Page 41 of Escape to Lighthouse Cove

“Wise…” Isaiah shook his head again, looking confused. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. This is what I want, Isaiah. I’ve told you that many times before, sopleasestop interfering.” He kept his voice sharp, but it didn’t deter the caretaker.

“Iwon’tstop interfering, as long as you’re here,” he replied with a weary smile. “I’ve known you since you were a little boy, Noah, and I know you’ve always been lively and impetuous and full of fun. And sometimes those qualities got you in trouble. And for some reason they’ve made you blame yourself for your brother’s death.”

“Isaiah—” His name was a warning, a strong one. Isaiah had never spoken so plainly before, and he did not want to listen to him speak so now. He couldn’t bear it.

“Jem wouldn’t want you to hide away like this, Noah?—”

“Actually, he would.” Noah’s voice sounded like the crack of a gunshot, reverberating through the room. “It was what he wanted, for both of us. I was the one who wouldn’t listen.” He realized his voice was shaking and he had to press the heels of his hands to his eyes. “Please leave it,” he pleaded, his voice muffled. “Please.”

Noah kept his hands to his eyes as he heard Isaiah shift where he stood, start to say something, and then fall silent. Finally, with a long, sorrowful sigh, the old man shuffled off. Noah dropped his hands from his eyes and drew a shuddering breath before he pushed all the memories, all the feelings, back, deep down inside him, where they belonged.

Then, his mouth firming, he reached for the mouse and started to click. Much better to focus on what he was good at, which didn’t hurt anybody, ever. Handling investments and making money.

When it came to people, he was nothing but a failure.

“Hey, long time no see!”

Becca waved at Grace as she strolled in from the beach, still in her waterproofs and waders, her curly hair pulled back in a bushy ponytail. It was only early afternoon, but it seemed Becca was done fishing for the day.

“It hasn’t been that long,” Grace protested with a smile. She’d seen Becca in passing over the last week, mostly just to wave to, because she’d been intent on keeping herself busy.

Ever since Noah had apologized for not kissing her back, Grace had been determined to turn over a new leaf and focus on the things that mattered—her son, her job, and getting her life back on track. Heart-to-hearts, never mind actual kisses, with damaged, brooding, and inaccessible men werenotpart of her agenda. And even thinking about that awful, awful moment made her squirm in mortification. What on earth had she been thinking, kissing him like that, especially right after she’d been telling him all about Brad? What a way to choose her moment. Well, there would be no moremomentsto choose, because it certainly wouldn’t happen again.

And so she’d focused on her job, walking the nature reserve twice every day with Jacob, checking on various feeding and nesting boxes, checking the shoreline for any litter or pollution, pointing out all the different seabirds—the Atlantic puffins and black-bellied plovers, the spotted sandpipers and ruddy turnstones. Jacob’s nature journal had plenty of pages now, with a list of all the animals they saw and even sketches he’d drawn of them.

Together they’d repaired a nesting box for black-capped chickadees and crouched in the long grass by the beach as they’d watched a red fox sniff around.

She’d also finished cleaning the office, updated the files as best as she could as well as the website. She’d even done some preliminary research on offering programs for locals and tourists alike—both bird and whale watching, as well as opportunities to volunteer walking the reserve, keeping an eye on things. She intended to present Isaiah with a proposal as soon as she could work one up, because surely this little slice of heaven deserved more attention than it had been getting.

She’d also spent a lot of time with Jacob—as well as walking the reserve, they’d played on the beach, planted spring bulbs in the window boxes of the warden’s lodge, and gone to Eastport for groceries and gardening supplies, stopping in at the Boatload of Books for story time.

And meanwhile spring was coming to the island with joyful abandon—daffodils and tulips springing up in lush, verdant banks, the trees coming into bright green bud, the air holding that hint of warmth that was like a song to her soul.

Really, everything wasgreat.

“What are you up to?” Grace asked Becca. “Finished for the day?”

Becca nodded. “Lewis has a dentist appointment so I’m running him into Eastport. By the way, my mom wanted to invite you to dinner,” she added. “Probably she wants the goss about Grayhaven, but you know, you’ll get a meal out of it, at least.”

“I really don’t have any gossip to share,” Grace stated firmly. She was not about to give anyone the lowdown on Noah. “But I’d be happy to come to dinner. Thank you.”

“Fair enough,” Becca replied with a laugh. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you—my mom is like a terrier when it comes to ferreting out information. Because, you know, as a Mainer, she can certainly keep her counsel, but at the same time she’ll give you the Spanish Inquisition without you even realizing.”

Grace managed a laugh back, although she was more than a little intimidated by Bab’s forceful personality. “I consider myself warned,” she said.

“How about this Friday, six o’clock?” Becca suggested, and Grace nodded. She didn’t have anything scheduled, not even Jacob’s chess lessons. That morning, in a sudden ferment of anxiety, she’d emailed Isaiah to cancel this afternoon’s lesson. It felt cowardly, especially as she’d offered no explanation, but she knew she wasn’t ready to see Noah. She couldn’t bear to clock the expression of mingled pity and regret she felt sure would be on his face. Maybe next week.

Then again, maybe not.

But, soon after saying goodbye to Becca and heading back to the lodge, Jacob trotting by her side, she realized she should have known better. At ten minutes to three, Jacob appeared before her, his expression both solemn and stubborn. He tugged her sleeve and then nodded toward the door.It’s time for chess.It was as clear as if he’d said it out loud, and Grace sighed.

“Not today, bud,” she said gently. “Maybe next week.”

Jacob frowned and then shook his head almost violently. He tugged on her sleeve again, harder this time, yanking her arm, and then gestured pointedly toward the door.

“Jacob…” Grace stared at him helplessly. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take you to chess today.”