Page 84 of A Line in the Sand

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Max thought about the turtles recuperating in the tanks at the sea turtle hospital, Silver’s baby seahorses, and gently lowering Crush back into the ocean while the entire town clapped and cheered. He thought about newborn turtle hatchlings crawling their way to the water, and the look on Molly’s face when the last dog at her training class finally alerted to the scent of sea turtle eggs. Max couldn’t remember the last time he’d done anything so hands-on back in Baltimore. But in Turtle Beach, Max got his hands sandy on a regular basis. He didn’t have to wonder if the aquarium was making a difference in the community and the ecology of the island. He couldseeit…every single day.

But most of all, he’d felt it. Max had opened up and allowed himself to feel more in the past month than he had for the rest of his adult life.

“Yes,” Max said quietly. “Yes, it was.”

“And sure, maybe I did force you into trying some new things. But I had to. How else were you going to learn how to have fun again?” Uncle Henry waved a hand at the checkerboard.

“Point taken. And yes, I like the volleyball league and the Scrabble tournaments. The pancake breakfast was great. I’ve even gotten pretty into yoga.” Max glanced down at the checkers. “But I’m not enjoying this checkers bloodbath in the slightest.”

“That’s because ever since Molly broke your heart, you’re falling back into your same old routine.” Henry sighed. “You’re sitting right here in front of me, and I’m missing you like you still live over four hundred miles away.”

Ouch.It was a painful assessment, but his uncle wasn’t wrong…

Except for one important detail.

“Molly didn’t break my heart.” Max looked at Uncle Henry—reallylooked—taking in the lines in his face that hadn’t been there the last time Max had been on the island, the whiter shade of his hair. Henry wouldn’t be around forever, but Max was here now. He was home. It wasn’t too late to really live…to reallylove. “I broke Molly’s.”

He’d let her believe that he thought she wasn’t good enough for the grant committee, for the aquarium, or for him. And when he’d realized he loved her, he’d make his biggest mistake of all—he’d let her walk away instead of telling her how he felt.

It wasn’t the aquarium that had saved Max. And it wasn’t Turtle Beach. It was Molly. She’d pulled him out of the ocean when he’d been drowning, and bit by bit, smile by smile, kiss by perfect kiss, she’d kept on saving him. As powerful and constant as the tide.

He should have fought for her. He should have kicked and thrashed and fought like he’d been drowning.

Henry’s mouth curved into a knowing grin. He swept the checkers away and folded the game board in half. “What are you waiting for, son?”

***

“I can’tbelieveI let you guys talk me into coming here tonight.” Molly stood near the entrance of the senior center and did her best to blend into the woodwork—not such an easy task when Ursula was wagging her tail and straining at the end of her leash in an effort to greet every person who walked through the automatic sliding glass doors.

“It’s Tuesday.” Ethel tipped her head toward the table beside them, covered with bingo sheets and colorful ink daubers. “Where else would you be?”

Wallowing, perhaps?

Molly wasn’t doing that anymore, though. She’d spent enough time feeling sorry for herself the past few days. It was time to hang up her mermaid costume and forget about Max and move on.

She had no idea how to do that, exactly. Molly still had no desire to enroll in graduate school and, for now at least, her dad had promised to drop it. But after spending over an hour on the phone with her parents earlier today, she’d decided they were right—she couldn’t start hiding again. Molly had been happier during the past month than she’d been in as long as she could remember. She couldn’t fully retreat to her comfort zone again.

But bingo night?

It was…a lot. She’d been hoping for a softer reentry, or at least one where she’d be less likely to run into Dr. Max Miller.

“Oh, look. Henry Miller is saving a seat for someone,” Opal said, gaze flicking from Molly to the empty chair beside Max’s uncle and back again. “I wonder who it could be.”

Molly held up a hand. “Stop.Please. I know what the three of you are doing, and it’s not going to work.”

The Charlie’s Angels blinked at her from behind their walkers.

“Whatever do you mean, dear?” Mavis said.

“I’m not here for Max. Or romance…with anyone. I’m here for bingo and cupcakes.” Molly had her eye on Violet’s special of the night, Lucky Lemon Lavender. She was just waiting for the line at the cupcake truck to thin out a little.

“Oh, geez. You’re not going to adopt another dog, are you?” Ethel arched an eyebrow and aimed a meaningful glance at Ursula. “Because I know a Cavalier King Charles spaniel who might have some thoughts about that.”

“Don’t be silly. I would never. Ursula is my significant other,” Molly said, bending to pick the puppy up. Ursula melted into her arms.

“Here we go again.” Ethel rolled her eyes.

“Molly, dear, you know how much we love Ursula. She’s the sweetest, most talented dog on the entire island,” Opal said.