11. Ansley Peachtree Bluff Tradition
ansley: peachtree bluff tradition
ANYONE WHO KNEW ME KNEW that having all my children home at the same time was my favorite thing in the world.
So letting them go have brunch without me was wildly uncharacteristic.
I begged off, saying that someone should stay with Vivi, who, despite her lovelorn despondency, was watching AJ and Taylor.
Well, more accurately, she was laying out on the dock while AJ and Taylor fished in her general vicinity. The UV was good or something.
But to be honest, I just wasn’t in the mood.
I wasn’t in the mood to talk about the wedding or Caroline’s relationship status or Sloane’s half-finished house or any of the minute melodramas that were surrounding their lives right now.
Which, again, was wildly uncharacteristic.
Usually, I was too involved in their melodrama.
But now, I guessed all my thoughts were taken up with my own.
The big, bold, flashing neon sign blinking I DON’T WANT TO MOVE TO CHICAGO.
At least if Jack’s new venture had taken him to New York or LA I would have had the opportunity to be with one or two of my girls.
But Chicago? It was a world away, with no family, and I was too old to change my spots now.
I liked Peachtree Bluff. That’s where I wanted to stay.
I sat on my front porch in my favorite chair, looking at my grandchildren and out over the water, sipping my second cup of coffee.
Keith, manager of Peachtree Perk, the coffee chain that Emerson’s fiancé Kyle owned, and resident coffee delivery boy, brought me a skinny s’mores latte this morning.
It was divine. When I had about a third of it left, I added a little regular coffee to it to make it last. But then I had to be finished. That was my rule.
When I saw Keith—who was so cute in that surfer kind of way, but perhaps not going to be invited to join Mensa anytime soon—at my gate, I just assumed he’d forgotten he already brought me a coffee.
But as I waved halfheartedly and he walked up to the porch he said, “You know, Ans, you seemed like you were in a mood this morning. I thought you might break your rule and have another latte. On the house. I spiked this one with a little ashwagandha to help soothe your nerves.”
“Ashwa-what? Because, Keith, I’m not much on drugs.”
He laughed. “It’s an adaptogenic herb, Ans. It will chill you out just a little.”
“Is that what chills you out?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Maybe. But I think it’s the weed.”
It was the first thing that had made me laugh all day.
“See?” he said. “You feel better already!”
I sort of did. As Keith walked away, I heard the door open, and I felt myself tense as Jack walked out onto the porch. I knew I was being prickly and unreasonable, but I couldn’t help it.
“Ansley, I know you’re mad at me. And I’m sorry. But maybe this could be a little adventure for us. We’d probably only be gone a year. Two years tops. We could actually have some time to ourselves. It might be great.”
I wanted to argue with him that of course we had time to ourselves.
But, well, Sloane, Adam, AJ, and Taylor were still in our guesthouse.
Either Caroline or Emerson was here, staying with us or at Jack’s house next door as often as not.
And then there was the obvious fact that life in Peachtree, with neighbors popping in and friends stopping by, wasn’t exactly private.
But that’s why I loved it. I loved being around people.
I needed family and friends and entertainment. It brought me joy. So sue me.
But I didn’t say any of that. Instead, I got down on his level. “So, am I just supposed to leave Sloane Emerson for a year or two? Put all my design projects on hold? Stay home and knit all day?”
And, for heaven’s sake, would I be expected to get up in the mornings, get dressed and ready, and walk down the street for my coffee? Even I knew that was too unreasonable to say out loud, so I refrained. “There’s no water in Chicago,” I said. “And it’s cold.”
But none of that was the real reason I was upset.
Chicago was a perfectly lovely city and perhaps at a different time in my life I would have been thrilled to move there.
New York had been my home for years and years.
I loved it with a special sort of tenderness.
But I wouldn’t have wanted to move there right now either.
I simply wanted to be in Peachtree Bluff and that was that.
“There is gorgeous water in Chicago, honey,” Jack said patiently.
I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean, Jack. There’s no ocean.
Plus, Sloane is about to have a baby,” I said.
“She needs my help on the house. We’re franchising the store.
This just isn’t a good time to up and leave.
Combine that with the fact that I don’t want to see my brother John every day and I think this is a horrible idea to begin with. I’m just not on board. I’m not.”
He sighed. “Yes. You have made that abundantly clear.” Vivi was walking up the dock, my grandsons in tow, so I knew it was a time to put a pin in this conversation and paste on my happiest smile.
They were beautiful children. I did love them so.
In fact, I only wished Preston and Carter were here right now too to complete the picture.
“The last thing I’ll say,” Jack added, “is that for the past few years I have done everything you wanted to do. I have moved into your house in your town with your family. I have babysat children and planned weddings and dealt with separations and MIA husbands and a whole lot of things. I knew that’s what I was getting when I married you, and it’s fine.
But I’m asking you to give me this one thing.
Just for a little while. I need something that is my own again. I need to feel my worth in the world.”
As we both smiled, and he said “How’s life today, Viv?” I thought, And you think you’re going to do that with my brother?
Vivi flopped down on the couch beside him, a towel wrapped around her, and leaned on his shoulder. He put his arm around her as Taylor climbed into my lap and AJ ran by, saying, “I have to peeeee!” The fact that he hadn’t just gone in the yard shocked me.
“I am never falling in love again,” Vivi said dejectedly.
“Men are scum,” Jack said. “Which is why I’m really glad to hear that. In fact, what I was thinking is that maybe after college you could just come live with Gransley and me forever. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about dating or getting married or any of that.”
He winked at me, and she laughed. I softened toward him a teeny-tiny bit.
But not much. How could he want to leave all of this?
I remember when Emerson was engaged to her ex-fiancé Mark, thinking that it was so silly they couldn’t work out a little spat about whether they’d live in Peachtree or LA.
True love always finds a way. But that was my problem.
I truly loved Jack. But I also truly loved my family.
How could you choose one true love over the other?
The idea of not sitting on this porch every day, of not having these amazing relationships with everyone in town, made my heart feel like it would break in two.
I waved at Mrs. McClasky and a group of ladies walking by. See? See? Who would wave at Mrs. McClasky and her friends if I weren’t here on my porch?
But when I realized she was opening my gate, I froze. Whatever she wanted from me was guaranteed to annoy me even more than I already was. Moving to Chicago would mean no more Mrs. McClasky, so there was that.
“Ansley, we need to talk to you!” she said in that nonthreatening, singsong voice, which I had learned over many, many years seemed kind but was really Mrs. McClasky at her scariest. Her four friends, two on each side, followed her up the walk in a V formation.
It was like they had practiced it. I racked my brain for what she needed from me this time.
Mrs. McClasky was the head of the Historical Association, but we hadn’t even done anything recently.
No renovations. I hadn’t had any part in exterior remodels for any of my clients in months.
And Sloane’s house wasn’t even finished enough that she could have a problem.
As they walked up, Jack stood and offered his seat on the couch as Vivi said, “Well, I’d better go check on AJ.” She took Taylor’s hand, and the five ladies sat down all around me, four crowded onto the couch and one on the chair opposite mine. I was surrounded. No way out. Nowhere to run.
To my left, I saw Caroline, Sloane, and Emerson walking down the sidewalk, so that would at least be somewhat helpful. They could help defuse whatever situation this is. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked. I was hoping if I was extra nice, they’d go easy on me.
“Ansley, we are so disappointed,” Mrs. Lucas said.
Oh, Lord. They were disappointed.
“Yes,” Mrs. McClasky echoed. “Not mad. Just disappointed.”
Now I really was confused. “About what?”
“Well, we heard that you reserved a block of rooms for Emerson’s wedding attendants at the Peachtree Bluff Inn.”
“Emerson!” I called as the girls were approaching. “Mrs. McClasky needs to talk to you.”
She gave me a look like we were no longer related, and I could tell Caroline and Sloane were very reluctantly following. They stood on the porch, as Mrs. McClasky’s ducklings had taken up all the seats.
“The ladies would like to know why your attendants are staying at the Peachtree Bluff Inn.”
“Oh, um,” Emerson started, all eyes on her now. “Because it’s the only hotel downtown?” she said, like it was a question.
“When all of us have houses right downtown within walking distance of the Historic Site?” Mrs. Lucas chimed in again.
“I think Emerson didn’t want to inconvenience any of you by asking for a place for her friends to stay,” Caroline added.
“That is nonsense!” Mrs. McClasky said. “It’s Peachtree Bluff tradition. I understand if you were too bashful to ask, but we insist.”
“Oh, well—” Emerson stuttered.
“You don’t need to thank us,” Mrs. McClasky said, putting her hand up. “This is what we all do for one another. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
With that, they all stood up in perfect unison and walked down the porch, leaving us staring after them, stunned.
“My LA manager is going to be sleeping in Mrs. Thurston’s cat-themed room,” Emerson whispered.
Caroline patted her on the back. “Chin up. You weren’t getting out of this one.”
“Mrs. Lucas will try to give whoever stays with her a curfew,” Emerson said. “I just know it.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I have no control over that woman.”
“Mom,” she said. “Can’t you go over there tomorrow? Talk her out of this?”
I shook my head. “No. You are a grown woman, Emerson. If you don’t like it, you can talk to her about it.”
All three of my girls looked shell-shocked. So, yes, I did usually step in and handle their problems. I softened. “There’s no way to change her mind on this one. So, the best course of action might be to just properly warn your friends.”
She nodded, looking like she might cry. “Well, at least Genevieve can get some good material for her next book.”
“See!” I said. “Bright side.”
“And this will save you so much money, Mom,” Sloane added.
“Yes, it will,” I agreed. “Maybe we can amp up the flowers a little.”
Emerson nodded. “Yeah. I guess we just have to make the most of it. Peachtree tradition is Peachtree tradition.”
I nodded back, but, really, I couldn’t help but think, For better or worse, this would never happen in Chicago.