Dune Drive

by Mariah Stewart

  “Good point. Where should we have it?”

  “We have choices. We could have it here at the store, or outside in the yard. Or at the point. I’ll ask Lis what she thinks.” Chrissie thought about what fun it would be to celebrate Ruby’s 101 day. “I can make a cake . . . oh, more than one. Everyone on the island and half the town of St. Dennis knows her. And we have relatives—I don’t even know who they are or where to find them, but Lis might have some ideas.”

  “We should get together with Lis and make a plan.”

  “Soon, though. Her birthday’s in a few weeks. We should meet one day after I leave Blossoms.”

  “I can be free any afternoon. Lis probably can, too. I’ll check with her and let you know.”

  Had Ruby ever had a big birthday party before? She didn’t know.

  “Gigi, your birthday’s coming up soon.”

  “I be aware.”

  “Anything in particular you want for your birthday?” Chrissie asked.

  Ruby appeared to be thinking, then she shook her head. “What I be wanting for?” she asked Chrissie. “Seems to me I have more than most. Less than some, but I not be worried about that. Don’t need anything to make me happy. Got my store. My kin. My island.” She smiled at Chrissie. “Some oyster fritters once in a while be nice, though.”

  “I can take care of that for you.”

  “I be counting on it.” Ruby closed her eyes and rocked for a few more minutes while Chrissie envisioned 101 balloons tied to the porch railings all around the store. Maybe just a barbecue, she thought, something simple if we’re going to have a very large group. Or maybe just dessert. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there could be well over a hundred people there, depending on where they decided to cut the guest list.

  “Write down Grace’s name for sure,” Ruby said, her eyes still closed. “Delia, too.”

  Chrissie’s eyes narrowed. “Write them down for what?”

  “You think you and Cass be clever, but all that whispering last night, and you talking about my birthday—don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning.”

  “Damn. Did you hear us or are you just, you know, feeling it?”

  Ruby lifted her head and smiled.

  “That’s what I thought,” Chrissie grumbled. “I should know better than to try to keep a secret from you.”

  Ruby resumed rocking, craning her neck to look out into the garden.

  Chrissie followed her gaze. “What?” she asked. “What are you looking at?”

  “I be looking to see if those tomatoes planted themselves yet, but no, they still be in their pots.”

  “I can take a hint.” Chrissie finished her tea and went back to work.

  By the end of the afternoon, all the trays of vegetables had been planted and all the flower seeds sown.

  “I should have started the flowers sooner,” she complained to Ruby later when she came inside to clean up.

  “They be fine.” Ruby was seated in her chair near the window where Chrissie and Jared had sat the afternoon before. “Might be late this year, but they be blooming by the end of the summer. Those others, the roses and the daisies, they be blooming soon. No need to tend to them, ’cept maybe pull out those few weeds. You be wanting some decoration for that party I don’t know you’re planning.”

  “I give up,” Chrissie muttered, and went upstairs to take a shower.

  She found her phone and saw Jared had texted her several times, once to see if she was okay, another to tell her he was waiting for the last of his crew to show up. Tomorrow would be their first day to dive, and he’d be moving the Cordy E to the site early in the morning, but he’d be coming back to the cove at night.

  Thank you, she’d texted back. Knowing you’re so close makes me happy.

  I’m glad. It makes me happy, too.

  And safe, she’d added.

  That too, babe.

  • • •

  “SO I THINK we should just call everyone,” Chrissie told Lis and Cass. “If we send out invitations, it’s going to take too long. Buy them. Address them. Mail them. Wait for people to RSVP. If we call, most people will tell us flat out if they’re coming or not.”

  They sat at the front table in Cuppachino, drinking iced coffee and watching what passed for rush hour traffic on Charles Street, which meant there might be five or six cars waiting at the town’s one stoplight.

  “Right. We just say, ‘Would you mind checking your calendar to see if you’re free that day? I don’t mind waiting,’ ” Cass said.

  “If that’s what it takes, why not? And Alec thought we should have it out on the point. We can rent the tent we had for our wedding if it gets too hot,” Lis suggested.

  “Or how ’bout we do something like an old-fashioned box lunch? A delicious sandwich, fruit, a salad. Then we can all have birthday cake and sing to Gigi.”

  “That’s a really good idea,” Cass said. “If the number of people who accept is over fifty, I say the box lunch is the way to go.” She tapped Chrissie on the arm. “Where do we get boxes?”

  “I can give you the name of the place we sourced them from when I was at my last job. We did box lunches and they were very popular with our customers who wanted a lunch from Luna but didn’t have time to sit in the restaurant and eat.”

  “Get me the information and I’ll take care of it,” Cass volunteered.

  “And I’ll get with Clay and Wade and see about beer,” Lis said. “But we’ll need a couple of flats of water and some iced tea or something for the people who don’t drink beer.”

  “I can order from Tom, our supplier at the store. I can also get cups and straws and plastic utensils from him as well.” Chrissie made a note to herself, then sighed heavily.

  “What?” Lis asked.

  “I’d wanted to tie one hundred and one balloons to the porch railing,” Chrissie told them.

  “You can still do that. I’ll help.”

  “Great. That’s it, then. We divvy up the guest list into thirds, we each take one of the lists, and we make all the calls before the end of the week.” Chrissie made one last note, then closed her phone.

  “It all sounds so easy when you say it like that,” Lis said.

  “It will be easy, you’ll see,” Chrissie promised.

  “Maybe we should ask people when we call what kind of sandwich they want.” Cass was thinking out loud. “Otherwise, how do you know how many of each to make?”

  “We’ll figure that out. The important thing is that the planning is done, we know what we’re doing, and Gigi will have a great birthday.”

  “Too bad we couldn’t have surprised her.” Lis stood to leave.

  “Not an option. No one else knows where the bodies are buried,” Chrissie said. “I mean, how to get in touch with the relatives.”

  “Owen’s a little nervous about who’s going to show up,” Cass said.

  “He has reason to be,” Lis told her. “This family is a mixed bag.”

  “Honey, every family is a mixed bag. You should see what comes out of my family tree when we shake it.” Cass got up. “I wonder if we shouldn’t have something for the little kids. We’re going to make sure we have Owen’s son that weekend.”

  “How is that sweet boy?” Lis asked.

  “J.J.’s fine. He’s adorable. He’s getting used to spending time here with us and going back to his mom and stepfather without drama. Unless he’s forgotten a favorite toy, then we have tears. But it’s working out well.” Cass smiled. “And he’ll be at the party for his great-great-grandmother’s birthday. How extraordinary is that?”

  They disposed of their trash in the can on the way out the door, and Carlo, Cuppachino’s owner, waved as they left. Chrissie’d driven, and she dropped the other two off at their homes, Lis at the house she and Alec shared at the point, and Cass at the relic she and Owen were restoring.

  When Saturday night rolled around, Chrissie and Jared drove into Ballard, the next town, for dinner and a movie, and
they were both half asleep by the time the movie ended. Jared’d been diving every day since the merchant ship was cleared, and he could barely keep his eyes open. Chrissie’d been doing double duty, working at the store in the morning and at Blossoms during the day, where she’d taken on more and more as Sophie’s pregnancy progressed.

  “Want to take a walk? It’s still early,” she asked after he’d driven her back to the store.

  “Will you carry me?” She thought he was only half kidding.

  “You’re really wiped out, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, but maybe a walk will revive me.” He got out of the car at the same time she did.

  She reached for his hand and they walked from the parking lot onto the road, which was asphalt but heavily covered with sand. There were no streetlights on the island, and it was already dark.

  “So how many Jenkinses can we expect at the party?” he asked as they rounded the first curve.

  “Probably none. The Jenkinses are my father’s family and we didn’t invite any of them. They’re not from St. Dennis or the island, and there’s no relationship to Gigi.”

  “How many are coming so far?”

  “Last tally was one hundred and seven.”

  “That’s a lot of box lunches.”

  She nodded. “And one hell of a big cake.”

  “How do you make a cake for that many people?”

  “Have you never been to a wedding? It’ll be tiered, like a wedding cake,” she explained. “No big deal.”

  “Have you spoken with your mother yet?” he asked.

  Chrissie nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “You’re going to make me ask?” Jared stopped in front of one of the lots Cass was building on. “Is she coming to the party?”

  “She isn’t sure. She had a million reasons. She hasn’t seen Gigi in years and she’s uncertain whether she’d be welcome. She isn’t sure Gigi likes her. She has to see if Louis—that’s her new boyfriend—is free that weekend.”

  “Do you want her to come?”

  Chrissie thought it over. “Yes and no. I know if she shows up, there will be drama of some sort, so for that, since it’s Gigi’s birthday, I have to say no. For myself, yes, I’d like to see her again. Anytime I’ve made overtures to come out to see her, there have been excuses why it wasn’t a good time. She was going through another divorce. She was in the process of moving. She had the flu. She was just getting over the flu.”

  “I can see where it would be tough to maintain a relationship with someone like that. But—”

  “But—she is my mother. So yes, I’d like to see her, but God only knows what might come of it. We’ll see. I’m not going to worry about it either way. If she’s here, fine. If not . . .” Chrissie shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it. But if I ever have kids, I will not treat them the way I’ve been treated.”

  Jared wrapped his arms around her and held her.

  “Well, that does help,” she told him, raising her face for a kiss. In the dark, he found her lips. A car came around the curve, its lights momentarily blinding her.

  “Oh, my eyes.” She blinked, trying to regain her focus. “How are yours?”

  “Mine are fine.”

  “Why aren’t you blinking? Why are your eyes fine when mine are seeing huge spots of yellow?”

  “Because I was kissing you and my eyes were closed,” he said in that matter-of-fact way of his. “I think the real question is, why were your eyes open when you were supposed to be kissing me?”

  “Because I felt something, the motion of the car, maybe. Want to try it again?”

  “Yes.” He pulled her in close and kissed her again.

  “Much better,” she told him.

  “No flashing lights?” he asked.

  “No, but maybe a bell or two,” she said.

  “That sounds like wind chimes.” He looked around. “I wish we had a flashlight. It sounds like it’s coming from over there.” He pointed toward the dune.

  “I have one in my bag,” she told him. “It’s small but it has a powerful light. But I left my bag in the car.”

  “I’ll run back and get it. Stay right here. I’ll just be a minute.”

  He disappeared into the dark, but she could hear his footfalls as he took off running. It was eerie, standing there in a pitch-black night, all alone. It reminded her of when she and Lis were kids and they’d play hide-and-seek on summer nights. Owen always knew where they were hiding—well, duh. They usually kept to the same places because it’d gotten too dark to find anyplace else. When he came up behind them, she and Lis would scream at the top of their lungs and run back to the store.

  A noise behind her made her jump. Fifteen feet away, something scampered out from the dune grass and dashed across the road. She could hear but not see it, just as she could not see whatever was chasing it. Then she heard the sound of pounding feet coming her way and saw the beam of light. She let out a breath she’d been holding without realizing it. She’d never been totally at ease in the dark, and even now she left the light on in the bathroom across the hall when she went to bed at night.

  “Told you I’d be quick,” he said as he trotted up. “Now, let’s see what’s back here.” He took her by the hand and they went from the road to the remnants of a driveway.

  “This is one of Cass’s properties,” she said.

  “Let’s take a look. Maybe the house is still there.”

  “Or we could come back tomorrow when it’s light out and we don’t need the flashlight.” She followed the light with her eyes. “This is one of the old Blake properties. That’s on my granddad’s side. My mother’s dad’s side of the family.” She took the flashlight from his hands and scanned the area. “There’s the wind chime. Someone hung it from that pile of wood.” She walked closer and aimed the light at the stack. “These must be the old floors. Cass’s guys do a remarkable job saving them. Then they reuse what they can in the new houses, fill in what they need to, and then stain it all to match.”

  She walked around the piles of wood slowly.

  “I remember my granddad Blake. He was so nice. So was Gramma Blake. He died when I was twelve and she died a few years ago. She’d asked me to handle her funeral, carry it out the way she’d spelled it out, so of course I did. Ruby was a bit scandalized because her coffin was extravagant for an island lady, but that’s what she wanted and that’s what she got.” She paused for a moment. “Doug was incensed because I’d spent the money she’d given me for her funeral, instead of skimping on it and keeping the rest of it.”

  “Sounds like a real stand-up kinda guy,” Jared said dryly.

  She turned in the dark and hugged him. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me. If it hadn’t been for him, I might never have come back here, I’d have never met you, and he’s behind me now and I’m here with you. I’d say I came out on top.”

  The breeze had blown her hair into her face, and with his hands, Jared pushed it back.

  “That’s how I feel about you. Like you’re the best part of my life. Well, you and that ‘tea ship’ at the bottom of the river.”

  Chrissie laughed. “That’s so romantic, Jared.”

  “You are, though. You’re the best part of my life, and I’m grateful that you got here by any means, but I wish I could have spared you.”

  “Water under the dam. Over the dam? Under the bridge? Whatever. It’s just something that happened. And now we’re together and that’s what matters.”

  “It’s definitely what matters to me.” He took the flashlight from her hand and put an arm around her, leading her to the road. “Want to go sit in my car and make out?”

  “Best idea you had all night.”

  • • •

  RUBY’D BEEN SO pleased with the fact that she was having a birthday party, she’d tried to interject her ideas into the plan Chrissie, Lis, and Cass had come up with, but they didn’t back down. She’d ended up issuing invitations of her own to just about everyone who came into th
e store. To Chrissie’s dismay, Ruby told her all the early morning watermen had been invited and all of Emily Hart’s nieces and granddaughters who served illegal dinners at Emily’s house on the island—illegal because she was not licensed by anyone and hadn’t reported her earnings in . . . well, ever. Emily’s explanation was that she served dinners in her home to a select group of guests every week, but since there were no regulatory agencies of any kind on the island, she didn’t have to report to anyone. It made sense if you were an islander, Chrissie explained to Jared, and though she didn’t necessarily agree with Mrs. Hart’s method of operation, she had to admit that a woman in her eighties who still cooked delicious meals for crowds once or twice a week, depending on demand, was a woman to be admired. She hoped she was still functioning at that high a level when she reached Emily’s age.

  The party was set for two o’clock, an hour when most of the point would be in shade. Jared pitched in to help Owen and Alec set up tents and rented tables and chairs, and together the three took turns using the helium tank to blow up the 101 balloons Chrissie had insisted on.

  They also took turns breathing in the helium and singing rock songs in little Munchkin voices.

  Lis looked out the window to watch. “Honestly, you’d think the average age of the three of them is about eight.”

  “Would you go out and tie the balloons on to the railing?” Chrissie asked Lis. “I don’t know how securely they’re tying them on, and I don’t want them blowing off before Gigi sees them.”

  “She’s still getting ready?” Cass asked.

  “Taking her time. Said the rest of the world could wait for her today.” Chrissie smiled. Seeing how excited the usually unflappable Ruby had been that morning made all the work worth it.

  “You go on upstairs and get dressed,” Cass told Chrissie. “I’ll finish packing up the box lunches and then we’ll go over to the point. I love the idea of the red-and-white checkered cloths, by the way.”

  “Everything ruby red today. Steffie made a special ice cream in Ruby’s honor, and she named it—”

  “I heard. Ruby red,” Cass said. “Heavy on the raspberries, I understand.”

  “So I’ve been told. Thanks for taking over, Cass. I won’t be long.” Chrissie took off the apron she’d been wearing and folded it, leaving it on the counter.