Whispering Waves

by Jamie Berris

  “Those were almost my dad’s identical words.”

  “It’s the truth, Sadie.”

  This eased some of Sadie’s anguish, but it certainly didn’t take it away. Andrea knew what Sadie needed to hear and it was definitely helping, but she still didn’t want to accept Marissa and her dad. She didn’t want to accept that her mom slept with Marcus, and she didn’t want to accept that she might have to share Nicholas with Marissa and Paige.

  “I’m not ready for someone else to fill my mom’s shoes.”

  Andrea said nothing; instead, she grabbed Sadie’s hand and squeezed it. Sadie was grateful for Andrea. She already knew how immature and selfish she sounded when she said these things, but it didn’t change how she felt.

  They walked back to the cottage without a word. Sadie loved spending this time with Andrea, but it almost made her miss her mom even more. It made her think about what she was missing. Just before they rounded the bend that would put their cottages into view, Sadie had one last thing to say.

  “Thanks for being so loyal to my mom.”

  ~*~

  Marissa

  Marissa hung up with Kurt and poured herself a glass of Riesling, took three big gulps, topped off her wine glass, and found her way to the front porch and her beloved rocker. She took another drink as she took off her earrings, bracelet, and necklace and placed them on the table holding several magazines she swore she was going to take some time to look through.

  With another sip, she kicked off her high-heeled sandals and finally rested her head back and closed her eyes. She had been so busy with work that she had skipped lunch. Her stomach growled, but she didn’t have the energy to make herself something just yet. Instead, she was going to dull her senses and enjoy a slight buzz.

  She was in shock that Sadie and Jayna had read Lydia’s diary and knew the truth. She ached for them. She ached for Kurt, Nicholas, Paige, and herself too, everyone except Marcus—that pig!

  Oh Lydia, I wish this didn’t have to be. These girls are far too young to have to deal with such heavy issues. Marissa couldn’t help but think she was partly to blame for the anguish she was causing them.

  The big question now was how to tell Paige. What should she say to Sadie and Jayna? “Whoo-ahh-whoo-whoo-whoo.” Marissa laughed out loud. Seriously Lydia, I’m beginning to really think you’ve come back to us in the form of a mourning dove. The bird cooed again, so Marissa got to her feet to see where it was.

  As Marissa looked to her roof, the bird cooed a third time. There it sat on the peak of the dormer. Now you’re showing off, Lydia.

  Feeling extremely light-headed, Marissa finished her glass of wine and brought it inside to refill. She decided it was a finger food kind of night, so she sliced orange and red peppers, zucchini and summer squash, washed some raspberries and blueberries, grabbed the pretzels and crackers, piled them all high on a paper plate, and added a mound of guacamole in the center. She refilled her wine, found a can of honey roasted peanuts and tucked it under her arm, as her hands were already full, and went back out to the porch.

  The dove was gone. Marissa was fine with that. The last thing she needed to do was have her neighbor witness her talking to a bird while downing a bottle of wine. She still had no idea how to approach Paige with the news that Nicholas was her half-brother, but thought she had better text her to come home so they could talk tonight. Kurt had assured her that both Sadie and Jayna swore they weren’t going to say anything to Paige until Marissa had a chance to tell her the truth.

  Marissa wasn’t so sure she wanted to be the one. Paige adored her father, and even though it ate away at Marissa, she would never want that to change. She thought it was healthy for Paige to have a somewhat normal relationship with Marcus. Paige’s relationship with her father was just that, her relationship, and Marissa would always try hard not to influence it, good or bad.

  Chapter 37

  Sadie

  The smell of barbecued chicken hit Sadie’s nose far before they reached the grill. Her walk with Andrea had given her a sense of understanding and relief. She had even considered ways she could somehow work on coming to terms with accepting Marissa. But as soon as she saw Paige and then heard her squeal as she got bombarded with water balloons, her relief quickly turned to irritation.

  The entire gang was in an all-out water balloon war! Even her dad and Benton, standing by the grill, were throwing cheap shots, splattering Nicholas, as Cody (three times his size) tried to hide behind the little guy. Sadie saw Jayna loft one at Paige’s back, and it made a loud splat as it soaked her strappy little beach cover-up, sending her into another fit of squeals.

  Paige was chasing Travis around in circles, throwing balloons that bounced off of him instead of breaking. Seriously, put a little muscle in it.

  “Oh boy, looks like we’re about to get bombarded,” said Andrea, ducking from a balloon her own husband chucked at her.

  “Have fun,” said Sadie as she turned toward the campground and started to jog. She knew Andrea would think it odd that she was taking off, especially since their walk ended on such a good note, but she couldn’t handle the sight of Travis and Paige once again, and she knew what that meant. She liked him, possibly loved him, and he didn’t feel the same way.

  Sadie could feel that lump in her throat, but refused to let a tear slide down her cheek. She took the steps two at a time up Old Baldy foot trail and wished she had her watch on, because after all the times they had timed themselves as kids, this certainly was bound to be her record speed breaker.

  When she reached the lookout deck, she contemplated stopping, but knew, even though it was empty now, it was only a matter of minutes before a group would step up, heaving and out of breath. She needed to be alone, so she kept going, following the trail through the woods until her feet hit the thick dune sand and she was at the highest peak overlooking the campground, Lake Michigan, the pier, boats, and the sinking sun.

  Thankfully, she couldn’t see their cottage—the trees obscured that view. Sadie found a spot over by the massive roots of a tree that were showing because of sand erosion. It was out of the way just enough so that no one would bother her, or see her face, and she could still see the incredible view.

  As she sat silently, she could hear the gentle sounds of people below her. She could hear babies crying, kids playing, the screech of the swing set in need of oiling, and the roar of a speed boat barreling by in the distance. There were puffs of smoke from grills and campfires rising—all signs of life, people living.

  Sadie knew she was feeling sorry for herself, and she hated it—that wasn’t the kind of person she was. She was in a major rut. Everybody and everything seemed to disappoint her lately, even herself. Though she kept telling herself to suck it up and get over it, she wasn’t succeeding.

  She thought of all the people below her. Everyone had issues. Sure, she heard laughter, and the sight before her made it look like everyone was living in bliss, but the truth was that, before her eyes, there was loneliness, anger, frustration, resentment, and bitterness. There were couples fighting, kids being mean to each other, and people mistreating others, most likely the ones they loved the most.

  Sadie dug her feet in the sand until she felt the cool stuff underneath that didn’t get scorched by the afternoon sun. She pulled her knees close to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her chin on those same bony knees.

  She gave herself a much-needed pep talk. Things could be worse. Her family wasn’t perfect or complete anymore, but she loved her dad, sister, and brother like crazy. She had great friends and she had Dylan. He loved her. She just had to get back on track.

  She jumped at the familiar voice that said, “Hey,” from behind her. Shit!

  Travis sat down next to Sadie and her heart raced. What the heck was he doing up here? How embarrassing! Sadie could only imagine what she must have looked like running away from the cottage instead of joining in on the water balloon fight and fun.

  “What’s
up, Sadie?”

  Okay, this question was a little too general. Was he asking, “What’s up?” as in “How you doin’?” or as in “What’s your problem?” or “What are you feeling?” Or was it simply an ice breaker—the first thing that came to his mind? She wished she could just send him a Bitmoji.

  Sadie shrugged and slid her feet back and forth, digging them down deeper in the sand. “Who can resist Old Baldy this time of day? Why’d you come up?” she asked, turning the tables.

  Sadie could feel Travis looking at her profile, but she couldn’t bear to turn towards him, so she stared out over the dune, pretending to be engrossed with the view.

  “I came up here to see what was wrong with you, Sadie. I feel like you’re pissed off at me. It’s been really awkward between us. Did I do something?”

  Sadie almost laughed. If he only knew the truth, which he never would! “Jayna and I discovered something in my mom’s diary last night, and I guess it’s just been a tough day.”

  There was a long pause before Travis spoke. “Is that it? I mean . . . that’s the only thing bugging you?”

  Travis had an awkward look on his face, and he spoke with a touch of a nervous laugh that Sadie couldn’t figure out.

  “That about sums it up,” Sadie said way too quickly.

  “Hmm . . .” Travis got a bit squirrely and grabbed a twig and started drawing circles in the sand. “That’s not what your sister said.”

  Sadie’s head snapped towards Travis. His face was bright red. “What are you talking about? What did Jayna say?”

  “Ah, well, man, this is awkward. She said that you’ve got a thing for me.” Travis took off his Detroit Tigers baseball cap and put it back on backwards.

  She noticed he did this when he was nervous. It was more than okay with Sadie because he looked so, so, so incredibly hot like that.

  “She said that’s why you took off the way you did.”

  OMG, Jayna is going to get a piece of my mind. “I wanted to be alone.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question. And for what it’s worth, I was hoping it was true.”

  Sadie’s heart was about to jump out of her chest. She could barely look at Travis, but yet she couldn’t turn away either. Double OMG! Was this for real!!! She saw a trickle of sweat run down the side of his tanned cheek and could feel her own trickle of sweat run down her back.

  “I, um, what exactly are you saying?” asked Sadie. She wanted him to do the talking.

  “I guess I’m saying I’ve got a thing for you.”

  “A thing?”

  “Seriously, Sadie, do I have to spell it out?”

  Sadie laughed. “What about Paige? You two definitely have a thing going on.”

  “I like Paige. I really do, but not as more than a friend. I’ve tried, but the feelings just aren’t there. When you saw us kissing on the beach, I swear that was the first time, and I knew right then she wasn’t girlfriend material.”

  “So why are you still hanging around her?”

  Travis shrugged. “To get my mind off of you, get this vacation over with, go home, and break it off with her over the phone.”

  For some reason, this made Sadie smile. Typical Travis, he was one of those “nice boys,” the ones your mother wants you to date, but instead you go for the ones that break your heart.

  “Okay, and maybe try and make you jealous too.”

  Now Sadie laughed out loud. She leaned over and bumped the side of his arm with her elbow.

  “You still haven’t answered my question?” he said in an even tone.

  Sadie was just about to speak when she changed her mind and grabbed Travis’s hand and kissed the back of it. Then she took his chin lightly in her fingers and kissed his lips. “Does that answer your question?”

  She then took out her phone and texted him the Bitmoji she had wanted to text him all along; it read SWOON and Sadie was falling backward with her hand on her forehead.

  Travis’s Bitmoji said CRUSHIN’ and he had hearts circling his head.

  Chapter 38

  “This is really weird,” said Sadie as she and Travis looked out over the water from the dune. “I mean now what? Now that we have this established?”

  Travis had his hand resting on Sadie’s knee. It felt so awkward and yet so comfortable at the same time. She remembered the two of them kissing two summers ago. It seemed like forever ago, and here they were now.

  “We could just sit here until nightfall—go back after everyone has gone to bed.”

  Sadie laughed. “Yeah, that would never happen. I’m giving it ten more minutes before the entire search party reaches the top of this dune.”

  “Maybe you should go down ahead of me,” suggested Travis. “Everyone will ask if you saw me, and you can act like you didn’t. I’ll wait fifteen minutes or so and act surprised that you made it back.”

  “So then I can watch you and Paige hang on each other all night? Sounds fun, but no thanks.”

  “We don’t hang on each other.”

  Sadie cocked her head to the side and gave Travis the “whatever” look.

  “Okay, Paige can be a bit touchy-feely, but she’s harmless. It’s not like she’s groping me. Besides, you’re the one with a real boyfriend. What about him?”

  Sure, Travis had a point, but Dylan was at home, so he wasn’t an immediate threat. Paige was basically at the bottom of the dune. Everything was suddenly hitting Sadie at once. She had just kissed Travis, confessed she liked him, and cheated on Dylan.

  “I overheard Dylan threaten you the other night. I’m sorry.”

  “Ah, don’t be sorry. I don’t blame him. Does this mean I get to be the one threatening other guys now?”

  “If that’s what it takes.”

  “No, seriously, Sadie, is it going to be over between you two? Something tells me he’s not going to let you go quietly. I’m not so sure you want to break it off with Dylan, either.”

  “It’s over between us. I think he knows it too. I think he would have dumped me in a couple of weeks anyway, once he’s an all-out college boy.”

  “So I’m just your fallback? Your backup plan?” Travis said this jokingly, but Sadie knew there was more seriousness behind the question than he was letting on.

  Sadie decided to go the same route, joking and seriousness all rolled into one. “Does it matter? Do you really care how you got me? As long as you have me, what’s the difference?” For reassurance, she put her arm around his back and squeezed his shoulder.

  Travis pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Sadie. “How about you call Dylan right now and tell him it’s over, before he shows up here.”

  “Right, Travis, I’m going to call and break up with my boyfriend of almost two years using your cell phone. Talk about pouring salt in the wound!”

  Travis shrugged and said it would definitely get the point across in a big way. Sadie agreed, but didn’t find it necessary to be cruel. This was definitely a phone call she was dreading. There was no way she could keep Dylan away from Pentwater for the next week and break up with him face-to-face when she got back home.

  Even though a phone breakup was tacky, Sadie knew that was her only choice. She couldn’t bear to look at Dylan in the face and break up with him. He would try and talk her out of it, and she would feel so guilty she would probably end up giving him the false hope that there was still a chance for the two of them. They had been through a lot together.

  “I’ll make you a deal. You go down and get rid of Paige and I’ll call Dylan.”

  Travis stood up. “Let’s go!” He started full force down the hill, and Sadie had to run to catch up. Her mind was racing. What was he going to say to Paige? She suddenly felt terrible that she basically stole Travis outright from her. But, it wasn’t as if Travis had feelings for her anyway, so technically, she didn’t steal him from her because he was never hers to begin with.

  At the bottom of the hill, they were both red-faced and out of breath. Sand stuck to their feet and
calves. They looked at each other and laughed, neither really knowing exactly what about. Travis leaned in and gave Sadie a long and lingering, but gentle kiss. Every square inch of her body tingled.

  Sadie frowned. “Look. I feel kinda shitty about Paige. Don’t say anything tonight. Just play along. Call her tomorrow.”

  “So I get to kiss two girls tonight?”

  Sadie swatted Travis in the butt. “Ha-ha! You could fake being sick.”

  Travis snickered. “Deal, but it’s not my fault if she lunges at me with those lips.”

  Travis grabbed Sadie’s hand, and they took the long way back by walking up and down every row of the campground and then to the beach where they walked along the shore towards their cottages. Sadie dropped Travis’s hand when the cottages came into view.

  By this time, dinner was finished, and everyone had congregated back behind the cottages in the driveway, getting on their bikes to head to town for ice cream. Sadie and Travis approached cautiously, probably trying too hard to act like nothing was going on.

  Sadie was searching for Paige and didn’t see her, but she didn’t want to say anything. She figured she was probably inside using the bathroom, so she went straight to her bike.

  Even though it was chaotic as usual when the entire group went anywhere together, there was an obvious vibe going on that was hard to ignore. Everyone was acting extra giddy and mentioned nothing at their return, just “grab your bikes—it’s ice cream time.”

  No one asked Sadie where she had been or Travis where he found her. Nothing was mentioned that they missed dinner or where the leftovers were. Something was definitely up!

  Finally, as they all started riding away, Travis asked to no one in particular where Paige was. Cody was the one who said she took off for home. Paige had a babysitting job she forgot about. Travis hadn’t noticed until then that her car was gone, and neither had Sadie, obviously too nervous.