Free Handle with Care by Emily Porterfield Page A

only the guilty
suffered the consequences.”
    * * *
    Abby
awoke from the nightmare wild-eyed, covered in sweat. She was disoriented.
Nothing looked familiar. Where am I? Her eyes darted around. She felt
like she was hiding out, but this wasn’t her apartment. Where am I? She
sat up, clenching the sheets, trying to muffle her breathing while she listened
for reporters. Her heart raced and she felt on edge. She felt panicked. Breathe.
Breathe! Then it slowly dawned on her where she was. A sense of relief washed
over her, followed by a sickening realization. I can’t do this anymore. I
just can’t. Abby decided she could not go on like this, night after night.
If she were to ever move on with her life, she needed to face her accusers,
their hatred and their judgment. It made no sense she continue to hide out, to
keep running. She made a decision: it was time for her to leave Winchester Bay.
    * * *
    Abby
tucked her last cable knit sweater into her suitcase and sighed as she glanced
around the small space. It had become home to her; she was not eager to leave
it. A lot of what Craig said made sense. She needed to go back to Philadelphia,
with her head held high, and confront the people who believed such terrible
things about her.
     
    She
rationalized her leaving had nothing to do with Craig's confessing his feelings
for her. But, just thinking about it, and the memory of his lips on hers, was
enough to make her want to run away. It wasn’t that she did not feel the same
way about him. She did. She felt very strongly for him and believed she didn’t
deserve him. The therapist in her kept chiming in, warning her she was in no
shape to commit in any way, and she agreed.

That made the decision to head back to Philadelphia a rather simple one. Elementary,
indeed . Abby wouldn’t have to face her feelings about Craig, and, if she
were gone, he would realize he did not feel as strongly for her as he thought. Yes,
I’ll go. She smiled to herself, in
satisfaction, confident she was right to leave. Zipping her suitcase shut, she opened
the door of the cabin and stepped out. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep
lung full of the cool morning air. Boy, will I miss this place .
Breathing out slowly, she savored the moment, and slowly opened her eyes. Abby
was about to step off of the boat when something caught her eye. She saw a
shiny pink note taped to the cabin door. Abby smiled when she saw the childish
squiggles. It was a note from Chloe. 
     
    Abby,
     
    Please
join us for a picnic at Umpqua Lighthouse at 4o’clock.
It is a special picnic and you have to come.

Please come.
     
    Love,
    Chloe
     
    Abby
stared at the note for a long moment, pondering what to do. The perfect
spelling was almost as adorable as the abundance of hearts and flowers she had
drawn in the margins. Clearly Chloe had put a great deal of effort into the
missive.
     
    She
didn't think it was a good idea to encourage Chloe but, at the same time, she
didn't have the heart to disappoint her. She hadn’t purchased her ticket home
yet, so she had some time. What would it hurt to leave a few hours later? Resolute she would still leave, she decided to go
and enjoy the picnic. Craig deserved a “goodbye” and a “thank you”for all he had done for her. She wanted to be honest
with him, and let him know it was not the right time for them to get involved
in a serious relationship. Yes... I’ll tell him.
     
    Delighted
with her decision, Abby put her suitcase back inside the cabin. She was excited
at the idea of seeing Craig one last time and left the boat, walking in the
direction of the lighthouse, south through several parks that were strung
together buffering the shoreline from the highway that ran along the coast. She
had been gazing at it for days, finding its simple beauty very alluring - the
red, green and white colors contrasting with the mid-morning sky. Since the
picnic was scheduled for late afternoon, she had plenty of time to explore the
area first.