Page 27 of Play Action Pass

Mallory folded the piece of paper and slipped it back into her pocket before sitting down. Emmie reached over and squeezed her hand, then stood to say her own words to her brother. She cleared her throat and then smiled at the other two before speaking.

“A day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t talked to my brother.” Emmie looked at her silent companions. “He’s probably telling me to shut up with the mushy stuff.”

That was all she could say, since her throat closed on a sob. Instead, she reached into her beach bag and pulled out Jacoby’s urn. She hugged it, standing at the precipice of letting go … not sure if she could do it. This was the last step in her road of healing, although she still felt hints of depression. By releasing his ashes, she’d finally have to accept he was gone forever. That this world would never know him. Nothing more than a byline on some Internet search.

A warm hand slid around her waist, and she was pulled into Coleson’s body.

“You don’t have to do this right now,” he murmured in her ear.

She appreciated that, but she knew it was time to say goodbye. Emmie glanced up at him.

“Wanna do your eulogy to Thomas and we can both release them together?”

He smiled. “I think Thomas would like having a companion.”

“I think so, too,” she whispered.

“I’ve said it before but without Thomas I’d be some delinquent. He saved me in ways even I can’t comprehend. I’ll miss him every day.”

He went back to the captain’s chair and picked something up. When he turned around, Emmie saw he had Thomas’s urn.

“Let’s make sure we pour downwind,” Mallory said. “I loved Jacoby but I don’t want to wear him.”

It took a moment, but Emmie couldn’t help but chuckle, and a heartbeat later, so did Coleson. They opened the urns to reveal a thick, plastic bag with grey ashes inside. Coleson used a knife to slit it open, then passed it to her. Once both bags were ready, Mallory took one side and she the other and then they poured.

Most of it dumped into the ocean, and Coleson did the same. The ashes mingled and the breeze lifted some, dispersing over the water. It was a thing of beauty. Coleson stepped between them and put each arm over the shoulder of each woman, offering comfort as they watched the last link of their loved ones start their never-ending adventure in the Atlantic Ocean.

Chapter Fifteen

As Emmie walked into the grocery store, a flyer on the window caught her attention. A music festival was scheduled the following weekend, advertising bands of all genres, in a town called Gracelyn thirty miles away. She had never been to a music festival. A couple of times she went to the New York Philharmonic and saw a performance in the Sydney Opera House down under, but she had a feeling this was quite different.

She shopped and bought her groceries before heading back. She had left Coleson napping on her couch, taking the opportunity to run out and stock up on things. Not that she knew how to cook any of it, but she hadn’t given up on learning. Putting everything away, she turned and noticed Coleson watching her with a dopey smile on his handsome face.

“I thought you were sleeping,” she said.

“Just watching a beautiful woman being all domesticated and shit.”

“What a smooth talker,” she said with a smile.

He held out his hand, so she headed over to him and took it. He pulled her down to the couch, and she sat next to him.

“I saw an advertisement announcing a music festival. I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.”

“I’d love to,” he replied, running his hand up her leg.

“Good, because I’ve never been to one. I’m afraid I wouldn’t know what to do.”

His hand stopped moving. “You’ve never been to a festival?”

She shook her head.

“You’ve not done a lot, have you?”

“I … my parents didn’t think too much of cultural diversity.”

One of his eyebrows shot up. “What does that mean?”

“Their world was a bubble that didn’t allow for trivial things like a music festival,” she explained dryly. “They wanted me to follow their rules. Be the good daughter and fall in line. Marry the man they chose. Be seen but not heard. Donate time to charity, but not work. Have children and raise them exactly like I was raised.” She shook her head. “It wasn’t a horrible life, but it wasn’t exactly a free one either.”

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