MACEY LAY AWAKE FOR A LONG TIME. SHE COULDN’T SEEM TO SHUT OFF her worried thoughts—they ran together, making her mind spin, and when she finally did doze off, she had an unsettling dream about a three-legged dog struggling to swim, its sweet brown eyes full of fear. Later, deep in the night, she was awakened by the haunting sound of a siren, and she whispered a prayer—as she always did—for whomever needed help. She lay still, trying to fall asleep again, and heard light rain hitting the windows. Will it ever stop? she thought, rolling to her side. She could hear Grandy’s voice whispering, “‘He will come to us like rain.’”
“What does that mean, Grandy?” she’d asked when she was little.
“It’s from the book of Hosea, Macey dear. It means the Lord is always near when we need him—you just have to draw on your faith.”
Macey listened to the rain now and tried to do just that, but her faith felt nonexistent. “Where are you, Lord?” she whispered, trying to think of a time when she’d felt God’s presence, or truly at peace. Her mind drifted to the day she’d come home from Europe and heard that everyone from her class was meeting at Doc’s. No one had known she was home, so she’d been excited at the prospect of surprising Ben. She had missed him. They’d written back and forth often, and she’d looked forward to seeing his familiar neat handwriting on the envelopes leaning inside her mailbox. His letters were warm and funny, and he often talked about running. Every day, it seemed, he’d get home from work, lace up his shoes, and “put in an easy ten or twelve miles”—like it was nothing!—and then, added with a smiley face, that it got him through missing her.
Was he teasing, she had wondered, or did he really miss her? She couldn’t be sure, but every time she’d gone out with a guy in college, she’d found herself comparing her poor unsuspecting date to Ben—Was he as fit? As caring? As funny? Most of the guys, she’d decided, didn’t measure up.
And then, when she’d traveled across Europe with her friends from Bowdoin, she hadn’t been interested in going out with any of the guys they met. Not even tall, blond, blue-eyed Per who they met one night at the Lamb & Flag. The handsome Scandinavian was pub-crawling with his equally handsome brother, Olaf, and their friend Nils, and the young men had paid for several rounds before trying to convince the three American girls to accompany them to the Star Tavern—the next watering hole on their itinerary. Bridget and Jen had been all in, but Macey—who was usually the first to say yes to more adventure—had hesitated.
“Per likes you,” Bridget had whispered, trying to convince her.
“That’s what worries me,” she’d replied, laughing.
“Just one,” Jen pressed. “It’ll be fun! Then, we’ll go home. Promise.”
But just one had turned into one too many, and things had gotten out of hand. Regrettably out of hand. When Macey had opened her eyes the next morning and blinked at the light filtering into the room, the first person she’d thought of was Ben. She’d clenched her jaw in dismay and remorse, and rubbed her aching head. What would Ben think if he could see her now? And why, for heaven’s sake, did it matter? It’s not like they were dating, or had any kind of commitment whatsoever. Heck, they hadn’t even seen each other in four years . . . so why then did she suddenly feel so . . . guilty? Damn him, she thought, tears stinging her eyes. All he does is work hard, be cheerful and honest, eat the lunch he gets up early to make for himself, go running, come home tired, and find time to sit at his desk and write her sweet, funny letters. That’s the whole problem, right there, she thought, he is too good!
After that night, all Macey had wanted was to go home. She’d had enough of traveling, sightseeing, and partying, and she’d begun to wonder if something—or someone—was playing a role in guiding her. Because it certainly seemed as if subtly, without any one occurrence she could pinpoint, she was falling in love with her old friend. The idea was crazy, she knew, because back when they were spending all their time together in high school, she’d seen the tender look in Ben’s eyes, and she’d ignored it. After all, it was just Ben, her best friend, the boy she always called kiddo. But, somehow, the old adage absence makes the heart go fonder was proving true, and the gentle unspoken patience of Ben’s heart was . . . well, it was driving her crazy!
Needless to say, when Ben Samuelson walked through the door at Doc’s, her heart had skipped a beat. And as she made her way toward him, she’d realized he wasn’t the skinny kid she’d said good-bye to four years earlier. He was six-foot, tan, and handsome, and his chiseled chin was accentuated by a scruffy beard. And although his shoulders and chest were broad and muscular from working construction with his dad, his faded Levi’s still hung casually from his slender runner’s hips.
“Hey, kiddo! Look at you!” she’d said with a smile as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. The look on his face had been priceless.
“Hey . . . look at you! I . . . I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
Macey grinned. “I know. I wanted to surprise you.”
Just then, Henry had peered around Ben, and Macey had looked over in surprise. “Oh no! Double trouble!” she’d said with a laugh, taking in the adult version of Ben’s best friend. Henry, too, had changed. He was still handsome, but his chestnut-brown hair was receding, and he was heavier than she remembered, as if maybe he’d been to too many frat parties.
“Hey, Mace,” Henry said, giving her a warm hug. “Care to join us?” He nodded to the table in the corner where Lindsey and Hayley were sitting.
Macey looked over at the table. “Oh my goodness! Is that Hayley?”
“It is,” Henry confirmed.
“She came along because she knows so many people in our class,” Ben added quickly, which prompted Henry to raise an eyebrow.
“Are you sure there’s room?”
“We’ll make room,” Ben asked, reaching for his wallet. “What would you like to drink?”
Macey eyed the pitchers in Henry’s hands. “I’ll just get a glass and have whatever you’re having . . . if you don’t mind.”
“We don’t mind,” Ben assured her.
They made their way through the crowd to their table, saying hello to several more classmates before Ben grabbed an extra chair and pulled it over.
As soon as Hayley saw Macey, she stood up. “Hi, Mace!” The two friends hugged. “Is Maeve here, too?”
“No, she’s home with a sore throat—but she sends her love to everyone!”
Henry set the pitchers on the table and introduced Lindsey to Macey, and the two girls, discovering they had New England roots in common, immediately hit it off.
“How did you two meet?” Macey asked, looking from Lindsey to Henry.
“At college,” Henry answered as he filled their glasses.
Macey knew Henry had gone to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, but she wasn’t sure what he had majored in. She gave him a puzzled look. “Remind me what your major was, Hen.”
“Business . . . and Lindsey majored in education,” he added. “In fact, she just started teaching kindergarten at an elementary school in Charlotte.”
“Nice!” Macey said. She turned to Lindsey. “Do you like it?”
“Love it! The kids are so sweet.”
“And . . . what are you doing with your fabulous business degree?” she teased, eyeing Henry.
Henry chuckled and took a sip of his beer. “Figuring things out . . . and bartending, but I’m definitely staying in Charlotte.” He smiled at Lindsey, and then looked around the table. “One of us has to break away from this old town.”
“Well, I’m done breaking away,” Macey announced. “I’m moving back to Tybee.”
They all looked surprised, and she smiled. “I’ve been accepted to a pediatric PA program in Savannah, and since my parents are getting older, I want to be nearby.”
“Your parents aren’t that old,” Ben said, although he was happy to hear this news.
“They’re not, but they will be, and it would be better if I settled nearby. I’ve missed them . . . and Maeve. Besides, Tybee is the most beautiful place on earth . . . with the best people,” she added with a smile, “so why would I want to be anywhere else?”
“That’s what I’ve always thought, too,” Ben said with a grin.
The conversation turned to Hayley, and she talked about the nightlife in New Orleans and invited them all down for Mardi Gras. “We have plenty of room,” she added, smiling at Ben even though it was obvious to everyone that the embers slowly burning in his heart for Macey had been fanned to a flame.
He should’ve stayed with Hayley, Macey thought sadly as she lay in bed now. She has three kids! She pushed off her covers, slipped out of bed, and shuffled downstairs to make a cup of tea. She looked at the clock—it was 5:00 A.M. There were five hours to kill until church. She sighed, and as she waited for the water to heat, she pictured the big golden retriever curled up on a cold cement floor. The image made her feel worse. “Poor guy,” she said softly. “Life isn’t fair.”
She heard a sound, turned around, and saw the boy she’d missed so much when she was in Europe leaning against the doorframe in his boxers, and she realized some greater force must have played a role in weaving their lives back together. Now, if she could only find the faith to believe there was more joy and wonder in store for them. “I’m sorry if I woke you,” she said, smiling sadly.
“I was awake.”
She nodded.
“Mace,” he said softly, “if you want to go see about adopting that dog, I’ll go with you.”
“Yeah?” she said, half smiling.
“Yeah,” he said, putting his arms around her. “What did you say his name was?”
“Keeper.”
He smiled. “I guess you can’t go wrong with a name like that.”
She leaned into him and smiled. “No, you can’t.”