Page 115 of Secrets Along the Shore

“Congratulations!” James’s voice blasts from the speaker before I can say anything. “I got your text earlier. I’m so sorry I haven’t called, but I only just got out of a meeting.”

A weight lifts off me at the sound of my fiancé’s enthusiasm. James knows better than anyone that getting justice for Aria, Hailey, and Teresa is a heavy burden I’ve been carrying for a while now. Getting to share the conclusion with him somehow finally makes it real.

“I’m just so glad it’s over,” I say, as a lump tightens in my throat. The swell of emotion catches me off guard. I chalk it up to exhaustion, the momentous nature of today’s verdict, and a desperate need for a mug of tea, my fuzzy blanket and an episode ofAll Creatures Great and Smallplaying in the background while I drift off.

Grace isn’t the only Anglophile in Riverview.

“So let’s celebrate,” James says. “I booked a late table at the hotel, told the chef to make your favorite?—”

“Wait, what? I thought you weren’t coming back from Montgomery until Monday.”

James holds the position of CEO of his family’s business, Calder Industries, a high-tech textile manufacturing company based in Mitchell County since its inception in 1867—though it was only cotton fabrics back in the day. But his side hustle—his real passion—is serving as the elected Alabama state representative for the district, a job that often requires him to make trips to the state capital, particularly from February through May.

“I wrapped up early. Thought I’d surprise you, and when I heard you got a guilty verdict, I hoped we could do a late dinner. I’m almost out of Montgomery now.”

If he’s just leaving, he has almost three hours of driving ahead of him. It’ll be close to eight or later when he arrives. As much as I relish the idea of seeing James, I’m drained. “You know, any other night I would wait up till whatever hour, but I could close my eyes right now and be done. And I still have another meeting to get through.”

“Oh.” The word is wrapped in disappointment. “This is a big deal, Soph. I feel like we need to do something to mark it. Are you sure?”

“I am.”

“Okay, so we postpone. What about your meeting? Can you reschedule and head home now? Give yourself a well-deserved break?”

I shake my head, as if he can see me. “Would if I could, but I can’t. Too important. Shouldn’t take long though, and then my takeout and I are signing off.”

“Takeout—so you’re at the pub?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s no way to celebrate, Soph. And I miss you.”

Between my schedule and James’s, we’ve only seen each other once over the last week and a half. Even then, I’d been completely distracted because the trial was about to start. “I miss you too. I’ve got a few things I need to handle in the morning, but after lunch, I’m all yours. We can have a special dinner tomorrow night.”

“Tell you what, let’s make it a real celebration. Dad would love to pat you on the back too. Now that I think about it, he’ll lay into me if I don’t include him. He called me as soon as he found out about the verdict.”

James’s father, Edward, took a shine to me from the very beginning of our relationship, which—it’s hard to believe—is only ten months old. What can I say—James swept me off my feet. Some of my best decisions have been made on the fly.

“Yeah, he left me a message.” It came through in the courtroom, minutes after the verdict was announced. That man doesn’t miss a thing in this town. “I haven’t had a chance to return it yet. You’re right, let’s do it. Invite your dad, your brother—it’ll be good to see them.” I’ve been so busy lately, James isn’t the only person I haven’t spent time with in a while. His family—soon to be my family—is important to me. Especially since I’m not on speaking terms with my own.

“Done,” he confirms, the satisfaction in his voice instantly making me miss him more.

Would it be that hard to stay up a little longer? Maybe he could come over for a bit.

“You know what? On second thought, why don’t you come by when you get into town? I can make some coffee to stay awake?—”

“No. An introvert’s gotta charge, and you can’t do that with other people around, even if it’s someone as awesome as me.”

I do love that he gets that about me. And he is, in fact, awesome.

“I’ll see you at noon tomorrow,” James says. “No excuses.”

“No excuses,” I repeat, smiling. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. Sleep well,” he says, before hanging up.

With today’s verdict, for the first time in a long time, I think I actually might.

But not before handling one last thing.