Cee-cee studied Max’s face as she spoke. She and Gabe were very close, and it seemed like, if he’d told her that much, he’d have told her the rest. She was proud of the way her son and daughter were always there for each other during life’s challenges, and the thought comforted her. Still, she found herself struggling to swallow the revolting lump that rose in her throat.
Poor Gabe. He clearly had been struggling with this for months, and she hadn’t even known.
“Anyway, let’s just forget I mentioned it,” Max pleaded as she grabbed one of Cee-cee’s hands and one of Anna’s. “Now. Pinky swear that you won’t say a word of this to anyone,” she said patiently as if they were children. If it wasn’t so upsetting, Cee-cee might’ve grinned at the absurdity of the moment.
“Fine by me,” Anna chuckled as they locked pinkies. “I’m sure Gabe and Sasha can work this one out on their own and I want nothing more than to not be involved.” She spied the bottle of wine in the kitchen and made her way over to it. “Sweetie, you and Ian should worry more about your own happiness. You’ll learn soon enough that every relationship has its ups and downs,” she added.
Cee-cee reached for Tilly and retreated to the sofa. The spaniel’s fluffy little body was always a source of comfort during stressful times. She tried not to think about Sasha and Gabe as she gazed out over the ocean, but the vile lump in her throat had managed to make its way to the pit of her stomach.
Not your problem, Cee-cee.
But that was the thing about having kids, wasn’t it? You were only as happy as your saddest child.
Anna poured herself a glass of wine and sat gingerly on the sofa. “So, are you two just going to sit here and sulk or are we socializing? If I wanted to talk to myself, I wouldn’t have stopped by.”
Max broke her strained silence as she pushed the cheese plate toward Anna.
“Try the brie, Aunt Anna,” she said. “It’s delish.”
“Thanks. And, unlike you two negative Nelly’s, I actually have some good news to share,” Anna said cryptically while reaching for the plate. They leaned in as she paused for effect and eyed them both while savoring a morsel of cheese.
“You’re getting married?” Max blurted out, eyes wide.
Anna nearly choked on her cheese. “No!” she sputtered. “Or at least, I don’t think I am,” she laughed.
The idea had just been a wild guess on Max’s part, but seemed much more of a possibility than it ever had for fiercely independent Anna. She and her boyfriend Beckett had been going strong for almost a year now, and they seemed to be so good for one another. Cee-cee would like nothing more than for them to settle together. But Anna had just moved into the house with him over the summer, and her little sister was much too protective of her independence to do more than give it up in tiny doses. Cee-cee had a feeling marriage was a ways off, if it ever happened.
“No, nothing that dramatic, I’m afraid, but it’s still pretty exciting to me because I’ve been getting a little stir crazy. Beckett and I are going to Hawaii,” she said, beaming. “We’ve been kicking it around for a while now, and then I just couldn’t get into the spirit after Pop passed. I’m ready now, so we’ve booked our flights and we’re leaving in six days.”
“That’s so great, sis,” Cee-cee murmured with a grin. Thoughts of Sasha and Gabe faded to the background for the moment under the brilliant light of Anna’s happiness. She was most content when traveling, and this was her first major trip since she’d battled breast cancer and had gone through surgery earlier the year before. Between that and Pop’s death, Anna had been through so much lately, and Cee-cee was thrilled to share her sister’s joy after standing by helplessly while she endured so much pain.
She deserved some time away where she could just enjoy herself.
For the next hour, the three of them chatted about the upcoming trip, Max’s bookstore, and then brainstormed some new fall-inspired cupcake flavors for Cee-cee’s shop. They were playfully debating the pros and cons of pumpkin spice when a knock at the door set Max into motion, and she sprang up off the sofa.
“It’s probably Ian,” she said, her eyes suddenly taking on a new shine.
At least one of my children is happily in love, Cee-cee thought as she and Anna watched Max slide easily into Ian’s arms as she pulled him inside. They kissed and held a short, whispered conversation before entering the room, their arms entwined.
“Hi, Ladies. Great to see you.” Ian’s boyish charm was irresistible, and Cee-cee couldn’t help but smile.
Tilly squirmed in her lap and leapt down to greet him.
Ian bent to pet the dog as he continued. “I don’t know if you have dinner plans already but I got a seven fifteen reservation for that new Mexican place, Zapata’s. I can make it for more people if anyone cares to join us?” He looked from Cee-cee to Anna and back again.
Anna looked at her watch. “I just popped in for a short while but I’ve got to head out now. Beckett’s making lamb chops, and I don’t want to be late,” she hurriedly took the last sip of her single glass of wine and placed the glass in the kitchen, “but before I forget why I stopped by, I wanted to invite you all to come over for a lasagna dinner Saturday. I’ve texted Stephanie, Todd, Sasha and Gabe, as well, and they’ve all agreed to come. We haven’t all been together since the funeral, and Beckett and I were hoping to do it before I go.”
Cee-cee cringed inside at the thought of sitting through a dinner with Sasha and Gabe at the moment. Her heart ached for them both. Surely things would be awkward between them and she had no desire to witness that, but she could hardly say no when all the family that lived in Bluebird Bay had agreed to be there.
Cee-cee found herself nodding. “Mick and I will be there. Thanks, Anna.”
“How about you two?” she asked, turning to Max and Ian.
Max stepped in and kissed her aunt on the cheek. “You can count us in, Aunt Anna – you know how much I love your lasagna!”
Cee-cee concurred. Anna’s creative juices were usually reserved for her wildlife photos but she knew how to sink her heart and soul into a good meal, and her lasagna was the best Cee-cee had ever eaten.
Max turned to Cee-cee expectantly as Anna made her way to the door. “So how about you for tonight, Mom? Want to come and have some awesome Mexican food with us - get your enchilada fix?”
“Sorry, I’ll have to take a raincheck. Mick is on his way home.”
The truth was, she could’ve called him and had him meet her there, but the conversation about Sasha and Gabe was back in the forefront of her mind and she wouldn’t be good company, anyway.
As if on cue, the door opened and Mick barreled in, narrowly missing a collision with the departing Anna, whose hand rested on the doorknob.
“Hey, sorry – didn’t see you there!”
Tilly added to the commotion, dancing around Mick in a frantic circle.
“No problem,” Anna said with a breezy smile as she brushed past him. “Good to see you, Mick. I was just on my way out. I’m late for dinner. But lasagna at my place Saturday,” she called back over her shoulder.
“We’re out of here, too.” Max pulled Ian towards the door. “Sorry to bail on you when you are just getting home, but we don’t want to be late for our dinner reservation. We’ll catch up with you on Saturday.”
“Sounds good,” Mick said, waving as the pair hightailed it out the door and then pulling it closed behind them.
Cee-cee stood and padded her way across the room. “Hi, babe, how was your day?”
“Good but…do I smell or something?” he asked with a puzzled grin. “I walk in and everyone scatters.”
“Aw, poor guy. Coincidence, I swear it.” Cee-cee wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his sturdy chest. Suddenly, the day’s events seemed far away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She loved Anna and Max to pieces, but she was relieved they had left. She needed time to process what Max had told her and she needed to do it in peace and quiet.
“Anyway, you didn’t miss much,” she said before planting a kiss softly on his cheek. “Just girl talk. Come on in, relax,” she added softly as she led him to the sofa.
Cee-cee hoped her face wouldn’t betray her. She had pinky sworn not to repeat Sasha’s secret, but Mick knew her so well. She brought the empty wine glasses to the kitchen while Mick made himself comfortable.
“Want something to drink?” she called, as she briefly considered one more glass of wine. It had been a heck of a stressful day. Still, any more than a couple glasses and she would only get more emotional. That was the last thing she needed.
“Just a water for me.”
She put the glasses in the sink, grabbed him a bottle of water and made her way back to the living room.
“Did you have a good day?” she asked as she folded herself into the couch next to him.
“I did. I quoted two new jobs and finished staining an amazing credenza. I’ll show you pictures when it’s all finished. Then, I dropped by Sasha and Gabe’s on my way home.”
“Oh?” she said, hoping he wouldn’t notice the quaver in her voice.
“Yeah, I wanted to drop off the specs of Maryanne’s living room, along with some color swatches she liked. Sasha’s got a great eye and already came up with a few really awesome ideas for the cottage.” He took a long swig of the cold water. “We’re meeting there tomorrow so she can get a look at the space. I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with.”
“Well, that sounds nice,” Cee-cee managed dully. She loved Mick and valued how open and honest they were with each other. She hated keeping things from him but she wasn’t about to break Max’s trust. Besides, it wasn’t her secret to share.
She leaned in and snuggled up closer to him, but he paused and pulled away.
“Something is poking me,” he said as he reached beneath him and pulled out a small white business card.
Crap.
She’d really have preferred to tell him before he found out on his own, but she’d forgotten all about her ex-husband’s visit.
“Nate Burrows?” he said as he glanced over at her, his dark brows furrowing.
“Yeah, he stopped by the shop earlier to give me his new cell number. It was weird…”
Mick scratched at the dark stubble on his cheek. “Did you invite him up?” he asked.
“No! God, no. I – it must’ve fallen out of my pocket while I was snuggling with Tilly. He was at the shop for maybe five minutes. He was going on about being grandparents, and trying to reminisce with me. Like I said…weird.”
Mick looked at her a long time before he spoke. “Not that weird,” he admitted with a wry smile. “He probably finally realized what an idiot he was for letting you go. Too bad you’re already crazy in love with me, now, huh?” He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.
“Madly, crazily in love,” she agreed, burrowing her face against his chest.
“It’s totally up to you if you want to be friends with Nate – I can understand the situation with the kids and the baby on the way – but remember…Nate is out for one person and one person only, and that’s Nate. So just make sure you don’t let him too close, okay? I don’t want him hurting you again.”
No accusations about the card in the couch. He’d asked a fair question, she’d answered, and that was that. No anger, no telling her she couldn’t be friends with her ex if she chose. His only concern was her wellbeing. How amazing was it to have support like that? Trust like that?
Now, if only her son and his wife could have that in their marriage, she could breathe a little easier...
6
Sasha
“Well, what do you think?”
Sasha stared at the hot pink interior and gleaming black furniture stuffed into the quaint little cottage and tried not to wince.
“It’s…very bold and colorful!” she replied with what she hoped passed for an encouraging smile.
“It’s okay, you won’t hurt my feelings. I know, it’s really bad,” Maryanne said, wrinkling her nose. “But I bought it for the location and that amazing porch. I figure paint is just paint, right?”
“Exactly right,” Sasha agreed, happy that Maryanne and she were on the same page regarding the current state of the space. “And, so long as you aren’t attached to any of the furniture, I think we can really make the interior of this place match the exterior and give you a welcoming, serene place to come home to.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m not attached to anything, anymore,” Maryanne said firmly, giving her platinum hair a fluff. “After three husbands, buying and losing three houses in divorce, I’ve finally embraced the fact that nothing in my life is permanent, so why get attached?”
Her tone was light and joking, but there was no mistaking the deep sadness in her eyes. Sasha barely knew the woman, but she almost wanted to hug her.
Maryanne Carpenter Brown had been a lifelong Bluebird Bay resident, but, up until last year, she’d had a lot of issues with the Sullivan sisters. Mainly, with Anna. Since high school, Anna had been the recipient of Maryanne’s intense dislike because her now-ex-husband had always had a thing for the youngest Sullivan sister. Apparently, despite being married to Maryanne, that hadn’t changed after high school. Once she finally wised up and ditched the guy, she’d gone from one bad relationship to the next. In her bitterness, sometime after her very short-lived third marriage had fallen apart, she’d decided to take some of her anger out on Anna through Cee-cee, and had even tried to sabotage the opening of her cupcake shop.
Luckily, she’d failed and, in the interim, Maryanne and Anna had mended fences, with Maryanne apologizing. All had been well between her and the Sullivans ever since, and Maryanne and Cee-cee had actually become casual friends, which had led to Sasha’s exciting business opportunity.
As Sasha studied the older woman now, she had to admit, she’d lost the cruel edge to her smile. She seemed softer, warmer now. But the sadness on her face was plain to see.
“I apologize, I don’t mean to be maudlin, dear. I’m just feeling sorry for myself today. The rain does that to me, sometimes. Please forgive me.”
The woman looked so embarrassed, Sasha couldn’t help trying to ease her discomfort.
“It’s okay. I can relate. My parents passed when I was very young, and I moved from house to house, too--”
She broke off and cleared her throat, stunned that she’d said even that much. Her past wasn’t something she liked to talk about.
Ever.
“Sorry. I...I guess the rain is getting to me, as well,” she murmured, glancing out the French doors at the gloomy sky.
“Then we are a perfect pair,” Maryanne said with a sad little grin. “We can woe-is-us together while we look through your samples and such, shall we?”
“That sounds lovely.”
For the next hour, she and Maryanne pored over design ideas. Despite the crummy weather, she found herself feeling marginally better as time passed.
Who would’ve thought when she’d hired Alita to help with the remodel of her grandmother’s cottage that she’d have found her own passion? It gave her so much satisfaction to take something as important as a house and make it a home. If young Sasha had seen a snapshot of her life right now, she would be ecstatic. A dream job, a gorgeous, hardworking husband, a cottage of her very own, and a baby on the way…
If only things were as perfect as they seemed on the surface.
“How are you two doing in here so far?”
Sasha turned to find a smiling Mick standing in the doorway of the living room, leather tool belt hanging from his hips.
“I think we’re well on our way,” Sasha said, turned to Maryanne, who nodded enthusiastically.
“Great recommendation, Mick. She’s so creative. Do you know that awful armoire in the bedroom with the six panel glass doors?”
Mick chuckled. “The lime green one with those fussy little drawers that are basically useless? How could I forget it?”
�
�Well, we’re going to take the doors off and paint them antique white and distress them a little. Then, we’re going to turn them horizontal, and put seascape pictures behind each little glass pane. We’re thinking you could replace the whole north facing wall with shiplap, and then mount each of the doors on it. Won’t that look amazing?”
Mick cocked his head and squinted, clearly trying to picture it in his head. “Wow, I think it will.” He shot Sasha a glance. “Great idea, Sash. And I actually have some leftover shiplap in my workshop that has that weathered, antique-y look. Should be perfect in here.”
Sasha’s cheeks warmed with pleasure at the praise.
Working on a client of Alita’s, with her overseeing, had already been a big step for her. But the fact that Alita had encouraged her to take the job on solo had been a real vote of confidence.
“You brought in the client, it’s your job, Sash.”
No matter what else was happening in her life, she’d vowed to make sure Alita didn’t regret her decision.
So far, mission accomplished.
“Once we get finished in here, I’m thinking I might just have her do the whole place. Something about starting totally fresh has a certain appeal,” Maryanne remarked as she flipped through a catalogue of lamps.
“Wow, that would be amazing,” Sasha said, already thinking of the things she would do to the place. “I would love to get my hands on the master bathroom,” she said, shuffling through the pile of swatches on the coffee table. “Don’t you think this icy blue would look amazing if we stained the vanity an espresso color?”
Maryanne gasped. “Ooh, yeah, I love that idea.”
Mick’s grin widened as he held up both hands. “I can see that you two are going to be a while longer, so I’ll get back to work in the study.”
Sasha gave him a little wave and then went back to the swatches, letting the world of color and form envelope her like a protective hug.
Finding Forgiveness: A Bluebird Bay Novel Page 4