17. Liberty
Liberty watched the scenery melt past as the three of them headed toward the McKinnons’ house for supper.
After a day of cleaning, she felt really good for the first time in a long time.
Fresh air and exercise can solve almost anything, her mom was always fond of saying. And in this case, she was right. A nice coffee looking out over the park, and then putting in some elbow grease on her room had really helped.
She’d also had a good cry or two.
Liberty wasn’t entirely sure why she had chosen to clean up and stay in the same room she’d had for the wedding. It was the room where she and Chase had spent their first night together. Had she wanted to torture herself?
She wasn’t sure, but something had drawn her right to that room, and she hadn’t been able to shake off the need to follow it, even though she couldn’t stop thinking about him from the moment she opened the door.
It’s closure, that’s all,she told herself. I’m saying goodbye to him in my own way.
She missed Chase horribly though, more than when she first arrived, if that was possible. It didn’t help that he had her phone buzzing almost hourly.
And she knew it wasn’t fair of her not to have told him yet why their marriage was over. She would tell him. Soon.
It was just that sharing it would make it feel ten times more real.
Liberty had always, always wanted to be a mother. And she’d never thought about anyone besides Chase as the father.
She glanced over at her own mom.
Jess looked content right now. She had gotten fresh air and exercise today too, Liberty remembered, including some time playing in the hose like a teenager with a crush.
But it was more than that. Her mother was also home. It was clear that this place had a hold on her. Liberty suddenly wondered what it would be like for her mother to sell the beach house and just leave again.
Aynwick would seem so dreary and gray to someone who had spent their childhood here in the sun-drenched warmth, with the bright colors and the hush of the sea all around. And she wouldn’t even be going back to the big house where they all shared so many memories. She would be going back to a little apartment with Glory.
Mom had always volunteered for everything possible at the school. Though she was a down-to-earth person, and her two besties didn’t participate in the elite Wintergarden social crowd as much as many parents did, she was accepted in even the highest social circles anyway.
But she never really seemed to care much about the trappings of wealth.
Liberty remembered overhearing her friend, Marta, scolding her one day for not having Silas take her to the King of Prussia Mall for a new gown and jewelry for a fundraiser. Mom had laughed it off, saying those things seemed silly when they were supposed to be focused on raising money and sending all they could to the hurricane victims.
“But I’m sure he expects you to want something new to wear,” Marta had whispered, as eight-year-old Liberty eavesdropped from the hallway outside the greenhouse room. “Just go pick something out yourself. I’ll go with you.”
“He offered, but I told him I don’t need anything new,” her mother had said. “Besides, maybe he’ll donate a little more tonight if he feels like he saved something on a dress and jewelry.”
“You’re too much, Jess,” Marta had said fondly.
Liberty had slipped off, feeling proud. They had been learning about Hurricane Katrina at school, and it made her feel good that her mom wanted to do all she could to help.
And maybe it was Jess’s naturally sweet and generous disposition that made the wealthy community embrace her even though she wasn’t the most fashionable. But Liberty worried that now that Dad was out of the picture, along with the money and soon the house, it might turn out that her mom wasn’t really welcome in any social circle at all.
Liberty felt herself hurting a little for her mother and what awaited her back in Aynwick.
Would it be so bad to stay here?
But that was out of the question, of course. Glory still had another year of school left, and money was probably too tight for Mom to do anything but sell this place.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Jess said.
“I was just thinking how nice it is in Driftwood Key,” Liberty said lightly. “It must have been fun to be a kid here.”
“It sure was,” Jess told her. “There was just so much to do, especially with the McKinnons. We would play with the little kids, bake cookies, and run around outside until dark.”
“I guess it was never too cold to play outside,” Liberty said.
“That it wasn’t,” Jess laughed. “I’m so glad you’re meeting everyone tonight.”
“They’re really nice,” Glory piped up from the back seat. “Especially Becca.”
Although she loved meeting new parents and their babies at work, Liberty was a little shy around new people in her personal life. She’d marinated a bunch of chicken breasts and was planning to cook them up on the grill at Mary’s house. It would give her something to do with her hands and her eyes, so she didn’t feel too nervous.
“How many kids are there again?” she asked.
“Well, there’s Becca, Liam, Connor, Kyle, and Anna,” Jess said. “And of course, Clint. He was a foster kid too, but he stuck around.”
“What about you?” Glory piped up immediately.
“Oh, I was only there a year or so,” Jess said.
“Don’t let them hear you talking like that,” Glory said darkly. “Those people see themselves as your family, and it’s not nice to pretend it’s not true. I know how much you love them.”
“Oh,” Jess said softly. “Wow.”
“What?” Glory asked.
“It’s just that I heard Mary say almost exactly the same thing to Clint one time,” Jess said, shaking her head.
“She was right,” Glory said. “I feel a lot more like we’re with family here than with Uncle Everett and all Dad’s weird cousins.”
Liberty saw her mother trying to hide a smile.
“Don’t act like it’s not true,” Glory went on. “Those guys were all a bunch of sticks in the mud. The McKinnons are fun.”
“Well now I really can’t wait to meet everyone,” Liberty said, laughing.
“You know Uncle Brian came down here to pick me up when I went to live with him,” Jess said suddenly. “Mary invited him to spend the evening here before we headed back to Philadelphia. We only spent one night here, but he loved her. He mentioned her from time to time for years.”
“Yeah?” Liberty asked.
“Mary whispered something to him before we left,” Jess said. “I don’t know what it was, but he had tears in his eyes. It must have stuck with him.”
“You should ask her,” Glory suggested.
“She probably wouldn’t even remember,” Jess said, turning into a long driveway. “And besides, if she whispered, I’m sure it was only meant for Uncle Brian.”
“I miss him,” Glory said suddenly. “He was the best.”
“He doted on you girls,” Jess said, smiling sadly.
“Oh wow,” Liberty said, gazing out at the house and the yard as they parked.
Mom had talked about this place a few times over the years, and everything was just as she had described it. There was the big garden, the gumbo limbo tree with the tire swing, and the great big rambling house with the wide front porch that had once been covered in toys and bicycles, according to Mom’s stories.
“They’re the most down-to-earth people in the world,” Jess said quietly to Liberty before she got out of the car.
The moment they all got out, people began spilling out of the backyard to greet them. Glory ran around hugging and laughing, like the social butterfly she was. But Liberty held back, grasping the plastic container of chicken like a shield to keep from being pulled suddenly into anyone’s arms.
After a moment, an older lady with a big smile approached. Her hair was snowy white, and she wore a green paisley apron over a pale blue dress. A sea glass pendant hung from her neck.
“Oh, you’re the spitting image of your mom when she was here,” the lady said fondly. “I’m Mary. And if that’s chicken breast, I’m going to fall over.”
“It is chicken breast,” Liberty said, suddenly feeling completely unselfconscious.
“Well, you’re a miracle worker,” Mary said. “I was meaning to make skewers for tonight with my fresh peppers and cherry tomatoes, but I completely forgot chicken when I ran to the market.”
“This would be perfect for skewers,” Liberty said. “It’s marinated, too.”
“Oh, how wonderful,” Mary said. “I think I’m going to steal you away to the kitchen, and you can meet the crew once we get the food going. Sound good?”
“Yes,” Liberty said, relieved to let Mary lead her up the back steps into the kitchen as Glory exclaimed over Becca’s little granddaughter and Jess floated among the other family members.
* * *
Twenty minutes later,they had rows of perfect skewers arranged on baking sheets, and Liberty understood completely why her mom was so besotted with Mary. Her stream of cozy chatter had set Liberty instantly at ease, and she now had a working knowledge of who each of the siblings were.
“Now, the grill is already going,” Mary said. “Kyle was making sausages when you got here.”
Sure enough, when they got outside with their trays, a tall, dark-haired man was taking sausages off the grill with his bare hands.
“Use the tongs, Kyle,” Mary scolded, shaking her head. “You’ll burn yourself.”
“It’s fine, Ma,” he laughed, dropping the last sausage onto a platter. “Perfect timing. I sure hope none of you guys are vegetarians.”
“Nope,” Liberty told him. “We eat everything.”
“Good looking skewers,” a bigger, tanner man, who otherwise looked a lot like Kyle said happily.
“You must be Connor,” Liberty said, carefully laying the first of the skewers on the grill.
“Sure am,” he told her with a grin. “And you’re Liberty.”
“Yes,” she said.
“I’m just going to run and check on my dip,” Mary said, patting Liberty’s shoulder.
“How long are you down here for?” Connor asked.
“You may want to put those a little closer together,” Kyle said before she could answer, peering over her shoulder at the grill. “You don’t want to run out of space.”
“Oh,” Liberty said. “Good thinking. And I’m not sure how long I’ll be here for.”
She continued her work, glad she had a job to do while she figured out the dynamic between the brothers.
“Let’s just move that one a little closer into the fire,” Kyle said, pointing to a skewer along the outside edge. “Make sure it cooks at the same rate as the others.”
“Sure,” Liberty said, using the tongs to move it over and suddenly feeling a little nervous.
“A little further,” Kyle instructed.
“You should know that he’s just going to keep doing this until you give up and let him do it himself,” Connor chuckled. “He owns a bar and grill now, so he thinks he’s a chef.”
“No, you don’t have to do that,” Kyle protested. “But I do think that one over there is almost ready to be turned.”
“You know what? You’re right,” Liberty laughed. “It does need to be turned. And I think maybe you should actually take over. You obviously know your way around a grill, and I keep almost dropping these.”
She was a little worried that maybe she was making him cook when he really just wanted to advise. But he took the tongs from her hand so fast she almost didn’t let go in time.
“Yes,” he said, sounding relieved. “Why don’t I just do this so you can get to know everyone.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Connor said.
She looked up, worried, and then saw that he was looking over at her mom and Clint. The two of them were laughing over a tray of shrimp cocktail.
“He’s smiling,” Connor said, shaking his head. “Smiling like a lovelorn teenager.”
“He likes her?” Liberty asked, already knowing the answer.
“Hope that doesn’t bother you,” Connor said, looking alarmed. “I heard your parents just split up.”
“Dad’s loss,” she said, shrugging.
“Agreed,” Connor said fiercely. “Jess is a real sweetheart. We missed her a lot you know. And Mom never took in another foster child. Dad said her heart was broken after Jess left.”
“Oh,” Liberty said.
She had known how much her mom loved this family. Hearing that they felt the same was… nice.
“So, I know Kyle owns a bar,” Liberty said. “And Becca works at the resort. What do you do?”
“Interesting question,” Connor huffed.
Liberty wasn’t sure how it was an interesting question.
“Don’t start,” Becca said lightly on her way past with an empty glass.
“I rent out boats, and do fishing and snorkeling tours,” Connor said. “But my business has been… impacted by the resort. It’s a bit of a sore spot.”
“Oh, wow, I’m sorry,” Liberty said automatically.
“Don’t be,” Connor said. “Why don’t we grab you a glass of tea?”
They headed over to some picnic tables that held mismatched glass pitchers of sweet tea with fresh mint, and platters of appetizers.
“We all just bring what we like to cook,” Connor said. “That way we all get our favorites and Mom doesn’t have to do it all. I know your mom has a birthday coming up. So, we’ll all make her favorites for that, like we always do.”
“Is this the nurse?” a man sporting shaggy brown hair with streaks of gray asked as he approached.
“I sure am,” Liberty said. “Liberty.”
“Liam,” he replied.
“You’re the doctor,” she said.
She wasn’t sure what she had expected the doctor to look like, but certainly nothing like the rugged man with slightly too-long hair and a dimple in his cheek who was smiling at her now. He was boyishly handsome, though he had to be at least her mom’s age.
“Sure am,” he told her. “You’re not thinking of sticking around by any chance, are you? We can always use more nurses around here.”
“Oh,” she said, surprised. “I’ll have to get back up to Philadelphia sooner or later. For now, I’m on vacation time, and then I’ll probably see some patients virtually if I’m still here.”
“That’s a shame,” he said. “So, you’re down here to help your mom with the house?”
“Yes,” she said. “And to get a little time away.”
He nodded without asking what she was getting away from and she felt a little wave of gratitude and relief.
“Hey, no pressure, but my son helped me make this hummus,” he told her, pointing to a dish of creamy dip with a little olive oil on top. “And the pita just came out of the oven.”
She grabbed a triangle of warm pita and dragged it through the hummus before taking a bite.
“Mmm,” she hummed. “Can everyone in this family cook?”
“Well, we didn’t have a TV growing up,” Liam laughed. “And there’s only so much to do around here. But Mom kept a well-stocked kitchen.”
“I sure did,” Mary said on her way past with a casserole dish in her oven-mitt wrapped hands.
Liberty looked after her and saw that Glory and a teen boy about Glory’s age were playing with a little girl who couldn’t have been more than two or three.
“That’s my son, Dylan,” Liam said. “And that’s Becca’s granddaughter, Fern.”
“They’re so sweet together,” Liberty said.
“This reminds me so much of when we were kids,” Jess said fondly, walking up and putting a hand on Liberty’s shoulder. “The big kids always played with the little kids. Remember little Kyle playing in the sandpile?”
“He loved it in there,” Liam chuckled.
“You didn’t even get mad at him when he wrecked your castles and trenches,” Jess said, shaking her head and smiling.
“He was adorable,” Liam said smiling back so that his dimple popped again.
“Still am,” Kyle yelled from the other picnic table, and stuck a shrimp in his mouth.
Just then, little Fern came barreling toward them, laughing, with Glory and Dylan in hot pursuit.
Unfortunately, she tripped over her own little feet and fell down hard right in front of Liberty. Glory and Dylan stopped in their tracks, looking worried, and Liberty heard her mom’s swift intake of breath behind her.
Before anyone could scare the little one by making too big a deal out of the tumble, Liberty offered her a helping hand.
“Goodness,” she said brightly to the toddler. “Is that a fish on your shirt?”
Fern blinked at her suspiciously for a minute, then got herself up and stuck out her round little belly before pointing at it.
“Fish,” she said proudly. “Fish.”
“It is a fish,” Liberty said. “I knew it. What does a fish like to do?”
“Swimming,” Fern said, moving her arms and wiggling her little bottom to demonstrate. “Fish. Swimming.”
“That’s so cool,” Liberty told her calmly. “You’re an amazing baby.”
Fern let out a shiver of laughter and took off again, her teenaged crew following behind her like a pair of enormous ducklings.
“Somebody’s going to be a great mom,” Becca said, winking at Jess.
The words pierced Liberty’s heart like a knife and hot tears instantly prickled her eyes. The grief and pain had come on so suddenly that it was all she could do to launch herself off the bench and head for the driveway.
“Forgot my phone in the car,” she mumbled.
Just get away from everyone before you cry,she begged herself inwardly. Don’t let anyone see.
But the tears were already sliding down her cheeks.
And she realized too late that Glory was standing under the gumbo tree, lifting Fern into the tire swing. She had heard everything that was said, and she could see the tears on Liberty’s face now.
“Libby?” she whispered.
But Liberty broke into a jog and didn’t stop until she reached the car.
Once she was out of sight, she put her head in her hands, wondering if she would ever feel like herself again.