The Choices I've Made (By the Bay #1)

Epilogue

Molly

"How can you still own a practice in Chicago but live down here?" Terri asked after forcing Jake and me to sit down for tea.

I'd only come by to pick up a handful of corn for some bread, but I should have known better. Even after a heart attack and several surgeries, this woman was going one hundred and ten percent—on her bad days.

"How could I own a practice down here, in Ocracoke, for the last two years when I was living in Chicago?" Jake countered. "You don't have to live where you own, Terri."

She made a disgruntled sound. "Well, none of it makes a lick of sense to me," she said. "But, nonetheless, I'm glad to have you back. Didn't like the guy you brought in to replace you. He wasn't one of us."

"He was perfectly fine," I argued. "You just didn't like that he wasn't Southern."

"He talked funny."

"He spoke completely normal," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Exactly," she grumbled.

"So, when is the big date?" Jake asked, having just found out that Terri and Henry, the produce-stealing restaurant owner, were getting hitched. I'd only heard the news recently myself having been abroad for most of the last year working my way around the world. Now I was bursting with new ideas and recipes for the inn.

"Next month maybe." She shrugged. "I haven't decided. Maybe when we grab the next ferry for supplies."

I shook my head. "Well, that sounds romantic."

"I'm eighty years old," she argued. "He's lucky he's getting me to that courthouse at all. Getting married at my age? Ridiculous."

Jake and I laughed, loving to see her squirm. She might be complaining up and down about getting married to Henry, but both of us knew otherwise. She loved that man more than all the produce in the world.

And that was saying a lot.

"Speaking of getting hitched, what about you two?" she asked, blankly looking at both of us.

I opened my mouth to answer but had nothing.

"Oh, um, we're taking it slow this time," Jake said. "Doing it right. Don't want to mess things up."

I nodded. "Right."

"Mmhmm," was all Terri said before gathering up my veggies. "Well, take care of yourselves. And I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. Don't skip out of town again, Jakey. Got it?"

He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed tightly. "Got it. I'm here to stay. Promise."

Jake

"Ready to go?" Molly asked, our hands intertwined as we stepped out of Terri's small house.

"Yeah, you go ahead," I said, looking toward the old blue house. "I need to do something first."

"Sure," she replied, squeezing my hand. "Are you going to be okay?"

I turned toward her. "Yeah," I answered. "For the first time, I think I am."

She leaned into me, placing her warm lips on mine. I couldn't resist.

It had only been a few weeks since our reunion in that crowded restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. Since then, it had been a whirlwind of activity. I'd packed up my house, put it on the market, and made all the arrangements to move.

The hardest part?

Leaving my friends and patients behind.

Makayla and Mara had promised to visit, both being huge fans of the Outer Banks, especially Mara who was a native of our state, and I had several work friends who now had the place on their bucket lists.