“That’s going to be hard.”
“Understatement,” I reply with a soft laugh.“He’s my whole world.”
Silence settles around us, and I take a moment to breathe deeply, inhaling the salty sea air just beyond our porches.Silvery moonlight shines down on the ocean, illuminating the waves as they gently crash into the shore.
There’s a road between us and the ocean, but this view is one of the main reasons I chose this apartment.Because sitting here, looking out at it helps me realize that no matter how big my problems are—how vast the darkness may seem—it’s nothing but a blip compared to the depth of the ocean.
A single tear in a seemingly endless depth.
“You’re a great mom.”
Those four words rip me from my thoughts, and I turn toward him, unsure how to respond.Aside from Thomas telling me from time to time how much he appreciates me, no one has ever told me I was a great mom.
I’ve heard all the ways I was failing from Victor in the short month we stayed with him.How my son shouldn’t need to cry and the only reason he did was because I wasn’t providing for him in the way all other moms did.And I guess I never let anyone else close enough to see anything beyond the walls I’ve put up.
Yet standing here in the darkness with Garrison a few feet away from me, he manages to completely disarm me with four simple words.
“Th-thanks,” I finally say once the silence has stretched enough to be awkward.
He smiles, and a small dimple appears at the corner of his mouth, barely visible through his beard.“I just thought you should know.”
Heat flushes my cheeks.“I really appreciate you saying that.”
With a shrug, Garrison turns his attention back to the view beyond the porch, and with his gaze turned away from me, I can finally draw a deep breath to steady myself against the pull I feel toward a man I barely know.
It has to be because I saved his life.
Right?
“What about you?”I question, hoping to shift the conversation back to him.
“Eh, just restless, I guess.I don’t do well being cooped up.”
“You don’t look like a man who spends a lot of time inside.”Heat climbs up the back of my neck.“I mean, you just have the build of someone physically active.”Oh, come on, Katelyn.You might as well have told him you thought he was hot.
Garrison chuckles.“I don’t tend to spend a lot of time inside.”
“You do seem to be doing better, though.”
“I am definitely getting back to normal, and I’m seriously hoping to be cleared completely tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?That seems soon.”
“Doc Alex says I heal fast.”He winks at me, and my knees go weak.
Ridiculous, the effect he has on me.Haven’t I learned my lesson?Haven’t I suffered enough to know better?I take a sip of my tea.“I’m glad to hear it.Well, I’d better get inside and try to grab another hour or so of sleep.Thanks for the late-night chat.”
“Thank you,” Garrison replies, his gaze locked on mine.“I hope you sleep well, Katelyn.”The deep baritone of his voice warms me up from the inside.
“You, too.”I force a smile, then step back behind the separator that will provide some privacy from Garrison Holt.
I open and close the door, but don’t go inside.Instead, I settle back onto the patio chair and draw my knees up to my chest.
As the silent tears stream down my cheeks, I hear his door open and close softly.Will he go back to sleep?Or will he sit up the rest of the night, haunted by whatever ghosts he carries?
“You are so welcome, Mr.Jenkins.I hope you enjoy.”After sliding my notepad into my pocket, I move back toward the counter of the diner.It’s been a long few hours, but I’m nearly half-done with my shift.
“You doing okay?”Maddie, my boss and the owner of the diner, asks.Her grey hair is pulled back in a tight bun, her soft blue eyes full of concern.