“Then yes, of course I think this is a great idea,” Jessica said. “And you know I’ll help any way I can. Free dessert catering for a year.”

Whitney pointed a finger at her. “You can’t do that. You are both small business owners. No freebies.”

Jessica laughed. “Sorry, Sarah… Family discount,” she whispered.

Sarah’s heart felt lighter than it had in weeks as she looked at her two best friends, confident that with their help and support, there was nothing she couldn’t do. Unfortunately, it didn’t help ease the ache of knowing that staying meant having to see Wes and Marissa and not being a part of their lives.

Running into them at the reunion the night before had only made it clearer just how much she cared about them, and when Marissa had hugged her…Sarah hadn’t wanted to let go. Maybe they could still be friends, and even if things hadn’t worked out with Wes, Sarah could still be there for Marissa. In whatever way that looked like.

She sighed. It would never be enough, but unfortunately, the choice didn’t seem to be hers.

Wes helping her to her room the night before was fuzzy in her memory, but she knew not to read anything into the gesture. Once again, he’d just found her in an embarrassing state and had come to the rescue.

Her head still pounded, and she needed something to dull the ache in her brain at least, even if she couldn’t dull the ache in her chest. “I’ll be right back,” she said. Getting up from the Adirondack chair, she headed into the inn, but her heart stopped as the front-page headline of the local newspaper laying on the porch caught her eye.

Celebrated War Hero and Local Entrepreneur Jack Harrison Passes Away Peacefully in His Sleep

“Oh no.” Sarah’s hand shook as she picked up the paper and continued to read.

Found the previous morning by his vendor neighbor who checked in on him each morning. “Make sure I’m still breathing,” he’d tell me, the neighbor’s quote read.

He’d died. Jack was gone. Had he found the journal? Had he read it?

“You okay?” Jessica asked, coming up next to her.

Sarah nodded, but a teardrop hit the page in front of her.

“Oh no, Mr. Harrison died?” her friend said, reading over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Sarah said, wiping her eyes.

A ceremony of life is scheduled to be held on the beach this weekend by the local vendors who called him a friend. He wasn’t survived by any family, was how the article ended.

“Did you know him?” Whitney asked, looking concerned by her tears.

“My grandmother loved him,” Sarah whispered. “At one time. A long time ago.” And their love had never been. The thought made her chest ache so hard, she thought her heart might actually be breaking.