Memories in Sea Glass: Driftwood Key Beach Reads #2

28. Jess

Jess awoke early the next morning feeling calm and ready.

She had tossed and turned for a while last night, her emotions running wild as she marveled over Glory’s growth, admired Anthem’s musical progress, and reveled in Liberty and Chase’s incredible news. It really seemed like things were looking good for her little family.

Even Justine and her father seemed to be getting past their struggles and finding common ground.

And behind it all was the quiet sense of wonder in Jess’s heart that Glory had inspired with her casual assumption. Jess and Clint were not together. She had been adamant with herself that it wasn’t what she wanted.

After all she had been through with Silas, shouldn’t she just enjoy the fact that she was finally in charge of her own destiny? But nothing she told herself could stop the happy little buzz of anticipation in the back of her mind whenever she thought of Clint.

Glory’s words had only drawn Jess’s attention to what she already knew. Resisting the man she had cared about for so many years was difficult—maybe even impossible.

Only the decision she had made to visit her mom gave her the sense of purpose and certainty that she needed to finally drift off to sleep. Now, as she showered and dressed quickly, she gathered up all the happiest events of the last thirty-five years in her heart, eager to share them.

She left a quick note in the kitchen for the girls and set out to her car. It was early enough that the air was still cool and fresh. Birds sang out as the sun rose, but otherwise Jess felt as if the whole world was hers alone.

She headed down the drive and turned onto Seashell Lane, feeling a little sad that she wasn’t going to stop at the shop for flowers on the way. But she had put this off for so long that she was afraid that even a simple chat with Joanie could throw her off course.

I’ll have infinite chances to come back with flowers,she reminded herself. Today is just about showing up.

After a short, peaceful drive, she arrived at her destination. The sweet little wood frame church was as modest and well-kept as ever, with a fresh coat of white paint making it almost glow in the early morning light. Outside the church, the small graveyard was surrounded by palm trees and blackbead trees, their feathery pink blossoms swaying in the breeze.

Jess parked her car and headed over, focusing on her breath to steady herself. She remembered that long ago day of the funeral. Mary McKinnon had brought her here, just the two of them.

Now that she was an adult, Jess better appreciated what a feat that must have been for Mary to quickly make arrangements for all the other kids so she could focus her attention on helping her heartbroken new foster daughter survive an incredibly difficult day.

They hadn’t said much, but Jess could still feel the gentle warmth of Mary’s hand wrapped around hers all these years later, as she stepped through the gate and headed for the simple stones in the far corner of the graveyard.

She felt her mother’s presence too—the upbeat air that had always surrounded her as she danced around the kitchen while she was cooking, or twirled the phone cord around her finger like a teenager while she laughed her head off during her weekly calls with Uncle Brian.

“I’ve missed you, Mom,” Jess began, feeling a little silly at first for saying the words out loud. “I’m older now than you ever got to be, but I still think about you every single day.”

The breeze picked up, carrying the sweet scent of the flowering trees.

“And I have daughters of my own now,” Jess went on, her confidence building as she spoke. “Three of them. The oldest has the most wonderful husband. They want to adopt a child. My middle daughter is a gifted musician and songwriter. She reminds me of you, Mom. And the youngest is still figuring it out, but I can already tell she’s going to be a really wonderful person when she grows up. They would make you so proud.”

She was getting closer now, and she could make out the section of low stones where she would kneel to trace her fingers over her mother’s name.

“We brought them up close to Philadelphia, near Uncle Brian,” she told her mother as she walked on. “But Uncle Brian passed, and so did my husband, so we’re back in Driftwood Key now, to stay, I hope. So, I’ll be able to visit you more often, and bring you lots of flowers, since I work at a flower shop…”

But Jess trailed off as she got close enough to see the headstone and realized there were already flowers on it. So many flowers. Bouquets of lilies rested on every corner of the stone.

Lilies…

Behind her, someone cleared his throat.

She turned to see Mr. Raymond, his usual arrangement of fresh lilies clutched in his hands.

“Jess,” he said softly. “Sorry if I startled you.”

His familiar face held an expression of sorrow, but there was also something hopeful in his hazel eyes.

“Mr. Raymond?” she said, trying to understand what was happening.

“I knew you were her daughter from the moment we met,” he told her with a sad smile. “You have her wonderful smile. But I didn’t know the rest until you applied for your library card. I’ve been sleepless ever since, trying to decide how to tell you. And now here you are.”

“You knew my mother?” Jess asked, feeling completely confused.

“Would you like to sit?” he asked, gesturing to a bench overlooking the stones.

She nodded and let him lead her over. Her legs felt like they were made of gelatin. He waited until she was seated and then he joined her. For a moment, they both breathed in the cool morning air and watched the breeze ruffle the palm fronds and the feathery flowers on the trees.

“I did know your mother,” he said at last. “I was in love with her.”

“You were?” Jess breathed.

“We only knew each other for a short time,” he said. “I came out here when I was in grad school, to study the sandpipers. I didn’t know anyone, and it was lonely at first, but they’re such fascinating birds. And then one morning I met a young woman walking on the beach. She had the most beautiful smile.”

“She always loved sandpipers,” Jess whispered.

“She told me the same thing,” he chuckled. “We took to walking together in the mornings, observing the birds, and the next thing I knew we were cooking dinner over campfires together, swimming in the ocean, dancing to the radio, and falling in love.”

The look on his face was dreamy and happy.

“It was only that one beautiful summer,” he said softly. “Or it was supposed to be, and then she would head back for her last year of college, and I had my last year of grad school. I had big plans for our future together, though.”

“Her last year of college,” Jess murmured, something unbelievable starting to occur to her.

“But it was wartime, and I got drafted,” he said sadly. “The next thing I knew, I was shipping out, promising the woman I loved that I’d be back for her. The Fourth of July was our last night together.”

He waited then, his patient hazel eyes on hers.

Hazel eyes, just like mine…

“You’re my father,” she said softly, the math finally clicking.

He nodded, a look of worry on his face.

“I can’t believe it,” Jess said, tears coming to her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said gently. “I know this comes as a surprise. And I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. All those years, I didn’t even know…”

“I’m so happy,” she said, tears sliding down her cheeks.

The next thing she knew, they were embracing. She could feel his shoulders shaking with sobs. For a long time, they just held each other, then Jess pulled back slightly to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“I was afraid to tell you,” he said, his voice still thick with tears. “For me, it was enough to see you around town and know you were well. I wanted you to have the truth, but I worried that maybe your mom never told you that the man who raised you wasn’t your biological father. I was afraid finding out might break your heart.”

“The man who raised me?” Jess echoed.

“I wrote to her every day after I shipped out,” he went on, his eyes so earnest. “I thought maybe I came on too strong and scared her off. She never wrote back.”

Jess frowned, that wasn’t like her bighearted mother.

“When I came home, I headed to Driftwood Key as fast as I could,” he said. “But your grandparents told me she had married and moved to Ohio.”

Jess blinked at him in horror.

“I know what happened now, and I don’t blame her one bit,” the older man went on. “She was expecting a baby, and she needed a husband.”

“She never had one,” Jess said quietly, trying not to let this moment be ruined by needless anger. “My grandparents lied to you. She never left Driftwood Key.”

The stricken expression on his face broke her heart.

“And I’m guessing they kept your letters from her too,” she said, shaking her head.

“They were probably just trying to protect her,” he said softly.

Jess’s heart ached at the kindness of this man, thinking the best of her grandparents when her own mind was swirling with fury and resentment.

She took a deep breath and tried to put her negative feelings aside, determined to balance the sadness of this moment with wonder and happiness.

“She never stopped loving you,” she told him as she took his hands, knowing it was true. “She collected sandpipers—photos, figurines, books, I never asked her why. And she never married. She didn’t even have a serious boyfriend. It was always just the two of us.”

He listened hungrily, as if he couldn’t hear enough about the woman he loved.

“She had good friends though, and lots of fun hobbies,” Jess went on. “She crocheted, she read like it was her job, and she joined every silly club they held at the library.”

He smiled at that, squeezing her hands.

“She died very young,” Jess told him. “But we had a happy life together before that. She still danced to the radio, and she loved swimming in the ocean. I’m sure she thought of you every time she showed me the sandpipers darting to the edge of the water for their supper.”

He nodded, his eyes filling with tears.

“Should we tell her?” Jess asked, nodding to the stone.

They rose together and moved to the stone, which Jess could see had been lovingly tended.

“You’re here every day?” she asked him softly, realizing.

“I got a job up in Miami after I was in the service,” he said. “But I retired recently, and decided to come back here more or less permanently. I always loved Driftwood Key, and the idea of being close to her just made me feel good.”

Jess certainly knew all about that feeling. She’d been drawn back here as well.

“I was married for a time, but it didn’t work out,” he said. “I searched for your mother on the internet after my wife left me. That was when I learned that she had passed, and that she was laid to rest here. I always wanted to come and pay my respects, but between work and caring for my parents, there was never a good time.”

Jess nodded with understanding.

“They’ve both passed now, too,” he said with a sad smile. “So, I was able to come here after retiring without feeling that I had abandoned them. And I came here to sit with your mom the day I arrived,” he said with a smile, lowering himself to the grass and placing the fresh lilies on the stone. “It’s become a bit of a habit since. It’s hard to describe, but it’s peaceful visiting with her, remembering those happy times we shared.”

Jess watched as he brushed his hand fondly across the pale stone.

Then she knelt beside him and traced her hand along the letters of her mother’s name.

Lily Elizabeth Mora

“You’ll never guess who’s here with me today, sweetheart,” he said in a warm, gentle voice.

“I’ve missed you so much, Mom,” Jess said. “And I’m so glad the three of us are here together at last.”

The breeze picked up for a moment, carrying the scent of the ocean, and ruffling Jess’s hair almost like a mother’s gentle hand.

Jess closed her eyes, soaking in the peaceful feeling and the sense that her mom was near, if only for a moment, watching over them both fondly with that beautiful smile of hers.

I’m safe, Mom,Jess told her inwardly. I’m home now.