CHAPTER TWELVE

He just had to be all right.

She refused to accept any other outcome.

Summer didn’t bother to pack anything. She grabbed her gym bag that had some essentials, including some extra clothes. All she wanted to do was leave as soon as possible. Her mind was abuzz with thoughts of what was going on with her father.

She hadn’t been there for his first heart attack as her parents still lived on Bluestar Island at the time, and she’d been living in Boston. She always felt bad that she hadn’t been there to help them, but she’d been able to meet them at the hospital as her father had been life-flighted to a hospital in Boston.

That had been the turning point for her parents. Her mother convinced her father that the time had come for him to retire and move to the mainland. Her father had been born and raised on Bluestar Island. His family was still there, but at her mother’s urging, he conceded. Summer never thought she’d see her father move from the island that he loved, but no one ever thought her once-healthy, strong father would have heart problems. Now she was very grateful her mother had held a firm stance about moving closer to a medical facility that could hopefully deal with any problems her father might incur.

Summer phoned her mother, but she wasn’t answering her cell phone. She left a message. “Mom, I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few hours. I love you. Tell Dad, I love him too.”

It wasn’t until after they set sail that Summer realized she’d be isolated with Greg for a few hours. And once more she was intruding upon his time.

Still, it was his idea to sail her to Maine. Was she supposed to read something into his very generous offer?

But then she recalled how close her father and he had become over the years. She never thought too much about it at the time. It was normal for Greg and her father to hang out in the garage or down at the marina, but after the-kiss-heard-round-the-island, Greg had kept his distance from not only her but her parents. Maybe things were going back to the way they had been before the infamous kiss.

She moved up next to Greg and sat down. He glanced over at her. “Everything okay?” And then he realized how that sounded. “I mean other than the obvious.”

She nodded as she swallowed hard and hoped when she spoke that her voice would sound normal. She’d already fallen apart in front of him once; she didn’t want to do it again.

“Um, yes. Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s my day off anyway.”

“Must be nice.”

“What? Having a day off?” He glanced at her, waiting for her response.

She nodded. “When I decided to go into business for myself, I hadn’t fully realized how much work there would be in the beginning. I feel like I need to clone myself in order to get everything done. Or maybe I should just sell the business and move to Maine.”

Greg glanced at her. “Are you serious?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“It’s only natural that you want to be closer to your parents.”

“I do. But I also love the island. After living in Boston, I realized that Bluestar was where I belonged.”

But sometimes where you think you belong and where you should be are two different things. She wondered if that was the case now. And if that were the case, she didn’t know how she’d find the strength to leave Bluestar and all of her friends and family once more.

Her gaze settled on Greg. How would she leave him once more—just when they were starting to figure out this friendship stuff?

At last they were docked.

Summer rushed to the pier and moved with hurried steps toward the parking lot. All she could think about were her parents. She prayed her father was all right.

She’d tried calling her mother repeatedly, but she wasn’t picking up her phone. In order not to panic, Summer reminded herself that her mother was not the best with cell phones. Sometimes she forgot it at home on the charger. Other times she had the ringer turned off. And then there were times when she had the ringer on, but she didn’t have in her hearing aid, and so she didn’t answer. Any of those reasons were legitimate.

And then there was the thought that her father was in such serious condition that her mother just didn’t want to be bothered with the phone as she worried over her husband. The worrisome thought tightened Summer’s chest.

She’d already summoned a car to pick her up and take her to the hospital. She just hoped they would hurry.

At the agreed upon pick-up spot, she came to a stop. Her pulse raced with anxiety over her father’s condition.

A hand lightly touched her shoulder and she jumped. She spun around to find Greg standing there. She had been so focused when she’d left the boat she hadn’t realized he’d followed her.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Just then the car matching the description of the car she’d hired to take her to the hospital pulled to a stop in front of her. Without a word, Greg moved to open the door for her. She climbed inside and soon found Greg opening the other door and taking a seat next to her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Greg told the driver the name of the hospital, and off they went. He turned to her. “I’m going with you.”

“What? But why? You can head back to Bluestar.”

He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you. I’m not going to let you face this alone. I’ll be here as long as you need me.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

He reached out and placed his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I want to.”

She just didn’t have it in her to argue with him. She needed to conserve her energy for when she reached the hospital—for caring for her mother and father.

The closer they got, the more nervous she became. She had no idea what scene awaited her. She told herself that everything had to be all right because it was inconceivable not to have her father in her life. He’d been supportive, no matter what she intended to do with her life.

The car pulled to a stop outside the hospital. They rushed inside. The glare of the overhead lights and the shiny white tile floor felt so antiseptic to her.

At the reception desk, she found her father was still in the emergency room. This surprised her. She thought by now he would have been moved to a patient room. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that he was still in the ER? She had no idea.

“Come on.” Greg took her hand in his as they followed the arrows that directed them to the ER.

It was there that she moved to the desk. It took a few minutes until she was able to get someone’s attention. The ER appeared to be busy that evening with most of the chairs in the waiting area filled and more people coming in the door.

Once she got someone’s attention, she explained that her father was there, and then they showed her where to find him. It wasn’t until she was walking through a maze of hallways that she realized she was still holding Greg’s hand. Instead of letting go, she tightened her grip, finding comfort in his presence.

And then they reached her father’s cubicle. She paused in the hallway to catch her breath. Greg didn’t say anything as she released his hand. She drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment before blowing it out. No matter what happens next, she promised herself that she would be there for her mother.