Chapter Nine
Mae
The sun cast a warm glow across the horizon. The tranquil ocean stretched as far as I could see. The inky blue shimmered from the sun’s rays as a gentle breeze rippled the water. It was magnificent. I only wished I knew why each of my siblings and I had been given an envelope.
From the patio, a scene of unmatched beauty unfolded. The ocean, a never-ending tapestry of blue, stretched as far as the eye could see. The waves, like a heartbeat, steadily kissed the pillars below, their soft slush a chorus that invited me to lose myself in the memories of Tyler.
It didn’t matter that I was surrounded by my siblings as we waited for my parents to show up. I could only think about Tyler and the sadness deeply embedded in his gaze. He looked exhausted and emotionally worn down. His shoulders had sunk, and even his breathing seemed heavier. I couldn’t imagine what had happened in the last few hours since I’d seen him earlier, but it made my heart ache.
I sighed silently as the salty sea air mingled with the fragrant lilac blossoms edged along the restaurant patio, creating an aromatic scent. The patio, made of richly stained cedar, complemented the brightly painted tables and seating areas in reds and blues.
A large yacht in the distance glided effortlessly across the water, highlighting a masterpiece of colors in the sky. Deep blues, turquoise, and soft clouds blended effortlessly. It was the perfect backdrop for the summer evening.
There was a reason I loved living on Marigold Island. It wasn’t just beautiful. It was heavenly and provided the perfect escape. It always had.
Except that wasn’t the case for Tyler, and I suddenly felt foolish about how na?ve I’d been about his upbringing and mine.
I was lucky. My family had always been close, and my parents were always kind. It was hard to reconcile that someone I’d felt close to growing up didn’t have that same upbringing, and I didn’t even realize it.
That was the worst part. He’d been suffering all those years, and I didn’t have a clue.
“They”re here,” Audrey said, standing across from me. She picked up her Diet Coke and held it up as we all turned to see my parents approach us.
My mom’s hand clutched my dad’s as they smiled and walked toward us. Since they were both smiling, I wanted to believe it meant that whatever they had to share with us wasn’t health-related.
They went around the table, hugged us each, and took their seats next to Audrey.
“It’s so good to have all my kids here at the same table,” my mom gushed. “We’re usually always missing one of you.”
Brad chuckled, knowing he was the one she was referring to.
“Alright, Mom.” Emily laughed. “Can we open the envelopes now, or are you going to make us wait?”
The server came over, and my parents ordered two bottles of wine and some appetizers.
My dad squeezed my mom as she took a deep breath and smiled. She tipped her head and rested it against my dad’s shoulder.
“Out with it,” my sister Amelia said, laughing nervously.
My mom squeezed her eyes shut. “We’re retiring.”
My eyes widened as everyone gasped.
One thing we knew would never happen was my mom retiring from her beloved antique store.
She reached over and squeezed my dad’s hand. “It’s time, and I trust it will be in good hands.”
Brad shook his head. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
My mom chuckled. “You’ll be seeing it pretty soon.”
“Why’s that?” Audrey asked as she scooped her dark hair into a ponytail. She started fanning herself with a napkin.
My mom cocked her head. “We’re leaving for Europe in three days. Are you okay? Why are you so hot?”
“Three days?” Amelia’s voice went up an octave as Audrey put her napkin down and stared at our parents.
To say this was unlike them was an understatement.
“What’s happening in three days?” Audrey asked, fanning herself again with the menu this time.
“We’re headed to Europe.” My dad grinned, looking at each of us before moving his gaze to my mom.
“How do you decide to go to Europe overnight?” Audrey asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“Honey, are you okay?” my mom prompted, looking at Audrey.
“I’m fine. I’m just…” She straightened in her seat. “I’m not ready for this.”
“You all practically run the store, anyway. You won’t even notice I’m missing,” my mom teased.
“Why in three days?” Brad asked, scratching his head.
“Our friends booked a chateau, but they can’t go. They’d lose all their money.” My mom breathed in deeply.
“Where in Europe?” I asked, trying to reconcile what this meant for everyone. I had just opened my own coffee shop, so I assumed that meant my siblings would be responsible for the store, but I didn’t know. None of us had ever brought this up because we never believed my parents would retire.
“The French countryside,” my mom gushed. “We’ll be flying into London, staying there a week, and driving up to Scotland after.”
“We’ll putter around there before heading back to London. Then we’ll go to Paris and spend the remainder of the summer there,” my dad added.
“Summer?” I asked. “How long are you going to be gone?”
My mom shrugged and looked at my dad fondly. “What was it, three months we planned on?”
“Three months?” Audrey shook her head in disbelief. “You wouldn’t even go to New York for more than four days because you worried about everything back home.”
“The time is right,” my mom announced. “I can feel it.”
And the thing about my family was that everything had to do with feelings and instincts. What did your heart say? What did your gut tell you?
The problem for me was that I was more practical. I liked setting goals, like opening a coffee shop, and seeing them through. Even when my instincts tried to kick in, I habitually ignored them.
Sure. There was no denying that my family had a touch of something that allowed most of us to navigate the world by believing in something other than ourselves. But with Amelia touching antiques and being plagued with ancient memories from whoever had owned it previously to Emily’s love affair with words and the books that spoke to her, I couldn’t help but wonder why I’d been skipped with this mystical power.
My grandma had always said we were a family full of mystics, but I was pretty certain it skipped over me and Brad.
I tended to jump on things that were plain as day, right in front of me.
Clearing my throat and glancing at my siblings, I asked the most obvious question.
“What about Dottie? Who’s going to watch her?”
Dottie was my mom’s pride and joy, a tan pug with constant snorts and a curly tail who roamed the antique store by day and snuggled by my parents’ fireplace by night.
Brad shook his head. “Can’t be at my place. Oscar hates Dottie.”
My brows arched as I chuckled. “Your cat hates everyone and everything.”
“I would never do that to our Dottie. Your cat is downright evil.” My mom frowned and turned to look at me. “I was hoping you’d be able to watch her.”
“My house barely fits me inside,” I said, laughing. “But sure.”
I recognized I was the obvious choice. Emily and Amelia were busy in their new relationships, while Audrey and Brad enjoyed singledom and tended to be out most nights of the week.
Then there was me.
“We’ll watch Dottie at the store,” Brad offered.
I nodded with a smile. “And I’ll spoil her at my home, but I’ll have to get one of those air conditioners for the window. Her flat face gets her all hot and bothered.”
My mom chuckled. “Already thought of it. We have one in the trunk.”
Living on an island always made our summers cooler than most of Washington, but not cool enough for a pug. She’d probably keel over if my little home heated up like a sauna this summer.
I was so baffled by the turn of events that I just sat and stared at the water. I couldn’t imagine my parents up and leaving for three months and coming back as retirees.
Did my mom really want to stop coming into the antique store?
“Is there something else going on?” Audrey asked, looking at my mom. “You’re not usually this impulsive.”
My mom shook her head as the server brought out the appetizers, drinks, and bottles of wine before informing us the family-style dinner of chicken piccata, lasagna, and garlic prawns would be out shortly.
“No.” She sighed. “My friend Janet, you know, the one I went to high school with, and she moved to Arizona… her husband died. Just up and died out of nowhere. It’s actually her rental we’re taking over. Losing all that money is the least of the things she needs right now.” My mom shrugged. “Anyway, it got me thinking that maybe we should step outside our treasured antique store and live a little. Not to mention what happened with Grandma. Granted, she’s up and kicking now…”
My chest tightened at the thought. It was true. In recent months, we’d been reminded how precious life could be.
I nodded and drew a deep breath. “I’m excited for you two. It will allow you to escape from us and be a couple.”
My dad chuckled. “What a concept. Nothing like kicking up our heels after we started collecting social security.”
I smiled, seeing the love between my two parents. That was the thing. It was always very apparent between them. They set the bar high, and I was so happy that Amelia and Emily had found their forevers too, and maybe Dottie becoming my happily-ever-after wasn’t so bad. She was a great little sidekick, had a heart of gold, and got on well with others.
Brad was helping himself to bruschetta while Audrey took a slice of focaccia. The table fell briefly silent while we let the news soak in.
“I think now is a good time to open your envelopes.” My mom looked over at me.
I nodded, sliding mine out of my purse and placing it in front of me while my siblings did the same.
My mom always had a flair for the dramatics, so it didn’t surprise me that whatever we were about to open had a lot of buildup.
“All together or individual?” Brad asked, glancing at my parents before shrugging.
“I’d like each of you to open it individually and read it aloud.” My mom’s gaze went from Brad to each of us.
“Are you about to tell us you’re never coming back?” I teased, feeling an uncertainty swelling inside me.
They were essentially only gone for the summer, but we’d always had our parents around to shoot ideas off or complain about life, and this was just so unexpected. I thought back to Tyler and how he’d never had that closeness with his parents.
He and his brother just had to face the world and whatever was thrown their way, and by the looks of things, they’d both excelled.
“No, but we decided we didn’t want to wait until we kicked the bucket to tell our children what they meant to us.” My mom smiled and took a sip of wine that the server had brought.
Foolishness curled through me briefly when I thought about how this would only be for a summer, and Tyler never even had parents he wanted to be around, let alone miss.
“Why don’t you go first, dear?” My mom looked at me, and I gave a quick nod before looking at the elegant scrawl of my mom’s handwriting on the envelope.
I sensed my siblings’ gazes on me, and I looked up to see Audrey gesturing to hurry up so she could get to hers.
Sliding my finger along the flap, I pulled out a handwritten letter and slowly unfolded the floral paper as a check fell out.
“What is this?” I asked, noticing the large sum scrawled in the box.
“We’re handing over the antique store to your siblings, and that is your share of the valuation.”
I shook my head. “Mom, I don’t…”
My dad’s hand shot up. “Nonsense. We’ve never wanted this antique store to get in the way of your dreams or be penalized for following them. This is the fair way to do it. Emily is also getting a little bit more of a payout since she’ll be getting less from the running of it.”
I glanced at my siblings, who smiled and nodded in agreement. “Well, thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”
I’d never had this kind of money before. Even when I was close, it all went to opening the coffee shop, and much of that was from loans I took out.
“Now, read the letter,” my mom said, smiling.
To our firstborn and the baby who tricked us into having so many more. From your giggles to your daily delight, we couldn’t be prouder of the woman you’ve become. You set goals, and you achieve them. But never stop believing in your dreams, even if they seem impossible. We love you and can’t wait to bother you nonstop while we’re retired. Dad already has his favorite table by the window picked out for his daily coffee.
Love,
Mom and Dad
I looked up at my parents and smiled. “Thank you, guys. It means a lot. Was I really that good of a baby?”
My mom chuckled. “Sensational, really.” She glanced at my brother, who was the second born. “And then this one showed up and kept us on our toes. But we loved every second of it all.”
I stood and walked over to my parents and hugged them, realizing how precious this relationship was, and I’d do everything in my power to show Tyler he deserved the same.
“I want to go next,” Brad offered, holding up his envelope.
“Go ahead,” my dad said, looking at each of his children. “Just know that each of you will be getting a smaller check based on splitting the future profits from the antique store, but we did want to make sure you all got a little something.”
“Dad, you really didn’t have to do that,” Brad said, smiling and shaking his head. “But thank you.”
“We never expected our kids to want to pick up where we left off,” my mom said. “It means a lot that you’re all here on Marigold, for the most part.”
Brad nodded, opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter, reading it quickly and sniffling before pretending to cough.
“Are you sure Emily didn’t write this?” Brad teased, knowing our sister had a way with words.
“Who do you think she got her writing talent from?” My mom winked at him and looked around the table.
My sisters opened their envelopes, quietly reading the letters, and my mind drifted to Tyler.
Did he ever feel loved by his parents? Was there ever a moment when he felt that warmth coat over him like the comfort it should?
The server brought our dishes that smelled heavenly, and I let out a silent sigh, wishing all families could be as tight as ours and knowing that could never be.