Page 65 of Anchored

Maple shakes her head, her eyes more determined than ever. “No, that’s not true. No more true than the crap Dexter tried to get me to believe about myself.”

I love how fiercely she loves me. I love how she defends me. I vow to do the same for her.

“I’ll never hurt you, Maple. Stifle you. Turn you into someone other than who you want to be.” It’s a promise I know I can keep. It’s a promise I’ve never wanted to keep before but now means everything. I’d rather lay down my life than hurt this woman.

“And I’ll never belittle you or make you feel like you’re less than the most generous, perfect man I’ve ever met.” Maple’s eyes turn glassy again. “We’ll grow old together here in Anchor Lake. Raise a family. Build a legacy of truly loving people, meeting them where they are, and growing with them. No secrets. No missed chances. That’s what I want, Holt.”

“And I’ll give it to you. Every single thing.” I dip my head and take her mouth in a deep kiss, the two of us feeling emotionally vulnerable and so in tune with each other it’s like we’re breathing the same air. When we pull back it’s only enough to rest our foreheads together. “Go to dinner with me tomorrow. A real date. You and me. It’ll be the start of our forever.”

Maple’s answering smile is what makes my heart beat now. “Yes.”

“Dock & Dine Bistro at seven.” I’ll have to call Reece MacGowan, the owner, and see if I can pull some strings to get a reservation. I know they’re normally slammed all summer long. I think of all the meals I made Maple at the beginning of summer, when I couldn’t even be bothered to put a shirt on, and wince. “I’ll be a proper gentleman.”

“Not too much of a gentleman, I hope,” Maple replies with a wink.

I groan, wondering how this woman can be so perfect for me, and steal another kiss. “We’ll have to have dessert back at the cabin.”

Maple’s cell phone rings, interrupting our moment. She fishes it out of the back pocket of her shorts and answers it.

“Grandma? Everything okay?”

I look at Gracie’s condo right behind us, ready to dash in if something is amiss. But Maple giggles right away, and I know everything is fine.

“Yeah, I was thinking we’d have you and Harold over for dinner tonight before Holt has to take him home. Is that okay?”

Maple listens, nods, and then lets out a hoot. “So, you’re letting a boy sleep over, then?”

I grin, thinking how happy Grandpa must be to have an invite to spend the night with Gracie at her condo.

“You know I’m happy for you. You don’t have to explain a thing to me.” She nods again, her voice quieter when she replies. “You were right. Anchor Lakeismagical.”

ChapterTwenty-Five

Maple

I’m groggy when I wake up the next morning. A note is lying next to me, the quick slashes of Holt’s handwriting easy to read in the morning sunshine streaming through the windows. Mookie lifts her head from the blankets, then closes her eyes again like she can’t be bothered to get up.

Had to go to work. Patient emergency. If I don’t get back before, see you at seven at Dock & Dine. I love you, Holt

I snuggle up to Mookie and scratch her little head, paying extra attention to the area behind her ears. She huffs like the extra love is an imposition. Must have been quite the emergency if Holt thinks he might be gone all day. Then again, I’ve been stealing him away from Sunny Shores all summer. I can imagine he’s behind on administrative things even if he juggles his responsibilities well.

“We might need to find you a boyfriend,” I say to Mookie. She bares her front teeth in a half-hearted growl. I can’t help but laugh at this tiny furball with a big personality. “Yeah, maybe not. Let’s leave the love to the humans, huh?”

Last night had been amazing. I haven’t seen Grandma Gracie shine like that in…maybe forever. She and Harold held hands or had a hand on the other’s knee or an arm around shoulders the whole night. It was like they were afraid if they stopped touching, he was going to disappear again. We spent the evening recounting stories about our loved ones. It was a way to get to know each other better, and I like how no one glossed over the good years they’d both had without the other person. They weren’t hiding from the fact that they’d both lived and loved since they last saw each other.

A loud whoop from outside the cabin pulls me from my blankets. If the kids are already on the lake in their canoes and inner tubes for the day, I should probably get up. I think about calling Grandma to check in, but think better of it. I don’t need to intrude on her sleepover with Harold. Instead, I grab my phone and make the call I should have made right after the appointment with Doctor Ahmed. I’d gotten a bit distracted when Harold showed up.

Dad answers right away, which is unusual. “Maple. Everything okay?”

I barely resist rolling my eyes. He hasn’t bothered to call and check in all summer. “Yes, everything’s fine. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Grandma Gracie had a brain scan done last week and we got the results.”

“Hold on one second.” I can hear a door close and everything gets a lot quieter on his end of the line. “Okay, go ahead.”

I try to tamp down the irritation of Dad always treating my phone calls like a business meeting. That’s my baggage to deal with later. Right now, I need to make sure we’re all on the same page with Grandma’s care.

“So Doctor Ahmed said there’s just a small area of damage, meaning that she does have dementia, but it’s early stage. He’s going to be meeting with us soon to discuss treatment to slow down the progression. But I can attest that she’s doing great. Still very with it and able to live on her own within Sunny Shores.”

Dad makes a noncommittal noise. “Good news, then. Listen, Maple. I’ve got to go. Keep me updated.”

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