Chapter Nineteen
Rosemary blinked in surprise as Kathleen wheeled her suitcase into the living room, dressed like she was ready to walk out the door. “Wait a second—did I miss something? You’re leaving now ? I thought you weren’t leaving until tomorrow.”
Kathleen gave an apologetic smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Change of plans. We decided to get a jump on things, and, well, here I am. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Well, no—”
“Thank you again for stepping in and watching over the house for me. I owe you. They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.” She knelt to pick up Prissy who seemed a little miffed by the arrival of the suitcase. “You will be well taken care of while I’m gone.”
The cat didn’t seem to agree, leaping out of her arms and landing with a thud before zipping out of sight.
Rosemary raised a brow. “I was just having a cup of coffee. Have time for a cup before you go?”
“That’d be amazing, actually. I’m running on adrenaline right now, but it won’t last.” Kathleen glanced around the cozy room, then back at Rosemary with a flicker of guilt in her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to come along? I hate the thought of you staying here alone while I’m off having fun.”
“That is not the case. I’m grateful you are comfortable enough to let me stay in your home and handle the insurance guy and Miss Prissy. Really, this works out for both of us. Don’t give it a second thought.”
“I am excited. I think we’ll have a blast. There are shows at the casino and everything. What’s your favorite number?”
“Um, gosh. Do I have one? I guess it’s ten. That was my Kai’s football jersey number.”
“Let’s see. I think that’s a black number too. My favorite number is fifteen. I’ll play both our favorite numbers and see if I can come home with more than I left with.”
“Good luck with that. I’ve never been the betting kind.”
“You might just never have given it a fair shake. You think about it. Who knows what you’ll have planned by the time I get back?”
“We’ll see.” Rosemary could only hope she’d come up with some direction in that short period. She had a feeling it was going to take a lot more soul-searching than that to resolve her problems.
Kathleen sipped her coffee.
Rosemary got up and put a couple of cinnamon raisin bagels in the toaster. “Want some honey on yours?”
“Peanut butter,” Kathleen said. “But you help yourself to the honey. It’s local. It’s supposed to be good for allergies.”
She drizzled honey across hers and then carried Kathleen’s over to her with the peanut butter. It was a quick breakfast, and good thing, because no sooner had Kathleen taken her last bite than there was a honk out front.
“My ride!” She jumped up. “Thank you again.”
“You’re welcome.”
Kathleen grabbed her suitcase, purse, and sunglasses and raced out the door.
Rosemary was thankful she’d offered to stay back and look after the cat.
In the quiet wake of Kathleen’s exit, Rosemary thought about how her mood had shifted after spending time with Amanda and her children. A new energy filled her, one that wasn’t as judgmental about Nina’s overbearing attempt at taking care of her. Grace—they both deserved grace to get through this.
Talking to Amanda about it had helped her step away from her own sensitivity to the situation. Kai always had said Rosemary and Nina were too much alike, both redheads and both strong-willed. Neither ever gave in. Maybe Rosemary had even been a little disobedient just because. I know, Kai. You were right. I don’t know what I was thinking moving in with her.
Having the place to herself, Rosemary felt like she had wings. Cable was back on and just about everyone had power again. It was hard to believe just a few days ago floodwaters surrounded them.
She flipped through the television stations, but then decided to take full advantage of the quiet and lose herself in a novel all day instead.
The next morning, she got up early and went for a walk. There was activity in the Paws parking lot as she crossed the main road toward Amanda’s house. It wasn’t but a couple of blocks to the beach from here. A small market had its doors propped wide, and a neon sign flashed Open , so Rosemary stopped inside. It was one of those everything stores with groceries, sundries, and souvenirs. Probably wouldn’t hurt to pick up a little peace offering for Nina and Kendra while she was here. The place was packed with Whelk’s Island and North Carolina paraphernalia. She found a cute key chain of a blinged-out flip-flop for Kendra and bought Nina a travel mug with dolphins on it.
She left the shop and wandered down the street. The library was closed, but it had a cute little reading garden outside, really not much more than a series of raised flower beds, each containing a tree with flowers planted around it. Curved cement benches made it seem quite cozy, though, even if it was just a small space between a couple of buildings. She could picture whiling away a day here.
There was even one of those Little Free Libraries here in the garden, which was sort of ironic to have right next to the library. She giggled as she thought to ditch that self-help book for a romance novel. Kathleen had said she didn’t need it back.
She dug the non-fiction book out of her tote bag and opened the door on the Little Free Library. Inside, the books were upside down, backward, and stacked whichaway. She grunted in disapproval and lined them up by genre, then size, until it was tidy. Then she slid the grief book onto the shelf and finger-walked the titles, finally deciding on a book called The Magic of Sea Glass in exchange. I’m definitely getting the better end of this deal.
She happy-danced her way over to a bench and flipped open to the prologue. Now, this was the type of book that would make her feel better. It immediately caught her attention, and she was delighted when she turned to chapter one and saw that the story was set in Rodanthe, North Carolina. She already felt completely connected to Lauren, the young widow in the story. The thought that the character was living through the same thing she was brought her comfort.
She was already on the second chapter when a woman walked past her to drop off books in the library night drop, then stopped at the Little Free Library box for a peek.
“Pretty day for reading outside, isn’t it?”
“Perfect.” Rosemary didn’t even make eye contact. She didn’t mean to be rude, but she was already being drawn into this story and didn’t want to invite a conversation.
Thankfully, the woman walked away without another word.
She sat there reading until she got so thirsty she had to get up and find something to drink. She should’ve known better than to go for a walk without a bottle of water.
Across the way, an adorable yellow-and-white building with a flag out front had a sign stating it was a historic building. She stopped to read it. She hadn’t even realized it was the post office. The little building looked more like one of those popular tiny houses. Rosemary could totally picture herself in there, crafting away in her own little she-shed.
She walked up to the pizza shop and ordered a slice of pepperoni and a bottle of water. They had outdoor seating with pretty umbrellas, so she settled in at a table for an early lunch and to get back to her book. This wasn’t as cute as the library garden, but from here she could hear the ocean, and that was nice too.
It didn’t take one page flip for her to drift back into the story, eager to see how Lauren was getting on.
Rosemary’s phone pinged, startling her out of the fantasy world. She’d truly lost herself in that story. It had been a long time since that had happened. She looked at the message on her phone.
Nina
Mom, you’ve made your point. I’m sorry. You’re right. I overstepped.
Her nose tickled, tears threatening over the apology.
Rosemary
Thank you, honey. I wasn’t making it easy. I’m sorry too.
When are you coming home?
Rosemary’s hand hovered above the text. Nina’s house wasn’t her home. She withheld comment on that and instead typed a safer response.
Spending some time at Kathleen’s house. I’m fine. I’ll keep you posted.
She hesitated. It’s just a little white lie. Kathleen’s not exactly here, but Prissy counts for something. If I tell her Kathleen is gone, she’ll expect me to come home. I don’t want to have that fight.
Rosemary pressed Send.
Something inside nudged her. A lie is never a good idea. Why would you lie about this?
Nina
Stay in touch.
The three dots hovered and disappeared and showed up again. Finally Nina typed “Have fun.”
Rosemary got up, the magic of getting lost in the book now gone. She stopped in the market again to grab cards to send to Nina and Kendra, since she knew where the post office was now. It would be an olive branch and a secret apology for the tiny white lie.
She picked out a couple of postcards and wandered over to the meat counter.
“Fresh catch every day,” the man boasted. “I just put the tuna in the case.”
“Really? Well, I’ll take a small piece. It’s just me.”
“You’re too pretty to be eating alone.” He picked up a nice fillet and packaged it for her. “You know how to cook it?”
“Sure do, but thank you.” She walked down the aisles for no other reason than she wasn’t ready to go back to Kathleen’s just yet, adding a spiral notebook and felt-tip markers to her basket. She used to journal. Maybe picking up that habit again would help her figure out her next steps.
That and some prayers. I could use Your help on this one.
She twisted her fingers against the cross that hung from her neck. It was the gift Kai had given her on their first wedding anniversary. He’d said he knew she was a gift from God from the day he met her, and he still couldn’t believe she’d said yes when he asked her to marry him. She treasured the dainty cross just as much today as she had when, through tearful eyes, he’d put it around her neck. He’d certainly been a gift to her too.
She checked out and distributed the bags for balance as she started her walk back to Kathleen’s. She was crossing the main road when someone honked at her.
She hustled across the road, taking heed of the warning, but then noticed the truck slowing down. She’d gotten across as quickly as possible. She hoped she hadn’t run right in front of them. She braced for someone to yell a warning, but when she turned, it was Tug in the driver’s seat, wearing a big old smile.
“Hey there,” she said with relief. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. It was supposed to be a friendly hello honk. What are you doing?”
“Taking a walk. I was just heading back.”
He bobbed his head, then leaned out the window a bit. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Finding myself” didn’t seem like the right answer. “Kathleen went out of town, so nothing special.”
“How about I pick you up? They said I can go back to my house. It’s got the best view of the beach. We can do ‘nothing special’ together.”
Her heart stuttered. It had been her idea in the first place, but now that he was actually asking, panic had run off with her verbal skills.
“I could pick you up at, say, six o’clock? I know where Kathleen’s place is.”
“Okay” was all that came out.
“Great.” He reached his hand out the window and waved, then patted the door. “See you later.” He turned the corner, and she stood there, clutching her bags. Did that really just happen, or did I dream it up?
“Ha!” She was excited, nervous, and a little dumbstruck all at once. Most of all, though, she was looking forward to spending time with Tug. No pressure. It’s not like it’s a date. It’ll be fine. Right?
She stumbled, fortunately catching herself before she lost her balance. She turned back to see what had tripped her up.
Curious, she knelt to inspect the culprit.
A shell? I must be dreaming this. Wake up, Rosemary.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let it go before opening her eyes.
Wishful thinking is all it is. I’m at the beach. There are millions of shells around here.
But she had to know. She picked up the large white shell. It wasn’t anything special—well, not on the outside anyway—but when she turned it over, she almost dropped everything she was holding.
In red ink, as if scribbled with a ballpoint pen, thin and scrawling, someone had written,
Life takes you to unexpected places. Trust the light to lead you home.
For a split second, she felt as if things were swirling.
She couldn’t ascertain if she was spinning or the world around her. She stared at the shell.
The look on Hailey’s face, serious and wide-eyed, when she’d explained, “The shells with messages are very special,” flashed in her memory.
Rosemary’s breathing came in heavy gulps, and a tear caught in her lashes as she reread the simple message.
“?‘Life takes you to unexpected places. Trust the light to lead you home.’?”
What does that mean?
“Trust the light to lead you home,” she repeated. Wrapping her fingers around the shell, she walked back to Kathleen’s. I’ve so desperately needed to feel at home. A million things raced through her mind. How had the shell gotten there? Was it meant for her? And if it was, what was she supposed to get from it?
Prissy met her at the door, weaving through Rosemary’s legs as she entered.
“Hey there, Prissy.”
Prissy gave her tail a swish, then padded off into the other room.
Rosemary walked into the kitchen and put her things away. The fish would keep until tomorrow in the fridge. She sat at the kitchen table staring at the shell, trying to decipher the message.
It fit her situation. She had indeed been wondering where home was for her now. And was home a place or a feeling?
Her one true love was Kai, and their home in Hawaii. Was she making a mistake assuming she couldn’t go back? Or was Nina’s apology the light leading her back to Pennsylvania? Nina and Kendra were family, no matter how they frustrated each other.
The message was more confusing than helpful.
Prissy hopped up onto the kitchen table.
“Now, I’m not sure you’re supposed to be up here,” Rosemary scolded her but then held the shell up to her.
Prissy gave it a sniff.
“What do you think of this?” The cat pressed her face against the shell. “Perhaps this message wasn’t meant for me,” she said. “Could it have been one from Tug’s Diner? If you find one that someone else had already found, does it apply to the new finder? That seems pretty technical.” She sat there wondering. “I’m talking to a cat.”
Prissy meowed.
“You seem to be listening. The diner is pretty far from where I found this shell. Probably unlikely it had been in the diner.”
Prissy left in a single leap.
“Fine, then.”
Rosemary carried the shell into the guest room and placed it on the nightstand, promising herself she wouldn’t obsess over the message and what it meant. She could talk to Amanda about it later.
For now, she had just enough time to shower and change before Tug picked her up.
In the shower, though, the message replayed in her mind. Her brain didn’t give two hoots that she was trying to set it aside. It was front and center.
It speaks to exactly what’s weighing on my heart. Home.
Doesn’t everyone need to feel at home somewhere? It couldn’t have been meant for anyone else. What do I want my life to look like?
Every image that popped into her mind was old: life with Kai, life on the farm, in Hawaii. History she could envision just fine, but the future…it was blank. Things had changed, and she still wasn’t sure how it had all changed her, but surely it had, because now she felt like she belonged nowhere.
Frustrated, she twisted the knobs to turn off the shower and wrapped herself in a big beachy towel.
She got dressed and went into the living room to turn on the local news. The big topic was, of course, the recovery from the storm. Pictures of devastation up and down the coast in towns she’d never heard of went by so fast they meant little, except there were a lot of people with a lot of extra to-dos to get done.
She glanced at the clock.
If Tug didn’t show up, this was all just one big, wacky dream, and she’d wake up in the middle of the night hungry for popcorn. That would be okay too. All the fresh air had left her a little tired.
But at six o’clock on the dot, there was a knock at Kathleen’s door.
Rosemary walked over and opened it.
Tug stood there. “Hey, you ready?”
“Yeah. Can I bring something? I should’ve asked you earlier. I don’t know where my manners were.”
“Just you.”
“Then I’m ready.” She joined him outside, and he held open the door of a white minivan with a Paws Town Square banner down the side.
“This isn’t what you were driving earlier,” she said.
“No. That was Paul’s truck. He lent me this to use until the insurance pays me out for mine, assuming they will. I haven’t been car shopping in years.”
“Get ready for sticker shock,” she warned. “I didn’t ship my vehicle over, so one of the first things I had to do was buy a car. Ouch. We paid less for our first house than I did for that car, and it’s not fancy.”
“Yeah, I’m kind of worried about that. I’m a simple guy. It’ll be hard for me to pull the trigger on a big ticket, even if the insurance is buying.”
“I know what you mean.”
They got into the minivan and buckled up. Then Tug eased out of the driveway.
He was a good driver, and he was taking roads she hadn’t been down before. Probably the locals’ back routes.
He turned down a road with high-dollar homes on both sides.
“Wow. Beautiful area.”
“That’s a long story.” He turned down another road toward the water. In front of a stilted house there was a pretty cottage sign that read Tug’s Seashell Hideaway , in a breezy script, with a colorful shell at the top. The blue-and-white sign was bright and welcoming, and the house was a soft watercolor shade of the same blue.
The color of his eyes.
A wraparound porch with white railings looked inviting.
Then she noticed Tug’s truck. The roof of it, anyway.
“You weren’t exaggerating about your truck being covered in sand. It’s buried!” Rosemary pulled on the door handle and hopped out to investigate. “This is incredible.”
She walked closer and peered inside. Her jaw dropped. “The sand is to the dashboard in there. How?”
He shrugged. “I would love to have had a video camera on all of it. It’s hard to even imagine how that could’ve happened.”
“You know that line about what doesn’t break us strengthens us?”
He shook his head and chuckled. “Yeah, but it still hurts like hell.”
“Tell me about it. And it takes time to get through it.”
“If ever,” he whispered.
“Oh, you’ll get through this. I know we just met, but while I’m in town, it would be my pleasure to help. People come into our paths at just the right time or season. Maybe I’m yours.”
“Oh. I’ve got people now?”
“Yeah. Lucky you.” She pursed her lips and cocked her shoulder playfully. “You have your people call my people. Anytime.”