The Inn at Holiday Bay Books 10 - 12

  “I did, but she wants to stay close to home. I guess I don’t blame her. She and my brother-in-law have friends they enjoy spending time with and events they plan to attend. She’d be bored here with our brand of homespun Christmas. She said something about coming in the spring, but I doubt she will.”

  “You could go and visit them,” he pointed out.

  I frowned. “I could. I’m just not sure I’m ready for that.”

  “Being in San Francisco reminds you of what you lost.”

  I nodded. “It’s easier here.” I pushed the dark cloud I could feel beginning to gather away. “I’ll take care of the dishes while you call your family, and then we’ll take that walk you mentioned.”

  He got up. “Okay. Although, if you want to leave the dishes, I can get them after my call.”

  “No. It’s fine. There aren’t many, so it won’t take long.”

  As I loaded the dishwasher and put the food away, I thought about my life over the course of the past two years. When I’d first come to Holiday Bay, I’d been such a mess, but now, most days, I actually feel pretty centered and serene. I still miss my son and husband, and not a day goes by that I don’t think of them, but the pain I’d felt in the beginning has waned a bit, and most of the time, I’m able to remember them with love and affection, rather than pain and suffering. I supposed there is a part of my heart that will always be reserved for them, but where my grief at losing them had overwhelmed me in the past, I now have room for new people and happier emotions. I have Georgia, Jeremy, and Annabelle, who are as much like a family to me as any family I’ve ever had. I have Velma, Lacy, Nikki, Tanner, and other close friends, and I have Colt, who I’m still struggling to classify, but I know, in the end, will probably be the most important person in my life. I’m not entirely certain where our relationship will end up since there are a lot of variables at play, but for now, I love being with him, and I think we are both happy and content with the way things are. When I look into the future, I see us, which is huge in my mind, since during that first year after Ben died, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be part of an “us” again.

  It’s amazing how much can change in just two years. Realizing how far I’ve actually come has me wondering where I’ll be two years from now. I guess, like all good things, all I can do at this point is wait to see how life evolves, but deep in my heart, I know that the future I’m working toward, most likely has been part of my destiny all along.

  The End

  USA Today best-selling author Kathi Daley lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spending time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than a hundred and fifty books in fourteen series. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com