“So, that’s it? You’re just cutting ties with me and Caroline and the whole community you had back home?”

She swallowed hard. “Caroline will always be my best friend, and I will never cut ties with her. But everything else, I have to let go of. It’s like I was a different person before the shooting, and now I’m this person. You wouldn’t want to be engaged to her anyway, Steve. She’s a stranger to you.”

He shook his head. “I think you’re making a big mistake. You built a career, and you were going to have a wonderful retirement. I just don’t understand any of this.”

She walked over to the front door and opened it. “That’s the beauty of this freedom I have. Nobody has to understand. I get to choose the life I want, and I’ve made my choice. I’m sorry, Steve. I never wanted to break your heart. But this is how it has to be for me, and I’m at peace with it. I hope you have a really happy life and you find someone who will love you the way you deserve.”

He slowly walked past her and back out onto the porch.

“I wish you all the best, Emma. I know you’re broken from what happened, and I truly hope one day you’ll get some help for that because you deserve to feel at peace about that too. Goodbye.”

As she watched him walk down and get into his rental car, she felt lighter. This was something that should’ve happened months ago, but she didn’t know if she was ready to let go of the relationship when everything else in her life was falling apart. She watched the car disappear down the long gravel street, and she knew that she was finally starting her life over again.

Chapter 8

Julie loved having someone stay at the inn. Her whole life, she had enjoyed meeting new people and finding out about their lives. For a long time, she had even considered being a newspaper reporter or a television journalist so that she could go out into the world and ask people questions without them thinking that she was just nosy.

When Anna had agreed to come stay at the inn while she was in Seagrove on business, it made Julie happy to have someone else to talk to. She was enjoying her new friendship with Emma, and she always enjoyed her time with Dawson and Dylan. But the constant in and out of guests was one of her favorite things about living there.

“I hope you enjoyed dinner,” Julie said as she sat across from the kitchen table with Anna.

“It was wonderful. I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed chicken and dumplings so much. Lucy is definitely genius in the kitchen.”

Julie nodded. “Yes, she definitely is. So, how long did you say you’ll be in Seagrove?”

Anna took a sip of her coffee. “Probably until Monday. I’ve got some other things coming up that I have to attend to, so I don’t think I can stay much past that. I hope it’s okay for me to stay here that long?”