Chapter 27
Nora
He’s here.
He’s finally home.
Mom is holding it together pretty well considering she discovered her dad is alive only a few days ago.
Since then, she flew to San Francisco, bailed him out of the memory care center, hired Janey as a full-time nurse, and is standing in front of Grandma’s cottage, hands tightly gripping the handles of Grandpa’s wheelchair.
“Hi, Grandpa,” I say as I approach him.
His brows crinkle. “Goldie?”
I shoot Mom a confused look. She shakes her head.
“That’s my daughter, Daddy. Her name is Nora, remember?” Mom says as she squats beside his wheelchair. “We’re home now.”
Grandpa stares at me as if this doesn’t make sense to him. Then, his attention falls to his daughter and he softens. “Hello, Lovebird. We should make chocolate-covered strawberries for your mother.”
Janey pulls me aside and says, “This has been a lot on him. Some days he’s more lucid than others. The more activity going on, the more confused he gets. He’s healed a lot since his head injury, but we have a long way to go. I think being here will help him, especially once he gets settled in.”
I wish Elias were here, but his dad needed help on an emergency job. An elderly lady’s laundry room caved in from the rain we recently had. They’re trying to get it patched up until a roofer can properly fix it.
“I can smell them,” Grandpa says. “Those strawberries are ripe for picking. Bet they taste swell.”
“There’s some inside in the kitchen,” I assure him. “Want to go on in?”
He closes his eyes and listens. “I bought your grandma those wind chimes a long time ago. Still sound the same.”
Mom rises to her feet, face twisting into one of heartbreak. Tears flood her eyes and she hastily wipes them away. “Let’s get you some strawberries, Daddy.”
The grass makes it difficult to push the wheelchair, but Mom eventually manages to get him to the ramp. Then, it’s smooth sailing into the house. Once inside, Mom gasps.
“Someone’s been busy,” she murmurs. “Oh, sweetie, you’ve done a great job.”
I beam with pride. “It looks just like I remember as a kid.”
She hugs me, thanks me, and then takes Grandpa on a tour of the house. When they reach Grandma’s room, he sighs heavily.
“Lovebird, I’m feeling tired. You mind if I take a nap?”
“Of course not, Daddy. Me and Janey will get you comfortable.”
It takes a bit of a struggle on Mom’s part, but thankfully Janey is skilled in this department.
They get him into the bed while I move the wheelchair into the laundry room out of the way.
When I pass by the once-aviary-turned-guestroom, I wonder about the lodging arrangements.
I’m sure Grandpa will sleep in the one he shared with Grandma, but I’m unsure where Mom and Janey will sleep.
I wait in the living room, peeking out the window to see if Elias has come back yet. My heart sinks when I see his empty driveway. I’ve spent so much time with him that I miss him being away.
Janey comes to the living room with the rental car keys in hand. “Want to help me with their bags?”
“What about yours?”
“Sandy booked me a room at The Nest Box Inn until we can get things figured out. I need to check in and call my parents. I’ll be back later to help with bedtime.”
We haul in all the luggage. Mom is making tea as we stow it away in the guest room. I follow Janey out to the car and stop her before she leaves.
“Thank you,” I cry out, throwing my arms around her tiny body. “You’ve healed a generational wound. I’ll never be able to repay you.”
She squeezes me back. “It was my pleasure. I’m just grateful to be a part of it.”
I wave to her as she leaves and then make my way back inside the cottage.
Mom has two teacups sitting on the end table between the mismatched armchairs near the fireplace.
Now that we have air conditioning, it’s chilly in the house and I’m glad to have washed the afghans Grandma made.
I tug one into my lap and sip the tea Mom made. Sugary sweet just how I like.
“This doesn’t seem real,” Mom says absently, staring at her beautiful acrylic nails that are perfect, just like her. “For so long, I was disgusted by my mother. The boat capsized. They found the wreckage. It was obvious to everyone but her that he’d died. But…”
He didn’t.
Somehow, by the grace of God, he survived.
And my grandparents have been trying to find their way back to each other ever since.
Mom sniffles and she glances over at the fireplace where I’ve decorated it with vintage framed family photos. To honor Grandpa coming back, I put one of my grandparents not long after they met front and center.
“You didn’t know,” I say to her, reaching over to take her hand. “It must’ve been hard on a child.”
She swallows thickly. “It’s the reason I was so eager to run off to go to college in Seattle to get away from her and why I later when to New York instead of coming back here. I needed to escape the never-ending grief.” She squeezes my hand. “I don’t regret that move. It’s how I came to have you.”
Mom doesn’t talk about my father. Ever. It’s another taboo subject in our home. Maybe one day she’ll share that story with me. Maybe not. Regardless, having her my whole life has been more than enough.
“My goodness,” Mom says, releasing a breath of air. “There’s so much to do. So many decisions to make.”
“What’s Ron saying in all this? I thought he’d be here with you.”
She scoffs, a look of bitterness transforming her pretty face. “He’s worried about the business. That’s all he’s talked about since I left to get Daddy.”
It mirrors my past with Denver all too well. I hate that for her.
“A good man goes with you. Makes you the priority,” I tell her, voice choking up. “Elias has been that for me.”
A smile touches her lips. “Are you two a thing now?”
“Yep. It’s scary. Feels so intense.”
Her face falls and she stares into her coffee. “Intense can be good. Intense can bring about wonderful things like a baby girl with big blue eyes and a heart of gold.”
“Ron isn’t intense?”
“Never has been. Unless he’s talking about his company.” She sighs heavily. “I don’t know. It just felt safe with him. When you love someone so deeply like that, it gets messy.”
I wonder if I’m the mess left over from an intense love she once knew.
“I’m going to have to go back,” Mom says after a beat. “All my things are there. My dog. My car.”
I set my teacup down and turn to fully face her. “But you’re coming back, right?”
She nods and my heart swells.
“So, we’re really going to do this?” I ask, grinning. “Become Budgie Bay locals?”
“This place is home to me,” she says fondly. “Even if I took off for a while.”
Home to me.
Same as the title of one of Grandma’s columns. I’m beginning to think that it would make a great title for her book.
I hear the back door open, and my heart rate quickens. I’m excited for Mom to get to know Elias because I think she’ll like him, especially once she learns all he’s done for her mother in our absence.
“You’ll come with me? Back to New York?” Mom asks.
“Of course,” I rush out as I wait for Elias to pop out of the kitchen. “We can leave whenever you want.”
He never shows up and I hear the door click closed.
Strange.
“It shouldn’t take long to pack my things up,” Mom says. “I can have a company haul my car cross country. Just need to button up some things and say goodbye to my friends.”
“And break up with Ron?”
She sighs. “That too. He won’t be happy.”
“But you will be.” I rise to my feet and peek out the window, a thrill shooting through me when I see Elias’s truck. “Hey, I’m going to go check on Elias. He may think he’s intruding, so I’ll grab him and let him know he can come in.”
“Go ahead,” she says. “I’ll be right here.”
I give her a quick hug and then slip out the back door. He’s not sitting on his porch, and I can’t see him inside the aviary. But his shop door is open, so I head that way to see if he needs help putting his tools away.
When I peek my head inside, I expect to be greeted with excitement. His features are haggard and his shoulders are slumped. I rush over to him.
“Elias, what’s wrong?” I capture his bearded face in my hands. “Talk to me.”
His eyes dart back and forth as he studies me. “It’s okay, you know. I’ll be all right.”
I frown at his words. “With what?”
“This was a place to land. I’m glad I could be that for you.”
I’m not keen on the finality in his words. He’s not making sense.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I understand what’s going on,” I say slowly. “Did I miss something?”
He leans his forehead to mine and closes his eyes. “I’m going to miss us.”
With those cryptic words, he pulls away and mutters something about needing to check on the budgies. I’m stunned for several minutes, unable to move or make sense of what he’s saying. What happened between this morning when he left and now?
“You’ll come with me? Back to New York?”
“Of course. We can leave whenever you want.”
It was him. I’d heard him enter the house and then abruptly leave. The part he’d overheard was out of context. No wonder he’s upset.
I race after him. He’s already inside the aviary by the time I reach him. Pretty quick for a man who’s perfected sloth-mode. I find him on the side with the newly rescued budgies.
“You heard wrong,” I tell him, voice wobbling. “Gonna give up on me that easily?”
His head whips my way and he frowns. “Give up? Nora, I just want you to be happy. That’s all. However that looks for you.” He sighs. “You were acting strangely before we found out about Amos. It was a distraction for the inevitable. You have a life back in New York.”
I walk over to him and hug his middle. “My life is here now. I’d like it to be with you.”
He’s stiff but relaxes at my words.
“This isn’t a place to land for me. It’s a place to call home.” I reach up and stroke my fingers through his dark hair. “I’m going to help Mom pack up. She’s moving here too. It’s where we belong. Where we’ve always belonged.”
His eyes light up and he smiles. “Oh, thank fudgesicle.”
“What you felt the other day was real,” I admit with a small frown. “I was confused on what to do. Where to go. What my life was supposed to be like. But when I really thought about it, I realized I’ve felt more alive this summer here with you than in my entire life. It’s where I want to be.”
He brings his palms to my cheeks and nuzzles his nose along mine. “Good, because I don’t want you to leave. You ticked me off in the beginning, but somewhere along the way, I gave my heart to you. I’m not looking to get it back so long as I have you.”
“Was that so hard to say?” I tease, standing on my toes to peck his lips.
“I’m not great with words,” he grumbles. “Or emotions. I’m more of a man of action.”
And with that, he crashes his lips to mine. His kiss is claiming and there’s not an ounce of hesitation.
It’s settled. We’re officially an item and I’m not going anywhere.