Page 77 of Last Wish Wedding

Outside, they split up at the driveway. Mac leaned in to give Kelsey a quick kiss goodbye, a reflex that surprised them both and left a moment of startled silence between them.

“I’ll see you at lunch,” he recovered with an awkward half-wave.

“Bye, Mac!” Noah called, already climbing into Kelsey’s car.

“Bye, buddy. Learn something amazing today, okay?”

Mac watched them pull away before climbing into his own truck. As he started the engine, he caught sight of his reflection in the rearview mirror. The man looking back at him seemed different somehow—less fed up with the human race, if that was possible. The realization was unsettling.

The island elementary school nestled against a grove of wind-bent pines, its playground equipment gleaming in the morning sun. Kelsey pulled into the drop-off lane, joining the small procession of cars.

“Do you have everything?” she asked as Noah gathered his things. “Lunch, homework, permission slip?”

“Yes, Mom,” Noah sighed with the particular exasperation reserved for mothers who asked the same questions every morning.

“Alright, smart guy. Have a good day and have fun on the field trip. Mind your manners and listen to your teacher. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Noah leaned over for a quick kiss on her cheek before bounding out of the car, joining the stream of children flowing toward the entrance.

Kelsey watched until he disappeared inside then began to pull away. As she checked her mirrors, something caught her eye: a man standing across the street, partially obscured by a parked van. He held what appeared to be a camera with a long lens, pointed in her direction.

She slowed, frowning. The man lowered the camera and turned away quickly.

Kelsey pulled the car over and rolled down her window. “Excuse me!” she called out. But the man was gone.

Kelsey sat there for a moment, hand tight on the steering wheel. A coincidence, surely. Just a tourist taking photos of the charming island school. Yet the prickle of unease remained as she pulled back into traffic and headed toward the clinic.

The morning passed in a blur of patient visits. Truman was her last stop before lunch, and she found herself looking forward to seeing both him and Mac for a midday break. The thought brought a small smile to her face as she gathered her supplies from the clinic storage room.

“Someone looks happy today,” observed Rina, the receptionist. “Marriage suits you.”

Kelsey felt her cheeks warm. “It’s been an adjustment.”

“Mac MacCormack,” Rina sighed dramatically. “Half the island women have been trying to land him for years. You swoop in and snap him up in a month. It’s not fair.”

“Hardly swooped,” Kelsey laughed. “More like stumbled.”

“Well, the two of you make sense together,” Rina said, handing her a stack of files. “And Noah seems to adore him, from what I hear. That’s what matters.”

“It is,” Kelsey agreed. It surprised her how true the words felt.

She shouldered her bag and headed for the parking lot, mind already shifting to her next patient. This late in the morning, only a few staff cars remained in the back parking lot, as most of the team was out making home visits.

As Kelsey approached her vehicle, movement at the tree line caught her attention. A figure stepped between two parked cars, then quickly retreated when she turned.

The same man from the school.

This time, she was certain. Without hesitation, Kelsey changed direction, walking purposefully toward him.

“Hey!” she called out. “I need to speak with you!”

The man quickly fled between the trees. By the time Kelsey reached them, he was gone, leaving only the sound of breaking twigs and rustling leaves to mark his hasty retreat.

Kelsey stood at the edge of the woods, heart hammering. She pulled out her phone and hovered her thumb over the emergency call button. After a moment’s hesitation, she dialed Mac instead.

“Hey,” his voice came through after two rings. “I was just about to call you, I’m at Grandad’s. He had a rough night apparently.”

Kelsey swallowed, suddenly reluctant to voice her concerns. It sounded paranoid, even to her own ears. “Do you need me to come right now?”