Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

M egan sat at the small desk in her bedroom, the early morning light filtering through the blinds. Her laptop whirred quietly, and the inbox on the screen displayed a subject line that made her breath catch:

Official Job Offer – San Diego Opportunity

Her stomach flipped as she clicked the email, her heart racing with a mix of excitement and dread. She had been expecting this, but now that it was here, the reality felt far heavier than she anticipated.

It was everything she’d hoped for and more. The job offer came with a competitive salary, a leadership role in a dynamic, growing company, and even a generous relocation package. It was the kind of opportunity she would have jumped at a year ago. Before everything had changed.

Megan scanned the email again, her eyes lingering on phrases like career advancement and team leader. These were the words she used to dream about, back when her life was structured around ambition and the steady climb of her legal career.

But now, as the cursor blinked at the bottom of the message, she felt an ache settle in her chest. A move back to San Diego would mean security, a chance to rebuild not just her career but her confidence. As appealing as it sounded on paper, the thought of uprooting Ruby from Palmar Island and everything they’d found here brought a sharp pang of doubt.

Her gaze drifted to the small photo album Scott had given her, sitting on the corner of her desk. The engraved stars on its wooden cover caught the morning light, and her thoughts inevitably turned to him. His quiet sincerity, his kindness, his willingness to give without expecting anything in return. All of it had stirred something in her she wasn’t sure how to name.

The sound of tiny footsteps pattering down the hall pulled Megan from her thoughts. She quickly minimized the email just as Ruby burst into the room, a wide grin lighting up her face.

She held up a piece of paper, the edges smudged with crayon. The drawing featured Cupid, complete with what Megan guessed were antlers and silver bells.

“Oh, sweetheart, that’s amazing,” Megan said, scooping Ruby into her lap. She traced her fingers lightly over the drawing. “Is Cupid pulling Santa’s sleigh in this picture?”

Ruby giggled, nodding. “And there’s a big star in the sky so he doesn’t get lost!”

Megan pressed a kiss to Ruby’s curls, her heart squeezing. Her daughter’s joy was infectious, and for a moment, Megan allowed herself to bask in it. But the timing of Ruby’s arrival felt like a cosmic nudge—a reminder of the weight of her decision.

Would moving to San Diego take away the happiness Ruby had found here?

Ruby wiggled out of her lap, clutching the picture. “I’m gonna show Gertrude!” she announced, darting back toward the living room.

Megan watched her go, a lump forming in her throat. Palmar Island wasn’t just a refuge for her. It was becoming Ruby’s safe haven too.

Still feeling the weight of the decision, Megan reached for her phone and opened her messages. She found Lauren’s name and quickly typed:

Got the official job offer. Can we talk later?

The response came almost immediately.

Of course. I’m around this afternoon. Call me whenever.

Megan set the phone down, her fingers lingering over the cool wood of Scott’s photo album. She flipped it open, her eyes drawn to the pictures toward the back—the ones of Ruby laughing by Cupid’s pen, of herself surrounded by glitter and crafts, and of the three of them together, their smiles bright and genuine.

She closed the album with a sigh, her thoughts swirling. The offer in San Diego was everything she thought she wanted. So why did it feel like the decision to take it would mean leaving more behind than just a small island town?

Pushing the laptop aside, Megan rested her chin on her hands and stared out the window at the calm morning outside. The sky was pale blue, the kind of winter day that promised a crisp breeze and clear sunshine.

“Think, Megan,” she whispered to herself. “What’s best for Ruby? What’s best for both of us?”

But no matter how she framed the question, the answers didn’t come easily.

The afternoon sun streamed through the windows of the cozy bungalow, casting golden light across the living room. Ruby sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by crayons and construction paper, her little hands working diligently on another masterpiece. Megan watched her from the kitchen table, a soft smile tugging at her lips as Ruby hummed a tune under her breath.

“Mommy, look!” Ruby exclaimed, holding up her newest drawing. It was a scene of their bungalow, complete with a tiny Cupid grazing near a Christmas tree in the yard.

“That’s beautiful, sweetheart,” Megan said, moving to kneel beside her. “You’re such a great artist. I love how you made the sky pink.”

“It’s my favorite color,” Ruby said matter-of-factly, then added with a shy grin, “I love it here, Mommy. I love Cupid and Santa Scott and Gertrude and the beach. Can we stay forever?”

Megan’s heart clenched. She brushed a strand of hair from Ruby’s face, her voice soft. “I’m so glad you love it here, sweetie.”

Ruby beamed, returning to her drawing with the unburdened joy only a child could feel. Megan stood and moved to the kitchen window, the weight of Ruby’s words settling on her shoulders. Would taking Ruby to San Diego strip her of the happiness she’d found here?

Megan stepped out onto the porch, letting the salty ocean breeze kiss her cheeks. The rhythmic sound of the waves lapping against the shore in the distance offered a small reprieve from the storm of thoughts swirling in her mind.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, she found Lauren’s name in her contacts and hit dial. The phone barely rang twice before Lauren’s voice came through.

“Megan! Happy holidays!” Lauren’s warmth was as familiar as ever, her cheer a balm Megan didn’t realize she needed.

“Hi, Lauren. I hope you had a great Christmas,” Megan said, her voice quieter than usual.

“What’s up? How’s Ruby? How’s the island life treating you?”

“It’s nice. We both like it here.” Megan hesitated for a moment before plunging in. “I think I need to take the job. It’s too good to pass up.”

“Oh, Megan, that’s fantastic!” Lauren’s enthusiasm was genuine.

She didn’t respond.

“But…”

“But,” Megan echoed, sinking into the rocking chair. She stared out at the horizon where the ocean met the sky. “I don’t know, Lauren. It’s everything I thought I wanted. The money is good, really good and I could start practicing law again.”

Lauren’s voice softened. “But you’re not sure it’s the right move anymore.”

“No,” Megan admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “Ruby loves it here. She’s happy in a way I haven’t seen in months. We’ve started building something—a life, maybe even a community. And then there’s Scott...”

Lauren let out a quiet laugh. “I was wondering when you’d bring him up. Tell me about him.”

Megan felt her cheeks flush, even with no one to see. “He’s kind. Thoughtful. Ruby adores him, and he’s been so good to her. To both of us. He’s steady, Lauren, like a rock. I didn’t think I’d feel this way about someone again, but he makes me feel?—”

“Safe?” Lauren offered gently.

“Yes,” Megan admitted, the word hanging in the air between them.

Lauren’s tone grew serious. “Megan, I’m so glad you’ve found someone who makes you feel that way. You’ve been through so much, and you deserve to rebuild. But…”

“But?”

“Just make sure you’re not rushing into something before you’re ready,” Lauren said carefully. “I’m not saying Scott’s not a great guy or that Palmar Island isn’t a good fit. But starting something serious while you’re still healing. It could complicate things.”

Megan pressed her free hand to her forehead, her chest tightening. “I know. And this offer feels like a now-or-never kind of thing. The deadline is coming up, and if I say no, I don’t know when another opportunity like this will come.”

Lauren sighed. “You’re feeling pulled in two directions. That’s normal. And you know how much I would love to have both of you back here again.”

Megan took a deep breath. She missed her friend as well. And not just Lauren. A few months ago, she didn’t have a choice. With the new position, moving back was an option.

“Think carefully about what’s best for you and Ruby—not just practically, but emotionally. You’ve built something there, and it’s okay to let that weigh in on your decision too,” Lauren said.

Megan nodded, even though Lauren couldn’t see her. “Thanks, Lauren. I just... I don’t know if I’m strong enough to make the right choice.”

“You are, Megan,” Lauren said firmly. “You’re one of the strongest people I know. Trust yourself, and you’ll figure this out.”

Later that evening, Megan sat at the dining table, her notebook open in front of her, the blank page staring back like a challenge. She tapped the pen against the edge of the table, her thoughts swirling. She needed clarity, a way to untangle the knot of emotions and practicalities that had wound so tightly around her since she’d read that email.

She drew a line down the middle of the page, dividing it into two columns. On the left, she wrote "San Diego," her handwriting steady and precise. On the right, "Palmar Island," the letters slightly more hesitant, as though committing the name to the page carried weight.

Her pen moved instinctively to the San Diego side first. This was the logical choice, the one with concrete reasons she could articulate. She began listing them, letting each one settle on the page like a brick in a foundation.

San Diego offered stability—a steady career in a leadership role that came with a salary she could rely on. The financial security it promised could give her and Ruby a comfortable life, free of the penny-pinching she’d become so accustomed to over the past year. And then there was the fresh start it represented, the chance to rebuild her professional life and regain the confidence that had been chipped away by Danny’s sudden death and the upheaval that followed.

She paused, her pen hovering above the page, before moving to the other column. Palmar Island.

This list was harder to articulate, the reasons more personal, less concrete. She began with Ruby. Her daughter’s joy here was undeniable—the giggles as she played with Cupid, the way she lit up every time she ran into Gertrude, and the pure happiness that radiated from her whenever she talked about Santa’s Village. Ruby felt at home here in a way Megan hadn’t expected, and it tugged at her heart to imagine pulling her away from that.

She added another thought, her pen moving slowly. There was the sense of community she was starting to feel. It wasn’t just Ruby who had found a place here. Megan had started to feel the gentle pull of belonging too, in the way Miss Doris looked out for her, in the kindness of strangers who were quickly becoming familiar faces, and in the unexpected joy of Christmas morning with Scott.

And then there was Scott. She hesitated before writing his name, her grip on the pen tightening. It felt too intimate, too final, to see his name there, but she couldn’t deny his impact on her life. Or on Ruby’s. His kindness, his steady presence, and the way he made her feel seen and safe in a way she hadn’t experienced in so long. All of it mattered.

Megan set the pen down and stared at the page. The San Diego column looked neat, organized, and logical, a list of reasons that made perfect sense on paper. But the Palmar Island side—messier, more emotional—held a weight she hadn’t expected.

She leaned back in her chair, her eyes drifting to the photo album Scott had given her. It sat on the coffee table, its engraved cover catching the soft light of the lamp beside it. She reached for it, running her fingers over the smooth wood, her mind flashing to the moments it held.

There was Ruby, beaming at Cupid’s pen, her laughter practically audible through the image. There was Megan herself, crouched by the crafts table, her cheeks dusted with glitter as she helped a child with an ornament. And then there was the three of them, Scott in his Santa suit, Megan in her elf costume, and Ruby perched between them, her smile wide and carefree.

Megan closed the album gently and let out a slow breath. The thought of leaving this behind felt like tearing a page out of a book she’d just begun to write, one that held the promise of something beautiful.

But the other side of the equation was impossible to ignore. San Diego offered certainty, and certainty was hard to argue against when she thought about the future she wanted to build for Ruby. Could she really risk staying on Palmar Island, a place where everything felt so new, so fragile? Where she was once again unemployed and with little to no prospects of finding a job that would support herself and her daughter?

The sound of her phone buzzing pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen and saw Scott’s name.

Looking forward to New Year’s Eve.

A small smile played on her lips as she read the message, but it was tinged with guilt. She hadn’t told him about the official offer, about the weight of the decision pressing on her shoulders. How could she? The thought of disappointing him, of letting him down, felt unbearable.

Megan set the phone down and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. The decision loomed over her like a storm cloud, and while she longed for the clarity to choose, all she felt was the pull of two opposing tides.

For a brief moment, she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to stay. To keep building a life here, to let herself hope for something more with Scott. The thought warmed her, but it was fleeting, replaced by the cold edge of uncertainty.