Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Emily was surprised to find herself humming a little tune as she walked over to return the level to Darla and Rick. It wasn’t a good tune, since Emily’s skills had never tended toward the musical, but still—she hadn’t caught herself humming in a long time.

The thought brought a small smile to her face. Maybe Whale Harbor was turning things around for her. Her life here was quiet. Peaceful. Pleasant.

That could be enough, she told herself. It didn’t matter that she felt the teensiest, tiniest bit lonely.

Loneliness was better than shame and fear.

No matter how sternly she told herself this, however, she found herself feeling excited when she spotted Darla coming out of her front door. As soon as the other woman spotted Emily, she raised her hand in greeting.

“Emily, hi! How are you?” Darla’s smile was welcoming.

“I’m good.” She gestured to the tool in her hand. “I was just coming to bring back the level and thank you again for lending it to me, but if you’re on your way out, I can come back another time.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Darla said at once. “I’m headed over to the museum, but I can just throw the level in the back of my car and take it inside when I get home.” She paused, giving Emily a considering look. “Or, if you’re not busy, you could come with me,” she offered. “I’m hanging up paintings for a new exhibit today and having someone to chat with makes that task a little more fun. Plus, an extra set of eyes helps when I’m trying to make sure nothing is crooked.”

“As does a level,” Emily said with a chuckle. She could scarcely believe it, but… “You know what? I’d like to come with you. That sounds great.”

Darla beamed. “Oh, awesome! Do you need to run back inside to grab anything before we head out, or are you good?”

“I’m good as long as you don’t mind that I’m just wearing a sweater and jeans,” Emily said. “Is that museum attire?”

“It is in Whale Harbor,” Darla said. “I’m wearing casual clothes for set-up too. And a lot of our client base is tourists, especially in the summer, so the museum sees its fair share of flip-flops and even kids in bathing suits. We aren’t fussy.”

“Perfect,” Emily said. She’d had enough fussiness to last a lifetime. The business circles she’d traveled in while living in New York had often been extremely pretentious.

The two women piled into Darla’s car.

“Sorry about the mess,” Darla said with a playful wince. Her back seat wasn’t messy, per se, but there were several boxes of art supplies. “I’ve been carting some of this stuff back and forth from the museum, and at some point, keeping it in the car became more practical.”

“You will remember I just finished going through a move,” Emily said. “This doesn’t even register on my mess radar. Call me when you have two hundred boxes in every room, then we can talk.”

Darla mock shuddered. “Oh, gosh, I could go the rest of my life without going through that again.”

This led them to some casual chitchat about the perils of moving, and Emily brightened with happiness when she made Darla crack up over one of her tales from moving during college.

“So all my stuff is on the curb, just like a hundred other students. But parking is a mess at colleges, so I had to carry it to this far off lot, one box at a time. I come back to find these two old ladies acting like this is a campuswide yard sale, just picking through people’s belongings, because they thought it was all free!”

“They thought everyone had decided to give away their stuff on the same day?” Darla laughed.

“Apparently! I told them they were wrong, and then they had to slink back down the line, returning people’s stuff.”

They continued their easy chatter for the remainder of the short ride to the museum, and Emily marveled at how easy it could be to talk to someone without the fear of recognition and embarrassment hanging over her head. Apparently, her ‘making new friends’ muscles hadn’t wasted away to nothing, after all.

The Whale Harbor Art Museum was a small building and striking from the outside.

“My mom’s a real estate agent,” Darla confided when she caught Emily admiring the beautiful red brick front. “She was never going to let me set up shop in any place less than the best.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Emily complimented. “Your mom is good at her job.”

“If you ever meet her, tell her that,” Darla advised. “You’ll be her new favorite. But I promise the inside is even better than the outside.”

Darla’s words were quickly proven true. The space inside the museum was laid out well, leaving it feeling neither too full nor too empty, like some of the ultra-minimalist galleries Emily had seen in New York. There was a flow and elegance to the room, one that just made sense, even when it showcased fiber arts next to a “Junior Artists” exhibit. The only area that wasn’t just about perfect was one behind a sign that said, “Excuse our mess! New exhibit coming soon.”

“Okay, so it sounds a little hokey,” Darla said, pointing at the empty space, “but our new exhibit is about whales. I just had so many artists who had these absolutely gorgeous renditions of whales that I couldn’t resist. And yes, whales of Whale Harbor, ha ha, but I’m confident it is going to come together beautifully.”

“I believe you,” Emily said, meaning it. “Everything else here is amazing. I love this one especially.”

She pointed to a dreamy painting of a ship at night. The colors were dark, but warm, leaving the boat, the figures aboard, and the ocean behind more suggestions than outright illustrations.

Darla blushed. “Oh, thank you. That one, uh… that’s one of mine.”

Emily’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? That’s amazing. You’re so talented.”

Darla blushed harder, but she looked more pleased than embarrassed.

“Okay, stop, you’re too nice.”

“Pfft, I am not,” Emily countered. “Are any of these others yours?”

“There’s one small one over there,” Darla said, pointing to a far corner. “I try not to feature my own pieces too much, since it seems narcissistic, but that little one filled up an awkward spot. And this bigger one?” She paused, a dreamy look crossing her face. “That one is based on reconnecting with Rick when I came back to Whale Harbor. So even if it seems like bragging, I have to leave it up. I just love it so much.”

“It’s not bragging at all,” Emily assured her. “If I was half as talented as you, I’d have forty-seven of my own paintings hanging in here. You’re incredible! This whole museum is incredible.”

“You’re so sweet.” Darla reached out and squeezed Emily’s forearm. “I do really love it here though. It’s not as big and fancy as the New York museums, but this is my home. It means a lot to the people of this town. It means even more to me.”

Emily thought about this as the two women moved through their task of hanging up artwork. The paintings of whales were, as Darla had promised, truly gorgeous, all done up in different styles. Emily’s favorite was one that was done in an Art Deco-inspired style that seemed like it shouldn’t have worked but definitely did. Darla told her that one of the town’s older residents was responsible for that one, and that the man had been painting for decades and had only now showcased one of his pieces.

“That’s the magic of your museum, I guess,” Emily murmured, making Darla beam.

Hanging the paintings was easy, enjoyable work with two people, and Emily found herself almost sorry when it was time to head back home. Her quiet house seemed too quiet after a few hours of pleasant companionship.

After Darla pulled into her driveway, she paused instead of getting out of the car right away.

“I… have a thought,” she said, hesitating and darting a cautious glance at Emily.

Emily frowned. “Um, okay?”

Darla turned to face her head on, holding her hands out in front of her in a placating gesture. “Okay, hear me out before you say no. There’s this really nice guy I know. Super sweet, good job, handsome… though don’t tell Rick I said that last part,” she added with a wink to make it clear that she wasn’t truly concerned that her husband would be jealous about the comment. “He’s been wrapped up in his career a lot these past few years, but he’s looking to get out there more, and he said I could set him up on a blind date. And…” She hesitated meaningfully.

“Me?” Emily asked, hand flying to her chest in shock. “You want me to go out with him?”

“I know we’re just starting to be friends, but I think you’re great! And I just have this, oh, I don’t know, vibe that the two of you would get along.”

Part of Emily wanted to instinctively recoil from the offer. Dipping her toe back into making new friends was one thing, but dating? That was a whole different ballgame.

But she liked Darla and was starting to feel more at home with the idea of opening up her life to new opportunities. And Darla was a kind person who was unlikely to send her on a terrible date.

“You know what? Let’s do it,” she said, answering quickly before she could talk herself out of it.

“Yeah?” Darla grinned. “Amazing. Okay, I’ll get it all set up and let you know the details when I have them.”

The two women got out of Darla’s car and said their goodbyes, promising to see one another again soon. Emily went back into her own house, a smile on her face.

That smile quickly faded as the nerves about her upcoming blind date hit her. She hoped she hadn’t just made a terrible decision.

Charity leaned her head against Dominic’s shoulder, the two of them sitting quietly snuggled together as they idly watched Addie and Lucas read their latest library find. Addie’s class was doing reports on the different states in the United States, with each student assigned a different state to do a report. Addie’s was on Colorado. Lucas, never one to be left behind, had jumped in on the learning. The whole family had gone to the library earlier that day, where the librarian had directed them to a book that gave fun information on all fifty states, complete with a large, fold out map, which the kids had spread out before them.

“Which one is this?” Lucas asked.

“Ummm.” Addie paused, looking at her list of states. “Idaho.”

Dominic craned his neck. “That’s Iowa, sweetheart.”

“Oh, right,” Addie said, not concerned over the mistake.

“What’s cool about Iowa?” Lucas hovered over Addie’s shoulder as she skimmed through the pages.

“Ooh,” she said, her finger tracing words as she read them. “Iowa has prehistoric caves.”

Lucas’s eyes bugged. “Prehistoric like dinosaurs?” he asked. He glanced up at the adults on the couch. “Mom, Dad, can we go to the dinosaur caves?”

“Maybe someday, buddy,” Dominic said, reaching over to ruffle Lucas’s hair. “Iowa is pretty far from Rhode Island.”

“ I want to go to the Grand Canyon,” Addie informed them seriously.

“There’s no dinosaurs at the Grand Canyon,” Lucas altered.

While the two kids started bickering good-naturedly, an idea started to form in Charity’s mind.

“Hey, Dominic,” she said nonchalantly. “We have some dishes to do. Want to join me?”

This was their secret code for I have something to say that I don’t want the kids to hear. It was foolproof. Doing dishes was Addie and Lucas’s most hated chore.

Dominic quirked an amused eyebrow, but his answer was just as casual as hers. “Sure. Hey, kiddos, come into the kitchen if you decide you want to help, okay?”

The siblings exchanged a panicked glance.

“Um, okay,” Addie said, quickly gluing her eyes back to the book.

The adults stifled their laughter as they went into the kitchen. That pretty much guaranteed the kids wouldn’t pop in while they were in the middle of their conversation.

“What’s up?” Dominic asked, leaning against the fridge in a casual pose that made Charity’s heart thump in her chest. He was so handsome, this wonderful fiancé of hers. She was so lucky that she got to love him for the rest of her life.

Now all she had to do was share her burgeoning plan for how to celebrate that lifelong love.

“Okay, so maybe this is a crazy idea,” she said, wheels turning in her mind even as she spoke. “But you know how we’ve been dragging our heels over wedding planning?”

“Sure,” he agreed easily.

“What if we don’t plan a wedding?” she said.

Dominic frowned intensely, reminding her of the grumpy man he’d been when he’d first moved to Whale Harbor from Boston. “You don’t want to get married anymore?”

“What?” She shook her head. “No, no, of course I still want to get married. I meant more like what if we eloped?”

His frown vanished into a laugh. “Okay, good, you scared me for a second there.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she teased, darting in for a quick kiss before explaining more of her plan. “The kids talking about all the places they want to see got me thinking. What if we do an extended road trip and then get married somewhere along the way? That way we’ll have this wonderful family trip together. I’d rather spend money on that than on a big party or a poofy dress.”

A big grin was spreading across Dominic’s face, his eyes darting as he thought through the possibilities.

“I love the idea of a big trip,” he said. “Though I admit, I was looking forward to seeing you in a poofy dress.”

She laughed. “If we really want to go all in, we’ll let Addie pick my outfit. That’ll mean I’m in the poofiest dress known to man.”

“So you think we wouldn’t even pick a wedding spot ahead of time? We’d just wait until the moment felt right and then get married there?”

She nodded. “We’d have to check some laws about getting the license, but basically, yeah, that’s the idea.”

His grin broadened. “I love it.”

“You do?” She’d worried it was a little too zany.

“I do,” he agreed, then winked. “That’s also what I’m going to say when we get to our impromptu wedding spot.”

“You cheeseball,” she teased, rolling her eyes. “Are we really going to do this?”

“I think so,” he said. “If you think so.”

“I think so.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a long, heartfelt kiss.

“We’re getting married, Charity,” he said, grinning like he was the happiest man on earth.

“We’re getting married!” she echoed happily. Then she shot him a sly glance. “Hey, kids!” she called, raising her voice. “Come in here! We have something to tell you!”

A pause and then… “Are we going to have to do dishes?” Lucas asked cautiously.

Both adults laughed.

“No,” Dominic called back. “It’s good, I promise.”

The two kids came tumbling into the room, excitement on their faces. The excitement only grew as Charity explained their plan, leaving the kids cheering and rushing back to the living room to consult their book and plan some stops for the trip.

And Charity and Dominic embraced, content in the knowledge that they had made the absolute correct decision.