Page 121 of Every Beautiful Mile

“You won’t believe it all, Mom, but I need a real shower and dry clothes before I can think straight. And maybe ice cream. And pizza.”

Marin shifts her bag on her shoulders.

“Are we getting an Uber?” Finn asks, tugging at the straps of his backpack and looking around the parking lot.

“Actually,” I clear my throat. “I ran into Ethan, and he let me borrow his truck s—"

“I told you she’d find him!” Marin squeals, slapping Finn on the arm and cutting the rest of my words off.

“What?” I stop, mid stride across the lot. “You knew?” My mouth drops open.

“Mom, of course,” she grins. “It was part of the reason I didn’t feel guilty leaving you here alone while we went to camp. I knew you’d find him, or he’d find you or something. How did you figure it out? Oh my gosh, Finn! Isn’t this so romantic?”

Finn rolls his eyes, and I shake my head with a laugh as we walk up to Ethan’s truck.

“Get in,” I say. “We’re meeting him for dinner tonight, and he can tell you all about it.”

***

They talk all at once—a tangle of yelled, “Tell her about the time...” and cackling laughs. I don’t follow most of the stories they tell, but I’m so deliriously happy to have them back, the smile never leaves my face.

After extremely long showers and too much time reading reviews on where to find the best ice cream, we’re sitting at a picnic table with cups filled with chocolatey frozen goodness.

I pull the box out of my purse I picked up from the jeweler and take a steadying breath.

“I have something for you guys.” I slide it across the table to them.

Marin looks at me before pulling the lid off, her mouth opening slightly as she tilts it toward Finn. He takes one of the medallion-sized key chains out and dangles it in the air. Travis’ signature of ‘Dad’ scribbled on one side catches the light from the sun.

“It’s my ring—well, was my ring—and the pitiful bag of gold we found in Arizona.” I smile. “And the chain my dad gave me. I had them melted down, so you each had a piece of him and the love that made you.”

I pause, trying to find words that don’t seem to exist.

“I couldn’t keep wearing it—the ring. My dad told me it kept me sad, and I think he was right. Every time I felt it on my body, I was teleported to my grief and… I don’t know, I thought this would…” My voice trails off, hoping they understand what I’m trying to say. “They’re not solid gold. We didn’t have enough. It’s plated, not that it matters, I guess… And this wasn’t about Ethan. I did it before I knew he was here.”

“Mom, it’s perfect,” Finn says as he lays the keychain in his palm.

“It is, Mom. I love it.”

Marin traces the signature on her own, over and over.

Relief tumbles over me like a waterfall.

The ring had been my life preserver, but to have it off my body and in their hands feels right.

“So, did you and Ethan go do any of the things on your list? Puffins? Whales?” Marin asks when she finally tucks the keychain back in the box.

I squint at them, a weird kind of guilt simmering in my gut. “We ate lobster. And Ethan showed me around the island.” Among other things.

“But puffins and whales didn’t seem as exciting without you two, so I kind of abandoned that plan. Next time, maybe.”

“Next time,” she says, eying me skeptically.

Whatever she’s thinking disappears with the next spoonful of ice cream she sticks in her mouth.

Forty-six

We meet Ethan at Mainely Local, and as usual, I’m taken aback by how damn handsome he is in scuffed-up boots, jeans, and a t-shirt. I see him before he sees us—watching him guide the staff and talk to customers in his casually wide, authoritative stance.

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