Chapter Fourteen

Exactly at nine in the morning, Mallory pulled into Emmie’s driveway. She was dressed in dark colors, and a sad air circled her. Emmie opened the screen door and her arms, and Mallory accepted the gesture of comfort. She wrapped her arms around Emmie’s waist, shuddering a little.

“I don’t know if I’m ready,” Mallory whispered in a broken voice.

“I know I’m not,” Emmie replied equally as soft. She had twelve months to reconcile that Jacoby was gone. That she’d never hear his laugh again. See his smile again. Mallory had only a few days to realize the man she loved was no longer in this world.

Both took a deep breath and let go of one another.

“My friend, Coleson, had to pick up his loved one’s ashes earlier. He’s waiting for us at the marina,” Emmie said. She grabbed her beach bag that held her brother’s urn, locked up, and walked to her rental car. “I’ll drive.”

They sat in silence during the ride. Mallory stared out her side window and Emmie gave her space, not bothering to make small talk. It didn’t take long to reach their destination, and Emmie parked her car in a front row spot. She turned to Mallory.

“You still want to come with us?”

“Yes. I-I need closure.”

“I get it.”

Emmie held out her hand and Mallory took it, together walking to the pier where the Henrietta was tied up. Coleson was on deck, dressed in shorts that showed off his perfect muscled legs. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and her mouth watered. She wanted to lick him so very much…

“You might not want to say that in public,” Mallory said.

Emmie jumped and sheepishly looked at her. “I said that out loud?”

Mallory nudged her with her shoulder. “I promise not to say a word.”

Embarrassed, Emmie bowed her head. When they reached the slip, Coleson waved at them and said they could come onboard.

“Coleson, this is Mallory,” she introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” he said.

“You too.” Mallory cocked her head. “You know who you look like?”

“Unfortunately, I do,” he said with a chuckle. “I wish I had a dollar every time someone told me that.”

“I guess we all have a doppelganger.”

“That’s what I said.” He untied the moorings and pulled the rope onboard before sitting behind the wheel. “Here we go, ladies.”

Slowly, he maneuvered the boat from the pier and past the local traffic, where he opened the throttle and headed out to open waters. The sun was bright with fluffy white clouds floating in the perfect sky. A cool wind whipped their hair around, contrasting with the warmth of the day.

There wasn’t too much to say, at least until the boat came to halt and the wind and engine noise shut off. A few seagulls squawked overhead since they were still close enough to the shoreline to travel. Other than that, the peaceful rocking of the boat, along with the waves gently slapping the sides, made everything more poignant. She tried blinking back the tears threatening to spill.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I wrote out a eulogy,” Mallory said.

“Oh, that’s wonderful.” Emmie smiled and wiped away the tear under her eye. She looked up at Coleson as he joined them on the back of the boat. “Do you mind if Mallory goes first?”

“Not at all,” he replied.

Mallory pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. She opened her mouth, only to shut it immediately. It was clear she struggled to get the words out. Deep breath in. Quickly released. One minute stretched into two, but Emmie and Coleson didn’t rush her. This wasn’t the time to be impatient. Finally, a heartbeat later, Mallory started again.

“Dear Jacoby,” she said, sniffing back the tears already forming. “We didn’t have forever. We only had a summer, but that was all I needed to realize I had fallen madly in love. You were funny, and kind, and I loved our conversations. I loved holding your hand. I loved kissing your lips. You left with a promise to come back, but days turned into weeks, into months. My heart broke thinking you forgot about me. And then it broke all over again when I learned you were gone. I will always love you, and I hope one day I can see you again in Heaven.”

Mallory folded the piece of paper and slipped it back into her pocket before sitting down. Emmie reached over and squeezed her hand, then stood to say her own words to her brother. She cleared her throat and then smiled at the other two before speaking.

“A day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t talked to my brother.” Emmie looked at her silent companions. “He’s probably telling me to shut up with the mushy stuff.”

That was all she could say, since her throat closed on a sob. Instead, she reached into her beach bag and pulled out Jacoby’s urn. She hugged it, standing at the precipice of letting go … not sure if she could do it. This was the last step in her road of healing, although she still felt hints of depression. By releasing his ashes, she’d finally have to accept he was gone forever. That this world would never know him. Nothing more than a byline on some Internet search.

A warm hand slid around her waist, and she was pulled into Coleson’s body.

“You don’t have to do this right now,” he murmured in her ear.

She appreciated that, but she knew it was time to say goodbye. Emmie glanced up at him.

“Wanna do your eulogy to Thomas and we can both release them together?”

He smiled. “I think Thomas would like having a companion.”

“I think so, too,” she whispered.

“I’ve said it before but without Thomas I’d be some delinquent. He saved me in ways even I can’t comprehend. I’ll miss him every day.”

He went back to the captain’s chair and picked something up. When he turned around, Emmie saw he had Thomas’s urn.

“Let’s make sure we pour downwind,” Mallory said. “I loved Jacoby but I don’t want to wear him.”

It took a moment, but Emmie couldn’t help but chuckle, and a heartbeat later, so did Coleson. They opened the urns to reveal a thick, plastic bag with grey ashes inside. Coleson used a knife to slit it open, then passed it to her. Once both bags were ready, Mallory took one side and she the other and then they poured.

Most of it dumped into the ocean, and Coleson did the same. The ashes mingled and the breeze lifted some, dispersing over the water. It was a thing of beauty. Coleson stepped between them and put each arm over the shoulder of each woman, offering comfort as they watched the last link of their loved ones start their never-ending adventure in the Atlantic Ocean.