Page 47 of A Soldier's Return

She had learned to be tough after the divorce, and she needed to call on that strength. Something told her she would need all the courage she could find after Eli left Cannon Beach once more.

Chapter Nine

The next day, Sunday, she rose early despite her late night and took Max for a run along the beach. He didn’t have Fiona’s loping grade but toddled along beside her so cheerfully, it warmed her heart.

The day had turned cooler from the rain of the night before, with more precipitation predicted for later that evening. April could be fickle on the coast, with the rare warm, pleasant day often giving way to a spring snowstorm.

Things weren’t supposed to be that drastic, but it was definitely cold enough first thing in the morning that she was grateful for her jacket.

They didn’t bump into Eli, as she had half hoped and half feared. All in all, it was the most uneventful run she’d had on the beach in what felt like forever.

As if to remind her of previous fun times, her wrist ached more than it had in days as she and Max returned to the house. She ignored it and spent the rest of the morning trying not to watch the clock as she finished some of her coursework for her online nurse practitioner classes.

She had just hit Send on another assignment when Max suddenly scampered to the front door just moments before it opened.

“Mommy! Hi! Where are you, Mommy?”

She hurried out to the entryway to find Skye and Cody standing just inside the door. Skye must have used her key to come in.

“You’re back! Hi, honey.”

“Hi, Mommy.” Skye hugged her but didn’t stop frowning. “Hey, why do you have Dr. Sanderson’s dog? Hi, Max!”

“He’s babysitting me,” she said. Skye giggled while Cody looked on, confused.

She didn’t bother to explain to him. “How did things go?” she asked instead.

She didn’t necessarily want Skye to rant about how miserable she’d been overnight. Melissa didn’t want to think she was that small-minded.

Still, when her daughter beamed, Melissa had to smile through clenched teeth.

“So fun,” Skye said. “We went to a baseball game last night and they had fireworks and everything. Then we had pizza and this morning we went to the store. We were going to go to another baseball game but decided not to. I got to see Grandma and Grandpa Fielding, too. Did you know they have a swimming pool at their new house?”

Her in-laws had only recently moved to Portland from Manzanita and she hadn’t been to their house yet.

“I didn’t know that. How fun.”

Skye made a face. “Dad said it was too cold to go swimming, plus I didn’t take my suit.”

“Next time, though,” Cody promised.

“Do we want to set up the next visit?” she asked her ex.

Cody looked a little distracted, as if he hadn’t thought past this one. “I don’t know what my schedule’s going to look like next week. We might be heading down to Cali. What about two weeks from now?”

She forced a smile. “That could work. Just let me know.”

“Thanks, Missy. Hey, Skye-ster. Thanks for hanging with me. I’ve got to run.”

“Okay. Bye, Dad.”

“Sorry to leave so fast. Amalia didn’t do well on the drive here. She’s a bit carsick so I’d better get her back to the city.”

“No problem. Next time I could meet you halfway.”

“That would be great. You’re the best, Miss. Thanks!”

She waved him off, proud of herself for taking the high road this time. It made things go so much more smoothly when she tried to be the adult in their interactions.

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