Page 55 of Sometimes You Stay

“Hey, did I wake you?”

“No. Is something wrong?”

His chuckle was low, quieter than usual. “Not at all. I just thought you might want to know that Bella’s making good use of your whelping box.”

“She’s having her puppies?” Cretia started on a shriek and then quickly dropped her volume to a whisper. “Are you sure?”

“It’s going to be tonight. Would you like to come over and see?”

“Yes!”

“See you soon,” he said, a smile in his voice. He hung up before she could think better of her decision.

She should be booking a flight. But Bella’s puppies were part of the reason she’d decided to stay in the first place. There would be another flight in a day or two. She’d call the shipping service tomorrow to ask them to hold her box in Italy. She’d catch up with it soon enough.

After scrambling out of her pajamas, she threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, hopping toward the door. Her shoes were on by the time she made it down the back stairs into the kitchen, and she’d even successfully avoided the squeaky step. She tiptoed around the island and let herself out through the back door, patting the pocket of her jeans to make sure her phone was with her.

As she stepped onto the road, she paused to look up into the inky sky. The half-moon was bright and clear, the stars twinkling with joy. Somehow the night surrounded her, wrapping around her like a blanket, rolling her into its silent peace.

Cretia had a firm rule on her travels. For her own safety she didn’t walk alone at night. Anywhere. Often she’d meet up with other travelers and join them on outings. Sometimes other influencers were in the area, and they’d film together for a few days. Most of the time, she stayed in places with an active nightlife. There were always people about, so shehad no problem taking a walk to the local gelato place or a famed pub after dark.

North Rustico wasn’t one of those places. It was quiet. Only the gentle splash of the water in the harbor broke the silence, the occasional creak of one of the lobster boats tugging on its moorings. Houses were dark, leaving just the sparse streetlights and the old-time iron lamps along the boardwalk to show the way.

Every safety measure she’d forced into habit warned that she should go back inside. She waited for the pounding of her heart or the clipped breathing that always accompanied a healthy dose of fear.

They didn’t come. This place wasn’t like those others—not just in its stillness but also in its people.

She set off at a quick clip, arms wrapped around her stomach to ward off the damp chill. But with each step she slowed down, savoring the salty smell that hung in the air and the gentle breeze that tugged on her ponytail. Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to the moonlight and breathed deeply.

There was something different about this place.

When she arrived at Finn’s property, light shone through a crack in the barn door. She shimmied it open far enough to slip inside, where Roberta immediately gave her a disapproving glare.

“Hello to you too,” Cretia mumbled. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep or something?”

Roberta responded with a pathetic low as though she was the one about to give birth, and Cretia turned her back, sneaking toward the birthing room.

She found Finn sitting on the floor, his back against the wall and one arm resting on a bent knee. His gaze didn’twaver from the whelping box where Bella lay on the padded flooring, snuggled against a brown felt blanket.

Cretia cleared her throat, and Finn’s head snapped in her direction. “Hey,” he whispered. “You made it. Come on in.” He patted the pillow on the floor beside him and nodded for her to sit too. “Stole these from Mom’s old outdoor wicker set. It’s long gone, but a stack of these make the floor a little more bearable for long nights.”

“Ah, now I see. You invited me over just so you wouldn’t have to be miserable by yourself all night.” She grinned as she sank to the indicated seat, her shoulder barely brushing his. “You’re probably going to put me to work too, aren’t you?”

“Well, I mean, now that you’re here, it only makes sense. I’d hate to waste your skills.”

“And you’re sure I have the requisite experience as a midwife?”

“Naw. But you’ll never know if you have natural talent unless you try.”

He’d said all that in a hushed tone, and she tried to keep her snort low too, clapping a hand over her nose and mouth to muffle it even more. With a playful nudge of her elbow against his, she smiled. “Are you sure it’ll happen tonight?”

“Mostly.”

“And you’re going to stay out here just in case?”

Finn turned toward Bella, whose heavy breathing echoed in the little room. She was restless but exhausted already, and she hadn’t even started pushing. “I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be alone in a time like this.”

“Good point.”

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