Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Anna
Lily had volunteered to sit with the kids for a while on the following Monday so that Anna could go into town to get some things.
“You need some time to yourself,” Lily had told her. “I’ll be okay with the twins for a bit.”
Anna was hesitant, of course, but her mom was right.
She did need a little time to herself today.
Anna strolled through the heart of town.
he early afternoon sun was warm, causing shadows across the sidewalk as she passed the bakery and the bookstore.
Main Street buzzed with a comfortable energy: familiar faces, weekend chatter, and the hum of spring brought people back into the open.
She hadn’t come downtown for anything in particular, mostly to stretch her legs and clear her thoughts, but it didn’t take long for the universe to hand her a nudge.
“Anna? Anna, is that you?”
She turned toward the voice, recognizing the woman approaching her with a bright smile and a pair of oversized sunglasses perched atop her head. Dressed in flowing linen and carrying a large woven bag filled with brochures, the woman had Vineyard’s art scene written all over her.
“Hi, Mrs. Carter,” Anna said, offering a warm smile in return. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too, dear! I was just dropping off some fliers for the Vineyard’s art fair coming up next month. Is your mom submitting anything this year? Or you, even? I know talent runs in the family.”
Anna laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, no promises. I’ve been more focused on helping out around home. But I’m glad to hear the fair is still going strong.”
Mrs. Carter beamed, handing Anna one of the colorful fliers. It advertised the annual Vineyard Art & Soul Fair in bold, swirling fonts with watercolor backgrounds and children’s handprints dotting the corners.
“Of course it’s going strong! We’ve had an overwhelming response this year, and we’re hoping to raise even more for the children’s art programs. You know how much we rely on those donations. Your mother’s work used to bring in quite a bit for the cause.”
Anna’s smile held, even as her stomach twisted. “I remember.”
“I’ve been trying to get Lily involved again.
Margot has been, too. She mentioned you’ve all been spending time at the studio again.
” Mrs. Carter leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as if sharing something sacred.
“When I saw that she hosted a kids’ pottery class yesterday and had another scheduled for next weekend, I got hopeful. Really hopeful.”
Anna nodded and smiled, her heart beating a little faster. “It’s been nice to see her back at it. She really lit up with the kids.”
“She’s a gift, your mother,” Mrs. Carter said. “The community misses her art. We miss her presence. If she submitted even one piece, it’d be something.”
“Well,” Anna said carefully, her mind already spinning with ideas. “I can’t promise anything, but are you looking for volunteers?”
“Of course! Would you like to volunteer?”
“Yes, I was just thinking that if I did, maybe that’ll help her feel more comfortable if she does want to stop by.”
“That’s a wonderful idea! And if those twins of yours come too, all the better,” she added with a wink. “They were adorable in class. Lily’s pottery always reflected her heart, and it’s clear to everyone she still has so much to share.”
Anna thanked her and continued down the sidewalk, the flier fluttering in her hand. She paused near a bench outside the coffee shop, sitting for a moment to catch her breath, not physically, but emotionally.
Watching her mother blossom again, molding clay with a soft smile and spark in her eye, after such a hard year felt like a miracle unfolding in real time.
And now, Anna had a new idea forming. If she could volunteer behind the scenes, help take the pressure off, maybe even convince the twins to be part of the booth or bring in a hands-on demonstration for kids…
Maybe Lily wouldn’t feel like she had to be on display.
Maybe she’d just feel like part of the community again.
Anna looked down at the flier and smiled. The wheels were definitely turning.
If her mother wouldn’t step into the spotlight on her own, Anna would build the stage around her until she did.
The fair was a month away. That was plenty of time. Time to coax her mother into trusting herself again. Time to let the light return in small glimmers and blaze into something bright and beautiful.
Time to remind Lily she hadn’t been forgotten and that the world was still waiting for her art.
Anna stood, folding the flier and tucking it into her bag. She walked the rest of the way home thinking of all the ways she could help out at the fair. The kids would be excited about it, too. She couldn’t wait to get home and tell them all about it.
The air was warm, fragrant with budding flowers and freshly cut grass, but she barely noticed. She was focused, imagining Lily smiling beside her booth, twins running around with clay-smeared hands.
But when she turned the final corner that brought the house into view, all thoughts vanished.
She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
She pulled it out to see a social media notification.
She knew that it was unlikely to be her husband, but she’d still been hopeful to get some sort of message from him today.
As muscle memory led her up the sidewalk to the house, she heard a noise and looked up. There was a soldier, in full dress blue uniform standing on her mother’s porch, knocking on the door.
Her heart stopped. A uniformed man, standing straight-backed, his hands clasped in front of him. He waited politely at the door. But Anna didn’t see politeness. She saw finality.
Her knees buckled mid-step.
“No.”
It left her lips as barely a whisper, but it echoed through her body. She clutched the strap of her bag like it might anchor her, her steps faltering as the air seemed to vanish from her lungs. No. No. Not this. Not him. Not now.
She was running before she realized it, feet pounding against the walkway, up the steps, hand outstretched for the porch railing as her vision swam.
“No,” she said, louder this time, voice trembling, almost shaking with disbelief. “You can’t be here.”
The soldier turned, expression solemn. Respectful. Too calm. She hated how calm he was.
“Ma’am, are you Anna Caldwell?”
Behind the screen door, movement stirred. She could hear her mother’s voice just inside, the sound of feet padding across the floor. Margot’s laugh. The twins chattering.
Anna braced against the railing. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. She only knew what this uniform meant. They only came like this when there was no good news. She didn’t care how gentle his voice was, how carefully he tried to speak.
“Please,” she said, shaking her head, “don’t say it.”
But he had to. It was his job.
The screen door opened.
Lily stepped onto the porch with Margot behind her, and the twins just squeezing past them, curious about the sudden tension in the air. Max barked once from Tom’s yard, but it sounded far away.
“Anna?” Lily asked, eyes narrowing, concern flooding her face.
The soldier straightened and turned to the family gathered on the porch. “I’m here on behalf of the United States Air Force,” he said gently, voice measured. “There’s been an incident involving Officer Luke Caldwell.”
Anna stopped breathing.
Lily’s hand flew to her mouth.
The soldier continued. “His aircraft went down during a mission overseas. Communication was lost shortly afterward. At this time, he is considered missing. A search-and-rescue operation is underway.”
“Missing?” Anna repeated, barely recognizing her own voice. Her legs gave out, and she sank onto the top step, her hands gripping the porch post like it might keep her upright.
The twins had gone silent.
“Mommy?” Nora whispered, inching closer. Blaze clung to Lily’s side, eyes wide and confused.
Anna blinked at them. “It’s okay,” she tried to say, but it came out broken. “It’s okay. It’s not…”
“It doesn’t mean he’s gone,” Lily said quickly, stepping forward and kneeling beside Anna. Her voice was steady, though her hands were trembling. “He’s missing, sweetheart. Not gone.”
Anna nodded, but it didn’t make it better. It didn’t stop the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ears or the way the soldier’s words rang on a loop.
Missing. Aircraft went down. Lost communication.
She felt as though she were floating above herself, watching it all from somewhere far away. The kids were on the porch now, Max circling them, tail still wagging but ears perked at the tension. Margot had gathered the twins into her arms, murmuring softly, pulling them close.
The soldier explained what he could. “It’s standard procedure to notify you. We will be in touch with updates. We are doing everything we can to find him.”
Anna nodded, not knowing what else to do.
She couldn’t cry. Not yet.
She was frozen in place, suspended in a terrible not-knowing—her husband’s fate dangling in the void, her mind refusing to accept it, even as the fear rooted itself deep.
The soldier offered his card, then turned and walked back down the steps. He didn’t linger. They never did. Once the news was delivered, they left you with it.
Anna didn’t move for a long time. Lily stayed beside her, her hand finding Anna’s and holding it tightly. Not saying anything. Just there.
Eventually, Anna spoke, her voice soft and hoarse. “I thought… I thought I had more time before I’d have to feel like this.”
Lily squeezed her hand, her own eyes brimming but resolute. “He’s coming home, Anna. We’re going to believe that.”
And somehow, surrounded by her mother, Margot, the twins, and Max who had come across the lawn at some point and laid his head in her lap without a word, Anna managed the slightest nod.
She felt as though the world had stopped turning, like she was in a fog watching the rest of the world move but she was stuck in a slow-motion section.
She didn’t know what to do, so she closed her eyes and started praying.