finally made it. To the night before that coveted sunrise Bess had been begging for all those years ago. A morning she was looking forward to. And what a blessing that was.
What a blessing this life was.
The End