Chapter 33

After Jim escorts his father to the police station, I practically race up to the street, then run down Alex’s dock. I can’t wait to tell him about Gene’s confession, about all of it.

I stop, out of breath, in front of his door. I place my hand on the doorknob, but pause when I notice a pair of lime green flats and two adorable little girl’s UGG boots. I peer through the window that looks directly into the kitchen and living area, and my heart seizes.

Kellie’s standing barefoot in front of the stove, stirring something simmering in a large pot. Alex and Gracie are huddled over a picture book at the bar. Everyone’s smiling. It’s the picture of a happy, idyllic family.

I take a step back. How could I think that I could insert myself into their world? I can’t knock on the door. I can’t think about going inside. I don’t belong here. I shake my head and run back up the dock.

“Joanie, it’s me,” I say into the phone. “I’m coming home.”

“Oh, honey,” she says. “What happened?”

I rub my eyes. I know she can hear my voice cracking. “Nothing, exactly,” I say. “I met the man of my dreams. I fell in love. But he’s a part of a family, and I can’t break that up.”

“Oh,” Joanie says. “Are you sure you’re not misinterpreting the situation? Didn’t you say he’s divorced, that he’s over his ex?”

“That doesn’t matter,” I say. “I just saw them together. The three of them. You should have seen the way his little girl looked up adoringly at her mom and dad.” I pause to wipe a tear from my cheek. “I can’t interfere with that, Joanie. I’m catching a plane home this evening.”

I spend the next few hours packing, and when my suitcase is arranged, I wipe down the counters and hand-wash the dishes in the sink. I dry the water glass that Alex used the night before, and I set it lovingly on the shelf. It’s for the best, I tell myself.

I make the bed upstairs, then give the living room a once-over. I’ll miss this place. Jim. The ducks. The lake. The way the morning glory blooms just as the sun rises. I walk outside to the deck and kneel down to pick a white flower and tuck it in my pocket. I don’t ever want to forget Boat Street.

I stand up just as Kellie is walking out of Alex’s houseboat. She’s wearing a coat, and her purse is slung over her shoulder. She stops briefly, then waves. “Hello,” she calls out. I’m a bit startled by the overture. Each of us knows of the other, and yet we’ve never spoken. What would I say to her?

“Hi,” I reply.

“May I come over?” Kellie asks.

I nod stiffly. I don’t know what to expect. Will she plead with me to stay away from her daughter? From Alex? Will there be words? I brace myself.

“Just a minute,” she says. “I’ll walk around.”

Two minutes later, she’s standing in front of my deck. “What do you think?” she says, pointing to her shoes. “They were an impulse buy at Nordstrom. But lime green? I’m not so sure.”

I grin. “They’re really cute.” I’m surprised by how much I already like her. She’s funny and warm and reminds me of Joanie, but I still regard her presence cautiously. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yes, thanks. I was hoping we could talk.”

Inside, she sits on a chair in the living room, and I sink into the sofa. My heart is beating wildly. I feel like I’m in the principal’s office. Will her smile morph into a stern expression before she warns me against spending time with Gracie? Will she confide that she still loves Alex and plead with me, woman to woman, to back off?

We both began speaking at the same time. “Sorry,” I say.

Kellie smiles. “This is awkward, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” I reply quickly. “Listen, I don’t want you to worry. I’m leaving, tonight, actually.”

She looks confused. “Leaving? Why?”

“I don’t want to interfere,” I say. “It’s best for Gracie if the two of you have the space to work things out.”

“Work things out?” She lets out a little laugh. “Alex and me?”

I shake my head, confused. “But I thought . . .”

“Ada, I’m engaged,” she says, holding up an enormous sparkler on her left hand. “I moved on a long time ago.”

“You did?”

She nods. “Listen, we’ve had our past, and it wasn’t always easy. We were two people who were never meant to marry, but we did anyway, and the best result was Gracie. Alex and I were in a terrible place for a long time, but we’re good now. Gracie’s good. She loves you, by the way.”

“She does?” I feel like Jell-O. This isn’t the conversation I anticipated having, and yet it’s the greatest, most unexpected gift.

“Yes,” she says. “And so do I. Alex told me about you, about what you’ve been through. Well, what I want you to know is that I welcome you into this crazy, dysfunctional family of ours. You make Alex happy, and that makes him a better daddy. A win-win.”

I grin. “I can’t believe I read the situation so wrong.”

Kellie smiles. “It’s OK. All that matters now is that you stay and give it a chance. Think you can do that?”

I nod.

“By the way,” she continues, “those cookies you made for Gracie were really good. Do you have the recipe to share?”

“No,” I say, “but I can get it for you.”

“Please,” she says. “I’m working on a cookie book in the fall, and I’d love to include it.”

“I have to admit,” I say, thinking of Penny, “the recipe isn’t mine. It’s from a woman who lived in this houseboat a long time ago.”

“Oooh, history,” she says. “Even better. Stories always enrich a recipe.” She looks at her watch. “I have to go,” she says, standing up. “My editor will be at Wild Ginger in a half hour.” She leans over and rubs the back of her right shoe. “Serves me right to have to walk three blocks downtown when I wear a new pair out. You don’t happen to have a Band-Aid handy?”

“Blister?”

“Yeah,” she says.

I run to the bathroom and return, handing her the bandage.

“Thanks,” she says.

“It took a lot of courage to come over to talk to me,” I say. “I don’t know that I could have done that.”

Kellie shakes her head knowingly. “Yes, you could have. You’re a mother to a little girl,” she says, pointing up to heaven. She lowers her voice. “Alex told me.”

I nod.

“We do anything for our children’s happiness; you know that.”

I blink back a tear. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” she says, smiling. “Go get your guy.”