Chapter 8
8
T abitha made the coffee for the first time since they had been in Melbourne Beach. It was the day April, Deenie and Kylen were to arrive from Tampa. Two weeks without Deenie felt more like two months.
It had been a whirlwind two weeks with Marcus. Neither of them was interested in getting into anything serious, but it seemed like it was happening despite their protestations. They didn’t talk about the future or label each other as boyfriend or girlfriend.
Deenie knew quite a bit about Marcus. Tabitha laughed when her daughter advised her to take it slow because she was putting herself in the parental position. Deenie had probably been waiting years for the opportunity to do that. Tabitha’s daughter was growing up so fast, and soon she’d have an empty nest. The divorce forced her to grow up quickly because they talked to her about a lot of adult situations. She handled it gracefully, filling Greg and Tabitha with pride. The thought of living alone made her shudder.
“What smells so good?” Mel asked when she came downstairs in boxers and a short silk robe.
Tabitha was impressed by the way Mel rolled out of bed, camera-ready. Her look was effortless and timeless. Her short brown hair and freckles hadn’t changed in thirty years because she knew what worked for her and stuck with it. Dale was a lucky man, and the best part was that he knew it.
“I made cinnamon rolls because they’re Deenie’s favorite,” Tabitha said. “I also picked up some vanilla coffee creamer if you’re interested. My girl has specific breakfast tastes.”
“I remember when I could eat sugar like that and not have it transferred directly to my mid-section. Have you noticed that it’s nearly impossible to lose weight at our age?” Mel asked.
“I have, and I’m not even in full-blown menopause yet. My mother has always been thin, so I lucked out and haven’t gained much weight, although it has shifted. I say I’m experiencing perimenopause because it’s a good excuse for a bad mood,” Tabitha joked.
“Hormones really do a number on our bodies, but they’re also our superpower because we couldn’t have babies without them. Having my kids makes it all worth it,” Mel said.
Tabitha nodded in agreement. “My divorce would have been ten times worse if I didn’t have Deenie. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still a teenager, and her attitude gets to me at times, but I love the girl.”
“Dolly and Abe put me through my paces, but I wouldn’t change a thing about either. These cinnamon rolls are good. Are they made from scratch?” Mel asked. She was doing a good job of holding back the laughter.
“Yes. Have you ever known me to make them differently? I whack the tube, grease the pan, and I’m done. As far as cooking goes, I take any shortcut available to me. When I had a full-time job and a family, something had to give, and I chose to drop cooking. Greg was happy, and Deenie turned out okay without me having to slave over the stove making homemade meals.”
“Yeah, I have acquaintances who get home from work and spend two hours following some silly cooking tutorial online. I say order a pizza and spend the extra two hours with your family,” Mel said.
Marcus walked in and kissed Tabitha on the cheek. He stopped knocking after the first week, and no one seemed to care. He had two bunches of flowers. One was an exotic mix of tropical flowers, and the other was pink roses.
“One for you, and the roses are for Deenie,” Marcus said. “I hope she’s not overwhelmed because I am a stranger.”
“Like me, Deenie appreciates flowers regardless of who they’re from. You’re so thoughtful, as always.” Tabitha blushed. She never tired of receiving flowers from someone she cared about, and they always made her heart skip a beat.
Mel went to finish getting ready so that Tabitha and Marcus could have time alone.
“Are you excited to see Deenie?” Marcus asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“You know I am. She’s all I talked about on our hike yesterday. She’s going to approve the moment she meets you. When she asks to drive your Porsche, say no.”
“This is more stressful than meeting the parents.”
“No, don’t worry about it. Deenie isn’t the judgmental type. She also isn’t someone holding out hope that her parents will reconcile. Deenie knew the marriage had to end and that it had nothing to do with how much we loved her,” Tabitha said.
“You’d be surprised how even the best divorce can affect a child. I was blindsided by my parent’s separation and eventual divorce. To this day, I think I had something to do with it.”
“How so?” Tabitha asked.
Marcus waved off the question. “Let’s not dwell on that when Deenie will be here at any minute. If she’s half as fabulous as her mother, I know I’ll like her.”
“Before I forget, are you still getting the beer and wine for our Fourth of July celebration?” Tabitha asked.
“Yes, I’m on it. You’ve got the hamburgers, hot dogs, and ribs?”
“The ribs are coming straight from Zabu’s, which have already been ordered, and Mel picked up the rest of the meat. April will be in charge of chips and sides.”
“I see what you did. You’re managing to get everything done without lifting a finger,” Marcus said jokingly.
Tabitha put her finger to her lips. “Shhh. Let’s not let anyone else in on my habit of delegating, especially when food is involved.”
“I’m pretty sure everyone knows about your secret by now. It doesn’t make any of us love you less,” Marcus said.
Tabitha picked up on his words. It sounded like he found a back door way of saying I love you. She knew it was too soon for that, and he was reasonable enough to know it, too. Tabitha was gun-shy, and even she could imagine telling Marcus she loved him. It wouldn’t happen anytime soon, but if things kept progressing like they were, it might be by the end of the summer. She told him all about her divorce and the pain that created, so he knew about the worst she had experienced and how tender her heart still was.
“I’m meeting Nathaniel for breakfast, but I’ll be back later to meet Deenie. I love seeing you this happy. I thought I put a smile on your face, but you have a sparkling aura, and I know it’s due to Deenie’s impending arrival.”
“You make me just as happy as anything else in my life right now. It just looks different.” Tabitha pushed him out the door. “Go, or you’ll be late for breakfast. I’ll see you later.”
Tabitha closed the windows and turned the AC on because the bugs were beginning to migrate inside. She ran upstairs to run a brush through her hair and make sure she was presentable.
Tabitha was beginning to imagine Marcus fitting into her post-summer life. She’d be returning to work, parenting full-time, and living on Merritt Island again. They would be less than an hour away from each other, so it wouldn’t be a long-distance relationship. Why end something at the end of the summer that felt so right? Marcus seemed to be on the same page, but she was guessing since they hadn’t discussed it. The bottom line was that it was only the second of July and she was putting the cart before the horse. They hadn’t even had their first fight yet, and that was a big milestone.
Tabitha was just about ready when she heard a car pulling into the driveway. She dropped her mascara wand and barreled down the stairs. She wasn’t to the bottom step when Deenie ran into the house. She opened her arms and jumped down the next two steps.
“Sweetie pie, you grew, or I shrunk. Oh, heck. It doesn’t matter because you’re here. Welcome to the beach house,” Tabitha said.
“Thanks for making this happen. I’m starved. Do I smell cinnamon rolls?” Deenie asked.
“Yes, I made them special, but don’t get used to it because, for the most part, it’s self-serve this summer. The fridge is loaded, so go for it whenever you’re hungry. Add to the list on the fridge if there’s anything special you desire. There are two bedrooms on this floor in the back of the house. You and Kylen can flip for who gets which one. One is bigger, but it has bunk beds. The smaller one has a queen, and it’s closest to the bathroom.”
“That’s a tough one because I’ll have guests more often than Kylen. Cay is coming for the Fourth, and I invited a few others as well. We will need to get a blow-up mattress if extra people show up. Does the couch pull out?” Deenie asked. “I can always tell them to bring a tent, and they can camp on the lawn.”
Tabitha’s summer of freedom and romance was being threatened. She should have known this would happen, and her number one job was being a parent. Tabitha had to rein in her sixteen-year-old so she could get back to vacation life. Maybe, though, that life was only a blurred reality. For two weeks, she slept in late, spent time with Marcus, and took baths with essential oils.
“It’s fine if Cay comes, but I’d appreciate being asked first. There are three other adults in this household, and it’s not a party house. Mel, Deb, and perhaps April have jobs that they have to keep an eye on. I’m the only one on sabbatical.”
“My life is filled with rules. It turns out they follow me wherever I go. It doesn’t matter if I’m in Texas or Florida,” Deenie huffed and went to the kitchen with Kylen.
Tabitha welcomed April with a hug. “It’s so good to see you, friend. Thanks for picking Deenie up at the airport and driving her here.”
“I was coming this way anyway. It’s so good to be out of Tampa and the pitfalls that have been tempting Kylen,” April said.
“Was he in trouble?”
“No, but a big city has a high concentration of drugs, and I saw overdoses in the clinic every shift I worked. It’s hard to ignore, and Kylen has made some questionable friends in the past year. Kylen and I are open about it, and he tells me that I have nothing to worry about,” April said.
“Easy for them to say. Let me show you to your room, and you can change out of those long pants. I’m hot just looking at you. It’s nice to have another parent of a teenager around. We can swap horror stories.”
Tabitha felt grounded with Deenie around. It gave her the connection to the real world that she needed.