Dune Drive

by Mariah Stewart

  “Jared said he’ll stay here and drive you and Ruby over when she’s ready.” Lis stuck her head in through the doorway. “There are already a bunch of cars there, early birds, I suppose, so we should probably hurry up. I didn’t recognize hardly any of the vehicles.”

  “It’s no wonder. We get so little traffic here on the island.” Chrissie headed toward the store and the steps to the second floor.

  She showered and dressed in less than thirty minutes, even pausing to put on makeup, which she found herself doing more and more. She’d never bothered before, but these days, she wore light makeup to work, a little more when she and Jared went out. For the party, she’d chosen a black sundress with wide straps and flowers in shades of pink with green leaves. She’d bought it for the wedding weekend, and while she hadn’t worn it then, she’d worn it twice since and Jared had admired it both times. It was her personal favorite, so she was pleased he’d liked it as well.

  She went downstairs and found Ruby sitting at her table in the store.

  “Ready for your close-up, Gigi?” she quipped.

  “I be just about.”

  “I thought you’d be pacing the floor waiting for me.”

  “Needed a few minutes to just set,” Ruby told her.

  “Are you feeling all right? Do you want me to bring you some water?” Chrissie asked.

  “No. Just set with me for a few.”

  “Of course.” Chrissie walked over and sat next to Ruby instead of in the chair she usually occupied at the opposite side of the table. “Are you having deep thoughts?”

  Ruby nodded slowly. “I be thinking about all them that’s come before here, my folks, my Harold. All the folks on the island who came and went. None of them made one hundred and one years. My momma almost made it, came close at ninety-six. But my Harold died young. Left me with a lot on my plate.” She smiled at Chrissie. “But we be strong, girl. We have the blood of those who made the crossing back in 1813. You remember that, Christiana. You be strong.”

  “I’m trying to be.”

  “There be times to try, and there be times to be.” Ruby stood suddenly. “Got a party to go to. Who be driving?”

  And just like that, she headed for the door, leaving Chrissie to catch up.

  Jared had been waiting on the front porch in Ruby’s favorite rocking chair. When the two women came out and Ruby saw where he was sitting, she stopped suddenly.

  “You ask about setting in that chair?”

  “Ah, no, ma’am, I . . .” Jared stood hastily.

  “Good thing we be going someplace. Else there could be words over who sits in that chair.” She went down the steps holding on to the railing. When she reached the bottom, she turned and said, “You two coming?”

  Chrissie giggled all the way to the point, and Jared appeared to have a hard time keeping a straight face. He drove around the curve, then parked on the grass next to Lis and Alec’s house.

  “You ready, lady of the hour?” he asked.

  “I am,” Ruby said. When he came around to the passenger side to help her out, she took his hand and said, “It makes my heart glad to know you be there for her, but a woman’s got to be able to save herself. You be helping her do that, and for that I be grateful.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  As Chrissie got out of the backseat, she saw Jared kiss the side of Ruby’s face. Ruby pretended to brush him away, but Chrissie could tell she’d been pleased by his gesture. The threesome, with Ruby in the middle, made their way into the party.

  Ruby’s appearance was met with shouts and applause, and she acted flustered, but Chrissie saw the theatrics involved and it made her smile. Owen led Ruby to the seat of honor, where she sat while her guests—Lis referred to them as Ruby’s minions—could greet her and offer homage.

  “She is lapping this up the way a tabby laps up cream.” Lis leaned in behind Chrissie, who was stacking the box lunches on a table, and Chrissie laughed. She’d tied up the boxes with red-and-white bakers twine and slipped napkins under the ties. The napkins were white with a scattering of red tulips.

  “Too cutesy?” she asked Lis.

  “Adorable. Kitschy, but somehow looks just right. I think those boxes look darling. And the plastic red rubies scattered on the white tablecloths are a fun touch, along with the cornflowers in red and white vases.”

  “Ruby’s Harold used to bring her cornflowers. I thought it would be a nice touch, to have a little bit of him here.”

  “Everything looks perfect. Everything has a bit of ruby red.”

  “I cannot tell a lie. I cheated and called Lucy at the inn and asked for some tips.”

  “No shame in asking the queen of event planning for a little help. I wish I’d thought of it.”

  Chrissie looked at the mountain of boxes. “The recycling guys are going to be busy this week.”

  “Alec’s going to take them into St. Dennis tomorrow and put them in the recycling bins,” Lis told her. “Everything else can go out in the trash.”

  “Good, because after all the prep, I’m just about burned out.” She finished stacking the boxes and stepped back from the table, and as she looked up, she saw a face she wasn’t sure she’d ever see again. The woman was looking directly at her, as if she were afraid if she blinked, Chrissie would be gone. She wore a khaki skirt and a brown polo shirt, and her strawberry-blond hair was brushed back from her face.

  “Mom?” Chrissie walked out from behind the table. “You came.”

  Instinctively, Chrissie hugged her. At first, her mother seemed surprised, but she hugged her back. A long, warm hug that was well overdue. When Chrissie stepped back, she saw the tears in her mother’s eyes, and she softened.

  “Mom, I’m so glad to see you. I’m so happy you’re here.”

  “Oh, I knew all along I had to come. I don’t know why I was hemming and hawing the way I did. Ruby’s my grandmother, and who knows how much longer she’ll be around.” Dorothy glanced at Ruby. “Though she looks damned good for having lived one hundred years on this island.”

  “One hundred and one,” Chrissie said, correcting her.

  “Oh. Right. You did tell me that. Well, that’s old.” Dorothy coughed the smoker’s cough that Chrissie always associated with her mother. Dorothy touched Chrissie’s face, then smoothed back her hair. “And you look wonderful. I’ve never seen you look so happy. Healthy. Beautiful. You’re planning on staying here?’

  “I am. I have a great job cooking in a wonderful little restaurant in St. Dennis. If you’re still here on Tuesday . . .”

  “Going back in the morning. Have to work on Monday.”

  “There you are, Dots. I’ve been looking all over this place for you.” A man in khaki pants and a brown polo shirt that matched Dorothy’s seemed to appear out of nowhere. He wore dark glasses and carried a beer in a red plastic cup.

  “This is my daughter, Chrissie. Christiana. Meet my friend Louis.” Dorothy made the introductions.

  “Dotty tells me you cook in a restaurant.” Louis took off his glasses and hung them from the V at the neck of his shirt.

  “I do.”

  “Woman should know how to cook,” Louis was saying as Jared walked up. “Maybe you could give your mom here some lessons.” He stage-whispered, “She’s not very good.”

  “Chrissie’s a great cook,” Jared said, joining the conversation. “But so am I. A man should know how to cook, too, don’t you think?” Without waiting for an answer, he slipped an arm over her shoulder and said, “Chrissie, who are your friends?”

  “This is my mother, Dorothy DiLenno. And her friend Louis.”

  “Good to meet you both.” Jared looked at Chrissie’s mother. “Especially you, Mrs. DiLenno.”

  “It’s Dorothy,” she told him. “I’m not Mrs. DiLenno anymore.”

  Dorothy took a step back and looked Jared over, obviously not blind to the possessive arm around Chrissie’s shoulder. Bluntly, she asked, “So what’s your relationship with my daughter?”


  “I’m her guy.” Jared met her gaze.

  “What does that mean, exactly?”

  Before he could answer, Chrissie broke in. “Mom, have you seen Gigi since you arrived? It looks like there’s a bit of a lull in the well-wishers. You might want to slip over there while you have a chance.”

  “Good idea. Louis, come with me. Meet my grandmother.” With a glance back at Jared, she tugged on Louis’s hand.

  “Did you ask her about your father or your brother?” Jared asked.

  “I didn’t have time, but I asked her on the phone when I called her to invite her, and it was just more of the same. ‘I don’t want to discuss it. Stop bringing up the past. I’m living in the present, you should, too.’ ” Chrissie shrugged. “She’s just not going to talk about it. I don’t know if she’s being stubborn, or if whatever happened is so embarrassing to her personally that she doesn’t want me to know.”

  “One of these days you’ll find out. Today, however, we’re at a party for a great lady who is having the time of her life. Owen said his mother’s here from Arizona with her husband, and that Ruby was really happy to see her.”

  “She doesn’t seem as happy to see ‘Dots,’ though, does she?” Chrissie observed. “She’s got that look on her face, the one she gets when she’s about to tell you something you don’t want to hear.”

  “She can be tough,” he agreed, “but not to me.” He leaned closer. “She told me I’m the guy for you.”

  “You are the guy for me.”

  Chrissie looked into his eyes and saw Jared for who he really was: a caring, honest, loving man whose heart was as wide and deep as the oceans he explored. From the first day, he’d treated her as someone special, someone who deserved to be cared about. He’d listened to her, laughed with her, given her all the space she’d needed to find herself again. He’d never pushed their relationship toward anything she hadn’t been ready for. Even now, when she could tell his need for her was as great as her need for him, he didn’t push or try to pressure her. He’d let her take her time to find her way, made her understand with his actions more than his words that the pace of their relationship was totally up to her. Because he knew that trust didn’t come easy to her, he would let her decide if or when the relationship would move to the next level. If—when—they had sex would be her decision.

  He was lovable in so many ways, but she could have loved him only for giving her that power. Tonight she was going to exercise it.

  “Maybe we can take a moonlit row out to the Cordy E,” she whispered in his ear. “I hear there are private quarters for the captain. I think we should make use of them tonight.”

  He took a step back and gazed into her face. “Chrissie—are you sure you want to . . . ?”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.”

  He took his phone from his pocket and speed-dialed a call. “Who’re you calling?” she asked.

  “The crew. I’m giving them the rest of the weekend off. They’ll probably be at the White Dolphin lining up shots by the time I end the call.”

  The call was answered and the message delivered. Jared tucked the phone back into his pocket, then tugged lightly on her ponytail. “How long do you think we need to hang around?”

  “Until the end. I’m sort of hosting, so . . .” She held her hands out in a what can I do gesture. “But Gigi turns in early most nights, and we started early in the day. I don’t expect this to be an all-night affair.”

  “In that case, I’m going to get a beer.” He kissed her on the lips.

  “Look, there’s my dad, Delia, and Grace. When I called, Delia wasn’t sure if they could make it. I’m so glad they’re here. Let’s go say hello.”

  Ruby had fooled everyone—especially Chrissie—by keeping the party going into the evening. While a lot of the guests had left, there was still a hard-core group of St. Dennis and Cannonball Islanders partying. At ten, when someone called for pizza, Jared and Chrissie had had enough.

  Chrissie took Owen aside and asked, “Do you think you could get Ruby back to the store when she’s ready to leave? Take back that mountain of gifts and cards? Get her settled in?”

  “Sure. Where are you going to be?”

  Jared stood behind Chrissie and waved a hand at Owen, who said, “Okay. Got it. I’ll stay as long as I can, but try to get back before dawn, okay?”

  “I’ll make sure she gets back before that. You don’t have to worry about Ruby being alone,” Jared promised.

  “I need to say good-bye to my mother. Maybe we can have breakfast with her tomorrow before she leaves.” Chrissie searched what remained of the crowd and finally spotted Dorothy.

  “She’s over at the second table, talking to my mom,” Owen told her. “After thirty years, they’re finally talking. I wonder what brought that on.”

  “Does it matter? They’re talking. Let’s take that as a sign that something good might come out of this.” It had occurred to Chrissie that something must have happened in her mother’s life years ago that had caused her to withdraw from her entire family. Undoubtedly it had something to do with her father, but Chrissie was no closer to finding out what that was all about than she’d been when she was a child.

  Chrissie excused herself and walked over to where her mother was sitting. She knew that now was not the time to get into a deep discussion about past hurts and family drama, so she was determined to keep things fairly light and cheerful.

  “Mom, I’m calling it a night. I’m exhausted from all the prep for this party. Could we maybe meet tomorrow morning for breakfast before you leave?”

  “I’d like that very much, Chrissie.” Dorothy stood and hugged her daughter again. “I know that you had a lot of people to talk to tonight, so we didn’t have much time together. Breakfast would be nice, maybe at the restaurant where you work?”

  “We’re closed on Sunday. Why not stop at the store in the morning when you’re ready—maybe around nine or ten? We can decide then where we’re going.”

  “That would be fine.” Dorothy moved to hug her again, then paused. “Chrissie, who is that woman in the black shirt and long skirt talking to your friend?”

  “That’s Jared’s father’s new wife. They were just married a few weeks ago.”

  “She looks familiar.”

  “That’s because she is famous. That’s Delia Enright, the—”

  “The mystery writer. That’s why she looks familiar. That’s your friend’s stepmother?”

  “My friend has a name. It’s Jared Chandler, and Delia doesn’t like to be referred to as a stepmother,” Chrissie said.

  “What does he call her?”

  “He calls her Delia.”

  “And while we’re on the subject—what happened to the other boyfriend?” Dorothy asked.

  “What other boyfriend?”

  “The one you were living with in New Jersey. Such a nice guy. I’m guessing you broke up with him and now you’re dating this one?” She pointed to Jared.

  For a moment, Chrissie froze. Then she took a deep breath and said, “Mom, that ‘nice guy’ wasn’t so nice. He abused me physically and mentally. Leaving him was the best thing I ever did. ”

  Dorothy’s hand flew to cover her mouth. “Oh my God, Chrissie, I had no idea.”

  “Of course you didn’t. I didn’t tell you because we almost never talked about things. But I’m telling you now. Mom, if he ever calls you, hang up. Don’t tell him anything about me. He doesn’t know where I am, and if he did, he’d do something to hurt me really badly.”

  Dorothy shook her head, her eyes spilling over with tears. “Oh, my poor girl. Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you come stay with me?”

  “It’s a long story, Mom. A story for another time. One of those stories like why did Dad leave and where is my brother.” Chrissie squeezed her mother’s hand and said, “Someday soon we’re going to sit down and we’ll trade stories, okay?”

  Dor
othy stared at Chrissie.

  “That’s the price for knowing what happened to your daughter, Mom. It’s long past time we were honest with each other.” Chrissie kissed her mother good-bye. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mom. I’m so happy you came, for Ruby’s sake and for my sake. And for yours as well.” She lowered her voice and whispered, “I see you’re talking to Owen’s mother again. Mending fences?”

  “As best we can.” Dorothy nodded. “It’s been a long time coming.”

  “Yes, it has, Mom. It’s past time for a lot of things. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Chrissie kissed her again, then went off to say her good-byes to Delia and Gordon, then Grace, then finally to Ruby, who gave no sign she was slowing down.

  Chrissie’d written 101 YEARS YOUNG on the three-tiered cake she’d made. Ruby was every bit that, and more, and Chrissie said a silent prayer of thanks that she’d been given the gift of loving this very special woman.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chrissie’d almost had to get in line to say good night to Ruby. There were several others who were trying to leave as well, but not without saying a last word or two to the guest of honor. When Chrissie was able to get close enough, she leaned down and told Ruby she was leaving for a while.

  Ruby nodded as if she knew where Chrissie was going, with whom, and what she was about to do.

  “You did a fine thing here tonight,” Ruby told her. “A fine party, brought all these people here just to see me. I be appreciating every bit of what you did.” Then she smiled widely. “You brought my Harold to the party in those cornflowers, and that made me happiest of all, that you remembered how he used to bring them to me. You made my heart warm tonight.” She pulled Chrissie closer and said, “But the night not be over for us. We be strong, and we be smart, you and me, and we be fine.”

  “Of course we will.” Chrissie gave her a hug. “I’m glad you enjoyed your party. Don’t stay up too late.” Chrissie paused, debating, then did something she didn’t think she’d ever done before. She leaned in and whispered, “I love you, Gigi.”