~{Chapter 16}~

"Thank you so much for everything, Matt. It means a lot to me," I say as I hug him goodbye.

I am at the airport, getting ready to fly back home. As he promised, he brought me. He even took me to breakfast. I feel sad to leave, but it is reassuring to know we are on good terms.

He pulls back to look at me and says, "I'm going to come see you when I make it big."

"Why just then?" I ask.

He smiles. "You told me yesterday you believed I could have a hit. I'm going to have a hit the next time I see you."

"Flight 37 is now boarding," someone announces.

I smile. "Well, I guess I'll see you whenever you've accomplished that. I'll miss you."

I give him one last hug before boarding my plane. I look out the window and say goodbye to the beautiful city that has shown me so much. As the plane takes off, I close my eyes and process everything that happened while I was on my trip.

It was a great trip for me. Beth was right. I needed this closure and to find my joy again. I know it is not my fault. I know I will be okay because I know I will see him again. I am finally able to open my eyes and see that this whole situation will be turned into something great.

I ponder all of these things, and it makes my flight seem extremely short. Soon enough, I am finally back in South Hart, and I can not wait to go see Beth and Violet to tell them what I have learned.

The first person I see is Violet because I stop in Mrs. Tucker's Diner to get some actual food to fill my empty stomach, and Violet happens to be in there.

"Violet!" I exclaim as soon as I see her.

She smiles at me and gives me a warm hug. "To what do I owe this happy greeting?"

I smile at her and say, "Thank you. You were so right about me needing to stop blaming myself! God has worked wonders in me, and I can finally look at myself in the mirror."

"I'm so happy for you!" she tells me with tears in her eyes.

"I owe a lot to you," I say.

She smiles and shakes off my compliment. "God just places the people we need where we need them and when we need them."

I nod and say goodbye to her, taking my food with me as I hurry to the office where I am greeted by my kind employees who welcome me back. I say hello to all of them with a smile full of true joy.

I hurry to Beth's office and find myself interrupting something between the guy named Sam and her.

"Kate! I didn't expect you to be here this soon," Beth says with a red face as Sam turns around and looks at me.

I smile and ignore their blushing faces. "I needed to tell you something, but I can come back later. It looks like y'all are talking about something important."

Beth tries to stop me, but I hurry out of her office and to my office so I can give them some much needed privacy. I walk into my office and see Mr. Parker on the phone. He smiles at me and gestures for me to sit down.

"I'm sorry for your concern, but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. I'll have Miss Garner call you tomorrow. Have a nice day," he says before hanging up.

"Who was that?" I ask.

"One of the contenders for another editor. She's worried she won't be able to have her interview before you make a choice on who to hire," he explains.

"How many interviews did you have while I was gone?"

"Around four, I think."

"Any good ones?"

He thinks for a second before saying, "Possible ones, but I left the files for you to look over. Now, I want to know how your trip went."

I smile. "It was really great. Thanks for asking. You were right about me needing to go."

He smiles. "I'm happy for you, Kate. I know it hasn't been easy."

"Thank you."

"How's that son of mine?" he asks, changing the subject with a mischievous look on his face.

I laugh. "I think he's doing great. As a matter of fact, he was there for me while I went to James' grave and the days following that. I think you'll be happy to know that our friendship has been restored."

"You told him everything, right?"

I nod. "Yeah."

Mr. Parker stands up and gestures for me to do the same. "Well, I need to get to my lovely wife for a special date, so I will see you tomorrow before we leave."

I nod and reach my hand out to shake his, but he ignores my hand and pulls me into a warm hug. I smile. It was just like how a father would hug. Then again, I would not really know how a father would hug.

He releases me and says, "I know that's not very professional, but I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need a father figure to lean on."

I smile at him and say, "Thank you."

He gives me one last hug before leaving me alone in my office. I set my things down and turn on my computer to catch up on some work. I open up my work email and check if I have any new emails.

"Kate?" I look up and see Beth.

"Beth?" I mimic, raising my eyebrow.

She rolls her eyes and sits across from me. "What's with the eyebrow?"

"What's up with you and Sam?" I ask.

She laughs nervously and says, "Something."

I lean forward in interest. "Elaborate, please!"

She laughs at my interest and says, "Well, he was asking me something kind of personal when you walked in."

I raise my eyebrow. "Something tells me you're not telling me everything."

"We're dating," she replies.

"Are you happy?" I ask.

She thinks for a second before saying, "Yeah, but he's way too good for me. I don't deserve him, especially when it feels like he's my rebound from Josh."

"Listen, you think he's too good for you because of what happened with Josh. It wasn't your fault. Don't live in the past. Just push on like you're doing now and forgive and forget."

She smiles. "Thanks. Now, what were you going to tell me earlier?"

I smile. "I think I've found my joy."

She gives me a huge smile before hurrying over to me to give me a hug. "Are you serious?"

I laugh as she gets back to her seat. "It wasn't easy, but I can't let his death stop me. I mean, he'll always be my love, and I'll always love him, but I need to continue to live my life for me and for him and for God."

"I'm so happy for you, Kate. I hope that you can just grow from here."

"I think I can."

~-~-~-~
"Kate?" James asks as we stand in the airport.

I look up at him and softly ask, "Yes?"

"Remember what I said about not being afraid to pursue love again. You deserve and will always deserve to be happy. Please don't forget my words," James tells me.

I feel silent tears rolling down my cheeks, but James wipes them gently away with his thumb. He leans in and kisses my forehead.

"I just want you to know this in case something happens."

I nod. "I don't plan on that happening, though."

He laughs. "I don't either, but you can't predict life."

I nod. Just at that moment, he is called to board his flight. He gives me one last kiss on the forehead before slowly walking away from me. I keep his hand in mine for as long as I can.

I leave the airport and go home to binge watch Netflix and eat ice cream. I'm going to miss him, but I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. He loves me, I love him, and we love God. Could it get any better?

The last memory I have of him from that day is his smile and the way he walked. His smile was full of hope and love while his walk was full of determination and confidence. His smile gave me comfort and hope. His walk showed me how strong he was. He left me with a lasting memory of his joy, love, bravery, and trust.

~-~-~-~
In just two weeks, my life is back to being a whirlwind. I got two more book editors for the office, finished editing a book, got another author, and saw Beth's relationship with Sam begin to blossom. I was full of the joy I had lost when James had died.

Then, I started getting nagging feelings that all of my joy was fake, and I should not be happy. It was making it harder for me to move on.

"Hey, Miss Garner?" my secretary asks.

"Yes?" I say with a smile.

"Mr. Parker left a message for you on the office line."

I raise an eyebrow and reach for my phone. "That's weird; he always calls me on my cell or work cell. Do you know why?"

She shakes her head. "He just told me to tell you to open the message. He left it for you when he left, but he told me not to tell you about it until a couple weeks go by."

"Okay, thank you."

She nods and leaves the room, leaving me alone in my office. I hesitate before picking the phone up and going to messages. Sure enough, there is a message from Mr. Parker from two weeks ago.

"Hi, Miss Garner. I'm leaving this message to tell you some important things. First off, my advice is for you to hire Mr. Wilson and Miss Longway as your two new editors, but I'm assuming you can figure that out on your own. Secondly, I want to tell you to remain strong. It's easy to be on joyful high for a few weeks or so before you may have reality hit you in the face. Thirdly, thank you for speaking to my son. Y'all's friendship is something special. Thank you for all you've done for the office. I can't wait to see what it's like when I return in a year or so. Thank you for your hard work. God bless."

To say I was not emotional during his message is a total lie. His message was a much needed message that I would remember.

"Thank you," I whisper as I put the phone up.

I go back to editing a book and find myself staying way past the office hours. When I look up again, it is almost ten. I quickly turn my computer off, gather all my things, and hurry out to my car.

I drive the short distance to my house and quickly walk inside. I turn the TV on and watch as I make myself a late night snack. I make some scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon, along with a large cup of hot chocolate.

After I finish with my snack, I sit down on my couch while I watch a Hallmark movie.

Ring, ring!

I pick my phone up and say, "Hello?"

"I wasn't sure if you would be awake or not," Matt says.

I smile and turn my TV volume down slightly. "I lost track of time while I was at the office, so I just got home about ten minutes ago. What're you doing up so late?"

"I was trying to write something, but it isn't going well. I needed a break and the sound of a voice other than my manager," he says tiredly.

"What do you have so far?" I ask.

"The title."

"What's the title."

"My Title," he says.

I raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, doesn't sound too good."

He sighs. "I know. I just don't know how to make it good."

"Do it from the heart. Don't just make a song that you think everyone will want to hear. Make a song for you that has a special meaning. People want it to be personal and not just another song that has no real meaning for you," I advise him.

"You think?" he asks.

"I know. Just try it. Your manager may not be super supportive, but it might be time to get a new one. Do it from the heart."

"Thank you, Kate."

"Of course. Call me if you need anything else."

"Will do. I miss you, but I'll see you when I make my big break."

"I'm counting on that," I say.

He laughs. "Me too."