The New Ever After (The New Ever After Series)

by Farley, Julie

  "He went out on the sailboat for a few hours."

  "Without us?" asked Henry.

  "He needed to do some work on it, so it was easier for us not to be on it with him,” she lied.

  Heather drove by the harbor and saw that Blue was out of the slip. Peter's bike was locked up in the parking lot. She could see a couple of sailboats on the horizon and wondered if one of them was Peter.

  "Let's see what this town looks like," said Heather.

  They drove down the main street and saw all the quaint little shops. Heather wanted to have an opportunity to check them all out but knew today wasn't the perfect opportunity. She needed an extra set of adult hands in order to do that. At the end of the street, right along the water, there was a park. The park had set of baby swings facing the water - just the speed Heather could go for right now. She needed to connect with the serenity in the water. She needed her kids to be occupied and not ask her any questions for awhile.

  Her mind was racing with guilt. Peter had read her memoir, so he knew how she had acted when she had been jealous of Hank's date. But there was likely very little chance that he would have guessed that was her reason for acting so nutty now. He would never realize that she wanted to spare him of any act of jealousy she may or may not commit later.

  And really, thought Heather, I might be justifying it all in my head anyway.

  Heather heard her phone beep and grabbed it quickly hoping it was Peter. But, it was Lauren.

  10:13 Lauren: How's Maine? Sorry about my tough talk but you needed it.

  The twins were tucked away in the swings, so Heather had a free moment to talk.

  10:14 Heather: Call if you have a min.

  The phone rang the next second.

  "Hey. How are you?" asked Lauren.

  "Ok."

  "I can tell by the tone of your voice that you aren't all that ok."

  "I pissed Peter off."

  "Peter's mad at you? Didn't think that was possible."

  "Well, it is." Heather recounted the story to Lauren.

  "Sounds like he has some history with her, but don't worry about it. He’s stuck with you for better or worse now"

  "I got that sense. He just acted so strange."

  "But it sounds like you acted like a spoiled brat. Sounds like you acted just like you did with Hank and his prom date."

  Leave it to Lauren not to forget something like that.

  "I know but I was trying to save him from jealous Heather."

  "By giving him spoiled brat Heather? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

  Lauren was right. Heather needed a serious kick in the pants.

  "Ok. I'm hanging up and texting him. Call me later."

  "K."

  "And can I call you later and you help me pick what I should read for my reading tomorrow?"

  Without Jenny helping her, Heather didn't trust herself to pick the right thing to read. Janie had been helping a bit, but she wasn't ready to call her yet. Heather's publicist had thought a reading in Maine was a great idea while they were there. She didn't really want to think about it but knew she needed to. That could wait till later when Peter was home.

  10:32 Heather: I'm sorry. I acted like a spoiled brat. Talk when you get home?

  After what felt like an eternity but was really only two minutes, he replied.

  10:34 Peter: ok

  That was it. Heather guessed it was better than nothing. She rationalized his brief response by figuring he was busy with all those ropes on the boat.

  Chapter 24

  Peter was annoyed. He was annoyed with Heather for not wanting to go to Kelly's house for dinner. He was annoyed that she was acting like a jealous wife. He was annoyed with himself that he was so shaken by Kelly's visit. It had been about a decade since he had seen her. His parents kept him up to date on any Kelly news. He knew she had two kids but was surprised to hear she was divorced. She looked the same. She hadn't changed a bit. She was the same girl he had sex with for the first time after the cross-country meet his junior year in high school. He didn't have any leftover sexual feelings for her now, but Kelly had been his first. And the power of seeing his first had caught him by surprise. Unfortunately, Heather had felt it too. She had known right away. When she didn’t want to even hang out with her and compared him to Matt, it pissed him off.

  He hadn’t been able to answer any more than an “ok” when he had gotten her text because the wind was really blowing and it had been awhile since he had been on the boat sailing the open sea like this. Virgin Gorda was calm compared to the water off the coast of Maine. He had hugged the coast and stayed in the bay yesterday with Heather and the kids. But today he went straight out into the open ocean. Sailing did not feel like riding a bicycle. He felt out of practice and was having a hard time finding the right pace. It was like he was trying to relearn riding a bicycle during a triathlon. The wind was gusting and not giving Peter a chance to catch his breath.

  Peter was sure Heather had analyzed his "ok" over and over again. When he got back, they would talk about it, and he could explain. But right now the boat was demanding his attention. And, frankly, her stress level over the last few months was giving him a run for his money.

  Chapter 25

  Heather let the kids play at the park for a little bit longer. George’s sun hat blew off and she chased it across the park. As she picked up his hat, she gazed down the street and saw a quaint looking cafe with a red awning. It looked casual from her vantage point, and she thought the kids might enjoy it. Part of her wanted to prove to herself she didn't need to depend on Peter or another adult to have fun with all five kids on her own.

  She yelled to Hayes, "Come here. I want to ask you a question." She figured she needed him to buy in to the idea since she would need his helping hands.

  He kicked his hacky sack on the way over. He thought going out to eat was a fantastic idea. Heather left the car where it was. Hayes grabbed Emily out of the swing and Heather wrangled a very wiggly George. The restaurant was empty as it was still too early for the lunch crowd. She knew Peter would have had a celebrity welcome at the restaurant, but they were able to be seated easily without anyone taking notice. Well, kind of, it's hard not to notice a mom with five kids.

  While they were at lunch, she got a text from Peter.

  11:33 Peter: blown off course...will be home a little later. Sorry.

  Odd and vague. Heather knew next to nothing about sailing, but she could imagine getting blown off course in a sailboat was something that could easily happen. She responded quickly.

  11:34 Heather: That stinks. See you later.

  The kids scanned the menus and there was plenty of American fare to make everyone happy. Heather ordered the twins a grilled cheese to split, and she was craving a BLT. Today was one of the days this vegetarian considered bacon to be a vegetable. She needed comfort in the form of bacon and mayo. The kids asked if they could get ice cream after lunch and Heather acquiesced. Everyone was happy, so taking their time was fine with her. Heather pulled out some crackers for the twins to pacify them while the other kids waited for their ice cream. As soon as the ice cream got delivered, George grabbed Henry's dish and turned it over onto Henry's lap in an attempt to claim it as his own.

  "GEORGE!" screamed Henry scaring him and startling him so much that he started to cry.

  Heather got up, grabbed some napkins and piled ice cream from Henry's dish onto the table. The waitress ran over to help, and Heather looked at her pleadingly and asked for the check. Heather opened her purse to dig out her wallet and remembered she had left it in the beach bag. She had seven dollars floating around her bag to pay a $42 check plus tip. Tears filled her eyes, and she started to give a little too much information to the waitress.

  "I'm Peter Adamson's wife. He's out on the boat. These are his twins, and I don't have my wallet. I only have this money. I can go home and get some for you or call my father-in-law to see if he can come bail me out. Or we can call Peter on the boat
and see when he will arrive."

  As she kept rambling, the owner walked out and told her not to worry. She could come back this evening or tomorrow to pay the bill. He had known Peter since he was a little boy and knew he would come in to pay for it. Heather wiped away the tears and gathered the kids. She was so embarrassed about the mess and about the fact that she didn't have any way to pay for it.

  When they got back into the car, Hayes laid into her.

  "Mom, how could you forget your wallet? What's wrong with you?"

  Heather looked at him and started to cry.

  "I'm not perfect. I wasn't thinking. I got mad at Peter, and I feel terrible about it."

  "Is that why he went out on the boat?" asked Gracie.

  "No, he planned on going anyway."

  "That's why he's not back yet," said Hayes.

  "No, he got blown off course. He'll be back soon. Let's go home and hang out. I'll put the twins down for a nap, and we can just relax."

  "Drive by the marina to see if he's there," suggested Henry.

  "Ok."

  Heather did and they could see that Blue wasn't in her slip. Peter was still out on the ocean somewhere.

  They got home and put the twins to sleep. Henry cleaned himself up. Gracie got a book and sat with Heather in the rockers on the porch while the boys stayed inside and played on their igadgets.

  Gracie was reading Anne of Green Gables, an appropriate choice for the part of the world they were in. Heather was sure Nova Scotia and Maine were similar...slightly more similar to each other than to Virginia or New York City at least.

  "Do you like Maine, sweetie?"

  "Yeah. It's peaceful. I can hear myself think when I'm here."

  "Do you have a lot to think about?" asked Heather knowing it was a dangerous question to ask a fourth grader, especially one who had lost her dad.

  "Not really. Sometimes it's hard to think about what I like to do when we’re at home. All of my friends are too busy telling me what they want me to do."

  "And what do you want to do?"

  "Ride horses, draw pictures and read."

  "Sounds pretty perfect to me. We'll see if we can get you a riding lesson while you're up here."

  Around two, a pickup truck pulled into the drive. Heather thought for a second it could be Peter thinking maybe he had gotten a ride home from someone. A twenty-something year old man ambled out of the truck.

  "Afternoon, ma'am. Mr. Adamson called about a shutter that was banging?"

  "Yes, follow me around." Heather led him to the ocean side of the house and pointed towards the shutter that looked like it was perfectly affixed to the house. "It's that one. It looks fine, but I swear it bangs all night."

  "I'll take a look." He went back to his truck for his ladder and climbed up and made sure it was all secure.

  "That should do the trick. Have Mr. Adamson give me a call if it happens again."

  "Thanks."

  Heather's phone rang, and she jumped up quickly to get it in hopes it was Peter. But it was Lauren again.

  "Hey."

  "Hey, is he back yet?"

  "Nope. He texted that he got blown off course. Wonder if that was the truth or if he blew off course from me."

  "Stop. I am sure that’s easily done in the Atlantic Ocean on a sailboat. And it's going to take a lot more than a little crazy Heather to scare him away for good."

  "We'll see. I’ve been crazy Heather for the last few months."

  "Ok, you can deal with that when he gets back. What are you thinking about reading tomorrow?"

  Heather hadn't thought much about what to read because she had been so focused on Peter's whereabouts and taking care of the kids. "I have no idea. What do you think I should read, all knowing one?"

  "Have you read the actual first kiss story lately? Not the French kissing one...the first grade story. It's sweet and you might have a lot of older people like Peter's parents’ ages."

  "Sounds good. I'll get it out and read it over."

  "K. I'll check on you later to make sure he’s home."

  "Bye."

  Heather got out her dog-eared copy of her book and found the passage Lauren wanted her to read.

  In first grade, I had a teacher who was obsessed with Mickey Mouse. Our whole room was decorated with Disney decorations (This was decades before the princess craze). I had never been to Disney and knew only a little about Mouseketeers from watching that black and white TV show. Hank was in my class. We did everything in alphabetical order, so we were seated next to each other and lined up together. The only time we did anything apart was during reading time. Hank read from the orange SRA cards, and I read from the red cards. And of course, we didn't eat lunch together either. I sat with the girls, and he sat with the boys.

  One Friday afternoon, he wrote a note. He gave it to me after library because I remember I had just taken out a tongue twister book and The Lonely Doll for the umpteenth time. I put down the tongue twister I was trying to memorize, “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck,” and opened the folded up piece of paper. In perfect first grade scribble, Hank asked me if I wanted to be his Minnie Mouse? I had no idea what he meant and stuffed the note in my pocket. My mom found it the next day and asked me who had given it to me. I told her Hank had, and she said he must want me to be his girlfriend. Then she started to go on about us being too young to be boyfriend and girlfriend.

  On Monday when we lined up for lunch, I told him I would be his Minnie Mouse. He was so happy that he kissed me right on the lips. Our teacher saw it and reprimanded him for spreading germs. He turned red and all the other boys yelled "Eww...", and I started to cry.

  The last kiss that I placed on him in the hospital, willing him to wake up like Snow White had when the prince kissed her, made me cry too. But all the kisses in between were nothing short of tear free.

  The rest of the afternoon passed in a quiet haze. After the twins got up, Heather and the big kids took them for a walk around the neighborhood in the stroller. Northern beach houses were so different than the gigantic houses that were built on the beaches that Heather had frequented in the South. Houses in Maine were smaller and had more traditional designs. Heather loved looking at the cedar shingles. The vegetation was also vastly different. In North Carolina, the beach areas were pretty bare. In Maine, there were trees, grass and bushes growing everywhere. The beaches in North Carolina were larger. Rocks broke up Maine beaches. The Outer Banks was littered with houses so big they needed elevators. The mansions in Maine were quaint in comparison.

  Dinnertime was fast approaching, and Heather didn't have a plan. She knew Peter's parents lived nearby but wasn't exactly sure where. They headed back to the house to scare up some food. Henry tortured Hayes and Gracie with a stick and was now relegated to pushing the stroller to keep his hands busy.

  "Mom, will Peter be home when we get back?" asked Gracie.

  "Hope so."

  But when they returned, they didn't find him. Heather sent him a text to try to get an ETA.

  5:07 Heather: What time should we expect you?

  There was no response so Heather fixed some food - the kids decided on pancakes for dinner. When she didn't get a response after an hour, she started to worry. At 6:30, she knew they were expected at Kelly’s for dinner, and they hadn’t come to any decision on whether or not they would go. Heather didn’t have Kelly’s number to call her to see if Peter was there, so she decided to call the marina and see if his boat was back yet. If his boat was back, maybe he was at Kelly’s. She quickly found out it wasn't. Her next call was to his parents.

  "Hi, Tom. It's Heather."

  "How are you, sweetie?"

  "I'm fine. I don't want to worry you needlessly, but I'm not quite sure if I should call someone. Peter went out on the boat early this morning. We exchanged a few texts, and he said he was blown off course and would be later than expected. He's not answering my texts now, and it's getting kind of late."

  "Let me make a few calls and see what
I can find out. I'll call you back."

  "Thanks, Tom. I'm just being a nervous wife!"

  "No worries. I'll call you soon."

  Heather didn't want to worry Tom and Mary, but she didn't feel like she had a choice. The what-ifs were starting to clutter her head, and it was not like Peter to ignore her. Now she was worried that he was mad at her and he wouldn't return. Her thoughts were racing when the doorbell rang. It was Tom and Mary coming to check on her.

  "No word from the harbormaster. He hasn't had any distress calls or anything like that. Peter's an experienced sailor. I'm sure he's fine."

  Mary wanted to know how she could help, and Heather was happy to have some extra hands especially as it was getting close to bedtime.

  "Do you mind helping me get the twins ready for bed?"

  "Not at all."

  "How bout I take the big kids down to the beach?" asked Tom.

  "That would be great. Thanks."

  Heather and Mary ran up and gave the twins a bath and put them to bed. It was earlier than their normal bedtime, but Heather needed them to go to sleep so she had one less thing to think about while she waited for Peter. Mary went downstairs while Heather tucked them in and kissed them good night. She decided to skip tonight’s bedtime story. When Heather got downstairs, Mary had a glass of wine waiting for her, and they went to sit on the porch. Heather sighed as she sat down and had a hard time holding back the tears.

  "It's ok, sweetie. He'll be back soon."

  "I made him mad before he left." Heather told the story for the third time today.

  "Kelly and Peter go way back. Don't be jealous though. They grew apart and both wanted very different things. They were never destined for each other. And he has you now. I have never seen him happier. His face lights up when you walk in the room. And the kids have made his smile grow larger than I've ever seen it."