Page 20 of Beach Cottage Kisses

Back at home, fifteen minutes later, she grabbed her keys, and Angel, and with the sixteen-pound mini-Lassie tucked up under her arm, made her way out to the garage. She was headed north up the coast before thoughts of the past grew more prominent in her conscious mind.

She’d be turning off. There was no way she was ever going back.

But she had to take care of something.

A minute of looking deeply into herself, being truthful with what she saw there,and she knew what the problem was.

Her stepmother had moved from San Francisco to Fullerton the previous summer. Just an hour and a half away from San Diego.

Five weeks before Sage’s wedding, Diane had sent a Christmas card to the post office box Iris used for her photography limited liability corporation. She’d sent Iris her new address. Telling her that it would mean very much to her if Iris would come see her.

And Iris had thrown it in the trash.

No way was Iris going to see the woman.

But she’d remembered the address.

Which meant she’d clearly been wrong to avoid the situation. To pretend the card hadn’t been sent.

She’d drive by the house. See that everything looked fine in Diane’s world. Know where she was so she could put the information in the mental address book that cataloged her past.

Which would free her up to get fully back into present life.

Where she didn’t break down at weddings.

And where Scott Martin was a dear, wholly platonic friend. Held at arm’s length. Just like everyone else in the life she’d reinvented.

For their sake, and hers.

Arm’s length was all she could take.

And all she could give full out.

* * *

Scott didn’t see Iris on Thursday. Her text came in just as he was heading in from the beach to get dinner for him and Morgan.

needed to drive almost to Anaheim back late not avoiding you

While the communication itself was odd—no expectations, no explanations—and hadn’t ever happened before, he was glad she’d sent it.

Prevented any need to waste mental energy fighting with himself over the possibility that she’d been avoiding him.

He’d had a text from Sage, too. With pictures of the small but growing Bartholomew family at a world-renowned theme park for children in Europe. His twin’s life had done a total 180 in just a few months’ time. Sage was living the life she’d once dreamed she’d have.

Was making him an uncle for a second time.

He couldn’t be happier for her. Would have given his life to make it happen, if that’s what it had taken.

And there was a shadow side to everything.

His own life seemed a bit emptier at the moment. While his best friend and twin sister were on a family-moon with his niece, for sure. And afterward, too. He’d still be a big part of their lives. Would probably still even see them as often.

But he wasn’t as…needed day to day as he’d been.

In the long run, that would be a good thing. It would give him back the freedom he’d had after his divorce. He could travel, explore, surf as much as he wanted without having to feel guilty about leaving Sage alone with Leigh.

Not that she’d ever wanted him to do so.