Chapter 19
The news played in the background, giving updates on the hurricane, while Isla went through another closet. She had been listening here and there, getting the latest updates, but she was trying not to consume herself in the reports. It would only be fuel for the chaotic thoughts her mind was capable of conjuring, and she didn’t want to freak herself out.
Even though she’d said she could handle it, Dad followed her home after work, to help her put the lawn furniture in the shed and to secure anything else that might go airborne with the sustained winds the National Weather Service was predicting.
Now that she didn’t have to worry about flying umbrellas and projectiles going through her windows, she had time to spend on the inside of the house. Little by little, she was making it her own.
Helping Nolan fix the pipe had given her the extra motivation she needed to start implementing small changes. She’d gone through more cabinets, figuring out what to keep and what to sell at the yard sale. She even went and bought the chair Olivia had texted her about. It looked perfect in the living room, and Isla smiled every time it caught her eye.
She still had a lot to go through, and the yard sale wouldn’t be anytime soon, but she finally felt like she was making progress, and even more, she didn’t feel guilty. Grandma left her the house for a reason. She knew Isla would do right by her. She even imagined Grandma sitting with her as she went through the cabinets.
Are you really going to keep that piece of junk? I don’t know why I never tossed it myself .
It made her laugh which made it easier to handle.
Nolan had finished the wall and all it needed was a fresh coat of paint. She was still deciding if she wanted to keep the vibrant yellow like Grandma had it or try something new. She thought Nolan would stop by to see her progress on making a decision, but she hadn’t spoken to him since the other night after they got home from the beach.
Something shifted between them. She felt it when she’d said she had messed everything up, and he hadn’t argued. His silence was his agreement, and though she went on like nothing was wrong, her heart had broken once again, and she could feel a wall resurrecting between them.
He blamed her just as she blamed herself, and because of that, he’d never forgive her. Or even if he did, he’d never forget. She ruined the best thing that had ever happened to her. It was probably best she brought it up, reminded him, so she wouldn’t get hurt with false hopes and expectations.
Her eyes moved to the unpainted wall, and she picked up the paint swatches Harper dropped off since she didn’t need them anymore for her studio. In the beginning Harper had no clue what color she wanted to pains, so there was an array of swatches making up every color in the color wheel.
Isla held the first swatch up; a variety of yellows and very similar to what currently adorned the wall. She shifted her lips back and forth, debating if the wall was meant to remain the vibrant splash of sunshine as it had always been for as long as Isla could remember or if yellow no longer suited it.
Every time Isla thought about this kitchen it was yellow, but with the unfinished wall, there seemed to be new possibilities. She just needed to let go of the past, of the familiar, and see if another color would be a better fit for her kitchen.
She put the yellow swatch down and picked up a swatch of orange then blue then green. None of the colors spoke to her, though. Defeat coursed through her and she was about to give up when her eyes landed on a swatch of whites.
White was boring, especially compared to the bright yellow that practically smacked your eyes as you walked in. But her gaze kept going to the same strip. She tilted her head up to the sky.
“I don’t know, Grandma. White?” She imagined Grandma, shrugging and saying, You won’t know unless you try it.
“I’m going to try it!” she announced to no one. She held the strip of five different whites against the wall and smiled.
Clearing her mind, she imagined the wall painted the third color on the strip. She could see it so vividly. All the other walls still yellow, but this wall, an accent wall of white.
It was perfect.
She opened her eyes and looked down at the color, bringing it closer to see the name. Daylight white . It might not be yellow sunshine, but it was still light, and the perfect color to start a blank page of a new chapter.
***
Basketball had always been a huge part of Nolan’s life, but the last three years, he never had time to go down to the courts and shoot a few hoops. He’d put work above everything, making it the only thing he cared about.
Being on the courts, playing a game of two against two with friends, he was reminded of why he loved the sport so much. He thrived on competition and working hard to beat his opponent, but he also loved the laughs. He loved the game, but more than that, he loved the memories associated with the game.
He passed the ball to Milo, who cross jabbed and got around Connor to make the shot. Nolan high-fived his teammate, then turned to Connor. “Little rusty.”
“I’m just warming up.”
Jasper took the ball and checked it to Milo, who cut up the middle of the court. This time Connor got the ball from him and took a shot, making it with nothing but net.
“Like I said, just warming up.”
“Can we not make me look bad in the process,” Milo joked. He walked mid-court, and Nolan made sure he did so without a limp. Milo would pretend like he was fine, even if his leg was acting up. He seemed to be okay, and they continued the game.
In the end, Connor and Jasper won by two.
“I want a rematch,” Nolan said.
Connor bounced the ball, then spun it on his finger. “Of course, you do. Can never take a loss.”
“Damn straight.”
“I’ll be on duty for the rest of the week. The riptides are starting to get strong,” Jasper said. “Had to rescue a fourteen-year-old kid yesterday.”
“Was it one of your students?” Connor asked.
“Nah, it was someone from out of town. I tell all my students if they get caught in a riptide to swim parallel to the shore or just float and call for help.”
“I feel like that’s been ingrained in our heads since we were kids,” Connor said.
“That’s because we grew up on the beach. These kids that haven’t, they don’t know and panic. This kid scared the shit out of himself. By the time I got to him, he was climbing on top of me, digging his nails into my back.”
Milo slapped a hand on his shoulder. “Our very own superhero. Molding young kid’s minds and saving them on the side.”
Nolan laughed. “And partying in his off time.”
“Hey, we only live once,” Jasper said. “Besides, I have the entire school year to be on my best behavior. If I didn’t let loose in the summer, I’d lose my mind.”
“It’s been fine by me,” Milo said. “With him out partying it gives me and Harper the house to ourselves.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and Jasper shook his head.
“It’s like living with a couple of horny teenagers,” Jasper said.
“You’re just jealous.”
Nolan missed this. How he’d gone three years without hanging out with friends, or throwing the ball around, was a mystery to him now that he was back in the thick of it.
“Rematch after the hurricane then,” he said.
Connor spun the ball on his other finger. “You’re on.”
“What are you two doing during the storm?” Nolan asked Milo and Jasper. “They’re talking about dangerously high tides and flooding.” Their house looked out over the bay and their street had been prone to flooding in the past.
“I’ll be staying with the other lifeguards at the rental,” Jasper said. “Hurricane party.”
“Naturally,” Nolan said.
“I’ll probably stay at the house. Harper’s going to go to her mom’s house to ride it out. Tom doesn’t like big storms, so she’s planning a game night with a sleepover to help keep his mind off the storm.”
“If you need help locking down the hatches, let me know.”
“Will do, but Jasper’s going to help me before he takes off for keg stands and beer pong, and besides, you have your own place to secure.”
“Just the barbeque, which will be perfect if we lose power.”
“I have a generator at the pub,” Connor said. “So, if we do lose power, feel free to stop by to charge up or get a meal.”
“The entire town will probably be there then,” Milo said.
Connor tossed the basketball between his hands. “We’ll have an after-hurricane party then. Jasper, you can bring all the lifeguards if they’re still functioning.”
“We’ll have to see.” With the extra hours we’ve been putting in because of the riptides, I’m sure they’ll be taking advantage of the downtime while the storm blows out of here.”
“The door is open, even if you stumble through it.”
Connor, having to get back to the pub, said goodbye and headed out. Nolan walked to the parking lot with Milo and Jasper.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do about work?” Jasper asked.
“Not yet. I’m giving myself the summer, then I’ll start sending out my resume.”
“Good for you. The summer’s the perfect time to unwind a little.”
“The professional should know,” Milo said.
“Everybody needs time to have a little fun, or you’ll become old and miserable and be left wondering what the hell happened to you. Having a job you’re passionate about is great, but you still need time away from work, time to relax.”
“I’m starting to realize that.”
“But are you really relaxing?” Milo asked. “You’ve helped me assemble more pieces of furniture than I want to remember at Harper’s studio, and you’ve also been Isla’s Mr. Handyman.”
“I’m helping her out, and you know you’d do the same,” Nolan said.
Jasper laughed. “He’s got a point. How many times did you go out of your way to help Harper out?”
“That was different; I had a crush on her that I’d been suppressing for years.”
Jasper’s eyes widened as if he was trying to emphasize Milo’s point.
“Oh!” Milo exclaimed. “Yup, totally makes sense.”
“I don’t have a crush on my ex-girlfriend.”
“No,” Milo said. “You’re just still in love with her.” Milo didn’t say anything else, just gave a wave, and he and Jasper got in the car, leaving Nolan in the parking lot with his thoughts.