13. Eli
E li watched Tessa, Lacey, and Nolie doing…something…on the boardwalk. Prancing and dancing, and so much laughter, he could hear it from his comfortable seat on the deck. Nolie’s giggles carried through the air like music to accompany the evening.
He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds, awash with that peace he’d found years ago. The peace that surpassed understanding, the Bible called it.
But he understood this peace—there was a glow about the Summer House these days, as warm as the sun that just dipped into the Gulf.
When Crista had shown up and flung accusations, Vivien told him he’d have to build bridges to fix things. Somehow, Tessa had been the architect of this détente, or maybe it was Nolie who got the credit.
No, God got the credit, he thought with a smile. For that and many other miracles happening around him.
For one thing, he’d managed to close some business and design a whole house working remotely from this beachfront haven. Yes, it took the help of his superstar daughter, who managed Acacia Architecture masterfully in his absence.
Meredith fully understood why he was staying down here, and it could be summed up in one word: Jonah. He and his son had connected after years of estrangement and Eli simply didn’t want to disappear now. This new bond was another miracle, one that he thanked the Lord for every day.
And that wasn’t the only great change on the horizon. Vivien was out this very moment on a date with a fine man. Eli loved the idea of his little sister falling for his best friend, which reminded him of those Hallmark movies Melissa used to watch constantly.
At the memory of his late wife, he sucked in a soft breath, realizing he hadn’t thought about her much today.
Not that he obsessed over her—he’d learned years ago to pack up his grief in order to survive and thrive. But that baggage was opened frequently enough, usually upon waking, a few times during his day, and late at night, before bed. When he prayed, he never failed to thank God for having given him Melissa in the first place, and stayed secure in the knowledge and the promise that he would see her again.
But today? The Melissa thoughts had been light. And the Kate thoughts…
He puffed out a breath. The Kate thoughts were darn near constant and made him want yet another miracle.
Jonah came outside, sauntering toward the sitting area with his ubiquitous dish towel over his shoulder, having just cleaned up after a delicious dinner. But his expression was serious as he plopped down in a chair, enough that Eli frowned.
“What’s up?” Eli asked.
He sighed. “I really miss Carly.”
Eli gave a tight smile, understanding the sentiment. Maybe he needed two miracles from God, one for him and one for his son.
Jonah didn’t talk much about the girlfriend he’d left in California. She’d told Jonah she hadn’t thought he was mature enough to be a father, and that prompted major changes in the young man. All good changes, but would it be enough for Carly to let him back into her life—and the life of the baby that would be born in a matter of weeks?
“Have you talked to her recently?” he asked.
“I try to contact her every day, but she’s not always available. Sometimes she doesn’t text back.”
Eli hadn’t really heard too much about this woman, but nothing he had gleaned from Jonah made him too excited about her. He didn’t really know the spirit of her ultimatum—if he passed, would she stay with him? Would she give him access to their child? Would she share the responsibilities?
Eli didn’t know any of this, but hoped Jonah did. And no matter what the answers to those questions were, Eli would support his son.
“If you want to keep that woman in your life, show her you care by calling her every single day and sharing your life,” Eli said. “Even if she doesn’t always call back.”
Jonah sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”
“What does she think about the Culinary Arts program?” Eli asked.
“She’s kind of like…she’ll believe it when she sees it.”
“Then she’ll believe it very soon. When you get accepted.”
Jonah’s eyes shuttered and he dropped his head back. “ If I get accepted.”
Just then, Vivien stepped out on the deck, looking fresh from the sea breeze, her expression glowing. Her dark gold hair was tousled and there was a lightness in her step that Eli hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Hey, boys. How’s life in the Summer House?” She slipped off her sandals and made her way to the sofa, plopping down. “I hear laughter on the beach.”
“Where there is Nolie, there is laughter,” Jonah joked.
“Where’s Pete?” Eli asked. “Everything go okay tonight?”
“He has to do an early call with his investigative team, so he headed back to his place. And, yes, we had a wonderful time.” Her cheeks flushed a little as she slid Eli a look. “I can’t believe you never told him about the mountain of a crush I had on him. Thank you.”
He flicked his hands. “I got your back, little sister. Unless you told him.”
“He coerced it out of me,” she said, propping her feet on the coffee table. “I forgot he’s a professional interrogator. Oh, and we may have seen a crime in action. I think my new client, Fiona, might be getting scammed by her unqualified yet handsome handyman. I’m going to keep an eye on him, per Peter’s instructions.”
“We have an announcement!” Nolie came running up the spiral steps from the first floor, breathless as she rushed across the deck with Pittypat clutched in one arm. “Everybody in the living room!”
Tessa and Lacey followed a moment later.
“Listen to the child, will ya?” Tessa pointed inside. “We have news and need everyone. Where’s Crista?”
As they gathered inside, Crista came downstairs in pajamas, her hair damp from a shower, her phone in her hand. “Nolie, I have Daddy on the phone, and he wants to talk to you.”
“I can’t talk now,” she said, her voice high with excitement. “We have an announcement! Sit down, Mommy!”
“I’ll put him on FaceTime,” Crista said, touching the phone as she joined them and gave everyone a chance to say hi to Anthony.
“Okay, okay.” Tessa clapped like a schoolteacher. “Do we have a quorum? All accounted for?”
All but Kate, Eli thought, but he just listened to the buzz of the group as they gathered in the living room.
Tessa turned to Nolie. “Would you like to do the honors, Figgie?”
Nolie gasped, looking between Tessa and Lacey. “Me? Really? I get to say it?”
Crista’s eyes softened and she whispered into the phone, “It’s a nickname. Tessa calls her Figsworth.” She waited a beat. “Yes, like the boy in her class. I honestly don’t know. But, please, just watch.”
Eli observed the exchange and wondered if Anthony might not fully appreciate what was going on down here. Eli hoped he could see that even Crista’s posture was relaxed. He knew that Anthony was opposed to them keeping this house—a subject they’d danced around these past few days. Still, Eli was glad his brother-in-law was a witness to…whatever they were about to witness.
“Go for it, kiddo,” Lacey encouraged.
“Daddy’s watching, too,” Crista told her.
Nolie beamed, standing up and dramatically tossing her hands in the air. “As you know, Tessa and Lacey’s party business got a big job.”
“Your business, too,” Tessa interjected. “You have a title, Figsworth.”
She giggled and looked right at the phone. “I’m the Junior Joy Co…co…”
“Coordinator,” Tessa supplied gently. “Play your cards right and you’ll be the Senior Joy Coordinator.”
Nolie tried to be serious, but obviously was having too much fun as they cheered her new title.
She scooped up Pittypat and held her the very same way Eli had seen Maggie hold the dog, and with the same love.
“You’re all going to be in a wedding!” she hollered, then twirled in a perfect pirouette. “And so am I!”
The whole group reacted with surprise, gasps, and questions, and poor Nolie lost control of her crowd, spiraling into giggles.
“You tell them, Tessa,” she said, smashing her face into Pittypat. “You.”
“All right, all right.” Tessa slipped into a chair and looked at them. “As you know, we’ve landed the grand opening event for Lumière, a bridal salon, and we’re doing a runway fashion show. It’s going to be held here, and that boardwalk will be the runway—and the aisle.”
Again, they reacted and Eli raised his brows. “Very cool,” he said. “Where will the guests be?”
“We’re going to set up tents and chairs on either side of the boardwalk down to the beach,” Lacey said. “And people can watch from the deck—assuming that’s okay with you guys who own it. Mom, Aunt Crista, Uncle Eli?”
The three of them exchanged a quick look, no one wanting to quash any joy.
“Of course,” he said, quickly speaking for all. “We can throw a party here.”
“Budget is somewhat tight, of course,” Tessa added. “So to save money, we’re trying to get some free models.” She waited a beat, then grinned. “Including everyone in this room.”
Jonah sat up straighter. “Wait—what?”
Eli raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly are Jonah and I supposed to wear in this spectacle? We’re not brides.”
“You will be grooms or groomsmen,” Tessa said. “Jonah will make a handsome young husband-to-be and Eli, Akari really wants to emphasize the ‘seasoned’ bridal party.”
He shot both brows up. “Meaning…old?”
She shrugged. “Apparently lots of people of a certain age are getting married down here in Destin, and she’s catering to the market.”
Eli exchanged a look with Jonah, who groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know about this.”
“Well, I do,” Tessa said cheerfully. “We need good-looking warm bodies, so that means everyone in this room and a few who are not. Is that Crista’s husband on the phone? Come on down and watch your daughter be the one and only featured Flower Girl. I’m sure you’d make a very nice groomsman, too.”
“Come, Daddy!” Nolie squealed and danced over to the phone.
While they talked and Vivien peppered them with questions, Jonah leaned closer to Eli.
“Kate should be here, Dad,” he said under his breath.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It’d be great if she could come. But she’s busy with work and her kids.”
“Even for a long weekend?” Jonah pressed. “She could bring them down.”
“But her mother…”
“If you want to keep that woman in your life, show her you care by calling her every single day and sharing your life.” Jonah lifted a brow. “Or so a wise man once told me five minutes ago.”
“A very wise man,” Eli joked. “Who would probably get turned down if he asked.”
“Only one way to find out.” Jonah reached for his phone, flipping it playfully in the air. “So sayeth this wise man.”
On a sigh, Eli nodded. “I’ll call her.”
“ We’ll call her,” Jonah said. “’Cause one of us isn’t going to take no for an answer. Come on, old—er, I mean, seasoned man. To the deck.”
As the chatter died down, Eli followed his son back out to the deck, aware of the strange mix of nerves and anticipation that he always felt when he called Kate. But today, they were stronger than usual because he really wanted her to come down for a visit.
Jonah walked to the sitting area, sat down, and placed his feet on the firepit table. Then he gestured for Eli to come closer so they could both talk.
The phone rang a few times before Kate answered.
“Jonah? What’s up?”
Jonah grinned. “Surprise, it’s your favorite father-son duo. You’ve got both of us.”
Kate laughed, the sound of her voice warm and delighted. “Eli! Hi! What’s going on?”
Just hearing her voice made him feel better. “Hey, Kate. How’s brutally cold and not very sunny Ithaca?”
She laughed. “We had an unseasonably high warm spell of forty-seven today. Everyone wore shorts. But there’s snow on the way later this week. How are things down there? I hear that apartment is coming along.”
“We’re doing drywall,” Jonah said. “Which sounds worse than it is—we’ve actually been having a lot of fun.”
Eli’s heart soared just thinking about how this boy who’d been so distant for years could now pronounce drywalling to be fun. Kate deserved so much credit for encouraging him.
“How’s life in the lab?” Jonah asked.
Locking his hands behind his head, Eli closed his eyes and listened to her chat about her latest experiment—still working on capacitors and….something else he honestly didn’t understand—and the goings-on at Cornell’s science departments.
“It’s all pretty dull,” she added. “Tell me about the house. How’s it going with Crista? And Tessa? Is everything okay?”
“Why don’t you come and see for yourself?” Eli asked.
“Oh, you know?—”
“Hold on there, Lady Katie,” he said. “We called with an idea that is completely doable.”
She was quiet for a second, then gave a little laugh. “All right, you two, I’m listening.”
Jonah took the lead, launching into an explanation of the fashion show—very kindly complimenting Tessa for her adept inclusion of Nolie.
“That’s so sweet,” Kate said softly. “Who knew she had such a maternal streak?”
“She also has a sadistic streak,” Jonah said, “because she wants us in her show. We’re being forced against our will to wear tuxedos and parade our fine selves up and down the boardwalk in front of champagne-sipping guests.”
She trilled a laugh. “I’d like to see that.”
“Exactly,” Eli said, leaning forward and giving Jonah a smile. “Why don’t you and the kids come and be part of it?”
“Oh, we would but my mother?—”
“Bring her,” Eli said without giving it too much thought. Too bad if his mother would have a cow. She wasn’t here and…neither was Kate. “I’ll send you all round-trip tickets for a Thursday to Monday visit to sunshine and…fashion.”
“Oh!” He heard the soft intake of her breath, the genuine surprise and gratitude she conveyed with just one syllable. “Eli! That would be…”
“Perfect,” he finished for her. “Right?”
“We know you want to support Tessa’s new business, so…” Jonah gave a soft laugh. “You really need to say yes.”
“Jo Ellen, too?” she asked, sounding uncertain.
“She doesn’t hate the Lawsons, right?” Jonah asked. “That weirdness is only on my side of the family. Bring her down.”
“Assuming her ankle’s doing better,” Eli said, knowing the classy thing to do was to also give her a way to say no.
“Her ankle is fine and…” She let out a sigh that he couldn’t interpret, but, oh, he could imagine her face. And he ached to see it in person.
“Please, Kate,” he said softly. “We all miss you so much down here.”
She was quiet for a beat…then two…then Eli braced for her to say no.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “We’ll make the journey family style.” Then she laughed again. “Did you even tell me the date?”
Jonah filled her in on the timing and Eli just listened, unable to wipe the smile from his face. They talked a little more and he promised to call her tomorrow, although he knew he’d be texting her before bed.
After they said goodbye, the two of them sat in silence for a moment. But Jonah broke it with a sigh as he turned to Eli.
“She could be it, huh?”
“Maybe,” Eli said. “It’s a long shot, but God specializes in miracles, so…”
Jonah made a face. “Not always. Sometimes He just punishes us.”
Of course, Jonah didn’t share his faith, and this had to bring up mixed emotions in a boy who still reeled from the loss of his mother.
“God doesn’t punish,” Eli said quietly. “But he allows us to endure trials and challenges and difficult paths, in the hopes that we’ll turn to Him for help.”
Jonah stared straight ahead at the black Gulf, now lit only by a three-quarter moon behind a cloud.
“I don’t think I could take it if it were anyone else,” he finally said. “But Kate? She’s so…she’s…” He swallowed. “I really like her, and you seem happy.”
“A good woman can do that. She can heal you.” He inched closer. “Why don’t you go call Carly and check on her?”
He sighed again, then stood, swiping his hair back. “Maybe I will,” he said. “Maybe I will. Thanks, Dad.”
“Thank you ,” Eli countered.
He stayed right where he was when Jonah took his phone and went inside, the echo of Kate’s laugh in his ears. It was the prettiest sound he could imagine, and he couldn’t wait to hear it again.