Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Vivian took a deep breath as she looked around the dining room of The Lighthouse Grill.
It was empty of customers, since it was closed to the public by that point in the evening, and the unusual quiet made her feel nostalgic, as if her mind was filling in the silence with memories of laughter and conversation.
I can’t wait until everyone arrives, she thought, smiling to herself. I love having my whole family here with me. This is my favorite place in the world.
She went over to the two long tables that she and Terrence had pushed together a little earlier in the evening, making one extra-long table that Vivian had covered in white tablecloths.
The table had already been set with silverware and glasses of water, and there were enough chairs for everyone.
As a finishing touch, Vivian had added a vase of yellow roses and sunflowers to the center of the table, and she thought the effect was charming.
She wanted to decorate, since it was such an important night.
She clasped her hands together, thinking about how her children were going to react when she told them what she planned to do with the money. Her heart lifted with expectation, although it also fluttered with nervousness. She shook her head at herself, not understanding why she felt so jittery.
She made her way back into the kitchen, where Terrence was heating up everyone’s dinner orders.
Vivian had contacted everyone earlier in the day and asked Tom and the other chefs to make their meals while the restaurant was still open.
Now she and Terrence had been popping the plates into the microwaves, making sure they would be piping hot by the time the rest of the Owens family arrived.
“Thanks for doing this, sweetheart.” She kissed Terrence on the cheek. “Looks like we’re just about ready, huh?”
He turned to her with a crooked smile that she found endearing. “Why do you sound so breathless? Were you jogging around the dining room?”
She laughed. “No, I’m just nervous about all this. I don’t know why. I guess it’s because it’s such a big deal. And I don’t want anyone to be disappointed.”
Terrence nodded as he picked up a bottle of red wine. “Sometimes when something is a big deal, we just get nervous. But remind yourself that you have nothing to be afraid of.” He kissed her cheek. “You’re doing the right thing. And I have a feeling your kids are all going to be thrilled.”
She smiled at him, and at that moment they heard voices.
“They’re here!” Vivian sang out eagerly, and Terrence took the wine with him as he accompanied her back out into the dining room with a smile.
The rest of the Owens family was spilling inside The Lighthouse Grill together, their cheeks flushed from the chilly wind and their eyes sparkling with excitement.
“This is about the money, right?” Samantha was saying eagerly to Hazel. “Grandma’s going to tell us what she wants to do with it? I hope she goes on a cruise. I think she should do that.”
Vivian smiled, knowing full well that she had no intention of going on a cruise. “Hi, everyone!” She hurried forward to hug the members of her family and their partners. “Thanks for being here.”
“Thanks for arranging this, Mom,” Alexis said, kissing Vivian on the cheek. “I always love it when we have The Lighthouse Grill to ourselves. It feels more special, like I remember that it’s really ours.”
“I agree,” Hazel said, giving Vivian a big hug. “Oh, and I think I can smell my bacon cheeseburger from here.”
Talking and laughing, the family worked together to bring the hot plates of food into the dining room and pour wine glasses for everyone who wanted some. They began eating their delicious meals, and Vivian’s heart swelled with love as she looked down the table at her beautiful family.
“I’m on pins and needles, Mom,” Julia said with a laugh, after a few minutes of eating and casual conversation had elapsed. “I’ve been itching to know what you decided to do ever since you gasped in the attic. Is it time for your announcement?”
Vivian chuckled. “Yes, it can be.” Terrence squeezed her hand, and she gave him a grateful smile before standing up. “Attention, everyone, if you would.”
The table became silent almost immediately. Affectionate and curious eyes blinked back at her.
Vivian cleared her throat. “After much deliberation, I’ve decided what I want to do with the money that Frank left.
I feel confident that this is the best use of the money, and I feel very pleased with the decision.
” She smiled. “And I believe that Frank would have been pleased with this decision too. I think—I think this decision matches where his heart would have been at. I think it’s what he would have wanted. ”
Murmurs of curiosity flickered around the table. Vivian saw Samantha squeeze her mother’s hand as she tried to hold in her excitement.
“Frank made mistakes,” Vivian continued.
“And that’s been hard, and I know we’ve all been struggling with forgiving him for those mistakes.
But after wrestling with it and doing my best to forgive him, I’ve started to focus on what he did well, and all of the things that I appreciated about him so much.
What I keep coming back to when I think about Frank is how much he loved his children.
” Sudden tears blurred Vivian’s eyes and she had to pause to take a steadying breath.
“I know he wanted what was best for you. He worked hard for you every day, and he did his best to make sure you got all the love and care he could provide. I’m sure he would have wanted this money to go to you children, since The Lighthouse Grill doesn’t need it. ”
Hazel’s mouth popped open, and Julia started shaking her head in protest. Vivian locked eyes with Dean, who had gone completely still. She could see huge relief glowing in his eyes.
“I think we all know that Dean needs the money more than anyone right now,” Vivian said.
“He’s got such terrible bills from that surgery, and he wants to be able to undergo treatments that will speed up his healing without having to sacrifice everything that he and Noelle want for their wedding.
So, Dean.” She smiled at her son, who had started to tear up.
“I asked Noelle what your expenses are—all of them, including the new treatments—and I’m happy to say that the money Frank left will more than cover the cost of everything. ”
The table erupted into cheers. Hazel thumped Dean on the back, and Noelle wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. Dean wiped his tears away, laughing and looking both stunned and overjoyed.
“We all want you to feel one hundred percent at the time of your wedding, honey,” Vivian said, feeling a glow of joy in her chest, “and after that as well. I can’t think of a better use for this money.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Dean said hoarsely. “But it’s not all going to me, is it? I wouldn’t want that.”
Vivian shook her head, her eyes twinkling. “No, there will still be plenty left over. I want to use the rest of it to pay for an expansion on Julia and Cooper’s house, to give them the space they need.”
Julia gasped excitedly and turned to Cooper as if wondering if he’d had any idea that Vivian was going to give them the money. He shook his head, smiling and laughing, clearly as shocked as she was.
“I know that nursery is the only room that’s making you feel particularly cramped right now,” Vivian said, thrilled to see how happy her daughter was.
“But I overheard Cooper telling Grayson that he’d love to build out into the backyard a little, to give you a bigger nursery and a den that could double as a home office for the both of you.
And a balcony up on the top, right, Cooper?
To look out over the backyard?” She grinned, feeling like a fairy godmother, able to grant wishes.
Cooper nodded, dumbfounded, and Julia covered her mouth with her hands, obviously overjoyed.
Vivian’s heart swelled with a wonderful kind of ache. Thank you, Frank, she thought. Thank you for giving me this moment where I get to make them all so happy.
She turned to Alexis and Hazel with a smile.
“I know neither of you have any major financial needs right now, since you both have your dream houses and no unwelcome expenses, but I’m just going to give you what remains of the money, and you can do what you think is best with it.
I know your current activities like cheerleading and kinder music can be an added expense, so you won’t have to worry about a budget for things like that anymore. ”
“Thank you, Mom,” Alexis said, crying unabashedly. She wiped tears off her cheeks with her napkin. “This is amazing. I never would have—thank you.”
“But what about you?” Samantha called out. “You should get some of the money too, Grandma. Grandpa loved you and wanted to take care of you too.”
The tears rushed back into Vivian’s eyes, and she blinked them away as she laughed.
“I know he did. And if there was something I wanted, sure, I would have kept some of the money for me. But there isn’t, honestly.
I have good health and a house I adore, and I just don’t feel like traveling when there are so many people and places right here in Rosewood Beach that I love so much. ”
There was a pause, and then Terrence started to applaud. The whole table took up the action, and soon the air was filled with the sounds of people clapping and cheering.
“This feels right,” Hazel said to her mother once the applause had died down and Vivian had wiped away more tears. “I think this is what Dad would have wanted.”
“I’m sure it is,” Julia said softly.
“It feels like we finally have closure,” Alexis said. “On the whole thing. That’s a gift that’s almost as good—and in some ways, better—than the money.”
“Cheers to that,” Dean said, holding up his glass of wine. His voice still sounded a little husky, and he shared a look of joy with his mother.
“Cheers,” Vivian said, feeling as though healing had swept over her along with the closure.
The Owens family continued to talk and celebrate long into the night.