by Jenny Hale
She pulled her feet up into the rocking chair and hugged her knees. The sun was going down behind the cottage, and the blue sky looked as though someone had put it on a dimmer switch. It kept getting darker, her surroundings fading into black. The sound of the tide going in and out and the stars in the sky were all she had left of the evening. The warm breeze blew around her, the air still recovering from the day’s heat.
As she sat outside alone, she tried to get her mind off of depressing thoughts like losing her childhood cottage, how the area was going to have changed the next time she would be able to visit, and leaving Jake. She had a lot of great things to be thankful for from this trip. She’d made amends with Casey, and she felt like she understood her so much better. And she’d gotten to know Isabella so much better. She realized that she and Scott could still be friends, and she was so excited to see him back with Casey. She would never have imagined that she’d have that reaction, but it was this trip that had changed it all. She had Nan to thank for that. Nan had planned it and dragged them all there. She always knew just what everyone needed. Her mom was the same way, and Faith expected that when Nan finally went to find John, it would be her mom who would keep them all together. They were so much stronger as a family now.
Before coming on vacation, Faith had looked for just the right present for Nan. What does someone get a person who has lived her entire life, has everything, and wants for nothing? Nan didn’t need worldly goods because she wasn’t worried about that sort of thing anymore. What was important to her was her family, her health, and eventually meeting back up with the love of her life. So, shopping for Nan had been quite difficult. She’d settled on a gift, knowing that Nan wouldn’t need it and may not use it, but now, after spending time with her, and hearing her stories, it seemed perfect. It was small, wrapped in silver paper with a white ribbon, and hidden at the bottom of her suitcase. She couldn’t wait to give it to her.
The surf gurgled its white foam over her toes as Faith walked along the ocean’s edge. The sun was high in the sky now, but she’d been walking since after breakfast. Today was Nan’s birthday, the reason they’d all come here. Faith had been excited about it, ready to celebrate the matriarch of the family, happy to have this day with Nan. But now, all she could think about was leaving. Tomorrow, they’d pack up their things, fill their cars, and leave the cottage empty and stark the way they’d found it. It wouldn’t have a trace of any of them left, and they’d all go back to their regular lives.
While she had Nan to thank for all these new memories, she also had Jake to thank. He’d provided experiences that she never would have had otherwise. He’d also provided the opportunity for her to have feelings that she would never have had. And now, she had to go back home with all of this in her head. She knew she had to. That was why she was taking a long walk this morning. She needed the time to get herself ready to go back.
Her mom was most likely getting the cake by now. Nan had been puttering around, picking tidying up, and busying herself. Scott, Casey, and Isabella were on the porch, playing Uno when she’d left. Faith was so far down the beach now that she couldn’t even see the cottage anymore, so she turned around to head back.
As she made her way back, she promised herself that she’d see her family more often. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them until these two weeks. There was nothing magical about their cottage—it could be old or new. What made it magical was the people in it—her family, and the one thing she’d learned this week—more than anything else—was that the were better together. She smiled as she remembered the nameplate on the front of the house: Better Together. It certainly fit. Even if they had to rent something else in the years to come, she would definitely still drive by this spot and remember how—no matter changes there were—it always brought them together.
The sand stuck to her feet as she walked, the tide washing them clean as fast as the sand covered them. The water was warm like the air, the breeze blowing against her as she walked back to the cottage. Even though she had to face leaving, she was excited to get back to her family, to have a few hours with them before seeing Jake one last time.
As she neared the cottage, Faith trudged up through the sand, her feet burning from the heat of it as she got farther from the water. The sea had provided relief from the relentless sun as it beat down on the shore. She jogged quickly toward the house and found Isabella sitting beside Casey and Scott right at the sea grass’s edge.
“Look, Aunt Faith!” Isabella said, her chest poked out in pride. “I made it all by myself just like you showed me how to do.”
Isabella had made a sandcastle with a moat around the edge of it, seashells adorning the roofline.
“It’s beautiful!” Faith kneeled down to get a better look. “Is this the door?” she said, pointing toward a shell that had been pressed into the side of the castle.
“Yes! And these are the windows,” Isabella said, squatting down and pointing to each little shell.
“Scott, do you mind staying with Isabella? I’m going to go up with Faith and check on Mom—make sure she doesn’t need any help,” Casey said. Scott nodded and Casey stood up, stepping toward Faith.
“Thank you for showing me your castle,” Faith said to Isabella. “I can’t wait to see what else you do with it!” She wondered what the real intent of Casey’s suggestion to help was. It was almost as if she’d been waiting for Faith.
“I’m going to make a town!” Isabella said with excitement.
Faith smiled, her love for her niece filling her up. She was so glad to have had the chance to be with Isabella this week, and she was happy that Isabella had warmed to her.
Once they were over the dune, Casey said, “Faith, I’m so scared.”
Faith stopped and turned to her sister. “Why?” She’d never heard Casey say anything like that before, and she wanted to know immediately what was wrong.
“Scott and I have been talking, and he’s willing to try if I am… Things are going so well here, but I’m so scared about what may happen when I have to go back to work. What if I fall into the same routine? How can I balance it all? I want to be sure that I’m being the best wife I can be. What do I do?”
Casey was asking Faith for advice. The mere thought of this made her laugh—one quick burst of laughter.
“It’s not funny.”
“No,” she said, becoming serious. “It isn’t funny. Casey, you are the strongest person I know. You will figure it out. You won’t fall into the same routine because you’re aware that it doesn’t work for your family. And the fact that you’re worried about it is good! You will be fine. Because you want it.”
“Then why did you laugh?”
“Because you were asking me what to do.”
“Ha! That is funny,” she teased. “I’m just kidding. Faith, you might not have ever been married, and you can’t give me the answers I need regarding that, but you’re a wonderful listener. You always have been. That’s why I asked you what to do. I didn’t need a solution. I needed the answer you just gave me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, and they both went up to check on their mom and Nan.
Nan had been sent out to the porch to enjoy the last hours of daylight while they’d set up for her party. Scott kept Isabella busy with a puzzle in the living room as the ladies had worked to prepare. They’d taped streamers to cabinets and lights, careful not to get any tape near the newly painted walls. On the table, Casey had set up Nan’s albums full of photos so they could all have a look at them one last time before they were divvied up and taken home. A bouquet of helium balloons bounced around in the center of the table, the breeze from the open door causing them to dance on their strings. Her mom had picked up the cake. It was magnificent—a rectangular sheet cake with three-dimensional waves crashing onto an icing-painted shore. In the corner of it was one candle for Nan to make her wish. Faith set her silver box with the white ribbon on the table next to the cake and the gifts from her mom
and Casey. The ribbon had gotten bent on one side in her suitcase, and she was fiddling with it to try and straighten it out.
“Can I come back in now, or are you going to let me dehydrate out here?” Nan said, peeking her head in and holding on to the doorframe for support. “Oh!” she said, her gaze bouncing from one decoration to the other. “It’s lovely.”
“Come in, Mom,” Faith’s mom said with a smile.
There was a knock at the door and Faith’s heart skipped a beat. She knew exactly who it was. Jake. She ran her fingers through her hair and cleared her throat. Casey opened the door and let him in. He looked as familiar as an old friend and yet a current of excitement zinged through her at the sight of him. He was all cleaned up again, his clothes clearly expensive but unfussy. He had on a polo shirt and a pair of shorts. She wanted to rush over to him and tell him how she wished he’d stopped by over the last few days, but she stayed put. His eyes fluttered over to her, and he smiled that big, gorgeous smile.
“Well, there he is,” Nan said, walking over to him and patting him on the arm. “I’ve heard a lot about your trip to Florida. Faith really seemed to enjoy it.” Nan smiled in her direction, and Faith could feel the heat on her face from embarrassment. She didn’t particularly want Jake to know that she’d blabbered on to Nan about her trip. But she had enjoyed it. She’d thought about it a lot over the last few days, and she wanted nothing more than to be with him again. It was so good to see him.
“It was fun,” he said, looking over at Faith again. She grabbed the kitchen chair to keep her legs from buckling with anxiety. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t seen him in two days or perhaps that she was going home tomorrow, but she found herself getting all worked up in his presence.
“I’ve made some ham biscuits and we have a veggie tray if you’re hungry, Jake,” her mom said as she brought the tray around and set it down on the table. “And we have drinks. I have beer and wine.”
“I’ll have a glass of wine,” Nan piped up. “Is it white?” She walked over to the kitchen to stand by Martha, who was busy uncorking the bottle.
“ Yes,” she said to Nan. “I know it’s your favorite. Anyone else?”
“I’ll have one,” Faith said, hoping that the alcohol would settle her nerves a little.
As soon as her mom handed her a glass, she took a giant swig. After that, she started feeling a little better. She tried to avoid the urge to stare at Jake, or, worse still, entertain thoughts of how she could get him into the nearest empty room, so she helped her mom in the kitchen. Before she’d even had half her glass of wine, Scott and Jake were busy drinking beers and talking about the upcoming football season. She was glad for that because it gave her a chance to collect herself.
“Well, I’m not getting any younger. We’d better cut this cake,” Nan said.
“You want to do it right away?” her mom giggled, motioning for Faith to join her at the table. Faith followed, stopping next to Jake. “You don’t want to wait?”
“Nope.” Nan walked over to the table. “I want to be able to enjoy this night with my family and new, but dear, friend,” she winked at Jake. “I don’t want to have to stop it all for the formality of blowing out that candle. I’m very thankful for all you’ve done to prepare for my birthday, but I want to sit down, have a good chat, look at my photos, and eat my cake.”
“Well, you’re the birthday girl,” her mom said, handing out paper hats.
“Put them on!” Isabella said as she stretched the string of hers under her chin, the hat sitting sideways on top of her head.
With a collective laugh, they all put their hats on. They were blue with multicolored balloons on them and floating across the front, they said, “Happy Birthday.” Her mom lit the candle with a match and started singing “Happy Birthday.”
The others all gathered around the table, singing to Nan. The sun was still bright and it poured through the windows like the champagne Faith had had too early in the morning on the way to Key West. As the song ended, they removed their hats but Isabella kept hers on. Faith looked at Jake and quickly looked away when she saw that he was looking at her. She didn’t want to look at him for fear that she’d give away all her feelings. She’d completely fallen for him, but not seeing him for a few days had made her trip to Key West with him more like a dream than reality.
As the candle flickered in front of her, Nan closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Faith wondered what her wish was. Was she wishing something for her family, or to see John again soon, or something special for herself? Somehow, Faith believed that whatever it was Nan had wished for, she’d get it. Nan was not one to sit around and wait. If her wish didn’t come to her, she’d certainly go and get it herself. Nan blew out her candle.
Her mom reached over and grabbed a green foil-wrapped present off the table and handed it to Nan. “This is from me,” she said. Nan sat down at the table and set it in her lap. With unsteady hands, she slipped her finger under the fold and tore open one end. Then, she pulled out the gift. It was a silver frame. “I want Jake or Scott to take a photo of us girls before we leave tonight. Then we can put it in the frame for you.”
“Thank you. It’s gorgeous.” Nan pulled the stand open on the backboard of the frame and set it on the table. She reached over and grabbed a blue gift with white polka dots and a white ribbon.
“That’s from me… And Isabella and Scott,” Casey said with a smile.
Nan grinned in return and opened the present. She held it up so everyone could see it. It was a figurine of an angel. Nan collected angels. She put them out on her mantle every Christmas.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, turning it around in her hands before setting it next to the frame.
As she reached for Faith’s silver present, Faith thought about the significance of it. In life, seconds became minutes and minutes became hours and so on, but they needed all of it together to make any sense. Nan had mentioned how, when she was older, Faith would look back on her life and the things that worried her now wouldn’t seem so big. They’d be like seconds on a clock, Faith thought to herself. Nan had opened the gift. She held up the crystal clock with silver hands that Faith had kept in her bag all week tied up with that white ribbon. The clock represented time—time Nan had spent over her ninety years making a life, and oh, what a life she’d made. Faith could only hope to have a life like Nan had lived, and maybe, if she was lucky, she’d find herself at a beach house at ninety surrounded by her family.
“This is perfect, Faith,” Nan said. “Thank you. It’ll go by my bedside.”
Her mom pulled out the cake server that she’d dutifully packed from home and brought with her, and began cutting the cake and serving it onto paper plates.
“I’d like to thank you all for making this the best birthday ever,” Nan said. “It has been a very long time since I’ve had such a perfect gift as this: everyone together. I am so thankful to have been witness to that.” Nan stood, walked over to Jake, and grabbed his bicep, looking up at him in a very odd way. She stood with him for a moment without speaking, looking every one of them in the eye. It was very dramatic, and Faith wondered what was going on. Faith could feel the confusion showing on her face despite her attempts to smooth it out. What was Nan going to say about Jake?
“What you all don’t know is that I have a present for all of you.” Nan waited, her face animated, her eyebrows pushed up and a grin on her face. Nan was clearly making this dramatic on purpose. What in the world would she have to give them that involved Jake? “I’ve been working for a long time with Jake Buchanan,” she said. “This cottage is not a rental. It’s mine. I own it.”
There was a collective gasp as they all looked at one another. In that moment, like a flash, Faith’s reality changed. She envisioned big, family vacations with everyone there. Isabella growing up, building sandcastles, a picnic table at the edge of the dunes just like it had been when they were kids. And memories. Lots and lots of memories. She felt the prickle of the news o
n her arms, and the sting of tears in her eyes.
“When the original cottage was destroyed, I sat on the land, not wanting to get rid of such a gorgeous piece of property. I never told anyone I still had it. I knew that I couldn’t take care of it, but I did know that you all could. If you don’t want it, I’ll sell it. Jake can help me do that. But if you do want it, it’s yours. I’m willing it to Martha, but under the condition that we all take care of it. It belongs to our family. You can’t leave it for her alone to take care of. Understood?” Nan looked back and forth between Casey and Faith. They agreed.
Everyone started talking at once, their questions and comments turning to laugher and giddy excitement. Faith caught Nan’s eye. She was clearly enjoying it all. This was as much a gift for her as it was a gift for her family. Nan loved having everyone together.
Faith leaned over to Jake and quietly whispered under the chatter, “You knew about this the whole time?”
“If I’d have told you, your nan would’ve killed me,” he laughed. And she laughed with him, knowing exactly what he meant.
“Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I can tell you that I got you a present,” Jake said, turning back toward the group and smiling at Nan. “It’s out on the porch. Can I help you walk out to see it?”
Nan nodded, grabbing Jake’s arm. The rest of the family followed, and they all collected on the porch facing the beach. Sitting on the floorboards was a brand new wooden bench swing and a pile of chain. It was very much like the porch swing at the old cottage. “I made it myself,” he said. “You’ll have to show me where you want me to hang it.”