“I know. Must puzzle them to think that we were just too in love to bother with anyone else,” Robert quipped.
It had been thrilling, that freedom: sailing expeditions and wild horseback rides and hikes that had traced them across the island and back again. They’d fallen into conversation with countless tourists from all walks of life and frequently stayed up till dawn, gazing into one another’s eyes. It was time for the next portion of their journey together; Marilyn welcomed it with open arms, even as they said goodbye to the old ways.
“What do you think we should call our baby?” Marilyn whispered.
Robert’s smile lightened. He pressed a strand of hair behind her ear, then said, “If it’s a girl— like you keep telling me it is— then I think it’s up to you to choose.”
“And if it’s a boy?”
Robert shrugged. “Still your choice. I’ll call them whatever you like and give you two all the love I have in the world.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kelli awoke in Xander’s California King sized bed the morning after meeting Charlie Peterson. She was alone, and from where she lay back, splayed beneath the comforter, she could hear the rush of water from the attached bathroom, where Xander showered. She burrowed herself deeper beneath the thousand-count sheets but laced her hand out toward the bedside table to again grip the old photograph of James and Marilyn Peterson, the doomed couple, which Charlie had given to her prior to her departure the previous night. When she’d initially resisted, he’d just said, “I won’t be around much longer. I want you to have it. I want you to know that my father really loved her in his own way, even if he couldn’t show it.”
“How young you were, Marilyn,” she whispered to the photograph of her grandmother.
Xander stepped out from the bathroom in a fluffy white robe. He sat at the edge of the bed and placed his hand over the mound in the comforter, where her thigh was. Her smile widened.
“How was your shower?”
“Just what I needed,” he replied. He then glanced toward the window, where the view from the forty-third floor revealed a grey and somber morning, thick with fog and speckled with rain. “I wonder if you’d like to have breakfast in the city before we head back?”
Kelli lifted herself onto the fluffy pillows and allowed him to gently press his lips onto hers.
“I don’t even know how I’ll manage to get out of this bed,” she told him. “I think that was the best sleep of my life.”
“Yeah? Was it the bed? Or the company?” Xander asked with a cheeky grin.
Kelli laughed. “Is that a bit of that Manhattan arrogance peeking through? Already, this early in the morning?”
“I can’t help it. I just want to know what you think of me,” Xander teased. “I’m dying to know.”
Kelli captured his hand and laced her fingers through it, there on the white shine of the comforter. Her smile faltered as the enormity of her brewing feelings came over her.
“Let’s just say you have a lot to look forward to,” she said finally.
Xander chuckled. “That sounds oddly scary.”
“Maybe it is.”
“All right. I’ll prepare myself to be absolutely terrified,” Xander returned.
KELLI AND XANDER SPENT the morning in Manhattan. They dined at an iconic brunch place a few blocks away from Central Park, where they shared an overstuffed cheesy-everything-bagel, cut through the yolks of their eggs so that the yellow gooped out, and laughed about nonsensical issues, even talking about how they’d been as children and what they might have thought of one another had they met.
“I was a skinny kid, to say the least,” Xander explained as he twirled his fork over the top of his egg. “Always apt to get into a fight over something stupid. But I had passion, and I guess I attribute the rest of my life to that passion.”
Kelli beamed at him as the server poured her another cup of coffee. “I can’t believe I get to take you back to the Vineyard with me.”
“Are you kidding? It’s really the only place I want to be,” Xander admitted as he leaned forward. “Already, the city air is getting to me. Take me to the seaside, Kelli! I need that sweet, healing air!”
During his performance, the server approached to ask if they needed anything else. She ogled Xander with confusion as Kelli burst into laughter.
“Sorry for his outburst,” Kelli said. “He isn’t very good in public spaces. Always carrying on like this.”
Xander winked as the server marched away, clearly annoyed.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” Kelli affirmed.
“That’s a good thing because, for the next year or two, it’s going to be all Cliffside Overlook Hotel, all the time.” Xander furrowed his brow, then added, “I want to take a really good look at those blueprints and see if we can make them a reality again. Such good luck that you found them. We can bring the history of the old hotel to life. Maybe we can even have a grand opening party with an old 1940s theme, as though the place was never destroyed.”
“Sounds like a good way to drudge up old ghosts,” Kelli said.
“I suppose in a way we’re calling them back,” Xander admitted. “But the island is filled with ghosts, I think. You can feel it when you’re walking the trails or along the beach. I sat on the docks recently as the boats creaked in the darkness. I swear, it could have been any other time, in any other era. Men and women have been sailing into the waters surrounding Martha’s Vineyard for centuries. We’re a part of such a beautiful, long-standing tradition.”
“And maybe we’ll someday be the island’s ghosts ourselves,” Kelli returned.
Xander laughed even as his eyes grew broad. “You’re probably right about that, Kelli. If all things go to plan, we can haunt this Overlook Hotel together.”
Kelli giggled. “You’re ridiculous; you know that?”
“I hope so. It seems to me that being ridiculous is the only way to live,” Xander said.
They returned to Xander’s convertible, where Kelli helped him lift the top and latch it safely in place, as the rain hadn’t cut out that morning. Inside the vehicle, Kelli felt safe and cocooned. Xander told her she could lay back on the seat if she wanted to and grab some shut-eye, but she resisted. “I don’t want to leave you alone,” she murmured, even as her eyes grew hazy with the grey light outside and the fatigue after the dramatic trip.
The drive back to the Vineyard was similarly warm and nourishing, as Kelli and Xander swapped stories and grew increasingly excited about the weeks ahead. They knew they needed to get as much done on the exterior of the Overlook Hotel before the winter months, as winter on the Vineyard could be frighteningly chilly and thick with snow.
When they reached Woods Hole, Xander drove the convertible into the belly of the ferry and turned off the engine. Kelli leaped out to stretch her legs. Xander followed her upstairs, where they purchased wine and a beer, respectively, and stood against the barrier between them and the rushing waters below. For whatever reason, Kelli felt as though her words were at a great distance to her, and she allowed the silence to unfurl itself, growing stronger and more powerful as they steamed toward the island. She placed her head on Xander’s chest and listened to the banging of his heart as they went. Someday soon, maybe, she would describe the level of safety she felt around him— and what a great contrast that was to her previous life with Mike. But for now, she would just enjoy it.
When they arrived on the island, Kelli dialed her mother’s number. To her surprise, it rang a few times before going to voicemail.
“No answer?” Xander asked. He slid deeper into the driver’s seat and latched his seatbelt.
“Nothing. Let me try again.” Again, the phone blared several times without an answer. Kelli balked, then lifted her eyes to the grey light of the early afternoon. Suddenly, the phone rang— this time with Lexi’s name.
“Mom! Hey! I saw you were calling Grandma’s phone.” Lexi sounded out of breath.
“Hey, honey. Are you all ri
ght?”
Xander cast Kelli a look of confusion.
“Um. Kind of. Actually, do you mind coming by the boutique? I called Grandma for back-up, but even that isn’t enough.”
Kelli had never seen the boutique with more than two or three customers. “Of course, honey. I’ll be right there?”
But already, Lexi had returned to the store and its apparent chaos. Kelli pressed the END button and instructed Xander where to drive.
“Ah right. Your other business.”
“My daughter has really been picking up the slack there,” Kelli said with a soft smile. “I’ve gone in and out and helped with inventory, but she’s really proven herself to me this summer. I’m really proud of her.”
Just as Lexi had said, the boutique was overblown with tourists. There was a line of ten people snaking around the side, and within, fifteen people had crammed themselves, hunting through the vast array of beautiful blouses, skirts, dresses, shoes, and old hats. The dressing rooms were full, and there was a long wait line at the counter, where Lexi had put her Grandma Kerry to work. Kerry furrowed her brow as she selected each button, ringing up each item and declaring the price to each customer. Her normally perfect hair was frazzled, as though she’d ran her fingers through it too many times. Lexi was off in the corner, putting away tossed-aside items from the dressing room as quickly as she could. Her eyes were enormous with panic, but her smile said it all: she was enjoying this success.
“Let me just jump in there and help out for a bit, all right?” she told Xander just as she flung herself into the chaos. She passed by her mother and called, “Thank you for the help, Mom!” just before she joined Lexi in putting things away, tidying the store, and answering customer questions. Throughout, she was reminded that this, in fact, had been her passion project, not real estate, and she was so grateful that Lexi had been able to keep her baby afloat. She would have flung her arms around her daughter if not for the hubbub of people, all hungry for their gorgeous vintage and designer collections.
“What brought everyone in today, anyway?” she called to Lexi during a small break in people.
Lexi laughed. “Remember that wedding Charlotte put on last year?”
“How could I forget?” The iconic wedding of the century between actress Ursula Pennington and her basketball player husband had nearly destroyed her younger sister’s psyche.
“Well, Ursula came back to the island for a visit. Nostalgia for her wedding or something, I guess. She was in yesterday and put everything on social media. She went crazy for our stuff, advertising us everywhere. After that, the store has been stuffed to the gills,” Lexi explained.
Lexi, Kelli, and Kerry became like a well-oiled machine as they worked over the next hour. Kelli’s heart grew ten sizes, it seemed like, as she watched her mother pour her love into her passion project. For years, Kerry had pretended not to understand the boutique, wondering why Kelli didn’t just give it all to the real estate business. Perhaps this was proof that she finally understood it.
Finally, at five p.m., Lexi herself flipped the sign from OPEN to CLOSED. She then gasped and fell to the ground as Kerry started a slow clap. Kelli laughed aloud at the chaos of the store, which looked as though it had been picked over by vultures.
“What were our sales today?” Lexi asked her Grandmother excitedly.
Kerry shuffled her way through the computer until she drew up a number. “Nine thousand dollars,” Kerry whispered and then whistled. “Damn, I was in the wrong business.”
Kelli flew an arm around Lexi’s shoulder and held her tightly against her. Her eyes were alight. She then glanced toward her phone, where Xander had texted to say he’d headed back to his place for the rest of the day, but to let him know if she needed him in any respect.
Right then, all she needed was her family.
“I have such a story for the two of you,” Kelli said finally.
They sat in a circle on the floor of the boutique as Kelli explained everything. Lexi played soft music on her bluetooth speaker as Kerry gazed down at the photograph of her mother and the man she’d long-ago divorced. Her eyes were rimmed red with tears.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered. “Look at how young she was. She didn’t have me until six years after this. Her marriage to James must have felt like such a long-ago memory.”
“Charlie Peterson is one of James Peterson’s four children and the only remaining one alive,” Kelli explained. “He spoke about his father much differently than I’ve been led to think about him. I think he regretted the way he treated Grandma and actually learned from his mistakes.”
“Wow.” Kerry sniffed as she placed the photo back in Kelli’s outstretched palm. “I’m sorry. I just feel speechless. I’ve always been so curious about my mother. And since the other night, I’ve pored over her diary, even more, getting a better sense of her. Do you want to hear a funny entry?”
Kelli and Lexi both nodded, excited. Kerry leafed through her purse to draw out the old diary. She cleared her throat and then began to read.
February 14, 1944
I love Robert. I’ve never loved anyone more than him in all my life.
But I’ve come to the unfortunate realization that he snores like a train.
What’s to be done? I suppose nothing in this life is perfect.
But I suppose as I love him so fiercely, I will find a way to sleep through the night.
At this, Kelli and Lexi howled with laughter. Kerry chuckled and snapped the book closed.
“That’s it?” Lexi asked. “That’s all she wrote on Valentine’s Day of 1944?”
“I suppose that’s all that was on her mind that day,” Kerry affirmed. “But the rest of the diary is so beautiful. I love her descriptions of my Sheridan Grandparents and how kind they were to her when she first arrived. She talks about conversations she had with my grandmother and about little tasks she helped her with around the Sunrise Cove. I can remember helping my mother with those same tasks. It makes me feel like I belong to this great line of women— even though these women left this earth much too soon.”
“We’re here in their wake,” Kelli said softly. “I feel them in everything. Xander told me today that he thinks the island is filled with ghosts. I think I agree with him.”
“We carry them within us,” Kerry offered. “I can see my mother and my grandmother in both of your faces. I can feel my mother and father’s hard work in the way we operated the boutique only just this afternoon. We are the products of multiple generations of hard-working, loyal, and loving people. How grateful I am for that.”
THREE WEEKS LATER, when the initial construction for the next generation of the Aquinnah Cliffside Overlook Hotel began, the entire Montgomery-Sheridan clan stood near the cliff’s edge and watched as Kelli and Xander sliced a long red ribbon in celebration of the moment. Kerry and Wes stood off to the side, their hands latched together, then took equal time at the microphone, explaining what it meant to them to know that the place where their mother and father had met would one day tower over the cliffside once more.
“We are given such a finite amount of time on this earth,” Kerry said as her eyes swirled with so much emotion. “My mother and father were taken much too soon. But I feel them here in the air and in the water and in the trees. I can’t wait to close my eyes within the new construction of the Overlook Hotel and feel the intrigue and excitement that my mother felt when she first spotted the love of her life. On the day they met, all of Martha’s Vineyard’s future changed for the better. None of us in the Montgomery and Sheridan families would be here if it weren’t for them.” She then lifted her eyes toward the glistening clouds above and splayed out a hand. “If you can hear us, Mom and Dad, we love you. And we’ve kept up the love you had for one another in all things. Just as you wanted us to do.”
Coming Next in the the Vineyard Sunset Series
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A Vineyard Rebirth Page 16