Chapter 9
Jace was already gone when Cindy got up to get ready for work after their first night as roommates.
She wondered where he’d gone so early, but then she remembered he attended an AA meeting every morning.
As she did first thing every day, she took the pill that helped to prevent migraines and then showered.
She did her hair and makeup, always determined to look like she belonged in the beauty business.
Ms. Laverne in Dallas had hammered home that point time and again, a memory that made Cindy smile as she always did when she thought of the years she’d spent at that eclectic salon full of wise women and salty customers.
Cindy had learned more about life there than in any classroom, and she’d carried those lessons with her when she came to Gansett.
The one downside to working alone on the island was that she missed the camaraderie she’d had with her coworkers. She kept in touch with many of them by email and text and was always happy to hear the latest news.
On Gansett, she heard the latest news from her customers rather than her coworkers.
She was never lonely at work with a steady stream of delightful people coming in for haircuts and color.
Cindy’s workday began with Abby McCarthy, who was round with pregnancy and moving slowly as she came up the stairs into the salon.
“Morning,” Cindy said.
“Morning.” Abby’s face was flushed, and she was breathing hard. “I thought it would be a good idea to walk over from the Surf. It wasn’t.”
Cindy grinned at the face Abby made.
“Quadruplets are no joke.”
“I can’t even.”
Abby sat in the chair and exhaled a deep breath. “I was worried I wouldn’t fit in the chair anymore.”
Cindy choked back a laugh as she covered Abby with a cape. “Stop! You’re nowhere near not fitting.”
“Yet. Talk to me in a month or two.”
“I’ll come to the house so you don’t have to worry about fitting in the chair.”
Abby’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “You’d do that?”
“Of course I would. Any time.”
“Everyone is so nice,” she said softly. “Whenever I start to panic about having five babies under the age of two, I remember how lucky I am to live here.”
“You’ll have more help than you know what to do with.”
“I’ll need it all.”
Cindy rested her hands on Abby’s shoulders and met her gaze in the mirror. “What’re we doing today?”
“A few inches off the back and clean up my layers?”
“You got it.”
Forty-five minutes later, Cindy held the door for Abby as she went down the stairs to the sidewalk where her husband, Adam, was parked in a white BMW SUV, waiting for her. Cindy had suggested that Abby text him for a ride, so she didn’t have to exert herself walking back to her shop at the Surf.
As Cindy swept Abby’s dark hair off the floor, she thought about what it must be like to be expecting quadruplets. Abby had shared her fertility struggles, so Cindy had initially assumed the babies had been conceived via IVF or some other treatment, but Abby had said they’d been a total surprise.
Five children under age two.
Cindy shuddered at the thought of how intense that would be, but with the McCarthy and Callahan families nearby to help, they’d get through it.
Hope Martinez came in a few minutes later, bringing news from Martinez Lawn & Garden and an update on her mother-in-law, Marion Martinez, who’d been the inspiration for the island’s elderly care center that was now named for her. Hope was married to Marion’s son Paul.
“Marion is recovering from a bout of pneumonia. We thought we were going to lose her, but she rallied three days ago and is doing much better now, thankfully.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
“It was a rough couple of weeks. I feel so sorry for the guys,” she said of Paul and his brother, Alex. “They’ve been through so much since she developed dementia.”
“By all accounts, they’ve taken beautiful care of her.”
“They have,” Hope said with a sigh, “but it’s so hard for them to see her living this way.”
“I’m sure. My father’s mother had it. We weren’t super close to them like we were with my mother’s parents, but I vividly remember her not recognizing us and how shocking that was.”
“It’s an awful disease. It steals so much from the patient and their families.”
“And how is Miss Scarlett doing?” Cindy asked of Hope’s baby daughter.
“She’s delightful.” Hope called up some photos on her phone and showed them to Cindy as she applied foils to Hope’s hair. “She’s riding shotgun with Daddy this morning so Mommy could get her hair done.”
“Aw, she’s so cute! Who does she look like?”
“Her daddy. She’s all him.”
“I thought so, but I wasn’t sure.”
“Oh yeah, she’s a Martinez through and through.”
“How does your son like being a big brother?”
“He’s wonderful with her, but he’s busy with school and sports and his best friends, Kyle and Jackson.”
Cindy perked up a bit at the mention of Jace’s sons. “You must have pictures of him, too.”
“Yep.” She called up a photo of Ethan. “That’s his school picture, which he hates. He says he looks like he’s going to church.”
Cindy laughed. “He’s a handsome boy.”
“Yes, he is. Soon to be nine years old. I can’t believe that. Here’s one with his best friends, Jackson and Kyle. The three of them are inseparable.”
Curiosity had Cindy looking closely at the two cute blond boys with missing front teeth and freckles on their noses. She could see Jace in them. “They’re so cute.”
“They are, but holy moly are they busy when they’re together.”
“I’ll bet.”
“It’s dogs and kids and chaos when they’re around, but we love it. I’m so happy Ethan has made some wonderful friends and loves living here as much as I do.”
“I’m so glad it worked out so well for you guys.”
“It did. You have no idea how well. I don’t tell a lot of people this, but Ethan’s dad is in prison. He was a high school coach who became involved with a student.”
“Oh, Hope. I’m so sorry. That must’ve been horrible.”
“It was the worst time in my life. He’s due to be paroled later this year.”
“Does he know where you are?”
“Yes. We reached out to him a while back about Paul adopting Ethan.”
“What did he say?”
“He was willing if I send him a yearly update on how he’s doing along with photos.
We’ve been waiting for him to sign the paperwork to get it moving, but he hasn’t done it yet.
Dan Torrington contacted his lawyer last week to ask about the delay, and I just heard from him on the way over here, which is why I’m rambling on to you about it. ”
“I’m happy to listen. What did Dan say?”
“My ex-husband is asking to see Ethan once before he signs the papers. He wants a chance to apologize to him and to let him know how much he cares for him. He wants to do that in person.”
“Oh wow.”
“I know. I didn’t see this wrinkle coming. My hands are shaking so badly, it’s a wonder I can sit still enough for you to cut my hair.”
“What’re you going to do?”
“I’m meeting Dan at Rebecca’s after this to talk about it.”
“Have you told Paul?”
“Not yet. I want to talk to Dan first and see what he thinks I should do.”
“I’m so sorry you’re dealing with such a stressful situation.”
“Thank you for letting me dump it all over you.”
“That’s what I’m here for, along with cuts and color.”
Hope laughed. “You’re part therapist.”
“The woman who taught me everything I know about this business always said we were therapists as well as beauticians. What’s your gut telling you to do?”
“I guess I have to let him see Ethan so we can be done with it.”
“Perhaps you should let Ethan decide. He’s old enough to make that call, isn’t he?”
“Yes, I suppose he is. I’m preconditioned to want to protect him from this stuff, but you’re right. It should be up to him.”
“I have no doubt you’ll figure it out and do what’s best for him.”
“Thanks for letting me air it out. I was losing it when I came in.”
“You hid it well.”
“Thinking about this stuff stirs up all the PTSD from when it first happened.”
“I understand that.”
“I guess you would,” Hope said, her gaze meeting Cindy’s in the mirror.
One of the benefits of living in Dallas had been that no one there knew her family’s story. On Gansett, everyone knew. Cindy had found more comfort in that than anything else, but she’d been programmed by her father to be embarrassed about people knowing their business.
“I hope it’s okay to say that,” Hope added.
“It is what it is, you know?”
“I sure do, but everyone here is so thrilled to see your mom remarried to Charlie.”
“No one deserves it more than they do.”
“We all do. I hope this island spins its magic for you the way it did for your mom and me and so many others.”
Cindy smiled at her. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
Hope slid into a booth at Rebecca’s and accepted a coffee from the owner. “Thank you, Rebecca.”
“Just you?”
“I’m meeting Dan Torrington.”
“I’ll get another mug for him.”
“Thanks.”
Dan came in a few minutes later. His magnetic personality and dark good looks drew the attention of every person in the diner. Smiling, he slid in across from her. “Nice to see you.”
“You, too. Thanks for making the time.”
“I was in bad need of some caffeine.”
“And a grilled corn muffin.” Rebecca put the muffin on the table and poured his coffee.
“I might be a bit of a regular,” Dan said with a sheepish grin.
“Anything to eat, Hope?”
“I’m good. Thanks, Rebecca.”
“Just when we thought we had this all worked out, huh?” Dan said as he devoured the muffin like he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“I know! I can’t believe he’s throwing this at us at the last minute, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“You have a lot of anger toward him, and rightfully so. But asking a man, even one who’s made huge, terrible, unforgivable mistakes, to sign away his paternal rights—permanently—is a big deal.”
“So, you’re not surprised by this.”
“Not as much as you are. I’ve seen it before in cases like this, with a parent asked to do the right thing by their kid balking at the last minute.”
Hope’s stomach ached with worry. “Do you think he’ll still go through with it?”
“He’s already agreed to Paul adopting Ethan. This is one final step to get us where we want to be.”
“I spoke to a friend about it, and she said it ought to be Ethan’s decision.”
“I tend to agree with your friend. He’s old enough at this point to have some say in it.”
“Ugh.” Hope dropped her head into her hands, filled with despair at the thought of having to broach this subject with her son. “I hate that this is happening. Why can’t he just leave us alone to live the lives we had to make for ourselves after he ruined everything?”
“All I can say is that you’re asking him to legally terminate his paternal rights, and he’s agreed to do so. Him asking to see Ethan once is a request, not a demand. I think that matters.”
“Why do you have to be so sensible about this?”
Dan laughed. “That’s my job—to get you to the finish line as painlessly as possible. This isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I’m sorry about that, but it’s nothing more than a wrinkle.”
“It’s going to be way more than that if it upsets my son’s happy new life. Or mine.”
“Don’t let it, Hope. He’s asking for an hour with Ethan. After that, he’s out of the picture for good. That seems like a small price to pay toward the ultimate goal.”
She agreed with him intellectually. Emotionally, however, the thought of seeing him even once was appalling to her. “I’ll talk to Paul and Ethan.”
“Let me know what you decide.”
“If we say no, do you think he’ll stop the adoption?”
“If it comes from Ethan, I don’t see that happening.
He’s asked to see his son. If his son doesn’t wish to see him, he can’t exactly force him, especially with you having sole custody.
Can he get vindictive and decide to withhold support of the adoption?
Yes, that’s possible, but from what his attorney has told me, he’s concerned about Ethan’s best interests. ”
“Then he ought to leave him alone.”
“I think he will. After he sees him.”
“Thank you for your advice, as always.”
“I’m happy to help, but I hated having to call you with this news earlier. I knew it would be upsetting to you.”
“It helps to know that you don’t think he’s going to pull the plug on the adoption. I’ll talk to Paul and figure out our next step.”
“I’m here if I can help.”
“Thanks again, Dan.” Hope signaled for Rebecca and insisted on paying their check over Dan’s objections. “The least I can do is buy you a coffee and a corn muffin.” She texted Paul to ask if he could pick her up in town.
Ms. Scarlett and I are on the way.
Hope couldn’t wait to see them. Whatever happened next in this situation, she was thankful to have Paul’s support as well as Dan’s.