Page 71 of The Glass Dolphin

“I love you, too, dear.”

Alice joined them and handed Clara a beautiful glass of pink champagne. “Oh, wow.” She grinned at Alice and took the drink.

“Now.” She faced the gangway entrance. “Now we just have to see if Kelli and AJ make it.”

“Everyone else is here?” Clara asked.

“Maddy and Julia are inside setting up the food,” Robin said as she joined them. “Wait until you see the dining cabin. It’sincredible.”

“Boats should never have chandeliers,” Alice commented in a dry voice, and Clara turned to look over her shoulder. A chandelier? On a boat?

“I can’t wait to see it,” she said.

“El isn’t here either,” Robin said, and she took what looked like a casual sip of her champagne.

“She said she would be.” Julia grinned at Clara. “You accomplished your mission.” They embraced, and Clara sure did like these ladies she’d become part of.

“It was touch and go,” she admitted.

“Alice,” Laurel called. “Julia. Robin. They’re here.” She faced them briefly, and then spun back to the parking lot. Clara moved with the tide of women, and after she’d found a spot at the railing, she found El and Aaron unloading from his police cruiser, their girls getting out of the back seat.

Love filled her for all of them, because they worked incredibly hard for the people of Five Island Cove, and they’d both been so accepting of her and Scott when they’d come to the cove after a financial disaster that had almost landed her husband in jail.

A handful of spaces down, Kelli straightened and shaded her eyes as she looked toward the boat. Clara couldn’t read her expression from this far away, and her heartbeat shrank to a mere murmur.

Then AJ came around the back of the car, a bundle of a baby in her arms. Clara took in a sharp, salty breath and reached for the woman closest to her. “She came,” she breathed to Robin, who squeezed her fingers hard.

“All right,” Julia said in a decidedly authoritative voice. “This isn’t a big deal, okay? She’s our friend, and of course she was always going to come.”

Clara knew that wasn’t true, but she also saw AJ pass the baby to Kelli and then reach for her husband’s hand. He carried their toddler, and as Shad joined them, they made quite the sight as they advanced toward the yacht.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Kelli didn’t like the entourage of eyes on her as she walked toward one of the nicest boats she’d ever seen. She’d never super-appreciated the spotlight, though in this moment, she did feel like she’d worked a miracle.

Without Matt, she wouldn’t have been able to get AJ to come. Kelli wasn’t even sure why AJ was so resistant to this reconciliation. She’d fully admitted to Kelli that the fight at the hospital the day after Daphne had been born was her fault.

But only to Kelli. She hadn’t told anyone else that, and AJ didn’t like groveling. Who did? But apologies had to be made, because none of them were running from the cove this time. They lived here, together, and they had to figure out how to get along.

I’m sure it’s not the only thing you’ve disagreed on over the years.Kelli thought of her mother’s words, and she’d been right. Kelli had been through a lot with these women, and if she hadn’t been dealing with a newborn for the past few weeks, she’d be the one leading this charge to get them all back on the same page.

Or at least texting each other again.

“Go on and help Kelli,” Eloise said, her voice carrying over the space between them. Grace skipped toward her, and she received the girl with a smile. Kelli hadn’t meant to retreat from her friends.

She’d had a baby at age forty-eight. Her pregnancy had drained her mentally, emotionally, and physically. She hadn’t been sleeping through the night, because Daphne wasn’t doing that yet. She hadn’t been back to the yoga studio, and most days, she could barely consider herself dressed.

Shad had taken the past three and a half weeks off, but he’d have to go back to work come Monday. The day after Maddy’s wedding.

Kelli had raised a baby before, and she grinned up at her son, who waved to her from the deck of the yacht. She waved back, so pleased with what her family had become. A strong, handsome man at her side. Someone who loved and adored her, Parker, and their new baby girl.

Her son, who yes, sometimes gave her attitude, but who loved her no matter what. She loved spoiling him too, and she loved that he had a myriad of people around him to show him what it looked like to be a good friend, forgive one another, and work hard.

And her new daughter, who depended on her for everything.

Her eyes jumped to Jean, who stood next to Parker, and she’d definitely become part of Kelli’s family too. Alice, Robin, Eloise, and AJ had always been her rock solid foundation, and they’d become so close in the past few years since they’d all returned to the cove.

She passed her purse to Grace to carry, as Shad already shouldered the diaper bag. Anxiety at being trapped on a boat—no matter how nice—for the next few hours coated the back of her throat. She’d brought extra clothes, loads of diapers, and plenty of formula. Daphne would be fine, even if she soiled her clothes.

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