“I’ll be right back.” Stormy disappeared into the house and emerged with three glasses, which she filled with the contents of the growler. “Blueberry ale.”

Emilia took a long drink and let the subtle notes of blueberry linger in her mouth.

“Good, right?” Stormy grinned.

“So, now that you’re properly hydrated, we need to talk,” said Lillian.

Emilia nodded.

“First of all,” said Stormy, “we love you. Whatever you decide to do, we support.”

“Yes.” Lillian, still in scrubs, undid the knot of hair on top of Emilia’s head and began detangling it with deft fingers. “And you’re good for Morgan.”

“That’s not what she thinks.”

“I thought we established that she’s an idiot.”

“What do you want?” asked Stormy. Her curls framed her face as she leaned toward Emilia.

The answer came to her at once. “I want to be with her, and I want to stay here. I want to stay here even if she doesn’t want to be with me.”

Lillian nodded. “And you’re sure of that?”

“As sure as I can be.”

“What about Kate?”

“My sister found her for me. I had no idea she was Morgan’s ex. Listening to her talk about listing is part of what made me decide to stay. I tried to tell Morgan that, but she . . .”

“Yeah.” Lillian’s tone softened. “I think finding Kate’s card short-circuited her brain.”

“How . . .” Emilia trailed off, then tried again. “How is she?”

Lillian and Stormy exchanged dark looks. “She’s a nightmare. Stevie’s going to kill her soon, and I don’t blame her.”

“Really? Morgan?” Emilia couldn’t reconcile the easygoing, gentle, caring person she knew Morgan to be with the person they seemed to be describing.

“Snapping at anyone who comes near, brooding, vanishing for hours . . .”

“She hasn’t even come by the bar.”

“That’s because she’s living off cheese and whiskey,” said Lillian. “You have to understand something about Morgan. She’s one of the best people I know, but when she’s hurting badly she acts like a wounded animal.”

The idea of Morgan in pain squeezed her heart, even as a part of her was glad to know that Morgan, too, was upset.

“She won’t answer my calls.”

“That’s because she’s told herself how this story ends,” said Stormy. “I see it all the time at work. People are dumb.”

“Morgan is scared,” said Lillian. “Give her time.”

“Time?”

“You each have things to figure out. You do you right now. I promise you Morgan Donovan isn’t going anywhere,” said Stormy.

She wanted to believe them both, but too much could go wrong.

“And if she doesn’t come around,” said Lillian, arranging Emilia’s hair around her shoulders, “you’ll still have us. You can make this place home if you want to, Emilia, with or without Morgan.”

“I’ll have to move my boat.”