“I’ve worked for the last year at a small PR firm in Charlotte. I saw your advertisement for the lighthouse keeper’s position in The New York Times last weekend, and everything about it appealed to me. I have absolutely no experience running a lighthouse, although where one would get such experience, I couldn’t begin to imagine! I’m thirty-six years old, well educated in both the classroom and the school of hard knocks. I’m a reliable person looking for the opportunity to start over in a new place. I’d be honored to be considered for this position. Thank you for ‘listening’ to my story. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jenny Wilks.”

Alex held the pages in both hands, his head bowed as he absorbed her incredibly moving words. He already admired her more than he’d admired anyone in a long time. But after reading her heartfelt words, he suspected he might also be on his way to falling in love with her. That she’d suffered such an unimaginable loss and could still be so positive and upbeat and fun was a testament to who she was underneath it all.

It was suddenly imperative that he see her. He tucked her letter into a nook in the kitchen to return to Paul in the morning and went to his room to grab a jacket. In the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face and brushed his teeth. Then he tapped lightly on Paul’s door and opened it.

“What?” Paul muttered.

“I’m going out.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I just… I need to see her.”

“Go ahead. I’ll be here.”

“Thanks, Paul. For showing me the letter and for everything else, too.” In the midst of the daily struggle with their mother, he and his brother didn’t often get into emotional topics if they could avoid them. But Jenny’s letter was a reminder that life could be short, and there was no time like the present to tell people how you felt about them.

“You, too. Thanks for coming home when I asked you to. I never could’ve done this by myself.”

“I never would’ve let you.”

“Don’t take the bike out in the rain.”

“I won’t.”

“I like her, Al.”

He knew his brother meant Jenny. “I like her, too. Get some sleep.” On the way out the door, he sent Jenny a text. Coming over. Didn’t want to scare you.

Didn’t I just see you?

Wasn’t enough.

Alex ran through the rain to his company truck and headed toward the Southeast Light. On the way, the story she’d told in her letter ran through his mind like a horror movie. How did anyone survive a loss like that? He’d thought it traumatic to lose his dad to cancer, but at least his dad had lived a good long life.