After a night spent thinking about what I had done, I woke up the next morning to an empty house. Blake and Alex had both gone to work, and that left me alone without anyone to talk to. I had gotten home late, so they were both asleep by the time I could ask them for their in-depth analysis of what really happened.

I never really liked being alone.

Hm.

I couldn't imagine operating on a nine to five schedule like them, and although I didn't have any plans to live like that ever in my life, it would be nice when I was finally only working for myself.

But it was also nice seeing where this whole Mason thing would go.

He had such an interesting job, even if he didn't see it that way, and in a way, it was like he was living my dream of being his own boss.

And maybe—just maybe—he was the owner of the boat I fell in love with on Lake Erie.

Marigold, we have a problem.

***

Although I was used to every day feeling the same, every day for the next few weeks was even the samer in a more excruciating way. Work, craft, sleep, and eat if I had the money for it or could get Mason to pay for it. It was like there was no escape from the mundane, especially not anything free.

Plus, it didn't help one bit that I was interested in a man who had every intention of making me earn his attention. I wasn't one to shy away from a challenge (except for college—what a waste of time and money), but I would have been damned if I let him win so easily. Besides, tough nuts to crack like him were always worth it. At least that was what I had seen on TV.

But with a day off from work and a beautiful October day in northern Ohio, I couldn't let it go to waste. There wasn't much that was free in the world, but state parks were one of those things.

The Marblehead Lighthouse, barely an expense in gas, and one of the prettier places to spend a sunny fall day in the area, besides maybe on a roller coaster.

It was where I had my craft show and saw the red sailboat for the first time, and with Mason out of town for a show, it could double as a research detective trip to see if I could spot that boat again.

The parking lot only had a few cars in it, so I was in for a quiet day on the lake by myself. Even more leaves had fallen since the last time I was there in September, but the colors were stunning oranges, yellows, and reds. All I needed was a pumpkin spice latte, and I would have had the perfect Instagram post.

I just didn't have anyone to take the picture with my only two friends at work. And as for my family in the area, well, they didn't exactly care for the way I was living my life.

We couldn't all have life figured out by twenty-five, though.

Alex had said something about the rocks having fossils in them, and although it wasn't something I was usually interested in, it would still be cool to tell her I saw them. Of course, I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for, so unless they looked like fish, it was a very real possibility that I wouldn't find anything worth looking at.

As I was checking out the rocks that led to the lake, one of the only other people in the park caught my eye.

I hesitated before saying his name. "Chris?"

He looked up and smiled. "Marigold. It's nice to see you. How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. Just trying to keep myself busy and maybe find some inspiration for something. How about you?"

"I'm good. I didn't know you liked to come here," he said.

It wasn't a favorite activity of mine, but I let out a small laugh anyway. "Well, it's not like there's a ton to do in this town."

He nodded. "Yeah, I like to wait here until Cedar Point gets close to closing."

It was pretty early for that, and Sandusky was a bridge away from Marblehead, but who was I to judge? It wasn't like I had any big plans for the day either.

Maybe there was a tiny bit of truth in my parents' words, and I did need a better job. Of course, they also didn't understand how much of a pain it would be to accomplish my real dreams if I did that.

"Free is my favorite color too," I said. "I really can't afford everything in rose gold like I want to."

Neither one of us spoke for a moment, and the gentle lake breeze rustled through the remaining leaves on the trees. The fresh scent was nice, but it wasn't inspiring me in any way.

And sure enough, there was no red sailboat anywhere in sight. That was a long shot anyway.

I sighed. No, today seems like it's going to be just as unfulfilling as yesterday.

Just as I was about to tell him that it was nice running into him, Chris spoke up again. "It was nice catching up with you on the way to Pittsburgh and back. If you're not busy, you want to kill some time doing something that's actually fun?"

I smiled. "Is trying to find fossils not fun for you either?"

"Is that what you're doing? I was literally just watching the water, so yours is way cooler," he replied.

"It's really not if you don't know what you're doing." I looked out to the water, and there was still no sign of my favorite boat. "I'd love to do something else, though. I just don't have the money for it right now."

"Neither do I, but that can be a problem for a different day."

Well, that was a compelling argument.

I nodded. "Sounds like fun."

I never cared for being alone, so it was nice to have someone else around, especially someone like me who quite hadn't figured out how to win at the game of life yet. It was much better than being alone.

What a nice change.

------------------------------------------------

Hello, and thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate your patience as I try to work on two books at once, which historically has not worked out well for me. But this time, I think I'm going to manage it.

So for today's question, if you were stranded on a deserted island, would you rather be with someone you can't stand or by yourself?

I would probably rather be with someone I can't stand for several reasons. First, I wouldn't have to talk to them about anything other than survival strategies. It would make surviving so much easier if I could pool resources with someone else. It would also be nice having someone else to tempt the wildlife for food as well. The only reason I hesitate a little is because I can be very annoying, and the other person might eventually kill me for food. But that's a risk I would most likely be willing to take.