Emma laughed. “This is my home now. One day, I’ll invite you for a visit, and you’ll see why I love it. I’m okay, Caroline. I promise.”

Being a licensed clinical social worker, Caroline had been very concerned about her best friend, but when they hung up, Emma felt like she had proven to her that she was going to get the right kind of help now.

Janine told her all about the trauma support group that she sometimes attended, and it had really helped her. Janine seemed so put together now, so it was hard for Emma to picture her when she was in the midst of trying to recover from what happened to her.

This morning, she was just feeling all rung out, like she needed a very long nap followed by a big tub of ice cream. She didn’t get the chance to really rest after her conversations, and she was looking forward to a very quiet night at home after the festival.

“How’s everything going?” Janine asked. She had been flitting about, here and there, showing people different yoga poses and inviting them to classes. Emma loved to watch her work. She couldn’t believe how incredibly flexible she was, and everybody in town seemed to know Janine. With her head full of thick, curly hair, it was hard to miss her.

“Really good. I’ve met a lot of nice people, and I have recited every single lighthouse fact that I know.”

Janine chuckled. “I’m sure you’re feeling a little worn out today? This will all be over soon, and we can go watch the boat parade.”

“Boat parade? You mean there’s more?” Emma wanted to lay her head on the table and cry quietly.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t last long. But I have to go support William because he’s in it. It’s good for business.”

“Then I’ll be there. I wouldn’t want William to think I’m not a team player.”

Janine laughed. “Well, I better go grab some more flyers. Got to fill up those yoga classes!” she said as she trotted off.

Emma was so happy to have found a place like Seagrove. She felt like she’d won the lottery. Were there other towns like this across the United States that nobody talked about but were perfect little pieces of heaven? She almost didn’t want to tell anyone where she lived for fear that everyone would want to move there. She imagined that there was a delicate balance in a town like this, and she hoped that it never ended up on one of those lists in a magazine saying it was America’s best small town.

There was nothing more beautiful than seeing the sunset over the lowcountry marshes. As William stared out over the marsh grass that was slightly blowing in the wind, he thought about how many years of his life he’d spent in this water. Fishing, boating, and occasionally falling in and swimming back to the boat. So many good memories as a kid, and so many new memories that he got to make every day.