Chapter 10 - Safe Harbor at LastSix months later.
The spring sun warmed the wooden deck of Mercer Marine Repairs. The harbor was vibrant, filled with white sails, calling seagulls, and the fresh scent of the blue ocean.
Farmacéutica Azteca and Bowmont Logistics had officially completed a historic merger, forming the largest humanitarian shipping network for medical supplies on the East Coast, with Clare serving as the undisputed Chairwoman.
Down at the dock, my old wooden boat, the Sea Glass, was tied up, her hull freshly painted and gleaming under the afternoon sun.
I was crouching on the wooden dock, adjusting a newly installed brass cleat, when soft footsteps echoed on the planks behind me.
I turned around to see Clare walking toward me. She wore a simple white summer dress, her dark blonde hair floating in the warm sea breeze, her bare feet stepping lightly across the wood. She held two iced coffees in her hands.
"You're supposed to be in a board meeting in Boston," I smiled, standing up and wiping my hands on a towel.
"I delegated it to Mateo," she said, handing me a coffee and wrapping her free arm around my waist. "I told them I had an urgent appointment with my head of marine operations."
"Is that so?" I laughed, pulling her close against my chest.
"Yes," she murmured, looking up into my eyes with a love so deep and radiant it completely erased the dark memories of the past. "He's a very stubborn man who pulled me out of the ocean and taught me how to live again."
She reached up, her fingers sliding through my hair, and kissed me deeply under the bright afternoon sun, right there on the public dock for the whole harbor to see.
May you like
I had spent thirty-six years believing that peace meant building walls around myself to keep the world out. But as I held Clare in my arms, listening to the gentle lap of the tide against the shore, I realized the truth:
Peace isn't about hiding from the storm. It's about finding the one person you want to stand with in the rain.
