The Stillwater Bay Collection (Books 1-4): Stillwater Bay Series Boxed Set

by Steena Holmes

  With the early sun peeking through the clouds, the haze over the bay waters had started to lift, which told Jenn that it was time for her to head inside and start making the muffins. By the time they were out of the oven and cooled, Bobby at least should be out of bed and downstairs, ready to eat. The oven timer was his alarm clock, and once he got up, he’d go and wake his older sister up, despite the fact that Charity’s alarm clock would have already gone off twice.

  Jenn’s cell phone buzzed in her pocket.

  “Good morning, Robert.”

  “Did I tell you I won’t be home for dinner?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I’ll be at the clubhouse. I thought for sure I had told you.”

  Jenn sighed but managed to keep the sound from Robert. If he’d heard her, he would have given her a talk on how it was that season and part of his job, and what did she expect him to do? He had to spend time with his rich clients who lived here during the summer months. It would be the same lecture he gave her every year, except this time she didn’t care.

  “No, you didn’t. Otherwise I wouldn’t have planned on a nice steak dinner.”

  “Save it for tomorrow night then.”

  She shook her head. “I’m out with the girls tomorrow night.”

  “You are?”

  “Check your calendar, Robert. I put it in there.” This time she did sigh.

  “Well, what am I supposed to do for dinner tomorrow night then?”

  “There’s pizza in the freezer, and Bobby recorded a movie for you all to watch. It’s all taken care of.” Robert was a good father—when he was around.

  “What about the steak?” She heard the disappointment in his voice.

  “Robert, I’ve had steak on the menu for tonight all week. I’m not going to change it now. You can eat yours for lunch tomorrow.”

  Once upon a time in their marriage, she would have made the adjustment for him, no matter whether it messed her schedule up or meant an extra trip to the grocery store. But not anymore. She wasn’t his mother; she was his life partner—or was supposed to be, at least. Lately it seemed like they were just two business partners when it came to raising their children.

  “I don’t see the big deal. . . .” His voice drifted off.

  “The big deal is that I’ve had the steak marinating since last night and it’s been on the menu board all week. Plus, this was supposed to be family night.” Once inside the kitchen, she stood in front of the chalkboard in a large white picture frame. Sure enough, Friday night’s meal plan was there and it said steak—right beside the circled words Family Night.

  “Sorry. I’ll be home early, at least. Or I’ll try to.” There was an apologetic note in Robert’s voice.

  “Just be home before Bobby goes to bed, okay?” She didn’t really care if he came home earlier than that.

  “Okay. Hey, do you have time to meet for lunch maybe?”

  His question took her aback a little. Lunch? When was the last time they planned a lunch date? It had been a long time.

  “I thought we could go over the summer schedule with the club and plan our annual welcome barbecue and golf tournament. We haven’t really done that yet. Plus you’ll need to get some flyers made up and added to the welcome baskets.”

  Nice. He wanted to meet to discuss business.

  “That as well is already in your calendar. And the invitations have already been printed and were actually mailed out months ago.” As if she would leave something like that to the last minute.

  There was a pause, as if she’d surprised him, and it took a few moments before he responded. No doubt he was checking his calendar.

  “Did we already discuss this?”

  “Months ago, Robert. Don’t worry; everything has been taken care of. In fact, why don’t you talk to your assistant? She has a folder with all the events and dates scheduled for our summer families. She can fill you in. No need to waste a lunch hour.”

  She wondered whether he understood the hidden meaning behind her words. For some reason, she doubted it. It was like he was living with blinders on when it came to them and their marriage.

  Maybe it was time to take those blinders off.

  She hung up the phone, walked into her office, and sat down behind her desk. She couldn’t wait for the night out with the girls tomorrow night; she needed it—just to laugh and not think about life, Robert, or even her marriage. Whenever she walked away from these date nights with her friends, she always felt lighter inside, as if their friendship lightened her load. She knew it sounded silly, but it was true. She needed them, their acceptance . . . their willingness to just let her be herself. Whoever that was.

  Her cell phone rang again. “Hello?”

  “Mrs. Crowne? It’s Wilfred Sawyer.”

  It took a few seconds for Jenn to recognize the name and voice.

  “Mr. Sawyer, how are you?” Why would he be calling her?

  “I’m well, thank you. I know it’s early, but I’m on my way into some meetings and didn’t want to forget. To be honest, I thought I’d just get your voicemail.”

  “No worries. I’m always up early.” She should have looked at the number and let it go to voicemail.

  “Oh, good. I’m just calling to make sure the envelope with your separation papers arrived safely. It was brought to my attention that we hadn’t received a reply from you.”

  Jenn unlocked a drawer on her desk and looked at the brown envelope that sat there.

  “I have them. And I’m sorry for not getting back to you. I’m just . . .” Her voice trailed off as she thought about what to say.

  “Take your time, please. This isn’t something you want to rush into. I just wanted to make sure you have the papers.” Mr. Sawyer’s voice was soothing, just as it had been the day she’d sat in his office.

  She’d dropped by without an appointment, unsure whether this was something she wanted to do or not. She’d just had an argument with Robert about something she couldn’t even remember now, and heading to her parents’ lawyer had been an impulsive decision. She had a feeling Mr. Sawyer knew that, because he asked her a lot of questions and continued to remind her that she needed to be absolutely sure this was a decision she wanted to make. He’d been kind enough to listen to her ramblings and told her he would send the separation papers but not to rush.

  “I have them. Thank you. And I’m sorry; I should have called you or your secretary to let you know they arrived.”

  “No need to apologize. And take all the time in the world. We’re here when you need us.”

  Jenn hung up the phone and stared at the brown envelope that could possibly change her life.

  Was she making the right decision? She still couldn’t give a definite answer to that, which told her she probably wasn’t ready. And yet . . . part of her felt like she was. She envisioned what it would be like to give Robert the envelope, to tell him that she wanted to separate. She imagined the look on his face, the shock and disbelief, and thought about what he’d say.

  Would he be more concerned about his image or his marriage?

  How sad was it that she had a feeling his image would be his first concern?

  She’d taken steps months ago to live the way she wanted, not the way Robert wanted. She was tired of wearing the masks, of putting on a face in order to further Robert’s career as a town council member and real estate agent to their summer families. It was time to put herself first.

  Jenn closed the drawer. Putting herself first didn’t mean she could forget about being a mother, and she had muffins to make before the kids were up. The recipe she’d found last night called for zucchini, shredded coconut, and dates, but she knew if she added the dates her kids wouldn’t eat them. Bobby loved cereals coated with sugar, and Charity rarely left herself time to eat before school, so Jenn had started to make them muffins for the morning. Once a week she’d make oatmeal chocolate-chip, but the rest of the time she tried to make the muffins a little healthier. Throughout the summer she would
add berries, and then in the fall she’d try some new pumpkin recipes.

  She went through the motions of making the muffins, her thoughts on the envelope in her office. Was she really going to do this? Was she ready to handle the consequences? How would Robert react?

  She stood there staring at the muffins as they rose in the oven, lost in thought, when the phone rang. She thought about not answering it, letting it go to voicemail, but it was probably Charlotte. She’d been wondering when the mayor would call. It was Friday and they had a tradition to meet at Gina’s unless something else cropped up.

  “Good morning, lovely,” she answered.

  “Hey, girl.”

  They finalized their plans for later, and then Jenn took a deep breath.

  {A“Hey, there’s something I want to talk to you about too, so it’s great timing,” she said to Charlotte.

  It didn’t take long for her friend to realize what she was talking about. “You did it? I thought you were only thinking about it. Are you sure?”

  “I haven’t done it yet, and no, I’m not sure.” Just saying it made her realize something inside her was still hesitating. “But I have to do something.”

  “What’s your end goal in all this?” Charlotte’s voice changed, became more serious. “A wake-up call, or are you actually going to leave him?”

  “I . . .” Jenn paused as she heard Bobby’s door open. “The kids are up. Let’s chat later, okay?”}A She almost wished she hadn’t said anything. It was the way Charlotte’s voice changed . . . Jenn knew in that moment she’d gone from listening as a friend to evaluating what this would mean to her and to the town if and when Jenn and Robert separated.

  She hung up after Bobby, her ten-year-old, yelled for Charity to wake up and then ran down the stairs, paused, and jumped the last three. Jenn hated when he did that. She was always worried that one day he’d fall the wrong way and twist or break his ankles.

  “Good morning.” Jenn opened her arms and gave Bobby a hug, squeezing him tight. She gave him a kiss on his forehead and attempted to tame his bed head.

  “Charity told me to go away,” Bobby muttered before he smiled up at her. “But I told her I was never, ever, ever, ever going to go away. Right, Mom?”

  Jenn loved the way his eyes twinkled when he smiled.

  “Did you go into her room again?”

  Bobby shrugged before he wiggled out of her hold and stood in front of the muffins.

  “Give them a minute before you take one, okay? I just pulled them out of the oven.” Jenn started the process of transferring the muffins from their tin to the rack itself. “They’re pretty hot.”

  Bobby didn’t seem to care. He snatched the first one and took it to the kitchen table before he came back over to grab a glass and filled it with milk. Once he was back at the table, his little legs swung happily beneath him as he picked away at the muffin.

  “I can’t wait for school.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because Jonathan is bringing in his new comic books his grandpa sent him.”

  Jenn grabbed a muffin for herself and then sat down at the table.

  “Since when did comic books become so popular?” This was the first she’d ever heard Bobby talk about comic books. Normally it was the latest LEGO design that got him excited.

  “Jonathan says they’ve always been popular.” He shrugged his little shoulders and gave her a look like she should know better.

  “I think your dad has some of his old comics stashed away in a box in the garage. You should ask him about them.”

  Bobby shook his head. “I don’t want old ones, Mom.”

  Jenn bit her tongue. The past month or so she’d seemed to have lost her special appeal with her son. Once upon a time he used to think she knew everything, but now it seemed like he was the one teaching her new tricks. Or so he thought. She didn’t remember Charity being like this so young; if memory served, it took her daughter a few years before she started to adopt the attitude that she knew everything.

  “Eat up and I’ll go make sure your sister is awake.”

  “I don’t want to be late, Mom,” Bobby called after her as she headed up the stairs.

  “We won’t be.”

  He said the same thing to her every morning.

  Jenn knocked on Charity’s door and poked her head inside. “Getting ready?”

  Charity stood in front of her mirror with two different tops in her hands.

  “I like the dress you have on,” Jenn said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Do you have gym today?”

  Charity shook her head.

  “Then wear the dress. It looks nice.”

  The past year, ever since starting eighth grade, Charity had started to take an interest in her looks, and even tried to wear makeup, something Jenn wasn’t quite ready for. She didn’t mind the clear lip gloss or a light coat of mascara, as long as it looked natural. She wasn’t ready for her daughter to grow up.

  “Muffins are still warm, if you hurry.” Jenn closed the door and headed to her own room.

  Since she was planning to meet Charlotte at Gina’s, she needed to get changed into something a little more appropriate than yoga pants and top. She threw on a pair of jeans with flats and a simple top, and added the diamond earrings Robert had given her for Christmas one year.

  While downtown, she should stop in at Julia’s Treasure Chest and talk to her about the soaps she needed, or . . . She picked up the phone on her bed stand; she could just call her.

  “Julia, I need your help.”

  “I’m here for you. What do you need?” Julia said.

  Jenn smiled. She knew she could count on her friend.

  “I’m getting my basket supplies ready for our summer families and I’m out of your soap, especially the berry one.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief when Julia said she could make some this weekend, and asked for a double batch, making sure Julia knew she’d cover the costs. When Julia balked, as Jenn knew she would, she offered to pay for dinner tomorrow night, and wouldn’t let her friend say no.

  Jenn hung up and stood at her bedroom windows, looking out over the bay. She loved their little spot up on the hill, loved the view from almost every room in the house. When they’d first built their home, Robert had been adamant that the back of the house be all windows, and she was really glad he’d done so. A few boats were heading out of the bay, their sails raised, and for a moment Jenn was jealous. She couldn’t wait to take their own boat out. Her happiest memories were of being out in the middle of the water, relaxing on the deck, letting the air dance across her skin.

  The sound of her children arguing caught her attention, and when she headed downstairs, she caught sight of Charity escaping into her room, with Bobby standing at the bottom of the stairs, his hands on his hips.

  “We’re going to be late. We can’t be late.” Bobby had his backpack already slung over his shoulders.

  Jenn tried to calm him. “We’re not going to be late; don’t worry.”

  “We are. I know it.” He stomped his foot and then huffed away back into the kitchen.

  “Charity, we’ve got”—she checked her watch—“five minutes before we need to leave, okay?”

  Jenn thought she heard a muffled okay in reply.

  Bobby had slung his backpack over the edge of a chair in the kitchen and it was open. Jenn peeked inside and shook her head at the amount of toys stuffed in there.

  “Bobby, you can’t take all those LEGOs to school.”

  “But I need to.” He stood at the counter, picking apart a muffin, and shoved pieces into his mouth.

  “Why do you need to?”

  He shrugged.

  “Didn’t your teacher ask you not to bring your toys in anymore?”

  He nodded.

  “Then do you think she’ll be happy about this?”

  His eyes widened as he slowly shook his head.

  She handed the backpack to him, not telling him what he
needed to do, and was happy to see him take the toys out himself.

  She glanced at the time again and grabbed her purse. “Come on, kiddo; let’s get ready to go.” She called up to Charity and then held the side door into the garage open.

  “Charity is going to make us late again.” Bobby slunk by her, his chin touching his chest as he made his way to the car.

  “We won’t be late.” Much, she added silently.

  She waited, tapping her foot as she listened to her daughter running down the stairs.

  “Your brother doesn’t want to be late, you know.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” Charity grabbed a muffin from the counter, her own bag slung over her shoulder, and stood there. “Does this look okay?”

  She’d changed again. Instead of the pretty sundress she’d worn earlier, now she had on a pair of capris with a T-shirt.

  “You look fine, honey. You always do.” Jenn didn’t remember going through so many changes of clothes when she was Charity’s age.

  “Thanks, Mom.” The smile that bloomed on her daughter’s face warmed her heart. She loved that smiles were easy for Charity.

  On the drive to school, Jenn tried to ignore the fighting between Bobby and Charity, but it was hard.

  “I hate you sometimes,” Bobby mumbled.

  “No, you don’t. You’re just upset because you can’t play with your friends before school.”

  Jenn could hear the smile in her daughter’s voice as she said this.

  “Am not!”

  Through her rearview mirror, she noticed that Bobby stared out his window with a frown on his face, while Charity looked at her brother.

  “I’m sorry, Bobby. I’ll make it up to you after school, okay?”

  “How?” And just like that, Bobby stopped sulking.

  “Your choice. I’ll spend the afternoon with you doing whatever you want.”

  “Anything?”

  Jenn struggled to keep the smile off her face. She could only imagine the things going through Bobby’s mind right now.

  “Can we make cupcakes?”

  “Cupcakes?”

  “Yep.”

  The bell had already rung by the time Jenn pulled up to the school and they piled out of the car.