10. Jess
Jess headed up the wooden stairs at the back of the house. One or two of the treads had been replaced recently and hadn’t been painted to match the others yet, just like she remembered. When they got up on the porch, she tapped on the broken screen door.
Good smells were drifting through the door already, reminding Jess of all the McKinnon favorites she had enjoyed over the years—couscous, eggplant parmigiana, baked brie with apples…
“Come in,” Becca called out happily, and Jess pushed open the door.
“Oh, my word,” Mary was saying from across the kitchen as Jess stepped in with Glory behind her. “It’s like you’re home again to keep me company after school.”
Mary wrapped her in another tight hug, but this time she let go right away.
“And here’s your own little girl,” she said, giving Glory a radiant smile. “But you’re not so little. And what’s this?”
“We got it at Once Upon a Flower Shop,” Glory told her happily. “Joanie said you would like it.”
“Oh, I love it,” Mary breathed, studying the little orchids on their mossy bark setting. “It’s like something you could find in the forest, in a dream.”
“That’s just what Joanie said,” Glory replied.
“Well, let’s put it on the table as our centerpiece,” Mary suggested, leading the way to the dining room with Glory following after.
“She’s beautiful,” Becca said to Jess.
Just then, two men came in from the back hall, poking their heads into the kitchen.
“Connor?” Jess said, recognizing his wide shoulders and dark hair. Connor and Becca were close in age, so he had also been a teenager the last time she’d seen him.
His face broke into a smile, and she knew she was right. He was still broad, tall, and tanned. Connor had always hated being in the house. She wondered if he worked outside for a living these days.
“And… Kyle?” she guessed, turning to the leaner, younger man in the button-down shirt and dark jeans.
“Yes,” Kyle laughed. “Wow.”
“I got lucky,” Jess admitted. “Process of elimination.”
The two men piled in, each wrapping a friendly arm around her and giving her a quick squeeze before heading over to the table.
“Liam and Anna couldn’t make it tonight,” Becca said. “But hopefully we can get the whole crew together soon.”
Connor instantly applied himself to a big tray of crackers and hummus.
Kyle leaned against the wall, looking ready to catch up. He had been an adorable little boy, and was now a handsome grown man, and well-dressed too. No one would be making fun of him for wearing hand-me-downs now.
“So, what are you all up to these days?” she asked.
“Connor’s running a boating outfit,” Kyle told her, confirming her suspicion that he would be doing something outdoors. “Renting and repairing some, but taking folks out for fishing and snorkeling, too.”
Mary came back in with an arm around Glory, the two sat down at the table.
“That sounds amazing,” Jess said, meaning it. It was the perfect job for Connor.
“Becca’s basically running the resort these days,” Kyle said.
“Oh yes, that’s a big change,” Mary put in. “The resort brought a lot of life to Driftwood Key.”
Connor cleared his throat and quickly helped himself to another cracker with hummus.
“That’s why the downtown looks different,” Jess realized out loud.
“It’s really revitalized our local economy,” Becca said proudly. “Though of course for some folks, it’s also meant more traffic and noise.”
“Those things happen when any business comes in,” Jess said. “And what about you, Kyle?”
“He owns a bar,” Connor said, looking up from the hummus.
“Really?” Jess asked, surprised.
During all the time she’d been with them, the McKinnons didn’t drink. Mr. McKinnon was a recovering alcoholic, so they didn’t keep any alcohol in the house, and Jess remembered the others had pledged never to drink, in solidarity to him.
“I know, it’s funny, right?” Kyle asked. “Kid from a dry house ends up owning a bar? But I worked there as a bouncer for years, and the owner warmed up to me.”
“You were probably the only sober bouncer he ever had,” Connor laughed.
“That can’t be true,” Kyle said, shaking his head. “Anyway, when he decided to retire, he sold me the place. It’s a good little business. The resort didn’t hurt it any.”
“What about you, Jess?” Mary asked.
“Oh, I haven’t worked outside the home since before the girls were born,” Jess said. “But I do have an interview at the flower shop tomorrow.”
“I wish I could work somewhere,” Glory chimed in. “I was a lifeguard every summer back home.”
Jess looked up at Glory in surprise, feeling terrible that she hadn’t anticipated that she would miss working. She’d always thought Glory would rather just sleep in over the summer, like her sisters. It was Silas who always wanted the girls to stay busy.
“You have your lifeguard certification?” Becca asked.
“Yes,” Glory said.
“Would you be interested in working at the resort?” Becca asked. “If it’s okay with your mom, of course.”
Glory looked to Jess, her eyes alight with hope.
“Sure,” Jess said, smiling. “If you want to work, you can absolutely interview at the resort. That’s very kind of you, Becca, to offer to help.”
“Well, the summer season is about to kick in,” Becca said. “So we’re happy to hire anyone who is qualified and willing to work hard.”
Glory looked very pleased.
“Where’s Clint?” Connor asked. “Are we waiting for him?”
Clint?
“Oh, he’s outside working on the shutters,” Mary said, shaking her head. “Always fussing with the house, that one.”
“Clint is still around?” Jess heard herself ask in surprise.
“Oh sure,” Mary said. “He never left us. Go on out front and tell him to come in for supper, Jess. He’ll be tickled to see you.”
“Okay,” Jess said, heading for the hall.
The old buffet with family photos was still there. Along with a shelf of lumpy pottery from years of children going through the art program of the local school on the opposite wall.
Jess blinked in surprise to see one of her own little cracked bowls beside all the others. She hadn’t really been much good at pottery, but she had proudly presented her bowl to Mary, who fussed over it like it was an actual work of art.
And she kept it…
A loud bang at the front living room window startled her, and Jess jumped a little before she realized it was just Clint hammering on a shutter.
The last of the afternoon sunlight formed a halo around him, but she would have known those broad shoulders and golden hair anywhere, even with his face cast in shadow. Clint was just as she remembered him, solid. She stared for a moment, knowing he could see her face through the window, even though she couldn’t see his.
She waited for him to wave or acknowledge her, but he only started banging again, holding one of the shutters in a massive hand, the muscles of his other arm flexing as he worked.
Taken aback, she frowned and headed for the front of the house.
Maybe he just didn’t recognize me. It’s been decades.
Mary met her there and opened the big chestnut door. So Jess trailed after her.
“Oh, Clint,” Mary said. “Please stop all that racket and come in.”
Now that she was outside, Jess could see him more clearly.
If he had looked like a sullen angel as a boy, he was even more so as a man. He reached for the second shutter, thick muscles stretching his t-shirt. His golden hair was threaded with gray, but those steely eyes were just the same as always, partly narrowed as if the world was a dangerous place and Clint had to keep his wits about him.
“I’ll be in when this shutter is up,” he grunted.
“I appreciate all you do for me,” Mary said gently. “But you can’t work all the time.”
“You won’t say that if these shutters aren’t up come hurricane season,” he growled.
“But they didn’t have to come down in the first place,” Mary protested.
“They needed paint,” Clint said firmly, placing a nail and banging away on it again, as if for emphasis.
Mary put an arm around Jess’s shoulder, and they watched as Clint finished up installing the shutter.
“There now,” Mary said when he was finished. “Come in and say hello to Jess and her beautiful daughter.”
Finally, Clint looked up and met Jess’s eyes.
Jess nearly caught her breath at the fire in his gaze. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said there was anger there, or at the very least resentment. He turned and jogged down the porch steps, washing his hands in the hose, and then wiping them on his jeans.
“Good to see you again,” he said to Jess, jogging back up the steps and holding out his hand.
A handshake?
The McKinnons were huggers, squeezers, snugglers, and embracers. She took his outstretched hand, watching her own disappear into his massive, calloused paw. He shook her hand twice and let go immediately, then stared at her without saying another word.
“Well then,” Mary said after an awkward pause. “Let’s eat.”
Clint gestured for the ladies to go first, then wiped his feet carefully on the mat before going inside.
Once they were back in, Jess felt more settled. Clint might not be glad to see her, but it seemed like everyone else was. And the house smelled incredible.
While Jess was outside, Becca and Connor had been busy finishing up the hot dishes while Kyle made a big salad. The table in the dining room was practically groaning under the weight of all that good food.
“We didn’t have time to do much,” Mary said, apologetically. “But we did manage a few of your favorites. We’ve got couscous salad, conch chowder, and smothered shrimp on rice.”
“Amazing,” Jess moaned.
“Whoa,” Glory said.
“Why don’t you two sit here by me?” Mary offered, indicating the two chairs closest to the foot of the table.
They seated themselves with Jess right beside Mary and Glory on Jess’s other side. Becca took the seat opposite Jess.
Connor and Kyle piled in beside their sister, and Clint took the spot at the head of the table that usually belonged to Louis.
Louis McKinnon was always gentle and quiet. While his wife was effusive and demonstrative, Louis was usually happy to be in the background.
It suddenly hit Jess that she hadn’t seen him.
Becca noticed her looking, and shook her head solemnly.
Oh, no…
Her eyes went straight to Mary, and she was deeply grateful that the woman had so much family nearby. Jess could imagine Mary in all kinds of different circumstances. But she couldn’t picture her alone.
“So, Glory,” Becca said. “Did you say you have sisters?”
“Yes,” Glory answered, putting a warm biscuit on her plate. “Two of them. They’re both older than me.”
“Liberty is married and working as a nurse in Philadelphia,” Jess said proudly. “And Anthem is finishing up college. She’s a music major.”
“She’s got the right name,” Connor chuckled.
“We told her she doesn’t need to make music just because she’s called Anthem,” Jess laughed. “But maybe her father was onto something when he suggested the name.”
“It’s only because of flags,” Glory said, frowning at her biscuit as she buttered it.
It was a shame the mere mention of her father was enough to put that look on her face these days.
“Flags?” Mary asked.
“Oh, Silas owned a flag manufacturing company,” Jess said simply. “I’d always loved the name Liberty, and after that, we figured why not go with a family theme. It seemed like a fun idea.”
“Liberty, Anthem, and Glory,” Kyle said, shaking his head. “Amazing.”
“I love it,” Becca declared.
“Do you have kids, Becca?” Jess asked.
“Sure do,” Becca told her with a smile.
“Where’s your husband?” Clint asked Jess suddenly, before Becca could go on.
His voice was a little too loud, and the question seemed to come out of nowhere, and not exactly in a friendly tone.
The words hung in the air a moment.
“Actually,” Jess said carefully. “My husband and I are separated.”
“You moving back down here?” Clint asked.
She blinked at him in surprise. Wouldn’t a normal person express their sympathy first?
A little voice in the back of her head unhelpfully pointed out that accepting sympathy was awkward anyway.
“I’m just getting my grandparents’ old place ready to sell,” she told him. “The girls and I will need the money while I get back on my feet.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mary said quickly, before Clint could say anything more. “Please let us know how we can help.”
“Oh, it’s just wonderful to have friends here,” Jess said, looking gratefully around the table.
“Nonsense,” Mary corrected her with a warm smile, and serious eyes. “We’re family.”
Glory grabbed Jess’s hand under the table and squeezed. Jess looked over at her daughter, who was gazing at Mary like she hung the stars.
Seeing Glory respond to Mary and the McKinnons the same way she had as a teen put a lump in Jess’s throat.
It still feels just like home.