by Jenny Hale
“Wait.” She didn’t know why she asked him to wait. Wait for what? She just knew that she didn’t want to leave. He was standing there, waiting as she’d asked him to do. “I…” She swallowed. “I thought maybe we could have another glass of wine.”
“We’ve finished all the wine,” he said, but his face said more than that. His face was playful. What was he trying to tell her? Her mind-reading skills clearly weren’t as good as his, but the look on his face was giving her the strength to act on her impulses. She took a tiny step toward him and looked up into his eyes. The wind blew around them, whipping her hair back across her face, and, this time, he didn’t hesitate and swept it back with his fingers his touch so gentle it sent a shiver down her neck. Then, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I had a good night. Thank you,” he said near her ear, and she had to work to keep her breath steady.
Why had he abruptly ended the conversation like that? Thank you? That didn’t sound like someone who wanted to continue things. She didn’t want the night to end. He pulled back and looked down at her again. With her eyes, she was asking him to stay. She didn’t want to leave this perfect moment behind. She wanted to put their differences aside because she felt so connected to him. She was sure now what she wanted. She wanted to know what it felt like to wake up to him in the morning, make breakfast together, watch the sunrise over the water. She wanted more time with this side of Jake Buchanan. Please don’t let it end yet, she thought.
“Faith.” He took in a deep breath and let it out. “I wish this night didn’t have to end.”
For some reason, she knew what he was going to say. He’d read her mind again. There was something new in his face. It was subtle, but she’d noticed it. It wasn’t anything like what she’d seen tonight. It was almost apprehension. Was she coming on too strong? Did he not feel for her what she was feeling for him? Or was he, too, worried about that other part of his life where she wouldn’t fit.
“But it does. I think you’re fantastic. But if you stay, this,” he wagged a finger between them. “This will be different. It’s better if we’re just friends.” His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he finally walked over and grabbed their plates, headed toward the kitchen.
“How will it be different?” She asked, following him. They’d been so open and honest with each other. How would anything be different than that?
“Believe me. It will. I’ve been down that road before, and I’m not doing it again.”
“Down what road?” She didn’t like the way that sounded. Did he see being with her as some sort of sentence? The way he’d made it sound—down that road—made her feel like spending real time with her would be a chore.
“Look, we’ve had a really great night. I’ve had a ton of fun. But we both know that when things move beyond what they are now—this one night—neither of us would be happy.”
How dare he think for her! He didn’t know what would make her happy. Shouldn’t she be able to make that determination on her own? But lingering between them in the silence was the real issue: he wouldn’t be happy. Why wouldn’t he be happy with her? She stood, stunned by this truth.
“I’ll call the car.”
He put the plates into the sink and turned around. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. After a few taps on the screen, he put the phone to his ear. “Hello. It’s Jake Buchanan. I’m at mile post seventeen and a half.” He paused, listening. “Yes. That’s me. I was wondering if you could send a car out. I have a lady here who needs a ride back to mile post ten.” More silence. “Excellent. See you soon.” He ended the call.
TEN
The Lincoln Town Car pulled in to the drive at Faith’s cottage. “Thank you,” she said, getting out. The driver nodded, and she shut the door. Jake had been pleasant when they’d said their goodbyes, but he’d stood at a distance, a different emotion behind his smile. She kept coming back to the Tides and his plans for development.
“So?” she heard before she’d even gotten through the door. Casey was sitting in the breakfast nook, her laptop open beside her. “How was it? What was the Mercedes all about? Where did you go?”
“Um…” Where should she start? The whole night and all the emotions it had stirred within her were swirling around in her head.
“You okay?” Casey had gone from excited to concerned in a split second.
“Yes,” she said, taking a breath in an attempt to clear her head. “It was good.”
“Just good?”
It wasn’t just good. It was fantastic. Her date with Jake was probably the best first date she’d ever had—even with the disagreement—and she wanted to see him again. She wanted to have his eyes on her like they had been tonight; she wanted to see his smile directed at her. Tonight, she felt something new and interesting—that flutter. She couldn’t deny the way he’d looked at her, the way he’d responded to her. That’s what had made that moment when he said they should remain friends so difficult to swallow. Maybe he was right, though. As much as she liked him, and as much as they seemed to fit together at times, the gray cloud lingering over them was their fundamental difference in what they wanted. He wanted to make money, even if it was at the expense of the North Carolina shore and all its serenity—the only place she felt truly at ease. She wanted a quiet place to bring her family, where everyone could have a good time and make memories.
“What about the car? You have to tell me about the car.”
“It’s his,” she said, still trying to make sense of it. “And the sailboat’s his too.”
“What? It is?”
“He’s…” Her mind was elsewhere, but she didn’t want to be rude so she pushed the thoughts away and sat down next to her sister. “He’s very wealthy.”
“What?” she said again. “How?”
“He’s a land developer, but he does handyman work for fun.”
“This just gets more interesting by the minute!” Casey said, looking full of excitement. Her eyes were glittery, a big smile on her face. Faith felt her dinner sour in her stomach as she looked at Casey’s face. This was still a game to her. Faith didn’t see it the same way after being with him all night. He’d been vulnerable, honest, and they’d left questions she still wanted to work through. Suddenly, Faith didn’t want Casey anywhere near Jake.
“Why do you have your laptop out?” Faith asked, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. She was tired from the sun and the wine, and attempting to figure Jake out.
Casey’s face dropped from excited to somber in a flash. She looked sad, anxious, her brows had pulled together, a deep crease forming between them, her bottom lip trembling just a little before she chewed on the inside of it—probably to keep it steady.
“I got an email from Scott. An informal list of what he wants to keep of ours, and what he thinks I should have. He wants me to check it over before he sends it to his lawyer.”
Casey didn’t handle tough circumstances well. Things always came easily for her, so when she was faced with something as hard as this, she would want to push it away, ignore the reality of it. When it came to the hard things in life, she struggled, and that’s where Faith had the upper hand. Faith had had enough things not go her way in life that she’d figured out how to deal with the situation. Seeing Casey’s face told her that her sister needed her right now.
Even though Faith was younger, whenever Casey had a tough time growing up—a boyfriend issue or drama between her and her girlfriends—she’d always find Faith. It was Faith who would comfort Casey, although Casey would only fret about it for a minute or two before sobering up and moving on to more upbeat conversation. When her high school boyfriend broke up with her, Casey had come crying to Faith, lying on her bed, her face in a pillow. Faith had reassured her, telling her that there were other fish in the sea, and she shouldn’t worry too much, even though she knew how much it probably hurt. Casey sat up, sniffled a little more, and then went into the bathroom and got her hot pink nail polish. She’d decided that Faith needed
a make over. Faith knew she didn’t really need one, but it was Casey’s way of dealing with it, and getting over it. She’d let Casey paint her nails, do her makeup, and style her hair that day, and they’d gone shopping together that afternoon. Casey never said another word, or—as far as she knew—shed another tear over that boy, but she knew it had hit her sister harder than she was letting on.
What worried Faith now was that Casey was struggling. She had Isabella to think about, her work, which was quite demanding, and now the divorce. She’d be looking for a distraction for sure. She hoped Casey wouldn’t try and make Jake her distraction.
“I’m surprised that Jake hasn’t been by to paint that built-in,” Nan said as they all sat at the table.
“It’s only nine o’clock, Mom,” Faith’s mother said, pouring more coffee into Faith’s cup.
Faith held up a hand to stop her from pouring any more, even though she was exhausted and could do with the jolt of caffeine. She hadn’t slept very well last night.
“Thanks, Mom,” she said.
Faith worried. Jake had shown up early every day since they’d arrived, but he wasn’t there this morning when they’d all gotten up. Was he avoiding her? As the night had turned to dawn, she started to wonder if she’d misread the signs because of the wine. Had he really not been looking at her like she’d thought? What did he really think about her admission that his project to develop Corolla was an awful idea? Had she offended him? And what did he mean by saying he’s been down that road before? That still didn’t set well with her. With her mug cradled in both hands, she sat quietly, still pondering it all. If he did stop by, she’d better get up and make herself presentable. She’d only dusted her face with a little powder and brushed her hair. She had no makeup to speak of, and she was wearing an old T-shirt and shorts.
Next to Isabella, Casey sat. There was no sign of the Casey she’d seen last night. Today, she had a brave face on. She was wearing wedge sandals, another of her sundresses—little spaghetti straps showing off her new tan—dangly earrings, her hair curled, lip gloss. Why? What made Casey wake up every morning and do all that to herself? It just wasn’t Faith at all. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about her looks. She just didn’t feel the need to spend that much time on it. And, when she really got honest with herself, she didn’t even know if she could make herself up the right way. What she’d accomplished getting ready last night had been the extent of her expertise in the area of beauty.
“What do you want to do for your birthday, Nan? Do you want a little party? Cake?” Casey asked.
“Yes! Cake!” Isabella said, nodding vigorously. “I like yellow cake with birthday balloons.”
“I want this,” Nan said, looking around the table. “And I suppose we should have cake.”
Isabella wriggled in her chair, clapping her hands with excitement.
“We want to do something special for you, Mom,” Faith’s mother said, sitting down beside her. “It would make us feel like we were paying you back for this wonderful vacation.”
“If you really want to know, I’d like you to put that box of photos into photo albums so you each can have one or two to remember all the great times we’ve had as a family. I gave them all to Faith because I figured she’d go through with organizing them, but I’d love it if you all could have them.”
Nan was right. Faith had already thought about organizing that box, but she’d been so preoccupied with the goings-on of their vacation that she’d let it slip her mind.
“I’d be happy to do that for you, Nan,” Faith said.
“Thank you, Faith. I can always count on you. Maybe you girls could sort through them one of these nights when you’re not running the streets,” she winked at Faith. Nan was only kidding, but her words made Faith think of Jake.
“Can we go to the beach, Mommy?” Isabella asked. “I want to make a sandcastle.”
“Sure we can,” Casey said. “I’ll walk you down there in a little bit. Did you know, Faith makes amazing castles?”
Faith used to spend hours making sandcastles when she was little. They’d get up at the crack of dawn and go down to the beach. Faith would fill her bucket with water, the chilly morning surf causing goose bumps on her legs. She’d sit on the beach with her shovels and buckets packing sand into them, adding a little water to make it all stick together, and carefully building on to the tops until she’d made a fortress. Casey would plop down next to her, fill one bucket, and then lose interest when she turned it over and half the sand slid down the mound like a mini avalanche. For Faith, it was an act of endurance, of perseverance to make the best castle she could. It didn’t bother Faith that it took a long time, or that the tide would eventually wash it away. She worked at it to see the finished product. She was proud of it when it was done.
“I’d be happy to make one with you, Isabella,” Faith said. “I can show you how to make a moat around it and everything.”
“Yes!” Isabella said, getting up from the table. “I’m getting my swimsuit on right now!”
“Isabella, you haven’t finished your breakfast,” Casey called out to her, but Isabella had already gone into her bedroom and closed the door. “She’s so much like you, Faith.”
“You think so?”
“Oh my gosh, yes. Sometimes it’s scary. Isabella, you, and Nan are all so much alike. I feel like the odd man out sometimes.”
What was Casey talking about? This idea had never crossed Faith’s mind. Nan was the leader of the family, the maker of all traditions, the one person who never seemed to falter with anything. How was Faith like her? If anything, Casey should feel most like her. She was a successful lawyer, a mother, and a wife (until recently). Like Nan, she had everything under control. Perhaps the divorce had skewed her view of things.
“I suppose I should get ready to go to the beach, since I’m building a sandcastle today,” Faith said, standing up. “Nan, do you want me to help you go down to the beach?”
“No, dear. I’ll watch from the porch. The heat is unbearable today. But, thank you.”
As Faith entered her bedroom, Casey came up behind her. “Thank you for offering to build sandcastles with Isabella. I try to relate to her, but her daddy was always better at it than me.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, glad she could help in some way.
“Do you mind if I stay up here so I can finish divvying out our assets for the divorce? Scott wants the lawyer to draw something up soon, and I guess it doesn’t matter that I’m on vacation.” She took in a deep breath and let it out. Even with all that was going on, she maintained her composure. Her marriage was dissolving right before her eyes, and she could manage to keep herself calm and collected. Faith had been a total mess when it was clear that Scott had feelings for Casey and had spent many nights crying into her pillow. She wondered if it was healthy for her sister to bottle up her emotions like she was.
“Don’t worry about us. I’ve got Isabella covered. She and I will spend tons of time making our sandcastles. You do what you need to do.”
Faith looked past Casey and saw Nan in the hallway, smiling. When she made eye contact, Nan said, “That’s what I like to see. Take care of each other. That’s the mark of a great family. If only Clara and I could have been like you two…” She looked down at the floor for a moment. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going out to the porch to get comfortable. I want to see some sandcastles.”
Faith remembered Nan mentioning her sister, Clara. What had gone on between them? Faith wished she could sit next to Nan and hear her tell the story, but she knew Isabella was waiting.
“Do you mind taking the beach bag down with you?” Casey said. “I’ll send Isabella once she’s ready.”
Faith grabbed the beach bag and a few towels, and walked with Nan onto the porch that wrapped around to the stairs leading down to the driveway. She set them down and helped her grandmother get settled in the rocker. “I’d like to hear about Clara,” she said as Nan wriggled into a comfortable posi
tion.
“I’d be happy to tell you about her. I miss her and it’s nice to talk about her.” The mention of Clara had brought a smile to Nan’s face.
“Maybe tonight?”
“Yes. Maybe tonight.” Nan’s smile faded to a more thoughtful expression.
Faith picked up her things and headed down the stairs toward the beach. Even in the morning air, the sun was hot, but it hadn’t penetrated the sand yet, and she felt the cool of it on her bare feet as she lugged two chairs to a clear spot. The shore seemed to stretch for miles, only a few people scattered along the coastline. She set the chairs down and opened them up, brushing the sand off the seats of each one.
Faith sat down and faced the sea. She looked back over her shoulder for Isabella, keeping an eye on the part of the cottage steps she could see over the dune. Nan waved from the porch, and she waved back. Then the cottage door opened and Isabella came out, wearing her pink, ruffled swimsuit and pink star-shaped sunglasses. She held the railing as she took each step very slowly, her pink flip-flops wobbling nervously with every step.
That staircase probably seemed huge to her, Faith thought. She remembered that feeling, going up the stairs at the cottage they’d had as kids. Because they were built on stilts, the first floor was raised an entire level and it had felt like she was climbing into the clouds.
Isabella’s blond hair disappeared below the dune, so Faith stood up to try and see her. When she did, her heart leapt as she saw Jake’s truck pull in to the drive. Before she could ponder it further, Isabella was running toward her, a bucket and shovel in her little hands.
“Look what I brought!” she said, plopping down next to Faith. “What should we do?”
“We need to fill a bucket with wet sand. Let’s each get one and take them down to the water.” As she walked with Isabella, she tried not to think about Jake. She wanted to see him and talk to him about last night, but Isabella needed her. Faith enjoyed spending these precious moments with her niece.