38. Jess
Jess stepped into the greenhouse room from the outside door.
Marta, who had been sitting facing the other door, was so startled that she practically tossed her teacup into the air.
“Gracious, Jess,” she exclaimed.
“Sorry, sorry,” Jess said restlessly. “I didn’t want to bump into anyone, so I snuck around the backyard.”
“You okay?” Nikki asked. “You look kind of… keyed up.”
“I am,” Jess told her. “Can you gather the girls for me and bring them in here. I need to talk to them.”
“Of course we will,” Marta said. “Won’t we, Nikki?”
Nikki was still staring at Jess, but she nodded and reluctantly allowed Marta to lead her out of the room as Jess began pacing.
She knew, practically speaking, that of course they should all just stay here. She could take Everett up on his offer to send for their things. She could call Joanie and the McKinnons again and let them all know what was going on, and that they’d be back for vacation one of these days.
It would be the easiest thing in the world.
But her heart sank at the idea.
She busied herself with the flowers, taking a pair of pruning shears from the wooden shelf and trimming back a few things, then grabbing a spray bottle of water for the poor orchids. The gardener did a good job, but no one babied the plants like Jess did.
She lost herself in her work, and a few minutes later, the door from the hallway opened and the girls spilled in.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Liberty asked worriedly.
“Oh honey, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Jess said right away. “I spoke with your uncle. He’s the executor of your dad’s estate and he let me know what’s going on. I have a few things I wanted to discuss with the three of you. Let’s sit and talk for a minute.”
The three girls sat around the wooden table, but Jess continued to pace a little, trying to decide where to begin.
“First things first,” she decided out loud. “Everett says your father left me everything.”
She’d learned that from Silas’s letter, but hearing it from Everett made it feel official.
“Thank God,” Liberty breathed.
“Seriously?” Glory said, rolling her eyes at her sister.
“He didn’t have to,” Liberty pointed out. “People do weird things when they find out they’re dying. As we know.”
Liberty cleared her throat nervously, as if she were worried it was too soon to talk about what had happened.
“That’s very true,” Jess said quickly. “So, the first thing I wanted to let you know is that we don’t have to leave this house. As a matter of fact, we don’t have to go back to Florida at all. Everett can have our things sent up, if that’s what we want.”
“But the Fourth of July is coming up,” Glory said, her voice pitching up. “There’s going to be a whole big thing down there—parades, music, fireworks over the ocean.”
“Do you really want to stay here, Mom?” Anthem asked quietly. “It seems a little creepy here without Dad.”
“This is your childhood home, honey,” Jess said carefully. “You might not always feel that way about it. And we have a community of people here who care about us.”
“You can’t mean those awful phonies out there,” Anthem said. “Marta and Nikki excluded, of course. None of them can hold a candle to our Driftwood Key friends.”
Jess’s heart began to beat faster, and she tried to hide her smile as she turned to Liberty.
“Aren’t you happier there?” Liberty asked simply.
“It feels like home,” Glory said right away. “We’re all happier there, the people are nicer, and it’s just… better.”
“We’re all closer there,” Anthem said, venturing a glance at Glory.
But Glory was staring at Jess, who was misting the orchids with a little water without realizing she was doing it.
“Aren’t those the same kind of flowers that are all over the place at the beach house, Mom?” Glory asked.
“They’re looking a little droopy,” Jess said. “But, yes, they’re the same flowers. They just need a little extra love.”
“But there’s like a million of them at Seashell Lane,” Glory said. “You’d think they’d be easy to grow.”
“They’re not native to this climate,” Jess said, shrugging. “They thrive when they’re where they belong.”
Her own words stilled her hands as she realized that her daughter had been talking about more than some silly flowers.
“Where do you belong, Mom?” Glory asked.
Jess gazed down at the delicate blossoms in front of her. In the greenhouse, it took so much effort just to keep them alive. But at the house in Driftwood Key, they thrived in the wild without anyone’s help, because that was their home.
She thought of her girls, of herself, all as cultivated and coddled as these poor orchids, always relying on someone else just to survive.
Maybe it was time for them all to be somewhere they could finally thrive on their own.
“I want to go home,” she heard herself say.
The girls let out a cheer at the table, but Jess cut them short.
“But I’m not the only one who has a say in this,” she explained. “Glory is starting her senior year soon, and her school is here.”
“After the way this year ended up,” Glory said, “I don’t feel super excited to go back. And besides, I already have friends at the resort that would be in my class if I went to school down there–like, real friends, who like me because I’m me, not just because I’m on the cheer squad and dating the right boy.”
Jess could tell that Glory really meant it. And it was true that she hadn’t seen her youngest daughter so at peace in a long time. Maybe finishing high school in the Keys really would be good for her.
“I don’t know,” Jess said, looking to her older daughters. “Everything is still up in the air with you two. Besides, Uncle Everett says we won’t see any money at all until after the hospital bills are paid. And those bills could be unimaginably high. The house down there still needs so much work, and it will need maintenance too—more than I can pay for on part-time wages from the flower shop. It’s all just so… uncertain.”
And that was really the heart of it. After spending so many years feeling like every single aspect of her life was planned out for her as far as she could see, it was scary for Jess to think about having so many unknowns to deal with. Scary, and maybe just a little exciting.
“Mom,” Liberty said, putting an arm on Anthem’s shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about us. We’re adults, and we can take care of ourselves. Although, if you are really going back down, I’d love to come with you and help you with the house while I get my own stuff straightened out.”
“Me too,” Anthem added. “It’s been really great having us all back together.”
Jess couldn’t argue with that. Her time with all three of her daughters under one roof again had been more than she could have hoped for. The idea of continuing that, even if it was only temporary, seemed too good to pass up.
She looked at them each in turn, and marveled at the fact that they were all counting on her to make the decisions now. Taking them away from what they had always known would be a risk. But she thought maybe it was a risk worth taking if it meant teaching them to follow their hearts and chase what truly made them happy. Even if she had no idea how it would all work out, they would figure it out, together.
“I guess we could give it a shot,” Jess said at last.
And before she could say another word, all three of her daughters immediately began talking about how soon they might be able to head out and what they wanted to take with them this time.
The sky was darkening outside the greenhouse windows, but in Jess’s heart it felt like the sun was just coming out. She’d expected some pushback from the girls, but they honestly seemed ever more excited than she was, and fifteen minutes later, the decision had been finalized.
They were all going back to Driftwood Key.
Once they were ready, Jess sent Glory to find her uncle and ask him to come talk with them all about their plans. But Justine slipped in the greenhouse room door before they returned.
“Aunt Jess,” she said softly. “Can I talk to you?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Jess said. “What is it?”
“I, um, Glory just went by and told me you were going back to Florida,” she said shyly. “And I was just wondering if… maybe I could come with you?”
Jess’s heart went out to the girl, and Clint’s words suddenly echoed in her mind:
Do you have another young woman under your wing, looking for guidance now?
“As long as you clear it with your father, we’d love to have you,” Jess told her. “Right, girls?”
“Yes,” Liberty said right away. “Absolutely.”
“Of course,” Anthem said. “I was hoping you would.”
Before they could talk about it anymore, Glory came in with Everett, who gazed expectantly at Jess.
“We’re going back to the Keys,” Jess told him with a smile. “All of us. And we’d love it if you could handle things for us here.”
“Jess, are you sure?” Everett asked, his forehead furrowing. “This is a big decision to make when you’re still emotional. And your financial situation is… uncertain.”
“Girls, can you give us the room please?” Jess asked, without breaking eye contact with her brother-in-law.
The girls scrambled to leave, and then they were alone in the greenhouse.
“You told me not half an hour ago that you weren’t here to tell me what to do,” she said coolly. “Were you telling the truth, or do I need to hire a different lawyer?”
“Jess, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“Good,” she told him. “Don’t let it happen again and we won’t have a problem.”
Suddenly he was smiling at her with such warmth in his eyes it almost gave her whiplash.
“What?” she asked, feeling irritated.
“You,” he said simply. “You’re so strong. I feel sorry for my brother that he never got to see you this way.”
The idea of it gave Jess a little thrill. But that wasn’t why she was doing any of this. She was just looking out for her and her daughters, for all of her girls now.
“Justine has asked for permission to come and stay with us,” Jess said, deciding to strike while he was noticing her strength. “Her cousins and I would all like that very much, if it’s all right with you.”
“She’s of age,” Everett said. “It’s not like I can stop her.”
“That’s not what I’m asking,” Jess said. “You’re still her father, still paying for her education, and still worrying over her, same as before. And she obviously has a lot going on right now. I won’t take her away from her family if you want her close. But if we have your blessing, I promise to watch over her, just like you would.”
“Better than I would, I’m sure,” he said, pacing toward the back of the room and running a hand through his dark hair. “I think you are exactly the family she could use right now.”
“Everett,” she said helplessly. “Kids need different things at different times. You kept them safe and raised the two of them to both be good people. That’s no easy task for a single father.”
“You really are incredible, Jess. You know that?” he said, turning back and coming to a stop right in front of her.
For just a second, his eyes flashed with emotion.
“If I’d had a partner like you…” he murmured, trailing off.
His voice was dark and passionate, and he was looking at her like she was the most wonderful creature he had ever seen.
Before Jess could respond, the door flew open and Justine rushed in, holding out a phone.
“Aunt Jess,” she said. “There’s someone looking for you. It sounds like it’s important.”
“Hello?” Jess said, her heart beginning to pound.
“Jess.”
She would have known that voice anywhere—even though the dark, gravelly sound was on edge now.
“Clint,” she said worriedly. “What’s going on?”
Visions of Mary falling ill descended on her and her heart began to pound.
“I just got to your house,” Clint said. “And it looks like someone’s been in here.”
“What?” Jess asked, her mind racing.
“And there’s a man in town,” Clint went on. “A stranger. He’s been all over the place. And he’s demanding to see your daughter.”
“Don’t worry,” Jess told him, her free hand touching the sea glass pendant that she wore. “We’ll be home soon.”
***