The Sea Glass Cottage

by RaeAnne Thayne

  Caitlin glowered at her. “She looks upset. What did you do to make her cry?”

  “She didn’t do anything, Caity,” Juliet said quickly. “I wasn’t crying.”

  Caitlin still looked suspiciously between the two of them. Olivia refrained from rolling her eyes but it wasn’t easy. Did she think Olivia was beating Juliet?

  “Are you hurting?” Olivia asked her mother. “I can check your med schedule to see when you can take another pain pill.”

  “I hurt, but I really don’t want to take another pain pill. They make me feel so strange. I’ll be honest—I would rather be in pain than feel out of it for hours.”

  “If there is a good time you should take it, right before bed has my vote so you can get a better night’s sleep.”

  “Don’t forget what Dr. Adeno said,” Caitlin said, unexpectedly on her side for once. “You should listen to your pain cues and stay on top of it in order for your body to heal. That’s the only way you’re truly going to be able to heal.”

  “Dr. Adeno is a wonderful doctor and I trust her, but I also know my body. I don’t need a pain pill right now.”

  Olivia sighed, not wanting to fight this battle right now. “I’ll go fill your water bottle and then leave a pill here beside the bed. Don’t suffer unnecessarily, Mom. You’re only going to stress your body more.”

  After she filled the insulated bottle with ice and water, she returned to her mother’s bedside. “Here you go,” she said, setting it on the nearby table along with the little medicine cup holding the pain pills.

  “Thank you, dear.”

  “Good night, Mimi,” Caitlin said, kissing Juliet on the top of her head. “Love you.”

  “I love you, too, dear.”

  Caitlin rose from the bed and headed out of the room.

  “Good night,” Olivia called after her. As she expected, her niece didn’t turn around or acknowledge her. She thought things had been slightly better, but apparently common courtesy was too much to ask for tonight.

  She wasn’t in the mood to try unraveling Caitlin’s attitude right now, especially not when she was still trying to process that stunning kiss.

  “Call me if you need anything in the night.”

  “I will,” Juliet said, though both of them knew it was a lie. Her mother went out of her way not to ask for help.

  Could one person in her life not fill her with frustration right now, please?

  Juliet looked toward the door where Caitlin had exited. “I wish that girl wouldn’t shut me out. Do you have any idea what’s bothering Caitlin?”

  Besides Olivia’s very existence? She didn’t have a clue. “First me and now your granddaughter? I think you need to stop worrying about everyone else and focus on yourself right now, Mom.”

  Juliet made a face. “I’m being a pain. I know. I’m sorry. But I worry about her.”

  “Caitlin will be fine. She’s stressed about your injury and doesn’t like seeing you this way. You’re the only parent she’s ever known, really. It’s only natural for your injury to hit her hard. No doubt, it’s a reminder to her of how important you are to her.”

  Though spontaneous physical affection did not come easily between the two of them, Olivia ran a hand over her mom’s hair. “You’re important to both of us.”

  Juliet again looked as if she wanted to cry. “You are a wonderful daughter, if I forget to tell you that often enough.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” She kissed her mother’s cheek as well. “Have a good night.”

  She left the room thinking that at least her relationship with her mother, while not exactly ideal, seemed to be improving. She would be here for several more weeks. Maybe by the time she returned to Seattle, she would be able to have a conversation with Juliet without wanting to tear out three or four hanks of hair.

  17

  JULIET

  “I am tired of having this argument with you, young lady You’re going to school today. I will be just fine.”

  Juliet gazed firmly at Caitlin, who seemed to grow more obstinate by the moment. Every day she asked if she could stay home with Juliet. Again and again, Juliet had to tell her no.

  “I just worry about you being here by yourself.”

  “I’m not by myself. Your aunt stops and checks on me throughout the day and so do some of the other employees at the garden center. I have friends popping in at all hours of the day and night. I’m hardly ever alone, and when I am, I keep my phone on me so I could call if I needed help. I know you worry about me, sweetheart, but you need to focus on school. And if you don’t hurry, you’re going to be late for the bus.”

  Caitlin sighed, obviously defeated. “Fine. I’m going.”

  With the morning sunlight hitting her just so, she reminded Juliet forcibly of Natalie. Her heart ached, the constant small hole there that would never heal, missing the child she couldn’t save.

  She forced a smile. “Before you know it, the school day will be over. Maybe the two of us can watch a movie or something after you get your homework done.”

  “Um, I have plans tonight,” Caitlin said, looking vaguely guilty. “I guess I forgot to tell you.”

  “What kind of plans?” She had tried to tell her granddaughter that all social activities on a school night had to be cleared with her first, but Caitlin had a bad habit of forgetting that particular house rule.

  “Jake and I are going to that youth group at the church down on Shell Street.”

  Juliet blinked, taken completely by surprise at that one. “Are you?”

  Caitlin’s features took on a secretive look, one that made Juliet highly suspicious again that she wasn’t being completely truthful. “What? I can’t explore different ideas and theologies?”

  “Of course you can. You know my philosophy has always been that everyone walks his or her own spiritual journey. I have always encouraged you to have questions and seek answers.”

  She had always taken Caitlin to her own church but had tried to expose her to other faiths as well. “I just wondered what prompted this interest now.”

  “Nothing.” Caitlin did not meet her gaze, giving Juliet the distinct impression she was hiding something. “I just know a girl who goes and she likes it. She said they were doing some community service tonight for that group home where people with disabilities live and it sounded fun. But I won’t go if you don’t want me to.”

  “I never said I didn’t want you to,” Juliet said mildly. “I’m sure you will enjoy it.”

  “I’ll come home first and check on you. And I’ll keep my phone on while I’m at school. I told my teachers I need you to be able to stay in touch with me right now and they were all cool with it. So call or text me if you need me to come home.”

  Juliet would never do that and both of them knew it. She would call anyone else in town before she dragged her granddaughter out of school.

  Caitlin finally grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. A moment later, Olivia hurried out of her bedroom, wearing one of the garden center polo shirts and typing something into her phone. Everyone else had somewhere to go except her and her stupid broken hip.

  “I guess you’re off,” Juliet said, trying to ignore the wave of fierce longing that washed over her like heavy surf in an autumn storm.

  She missed her job. She never would have imagined she could miss it so very much. She missed the employees; she missed the dirt under her hands as she potted plants; she missed the customers, even the clueless ones who came in not knowing a pansy from a petunia.

  “I’m training Melody today,” Olivia said. “It’s her first day.”

  “That’s exciting.”

  “It should be interesting, anyway, since I still have no idea what I’m doing.”

  “You’re doing fine. Everyone says so.”

  “You know my goal is only to keep the place going until you
get back.”

  “Hopefully that will only be a few more weeks,” Juliet said, though she wasn’t entirely certain that was true. She was still so weak, something she would not admit to anyone.

  She was desperately worried it was her multiple sclerosis that left her feeling exhausted and wrung out, but of course she couldn’t tell that to Caitlin or Olivia.

  “I’ll have someone swing by this morning and I’ll try to check on you at lunchtime.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. I have my cell phone and can call for help if I need it.”

  “I’m just worried about you.”

  “Otis and the cats will keep me company.”

  Olivia gave her a funny look and Juliet could guess what she was thinking. After Steve died, she had been determined never to have another dog in the house. They were so much bother, always needing to be walked and fed and entertained, and she didn’t have the time or energy when their lives were so stressful.

  Okay, she’d been wrong. She loved her cats for their easy natures and occasional affection, but she had forgotten how a dog’s energy and enthusiasm could be contagious. She and Olivia’s dog had bonded since she had been home from the hospital. He had become her constant companion and her nap buddy. Juliet had to admit, she was going to miss him dearly when the two of them returned to Seattle.

  After Olivia left, Sea Glass Cottage seemed silent and still except for the dog’s quiet snores.

  The house wasn’t particularly large, though it was bigger than the usual definition of cottage, with five bedrooms and three bathrooms spread across two floors.

  She adored this place, had loved it from the time she was a newlywed, when she and Steve had moved in. It had been too big for only the two of them, but she became pregnant with Natalie right away, and they had dreamed of filling it with a half-dozen children.

  But they had struggled with fertility issues between Natalie and Olivia and then she’d had to have a hysterectomy because of pregnancy complications after her younger daughter. She thought they would only have two. Then she’d been blessed with her granddaughter at a time in her life when she thought she was done with children. She had adored mothering her granddaughter. It had probably been the best thing that could have happened to her at that stage in her life. Caitlin, like the little dog, had reminded her that life couldn’t always be like a formal garden, structured and neat. It was more like an English cottage garden, messy and busy and chaotic but still full of light and color, blossoms and beauty.

  The doorbell rang, distracting her from her thoughts. Otis jumped off her lap and hurried to the door, but it took Juliet a few more moments to wheel herself closer to it. As she had told Caitlin, she was rarely alone. She needed a revolving door for all the friends and neighbors who insisted on stopping by.

  It was one of the things she loved most about living in Cape Sanctuary—at least when that neighborliness wasn’t driving her crazy.

  “I’m coming,” she called out. She had to reach up to unlock the door. When she did, she was somehow not surprised to find Henry there, wearing one of his cotton work shirts and a baseball cap.

  Rats. She wished she had at least gone to the trouble of putting some makeup on that morning. At least lipstick. The man had a knack for finding her at her very worst.

  “Morning,” he said cheerfully.

  “Hi.”

  “Are you up for visitors?”

  The easy but cowardly thing would be to tell him no and shut the door in his face. She couldn’t do that, though.

  “Come in,” she said instead, wheeling her chair backward a few feet to make room for him.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  She was becoming very tired of answering that particular question. “Better,” she said. It wasn’t precisely a lie. Her pain had begun to ease and she felt as if she was getting around better, or at least figuring out how to maneuver with the wheelchair and walker.

  “I’m heading down the coast to check out the resort property we talked about the other night and I wanted to know if you are up to going with me yet. I don’t want to push you. Tell me if it’s too early in the game.”

  Given the tenderness of her feelings for him, the smartest thing would be to decline his invitation. Spending more time with Henry when she knew they could never have anything but friendship was guaranteed to end in heartbreak.

  But she wanted to go. Oh, how she wanted to go.

  She was tired of being here. She craved a change of scenery, another view of sea and sunshine and growing things. More than that, she couldn’t deny she was flattered that he wanted her opinion.

  She might come to regret it, but she decided to worry about that later.

  “Do you mind taking Otis? I don’t want to leave him here alone.”

  “Of course not. I have Rosie with me, too. They can be traveling companions.”

  “I’m going to need some pillows.”

  His grin of delight completely stole her breath.

  “I can take care of that.”

  Making sure she had everything she needed for a half-day journey took some logistical planning, and she also had to text both Caitlin and Olivia to let them know she was leaving with Henry for a few hours.

  Wish I could go with you, Caitlin had texted.

  Have fun. Don’t overdo, was Olivia’s response.

  Finally she was ready, filled with a sense of anticipation she hadn’t known since before her accident.

  Part of that stemmed from the unexpected chance to see something outside of Sea Glass Cottage for a few hours, part was her eagerness to have something worthwhile to occupy her time, helping him with his project. She had to admit that a big measure of her anticipation came from knowing she was about to spend the next few hours in his company.

  Henry was her friend, she reminded herself. That was all. A good friend, who understood her restlessness and knew she would be eager for something constructive to do.

  Only after he had wheeled her out of the house to the driveway, where his large blue pickup truck waited, did she begin to think through exactly what she had signed up to do.

  Disappointment crashed over her, sharp and intense. She couldn’t go. She could conceive of no possible way she would be able to get herself into his high cab.

  “I didn’t think about your truck,” she admitted, hoping her voice didn’t betray her sudden devastation.

  “I did. I was planning for it. I can lift you in, as long as we’re careful and keep your hip stabilized and don’t hurt your ribs.”

  “You can’t lift me that high.”

  Henry laughed. “A little thing like you? I spend all day tossing hundred-pound bags of fertilizer into the back.”

  True to his word, he seemed to effortlessly scoop her up out of the wheelchair and into the passenger seat.

  She didn’t want him to let her go. She wanted to stay here cradled in his arms.

  No. What she really wanted to do was throw her arms around his neck and kiss him fiercely.

  Oh, she was so very stupid. Juliet shoved aside the inappropriate thoughts like so much fertilizer and resolved to simply enjoy the gorgeous April day, sunny and bright with promise.

  After helping her inside, Henry lifted Otis to the back seat of the crew cab, where his old dog Rosie immediately licked the smaller dog, who wagged his tail and vibrated with happiness.

  “See? I knew they would be friends,” Henry said. With the dogs settled, Henry turned his attention back to her and took inordinate care arranging the myriad pillows he brought out of the house to cushion her hip and her ribs, until he was ultimately satisfied she would be protected from every bump and jostle as he drove.

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked once he had climbed into the cab.

  “Are you kidding? After all the work you just did, there�
��s no way I could say no. I’m fine. Really. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “So am I.” He backed out of her driveway, driving slowly and carefully to avoid unnecessary movements.

  “I’m really okay,” she said. “Don’t feel you have to drive any differently than normal.”

  He seemed to relax with every passing mile. Juliet felt some of her own tension trickle away. This was the most gorgeous time of year here, when everything was green and lush and brightly colored wildflowers took over the hillsides climbing down to the sea.

  “So, Jake tells me he’s going to a church youth group meeting tonight with Caitlin. Did you know about that?”

  “She told me they were going this morning. It’s a little out of the blue, don’t you think?”

  Henry shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve always encouraged Jake to explore different beliefs and philosophies.”

  He was an excellent father, though she knew from bitter experience how difficult it could be to raise a teenager as a single parent.

  “He’s a good boy, your Jake.”

  Henry smiled across the length of the cab. “No arguments here.”

  “A lot of kids might have become bitter and angry, losing a parent at that age.”

  That was what had happened to Natalie, anyway. In her grief and sorrow over Steve’s death, she seemed to have gone wild, drinking and using drugs, staying out all night. Juliet had been lost in her own grief and struggling to keep the business afloat and had been completely powerless to control her at all.

  “I think losing his mom has made Jake more compassionate and understanding,” Henry said.

  “Agreed. He’s been a wonderful friend to Caitlin.”

  Henry appeared lost in thought and Juliet looked out the window as the road took them in view of the ocean far below, where the morning sun gleamed on the water.

  “Have you noticed anything odd about the way they’ve been acting? Jake and Caitlin?” he asked.

  She frowned. “Odd?”

  “Not odd, I guess, as much as...secretive. Like they might be cooking something up between them?”