Vicki’s Gift

by Fischer, Kristin Noel

  “Thanks.” Travis scampered off. I envied his ability to find joy in the simple pleasure of feeding the dogs. My heart hurt so much I couldn’t imagine ever being happy again.

  Glancing at the clock above the kitchen sink, I was shocked to see how late it was. Three hours had passed in the blink of an eye. One minute I’d been waiting for Seth—

  Seth.

  I’d forgotten about him. Well, maybe forgotten was too strong a word, but since learning about my brother, I hadn’t thought about anything else.

  Reaching into my back pocket, I retrieved my phone and read his message. “So sorry. I’m on my way. Scarlet had some bleeding, so I went to the hospital with her. Everything is fine. The baby is okay and so is Scarlet. Be there soon.”

  The hair on the back of my neck stood up straight. A mix of emotions slammed into me—anger, sadness, fear, resentment. I shouldn’t resent Scarlet, but I did.

  Seth should’ve been here with me when we learned about Marcus. He should’ve been at my side right now, holding me. Is this how it was always going to be? Did he even know about Marcus?

  My heart heavy, I slipped my phone back into my pocket without responding. One of my mother’s friends from church noticed my tears and hugged me. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks.” I sniffed hard, wanting to stop crying and be strong for Anna and the rest of my family.

  *

  Because Bianca decided to spend the night at the ranch, I drove back to town by myself. Honestly, I was grateful for the drive that allowed me to be alone with my thoughts.

  As I passed the Pelican Pub, my phone rang with a call from Seth. Knowing I would break down the minute I heard his voice, I didn’t answer. Once I got home and settled, I’d call him. I still had no idea if he knew about Marcus or not.

  A text came in while I sat at the stoplight. “I just heard about Marcus. Call me. I’m here at your apartment.”

  I squeezed my eyes tight and drove home. When I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted Seth’s truck. He pushed open his driver’s side door and headed toward me.

  “Oh, Seth.” Just the sight of him caused tears to sting my eyes. By the time he reached me, I was sobbing.

  PART 3

  Seven Years Later

  Chapter 20

  Vicki

  On my thirty-fifth birthday, Jillian left her kids home with Keith and came to the beach to watch the sunrise with Bianca and me. As the sky turned orange and yellow, my sisters and I sat on a blanket, sipping coffee I’d brought from the bakery.

  “Finally.” Bianca clapped her hands and sprang to her feet.

  I followed her gaze to see the lights flick on in our favorite food trailer.

  Grabbing her wallet, she shouted, “I’ll be right back. I assume y’all want eggs, sausage, and cheese?”

  Jillian and I both nodded before returning our attention back to the sunrise. Streaks of pink now broke through the orange and yellow, bathing the sky in a softness that seemed too beautiful to be real.

  Jillian yawned. “You’re awfully quiet.”

  I didn’t dare glance at her for fear she might read my thoughts. Instead, I shrugged. “I could say the same thing about you.”

  “Yeah, but you’re a morning person, and I’m not.” She set her takeout coffee cup in the sand, twisting it back and forth so it would remain upright and not tip over. Then, she laid back on the blanket and closed her eyes. “Because it’s your birthday, you can be as quiet as you want. For me, I’m taking a nap so I have enough energy to eat my breakfast tacos when Bianca returns.”

  I smiled. “Were you up all night again?”

  “Yes.” She murmured something else about her newborn before tossing an arm over her eyes. I let her sleep, knowing she needed it.

  Gazing at the sanderlings running back and forth with the tide, I thought back to that day nearly seven years ago. It’d been colder then, but I’d sat on this very blanket, in this very spot, writing the hardest letter I’d ever written in my life.

  While I tried to make things work with Seth after my brother died, I just couldn’t do it. Seth insisted I was overwhelmed with grief and not thinking clearly. Because it was partly true, I let him believe it.

  He also thought I was jealous of Scarlet. I wasn’t. I knew Seth loved me more than he loved Scarlet.

  Truthfully, I was afraid he might want my help with the baby. What if I panicked with Seth’s baby like I’d panicked with Travis in the hospital all those years ago?

  Since then, I’d perfected my ability to avoid all babies. Oh, I smiled at them when they came into the bakery, and I always praised their cuteness, but I never held them or allowed myself to get too close.

  I followed the same policy when Jillian and Keith welcomed a new daughter into their family last month. While I bought the baby an outrageously expensive gift, I creatively sidestepped the question of whether I wanted to hold her.

  “Who’s hungry?” Bianca plopped down on the blanket with three disposable food trays containing our tacos.

  Jillian stretched and sat up. “I’m starving.”

  “Me too,” I said.

  The three of us ate our breakfast and chatted about everything from the island’s new pet store to the scrapbook Jillian was making to commemorate Keith’s military career.

  “Putting the scrapbook together has been really good for our marriage,” Jillian said, dumping salsa onto her taco. “It’s been enjoyable listening to Keith talk about every picture and medal. There was so much I missed when we weren’t together.”

  Bianca and I nodded, both of us happy things were going well with our sister’s marriage. Jillian and Keith had gone through a horrible rough patch after she miscarried the baby she’d been pregnant with during the deployment that killed our brother. Through what can only be accredited to God’s grace, they fell in love again and now had a newborn baby girl in addition to their two teenage boys.

  “Being together like this makes me miss Anna,” Bianca said, interrupting my thoughts.

  I picked up a seashell and turned it over in my hand. “I miss her too.”

  After Marcus died, Anna had sunk into a deep depression. It took her a long time, but eventually, she rebuilt her life and found love again with an army officer named Nick Peterson. The two of them married, merged their families, and now had a baby girl of their own named Zoey Rose. Currently, they were living in Germany where Nick was stationed, but we all had high hopes they’d return to Rose Island someday.

  “We should FaceTime her,” Jillian said, pulling out her fancy new cell phone.

  We all agreed, and moments later, we were video chatting with Anna and her kids. Because they were several hours ahead of us, Anna and the kids were making grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

  “Happy birthday, Aunt Vicki,” Travis said. He was in middle school now and looking more like my brother every day.

  “Aw, thanks,” I said. “How are you doing?”

  “Great.” He told me all about school and what he was doing in scouts. He looked and sounded so grown-up, making me wonder how he’d gone from that tiny newborn to a grown-up kid so quickly.

  Anna showed us the baby before putting her down for a nap. Hailey and Gabby wished me happy birthday as well. Hailey had become quite the cook, and she asked me several questions about buttercream frosting.

  When Anna had a chance to speak, she told us about some of the places they’d visited on a recent trip to France, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Then, before we hung up, everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to me in both English and German.

  Seeing their sweet faces made me miss them so much. I said a silent prayer that God would bring them back to Rose Island sooner than later.

  “Anna seems happy, doesn’t she?” I asked my sisters once the phone call ended.

  Bianca smirked. “Waking up every morning to Nick Peterson and those gorgeous kids? Who wouldn’t be happy?”

  Because Jillian was blissfully married to her o
wn prince charming, she assured us that the kind of happiness Anna had was entirely possible for us. Determined to prove her point, she began going through the list of eligible bachelors living on or near Rose Island. With each name she offered, Bianca and I shook our heads, giving excuses such as too quiet, too talkative, too much of a mama’s boy, or simply too wrong.

  “What about that online dating site you use?” Jillian asked me. “Isn’t there anybody you’re interested in?”

  “Not really. I’ve had a few good dates, but nobody too exciting.”

  “What about—”

  “Stop.” I laughed. “It’s my birthday, and I just want to enjoy the morning. I don’t want to think about the impossible task of finding my one and only. Not today.”

  “I agree.” Bianca pulled her legs off the blanket and dug her toes into the sand. “Besides, it’s too late for us anyway.”

  “Not it’s not,” Jillian said.

  “It is.” Bianca insisted. “I just read that a woman is more likely to be struck by lightning than find true love after age thirty-five. And as of today, girls, we’re all past thirty-five. Even you, baby Vicki.”

  “I’m not past thirty-five. I just turned thirty-five today.”

  “You turned thirty-five at three this morning. So, yes, dear little sister, you are past thirty-five.”

  I groaned. Bianca was right. I may still be the youngest Morgan sister, but I was now closer to forty than thirty.

  Bianca lifted her coffee cup. “Here’s to old age.”

  Laughing, I tapped my cup against hers. “To old age.”

  Jillian rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to toast to that. We’re not old. You two need to improve your attitudes. Thinking like that won’t help you find a man. You have to be positive. That statistic about getting struck by lightning . . . well, people get struck by lightning all the time.”

  “That’s reassuring,” Bianca sarcastically said as the two of us laughed even harder. Bianca lifted her cup once again. “To the last remaining members of the Morgan Sister Spinsters’ Club.”

  “Here, here,” I said, clinking my paper cup against hers.

  Thank you, Lord, for my sisters. Thank you so much.

  I lifted my face to the warm sunshine. Then, I quickly looked down, shoved my hat lower on my head, and reached for the sunscreen. The last thing I needed on my birthday was more wrinkles.

  “Speaking of feeling old,” I began. “Did I tell you what happened yesterday with that cute guy?”

  They shook their heads. “No.”

  “Well, yesterday afternoon, this super hot guy came into the bakery. I thought there was some kind of romantic connection between us, but then he called me ma’am as if I was a hundred years old. Ma’am. Who does that?”

  “Ma’am?” Bianca repeated the word with disgust. “Ugh. That’s the worst, isn’t it? When did we go from being miss to ma’am?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

  “Calling a woman ma’am is a sign of respect,” Jillian said. “I’m sure he wasn’t making a comment about your age.”

  “Maybe,” I conceded, “but it still felt horrible.”

  Jillian gazed up at a flock of pelicans soaring across the sky. “What about Keith’s friend, Mac Baumguard? You met him at our last barbecue. He used to be engaged to Mercedes before they broke it off.”

  “They broke off their engagement?” I asked, surprised. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Mac didn’t elaborate. He just said the wedding was off. He was pretty upset about it, so I didn’t press him for more details. He’s such a great guy though. He’d be perfect for you, Vicki.”

  Bianca thrust a hand to her hip. “You don’t think he’d be perfect for me?”

  “He’d be perfect for either one of you,” Jillian said. “I mentioned Vicki because . . .”

  “Because of my weight?” As usual, Bianca’s tone was half sarcastic and half serious.

  Jillian rolled her eyes. “No. I didn’t mention you because of Daniel.”

  “Daniel?” My eyes shot to Bianca. “Daniel Serrano? Did something happen between you and Daniel?”

  Bianca’s entire face turned bright red, then she laughed it off with a joke. “Only in my dreams.”

  “Oh my gosh. What happened?”

  “Nothing happened. Seriously. He barely even knows I exist. And if he does, he just thinks of me as his daughter’s Bible study leader.”

  “But you like him, right?” Jillian asked. “I mean, it’s obvious you like him by the way you stare at him in church.”

  “I don’t stare at him in church.”

  Jillian dropped her mouth open and widened her eyes in a hilarious attempt to imitate Bianca. I laughed so hard I almost spit out my coffee. “Yes, that’s exactly what you look like.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Yes, it is,” called Jillian and me.

  Bianca shook her head, looking embarrassed.

  “If you’re not holding out for him,” Jillian said, “why don’t you let Vicki set up an online dating profile for you so you can see who’s out there?”

  “Online dating?” Bianca sounded skeptical.

  “You should,” I said. “It’s fun and a great way to meet a lot of different guys. You know what they say. You have to kiss a lot of toads before finding prince charming.”

  “Hmm.” Bianca brushed sand off her feet. “I’ll think about it.”

  Jillian pointed in the distance where several Rose Island firefighters ran along the water’s edge toward us. “There you go, girls. What about a handsome firefighter?”

  I glanced at the guys and shook my head. “I’m pretty sure they’re all married.”

  Bianca sighed. “Well, married or not, all jobs should require a fitness regimen, right?”

  “Definitely.” Jillian giggled as if she didn’t have a care in the world. It was good to hear her laugh. Despite her happy marriage, she’d been so tired lately with her new baby.

  Bianca cupped her hands over her eyes, using them as binoculars. “That’s not Seth Watson leading the group, is it?”

  “Maybe,” Jillian said. “Actually, it kind of looks like him.”

  I held my breath as the men jogged closer. Although the guy in the front did look a little like Seth, I knew it wasn’t him. Seth, Scarlet, and their beautiful son Grant lived in California, where Scarlet was stationed. At least, that’s where they lived three years ago when I vowed to stop stalking them on social media.

  Seeing their incredibly happy life as they celebrated Grant’s birthday or vacationed in Disneyland hurt too much. It was best for me to remain ignorant of Seth and his blissfully perfect life than to be reminded of all I’d lost.

  “Oh my goodness, it is Seth.” Jillian waved in earnest as the men came closer. Bianca waved as well.

  I wanted to wave and pretend seeing my old boyfriend on the beach was no big deal, but something was wrong with my arms. I couldn’t lift them. All I could do was stare as Seth and the other firefighters passed by as if we were just three sisters enjoying the view.

  Chapter 21

  Seth

  I offered Vicki and her sisters a quick wave before returning my focus to the workout. Just keep running, I told myself. Keep moving forward and you’ll be fine. It’s a small island. Seeing her was bound to happen eventually.

  Oscar gave me a hard pat on the shoulder. “The lovely Morgan sisters. All such beauties. And like you, they’re single. Well, Bianca and Vicki are single. Jillian is back with her husband.”

  I gave a nonchalant shrug. “I grew up with them.”

  Rick, a guy I’d gone to high school with, chuckled. “Seth used to have a huge crush on the youngest one, Valerie.”

  “Vicki,” I said, falling right into his trap.

  Both guys laughed, and I did too, knowing I couldn’t do anything else. Showing any weakness around these guys would be a death sentence. The best thing I could do was pretend seeing Vicki and speaking her name didn’t cause m
y chest to ache.

  I’d recently moved back because Scarlet had been transferred to Fort Xavier, the army base on Rose Island. Despite our divorce, we were both committed to doing what was best for our son, Grant.

  My fellow firefighters and I came off the beach and ran through town to the fire station. I’d made such a mess of my life, but things were better now. After several attempts to control my alcohol consumption, I was finally sober for real this time.

  Nothing like the threat of losing your son to get your priorities in order. As long as I kept my focus on my faith, Grant, and my sobriety, I could have a good life. Getting distracted by someone like Vicki, who stirred too many emotions, would not be a good thing.

  In rehab, I learned that numbing my emotions instead of acknowledging them had led to excessive drinking. Embracing my emotions without allowing them to control me was the key to staying sober. Well, that and depending on God.

  Like most addicts, I finally realized I couldn’t fight my alcoholism without surrendering to God. I knew finding the Almighty in rehab was such a cliché, but forming a relationship with the Lord saved me. Without Him, I truly was powerless.

  Back at the station, I took King outside to use the bathroom. I’d hired the neighbor kid to watch him while I worked, but Colton was gone this week, so King got to hang out with me at the station. Although considered old in human years, King was still in good shape, just a little slower.

  After setting him up on his doggie bed in the lounge, I focused on my morning chores. Today, I was on kitchen duty, something I didn’t mind at all. As I was prepping for dinner, a medical call came in, so we raced off to take care of that.

  In the late afternoon, I helped with the car seat clinic. Most fire stations these days didn’t check car seats. Rose Island was a small community, so we did things a little differently. In addition to learning about fighting fires and emergency medical procedures, we were also educated on car seat safety.

  After checking a dozen car seats, taking pictures of families posing in front of the fire trucks with King, and answering several questions, a familiar SUV rolled up to the station.