After All (Cape Harbor #1)(95)
During the service Bowie’s brave teenage daughter stood up in front of everyone in a black knee-length dress, poised and in control of her emotions, and delivered an eloquent eulogy. She told stories about her grandmother, about her summers in Cape Harbor, and about how her nonnie was her best friend. Bowie was so proud of her. What he planned to say to her played over and over in his mind. He didn’t want her to stop loving Carly, or even Austin. The last thing he wanted was for her to resent him, to feel as if he were trying to take away the life she knew. That wasn’t his plan. All he wanted was to be her father moving forward. He wasn’t stupid—he knew he had an uphill battle—but also knew he had the support of Brooklyn, and together they would tell their daughter and both of their parents.
Before the service concluded, Brooklyn stood in front of everyone and invited them to the Whale Spout to help celebrate Carly’s life. Brystol was rather excited about being able to go into a bar. She giggled every time it was brought up. No one had the heart to tell her that she could enter if she was with someone over the age of twenty-one . . . a little tidbit Bowie wanted to keep quiet for as long as possible.
They arrived at the Whale Spout, and as soon as Brooklyn stepped inside, she inhaled sharply.
“What’s wrong?” Bowie asked.
She covered her mouth, shaking her head. “Your mom . . . I don’t know how I’ll ever thank her.” Bowie took in the area in front of him. All the flowers from the church were placed strategically around the pub, and trays of food filled the bar top. Graham was behind the bar, already serving. “She did all this.”
“I know she has a lot of guilt when it comes to Carly; she’s only trying to help.”
Brooklyn’s lip was caught between her teeth, and Bowie gently tugged it free. “Hey, she loves you, and she’s going to love Brystol. Everything’s going to be amazing,” he said, pulling her to his side. “And I love you too.”
Brooklyn turned to him. “I love you,” she said. He desperately wanted to kiss her but held off out of respect for Carly.
They parted ways while Brooklyn and Brystol made their rounds, thanking people for coming. The one person who was missing was Simone. She wanted time to grieve alone, which made sense. She had been with Carly, working for the inn, for a long time.
Brooklyn had yet to decide what she was going to do about her business and tossed a few ideas around. Bowie hadn’t wanted to pressure her because he was simply going to follow her wherever she went. She had a career to think about, one that would have to take a back seat if they stayed. He joked and called it an early retirement. There was something in her eyes after he said it that made him think she might agree with him.
Bowie took a seat at one of the tables and watched people mingle. These were locals he saw almost every day and yet had trouble recalling some of their names. Peggy, the waitress from the diner, sat down next to him.
“She’s much better than that wife of yours.” She motioned toward Brooklyn.
Bowie smiled. “Yeah, she is.”
“When I heard she was back in town, I started a pool at the diner. We bet on how long it was going to take for the two of you to finally come to your senses.” Bowie turned sharply toward Peggy. She shrugged and lifted her pint of beer to her lips.
“So rude,” he mumbled.
“Eh,” she said. “The other one was never good enough for you, but this one”—she pointed at Brooklyn—“she’s the one for you.”
“I know,” he said to her. “I know.”
“So, are you together?”
Bowie sighed. “We’re not apart. We have a few things to work through, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“Is she?”
He knew that for at least four years she wasn’t. They were going to make a home in Cape Harbor. “If she does, I’ll follow. I’m not making the same mistakes I did fifteen years ago. There’s nothing standing in the way of us being together.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, we’d like to see you stick around. And we want to get to know that girl of hers.”
Bowie couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Brystol. She was owning the room, chatting with people she was just meeting for the first time. A few people had brought their kids and were introducing them. She was making friends, and he loved it. “She’s pretty amazing.”
“You look at her like she’s yours,” Peggy stated.
Bowie glanced back at Peggy. “Someday,” was all he said.
Brooklyn, Brystol, and Bowie only stayed for an hour. They had something very important to do. He hadn’t taken his family’s boat out in a while but wasn’t going to let Carly down, especially since the rain had finally stopped. This was what she had wanted. He made sure Brystol wore a life jacket, and Brooklyn put on one as a safety precaution. He knew she could swim; however, after the recent storm, the water was choppy, and there was a sizable riptide lingering.
“Can we sleep on this boat?” Brystol asked.
“We can. Your mom can show you everything downstairs once we get out onto the water.” Bowie winked at Brooklyn. He was looking forward to spending ample time with her on this boat, sailing off into the sunset.
When they drifted by Carly’s, everyone waved, knowing Simone was in there, somewhere. They hoped she could see them. Once past the house, he plugged in the coordinates that Carly had left and set sail. He hadn’t been out that way since the search for Austin was called off, and he was feeling a bit queasy about it now. He couldn’t let this dampen his mood, though, and it wouldn’t as long as he kept his eyes on his Bs. Brystol and her excitement were making everything better.