I swallowed hard against the emotion gathering in the back of my throat. Was I making a terrible mistake getting these kids involved with Griffin? What if he decided to leave the island? Or that having high-energy little ones running around his property all the time was annoying? What if he started dating someone, and she didn’t want us around? I shut every single thought down, one by one, shoving them forcefully from my mind. “I think he’ll love it.”

“It’s really pretty,” Ava offered.

Mia beamed. “I can’t wait to give it to him.”

I sent up a silent prayer that Griffin was down with donning rainbows and wouldn’t crush Mia’s spirit. Maybe he could at least come up with an excuse as to why he couldn’t wear it but tell her he’d keep it nearby. Hopefully, she’d settle for that.

As I handed Mia back her bracelet, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye—a figure quickly rounding a corner across the street. She was older, gray now streaking her hair, but I would recognize that profile anywhere. My mother. She was here. And she was watching.

22

Griffin

I told myself time and again that I was losing it, that nothing was wrong. But I couldn’t shake the feeling. Caelyn had been off when she picked up Will yesterday. On edge as if she were expecting someone to jump out of the bushes at any moment. I simply wanted to make sure she was okay. Have a conversation where little ears weren’t listening in.

I pulled into a parking spot at the edge of the lot and climbed out of my truck. Heading for The General Store, my steps faltered as I took in the glaring woman coming towards me, a toddler in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other. She muttered something under her breath.

It took me a moment to recognize her as the person who’d been giving me the evil eye at the pizza place a couple of weeks ago. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

She huffed and raised her chin. “I’ve tried to set Caelyn straight. To guide her way in what it means to be a parent. But she won’t listen. Those children need someone at home with them. Someone who can be dedicated to their care. Instead, she’s obsessed with growing this little sandwich shop. And now, she’s wrapped up in you. A loner with a violent streak. Probably doesn’t even care that she’s ignoring the children in the process.”

My hands fisted and flexed, the urge to set her straight strong. But I kept my voice even. “You must have a sad life that you have all this time to cast judgment on others. Maybe it’s time you focus some of that attention inward.”