Page 49 of Lines We Cross
“Thank you all for coming out so early today. As you know, we’re here to celebrate the life of Emerson Mulholland. My best friend, a brother, a son, a citizen of Nickel Bay. While we all attended his funeral one year ago today, I thought it right to set up a memorial to him so generations to come will know him, maybe not quite like we did, but with enough stories told, his legacy will live on.”
I could feel Rae staring at me, all the questions she wanted to ask bubbling up in the way she bounced on her toes as she stood with me.
“Before I get to the memorial for Emerson, I wanted to publicly announce my intentions for Skylar Rae Mulholland.” I turned to her and pulled out a simple gold band from my back pocket. The crowd started murmuring and Rae’s eyes were wider than a baseball. “Before everyone gets too excited, this here is a promise ring.”
I held it up and looked Rae in the eyes. “I promise to love you forever, stay by your side, and make life decisions with you. And I can also promise you to replace this with a new ring the very second you’re ready for that next step.”
Rae lifted her hand, a little tremor not deterring the slide of the ring onto her finger. She didn’t even look down at it, just stayed lost in our gaze. The crowd cheered as I pulled her into a kiss, more chaste than I wanted due to her parents in the front row. When I set her back, I cleared my throat and turned us to face the view of the ocean.
I pointed, the quick gasp and then a quiet sob letting me know she saw it.
Emerson’s memorial.
A six-foot miniature lighthouse with the ship’s wheel from the helm of Emerson’s touring boat affixed on the front stood proudly installed on the rocks below. It had taken a king’s ransom to get the sculpture shipped here in time, plus more phone calls than I ever wanted to make in a lifetime to find the buyer of Emerson’s boat in order to get the wheel back.
“Emerson was always watching out for his friends and family. It’s what he did best. He always put everyone else before him. His second love was being out at sea. He loved the rock of the ocean and steering his ship through the waves. It only seemed appropriate to put his memorial in view of the ocean, where the wheel of his ship could feel the splash of the sea every single day. We only live a short time, but the effect we have on others lasts more than a lifetime, just like this memorial.”
I pulled Rae in tight, my voice catching on the last part. “Emerson, buddy. We love you.”
Everyone behind us echoed my sentiments and cheered, the rest of the morning spent admiring the memorial and socializing with coffee and pastries. Memories of Emerson were shared freely, buoying the hearts of Rae, Anna, and Mitch.
And through it all, I stayed right by Rae’s side, her hand clutched tightly in mine, the promise ring I placed there a steady presence between us.
20
Skylar
“He did not!” I nearly jumped out of the booth.
Max grinned with that twinkle in his eye, the one that drove me wild. “He did. Ol’ Sheriff Post came out and had to write up an official report. Principal Miller got his tighty-whities in a bunch over the whole thing.” Max sits forward, positively glowing with glee. “He said right in the middle of the interview ‘I know it was you, Max. I can’t prove it, but I’m a smart man. I heard you started that tradition years ago and low and behold, it comes back the same time you move back to town. Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.’”
“And then what did you say?” I was enraptured with his story of how the interview went this morning at the high school. Max wanted that baseball coach position almost as much as he wanted me to marry him this very second.
Max shrugged, his mouth tugging into a smirk. “I told him it sounded like someone was trying to frame me. And then he went on with the interview.”
My jaw dropped open before I could collect my thoughts. “Do you think you’ll get it? I mean, he’d be a fool not to give it to you. Not like we have professional baseball players coming out of the woodwork to coach at the high school level.”
“Here you go, young lovebirds. Extra pickles for you, Skylar, and dressing on the side for you, Big Shot.” Jillayne set our lunches down on the table with a wink and hustled off to the table behind us to take their order.
“I kinda like being called Big Shot,” Max said while cutting up the grilled chicken breast on top of his salad. He’d cleaned up his diet again and we’d been working out together almost every day. I was finding out he was a machine when he put his mind to it. A phenomenal athlete who had no inclination of losing his athletic edge in retirement. He’d make such a great coach for young kids.
His phone pinged and we both looked over at it. Principal Miller had said he’d be making a decision this afternoon, but we hadn’t expected anything quite this soon.
Max shrugged. “Probably a text from the Nickel Heads. They’re all busy getting their lives moved over here sooner rather than later.”
I nodded, but couldn’t push down the butterflies in my stomach. I took a bite of my turkey sandwich and then fiddled with my napkin. Out the window, I saw Mrs. Cuthbertson corner Jim Sully, that bony finger of hers jabbing him in the chest. Jim nodded his head over and over like a contrite little boy. Even wondering what was going on out there wasn’t enough to distract me from Max’s potential job offer. If he didn’t get it, I wasn’t sure what else he would do around here. Sure, he could retire and not worry about income with what he’d saved over the years, but he’d be bored within a week.
“Do you think you could just look at—”
“I gotta check—”
We both spoke at the same time. Max huffed out a laugh and grabbed his phone. There’d be no peace until we knew what that ding meant.
“I have an email from him!” I slid out of the booth and came to his side, sliding in and crowding Max. I watched over his shoulder as he clicked open the email.
Nickel Bay High School is proud to offer you the position of youth baseball coach pending background check.
The butterflies flew away as I threw my arms around Max’s neck with a squeal. I didn’t need to read anything further. He’d been offered the job. He remained frozen, just staring at the phone.
