Second Chances in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #3)

57. Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Four

Summer

A ngie waited outside of Coffee Girl. The cafés weren’t even open yet. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, and already the day was heavy with heat. She wore a light-colored scarf and held a wide-brimmed hat in her hand. Her hair continued to grow, and she currently compared it to a Chia Pet. She was in a great mood. The first set of scans she’d had since she completed treatment had come back all clear. She wasn’t yet fully recovered from treatment but every day she felt more like herself. Tom suggested they take the day off together to celebrate, and she suggested they go fishing as she knew it was his favorite pastime. She didn’t really care what they did, as long as she could be with him.

Tom pulled up and parked his pickup against the curb. He jumped out and greeted her with a kiss. “Ready?”

She nodded. “I am.”

He opened the back of his truck. “I’ve got something for you.” He pulled out an army green fishing vest identical to the one he wore, and handed it to her.

“Ooh, his-and-hers fishing vests,” she teased.

Tom laughed. “Okay, smarty.”

She gave him her best smile.

“Let’s go,” Tom said.

She hopped into the passenger side of the truck and buckled up. They were going out on the lake, but the boat dock was located past Lavender Bay. Angie’d been out twice already with Tom and knew his favorite spot. As he pulled away from the curb, she looked back at the sandwich board in front of Coffee Girl.

Before his arrival, she’d chalked Angie + Tom and drawn a big heart around it. Smiling, she turned to face forward.

They took Tom’s boat, a twenty-foot center console, out to his favorite spot on the lake. In the distance was the town of Lavender Bay. She could almost make out Nadine’s house, which backed onto the lake.

Tom whistled as he set up his gear for the day, and mused aloud about what they’d possibly catch. Angie got comfortable and put on her hat and sunglasses.

Tom cast his line over the side of the boat and settled in. He had the patience of a saint. She supposed he’d need patience to put up with the likes of her.

The sun climbing in the eastern sky was strong and hot, and within minutes of getting situated, Tom pulled off his T-shirt. This was probably Angie’s favorite part of fishing. The rumors about the tattoo on his back were true, but they did not do it justice. The American flag looked as if it was flapping in the breeze, the colors of red, white, and blue vibrant and strong. The eagle in front of the flag was large and stared straight at you.

She settled back against the cushions. “Tom, I’m thinking about getting a tattoo.” In the past, she’d been ambivalent about them, thinking to each his own . But she had since changed her mind.

“Okay,” he said.

“Do you think your brother would do the ink?”

“Yes.”

“I want to cover that dent in my breast,” she told him.

“Understood.”

“Maybe flowers and a butterfly or a hummingbird.” She could so easily picture it.

“Angie, stop talking, you’re scaring the fish away.”

Laughing, she said, “Okay.”

She leaned back, letting the warm sun wash over her. The water lapped gently against the boat, rocking it slightly.

It felt as if she had a new lease on life.

A second chance.