Chapter 3 #2
After looking around for something else to help load and finding nothing that she could manage, she opened the latch door to the small closet under the house and retrieved the broom.
It was wide-bristled with a very long handle, and she remembered how they always used to have one to push the water off the pavement after big storms. And even if the water retreated, it would still fill the concrete pavement underneath with sand and debris.
She pushed the broom across the surface, looking for nails and any other materials that could be dangerous as she walked.
Jake’s concern was kind, but it was clear that he had been extra cautious, as there wasn’t a thing on the pavement.
She finished sweeping and leaned the broom against one of the stilts as he walked up beside her.
“Do you think your family likes the cottage?” he asked.
She nodded. “It’s perfect in every way. I love everything about it and couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend two weeks.”
He smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
She was so glad Nan had made them all come.
“This is one of those places that I didn’t realize I loved so much until I came back.
We haven’t been to the Outer Banks since I was a teenager.
It has been a while…” She turned toward the wind, allowing it to push against her face, and, like an old friend, it wrapped around her, embracing her as if to say it had been too long.
The slower pace, the simplicity—it was as if she’d needed it to recharge her batteries, and until that moment, she hadn’t realized they were so low.
“I remember being here as a boy,” he said, and she turned to face him.
“There was a time when all I wanted was something else, something different than what I was used to. But then, after I left, I realized that what I really wanted was right here, and I could fill in the gaps in my life myself as long as I was here.”
Faith could understand what he meant completely.
“You and your sister seemed pretty caught up earlier. Everything okay?”
Had he seen them talking? Had he watched Casey cry?
At the time, the only thing Faith had focused on was Casey.
She hadn’t given a single thought to who may be watching them from inside.
How would she explain to Jake all that had gone on between her and Casey?
She took in a deep breath as she tried to find something to say. But he’d already figured it out.
“From the look on your face, things aren’t okay.”
Once again, they’d managed to slide into unfamiliar territory.
How was she supposed to discuss something this serious with him?
He didn’t know her at all. Yet, there was something in his face that showed his concern for her—his head turned to the side as he waited, his brows creased.
It seemed genuine, sympathetic, and she was taken aback by the fact that this man could show such worry for a person he’d only just met.
The funny thing was, she wanted to tell him.
But she was standing outside where anyone could overhear.
“It’s complicated,” she said finally.
He nodded. “Yeah. I could tell.”
“It’s okay, though,” she lied, trying to find a graceful way to move the conversation forward.
She really wanted to sit down in the rocking chairs on the porch and pour her heart out to him.
There was something about him that made her feel like she could tell him things, and he seemed to really want to know.
He didn’t know when he’d asked if she was okay what he was really asking, and she didn’t want to weigh him down with a conversation like that. Not here. Not now.
He seemed to read her mind, nodding again as if he’d heard her internal battle. “You don’t need to tell me, and I don’t want to pry, as long as you are okay. I should probably get going.”
She didn’t want him to go. She knew he wasn’t going to stay all night; that would be imposing. But she wished she could have a little more time to talk. She walked with him to the driver’s side of his truck.
As he got in, Faith said, “I’ll see you later,” hoping that would be true.
He leaned on the open window with his forearms. “You will?” he said with a smile, his eyebrows raised in anticipation. “I hope so.”
She laughed, her stomach a mess of nerves. She’d never felt such a rush of excitement over someone before. She took a step back and he started the engine. As he backed out of the drive, he raised his hand to wave. She turned around and headed toward the house, unable to wipe the smile off her face.
“Nan!” Faith said with a gasp as she walked out onto the porch. “Are you drinking a margarita?”
Nan was sitting on one of two rocking chairs, the pink, frozen drink looking out of place in her withered hands.
She’d been wondering where Nan had gone for the last half hour.
They’d started a card game inside to keep Isabella busy, and Faith had had a hard time breaking away.
She’d been thankful for the card game. It took away the pressure on her and Casey, and it managed to lift the earlier mood.
It was also fun to see her niece as she smiled, the way her lips pressed together, her eyes showing surprise every time she had a good hand.
But if Faith had known her grandmother was outside, she’d have tried to join her a little sooner.
“Is there an age requirement or something?” Nan asked just before she lifted the glass to her lips and took a long, slow sip.
“I asked your mother to make me one, although, it’s so cold, it’s freezing me down to the bone.
That’s why I’d come out here in the first place.
The new air conditioner is certainly working well. ”
Faith pulled the other rocking chair over and sat down next to her nan. She looked past the new-window sticker into the house. Casey, her mom, and Isabella were laughing at something, cards spread across the table.
“Did the carpenter leave?” Nan asked.
“Yes. He only stayed for one drink.”
“Mm.” She looked down at her margarita, swirling the melting ice around in the glass. “I was hoping to catch him. I have some ideas about improvements. Wouldn’t a built-in shelf look just perfect over by the sofa on that wall?” She glanced in through the window. “He could add some cabinets…”
It was good for Jake that he’d left when he had. Faith was sure he didn’t need a ninety-year-old renter telling him what improvements to make. It wasn’t hers to change, and that fact settled heavy in Faith’s chest. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn’t their cottage.
Nan was never worried about offering her opinion.
The good thing about that was that one never had to guess what she was thinking.
She’d be more than happy to let everyone know—good or bad.
She’d made sure to tell Faith what she thought about her attending college so far away, and she’d let them know when she thought they were being obtuse about the whole Scott issue.
Nan didn’t approve of Casey’s behavior—she’d told them both that—but she was determined not to let anything come between the sisters.
She’d demanded that Faith come to visit them when Casey had been in town staying with her mother.
She looked to find ways to get Faith to drop in, but Faith had conveniently made excuses until the day Casey left to go back to Boston.
“Faith,” she’d said afterwards, that day, “you have to let it go.” It had been easier said than done back then.
All her life, Casey had been the center of attention, always getting what she wanted, and Faith had sat in her shadow.
Faith hadn’t wanted to be around her sister, but as their separation increased, she realized how much she missed Casey.
She could see now just how right her grandmother had been.
If only she’d listened and tried sooner. Well, she was going to try now.
“You know, your grandfather didn’t like me to drink alcohol. He said it wasn’t ladylike.”
“And what did you think?”
“I told him that a lady is a lady whether she’s having a drink or not, and how she handles herself is an expression of the type of person she is.”
“What did he say to that?”
“He smiled and shook his head at me. He knew I was right.” She winked at Faith. “But I still never had a drink in front of him.”
“Why?”
“Respect. I loved him. He didn’t like to see me having a drink, clearly. So, I didn’t bother. I respected his wishes.”
“Why are you having one now?” She knew her grandmother’s loyalty to her grandfather, so she was quite curious to hear the answer.
“I figured I’d better, if I want one, because in no time at all I’ll be looking for John, and, once I find him, I won’t be thinking about this drink anymore.” She offered a devious smile.