There had been so many things Mel had wanted to say, but she’d never had the chance to say them.

You left without telling me you were going.

You broke my brother’s heart.

She’d called and left messages. There had been no response, which had upset Mel even more. Why couldn’t Joanna at least have given a reason so that Mel could try and understand?

Technically Joanna had dumped her the way she’d dumped Nate.

Mel had been traumatized. She’d been ghosted by her best friend. After almost two decades of friendship with all the highs and lows, all she’d been left with were questions.

Joanna had married Cliff (bad decision in Mel’s opinion) and five years later Nate had married Phoebe (equally bad decision). Four years after that Nate and Phoebe had divorced, and this time Mel hadn’t bothered asking what had happened because she knew. You couldn’t marry one person while you were still in love with another and she was sure Nate had never stopped loving Joanna. How he felt about her now, she had no idea because he was more likely to share his beer with her than his thoughts.

Joanna spoke first. “How did you find out I was here?”

It had been years, Mel thought, and that was the first thing she was going to say?

“I saw you on the rock. You’re the only person who ever sits on that rock.”

“In two decades?”

“Yes. I knew it was you.” She didn’t even ask herself why.

“If you know I’m here, then I guess everyone does.”

“No. And I’m sure no one else would have been able to recognize you. Except maybe if they had binoculars.”

Joanna didn’t smile. “They often do. And long lenses and, occasionally, drones, although fortunately they no longer fly those over the house.”

Mel couldn’t imagine it, but she believed it because she saw the change in her old friend. The wariness. The suspicion. Even the way she held herself suggested that she was braced to retreat in an instant if the need arose. “It must be hell.”

“It’s life.”

Joanna’s life. Not Mel’s.

“Trust me, no one knows you’re here. If they did, I would have heard the gossip. You know what this place is like.” She paused. “When I saw you on that rock I thought you might contact me.”

“I haven’t been in touch with anyone.”

Anyone? Since when had Mel been “anyone”?

“So you came here for what? To hide?”

Joanna gave a quick shake of her head. “What are you doing here, Mel?”

Mel was asking herself the same question. Why was she here? What exactly did she think was going to happen? What did she want to happen? She was about to get rejected a second time, so maybe it was time to say what needed to be said.