EPILOGUE
Naomi
It was Mabel’s fourteenth birthday, and we were all gathered that evening at Tom’s house after we had worked at the vineyard all day. Today we would be releasing Oakley the osprey back into the wild.
A little banged up, with a crazy story to tell its bird friends, but otherwise as good as new and ready to spread its wings and fly again.
In the weeks following the Kyla incident we’d all been a little on edge.
Not snapping at each other, or anything like that. Just … emotional. Easily spooked, and not particularly fond of being alone. Especially me and Mabel.
She was over at the house every day with Damon now, while Lennox was at work, and I made sure I always had someone accompany me home if the kids were at school and I needed to pop to the cottage for something.
I hated that I didn’t feel safe. That I’d lost my independence.
But as Dr. Harvey Douglas said, that feeling wouldn’t last. It was still just fresh.
For the first week after it all happened, Austin and Honor both slept in my bed with me. It was cramped and hot up in the loft with all three of us, but honestly, I kind of liked having my babies so close to me.
The silver lining to all of this though, was how close our families grew after this ordeal.
Mabel and Lennox were undeniably a part of our crew now.
We’d gone through some seriously traumatic shit together, and even though they say trauma bonding isn’t healthy, they can go fuck themselves. We’re closer than ever.
Gabrielle baked Mabel’s cake, because she’s the mama bear of the family and the baker, but I liked to think I helped too by staying out of her way.
It was a perfect summer day with a warm sun, no delinquent donkey trying to bite anybody’s elbows, and a butt-scratch-loving pig sniffing around for dropped snacks.
Mabel was adamant that we not sing to her. Instead, we just started cutting the cake and serving it up. She wanted pizza from Slice of Heaven, snacks, sparkling water and juice, and a carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
Who were we to deny her such an easy request? Especially when she’d become such an important member of the family.
Apparently, Damon had been struggling with what to get her for her birthday, so Maverick suggested he go hang out with Man Patel and maybe whittle her something with a bird on it.
The kid came back with an impressively carved wooden bird, and Mabel clutched it tightly in her hand as she ate pizza with the other. I’d say the gift was a huge success.
“How you doing?” Lennox asked, coming up behind me as I stood on Tom’s porch, sipping rosé and staring out at the glittering water.
“Blessed,” I said with a sigh, leaning my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me.
“Yeah?”
I smiled and closed my eyes. “Yeah.”
A loud burst of laughter inside had us both craning our necks around to see what was going on. Dawn was visiting and had tears streaming down her cheeks as she had one hand on Jagger’s arm and another across her belly.
It was so nice to meet Dawn and get to learn more about Lennox and the wonderful woman who raised him.
We faced the water again, and both sipped our wine before he set his glass on the deck railing, and spun me to face him, lacing his hands around my back at the waist. “How are you sleeping now that the kids aren’t in your bed anymore?”
He knew that I’d actually slept better with the kids in my bed that first week than I had been the last two weeks. I kept waking up, drenched in sweat and terrified. Most of my dreams were of me being locked in a sauna, or somewhere else small and hot.
“Not great,” I admitted. “Melatonin is helping. But that seems to make the dreams more vivid. That’s the trade off.”
He frowned. “I’m so—”
“Don’t,” I said. “You’ve apologized too many times. Enough, Lennox. Seriously. This wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you, so you need to let it go. We’re not going to heal or get past this if you hold onto the guilt. We were all victims.”
He nodded and swallowed.
“What the hell is that witch doing here?” came Gabrielle’s voice from inside the house.
“Who?” I asked, untangling myself from Lennox’s arms and wandering inside.
“The Island Mouth,” Danica said. “She’s at the gate asking to be let in.”
“Fuck that shit,” Raina said. “Tell her to ride off on her bloody broomstick, lest we throw a bucket of water on her warty old body.”
Jagger and Maverick both smothered their smiles by sipping their beer.
“Is this the woman?” Dawn asked, her fingers tightening around her beer bottle until her knuckles glowed white. She glanced at all of us, and Jagger gave a small nod. “I’ve got a few things to say to—”
Tom rested a hand on Dawn’s shoulder. “Let’s just see what she has to say first, hmm?”
Reluctantly, Dawn nodded.
“What do you want, Jolene?” Danica asked into the intercom for the gate. “We’re having a family party right now.”
“Yes, well, I went to the vineyard, and Mr. Paul’s house, and was told by the staff at the tasting room that you were all here.”
“What do you want?” Danica repeated.
“I would like to speak with Mr. Paul and Mabel.”
“Why?”
Jolene made a noise in her throat.
“What was that?” Raina hollered.
“I have come to apologize,” Jolene mumbled.
“Three weeks too fucking late,” Raina said, shaking her head. She’d had a few glasses of wine and was more filter-free than ever.
Everyone glanced at Lennox and Mabel, waiting for their answer.
“Let her in,” Mabel said.
My brows rose in surprise.
Dawn looked more shocked than any of us. “Honey, you don’t have to—”
“It’s okay, Dawn,” Mabel said, her eyes sharp and focused. “It’s okay.”
Danica nodded and hit the button to open the gate.
Everyone wandered out to the front porch to watch the old salt-and-pepper biddy drive her champagne-colored sedan down the driveway. She parked, checked her face in her visor mirror, and stepped out.
As always, she was in a hideous floral blouse and pleated slacks. She met my gaze, but only briefly, before focusing on Mabel. She reached the first porch step, but nobody was going to let her up. She needed to stay lower than us.
Mabel crossed her arms over her chest, the wooden bird still in her hand.
Jolene swallowed and stared down at the ground. “My apologies for posting a photo of you and your father on Facebook.”
Several of the guys made scoffing sounds behind us. Yeah, that was a pretty shit apology if I’d ever heard one.
Dawn growled, which prompted Jolene to cock her head to the side curiously, reminding me of a clueless puppy. “Who are you?”
“None of your goddamn business,” Dawn spat.
Jolene cleared her throat. “Right.”
“And?” Mabel asked.
Jolene’s gray brows narrowed. “And?”
“And, how about apologizing to my father as well? To Naomi and her entire family for the domino effect your ignorance and meddling caused. For the pain and suffering of everyone here. Naomi nearly died. You get that, right? Because you need to know everything about everyone.”
Jolene’s complexion was getting ruddier by the second. She clenched her jaw and her copper gaze shifted back and forth across everyone’s faces. “I … I’m just looking out for the island. Someone has to.”
Lennox shook his head.
Mabel shook her head. “You need to learn how to apologize better.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I stepped down to Jolene’s level.
“While I understand your reasoning—to a degree—Jolene, you need to understand the ramifications of your actions. Yes, you claim you were looking out for the island, but even you can agree that you took it too far. And I think it says a lot that you came here to apologize. However, I don’t think very many of these people feel that you truly understand that what you did was wrong, or feel that you are genuinely sorry. ”
A flash of anger rushed through Jolene’s eyes.
“You’ve become an island pariah, no?” Danica asked softly. “People are afraid to speak to you or in front of you now? At least that’s what I’ve heard.”
Jolene’s chin trembled.
“People got hurt,” Mabel said. “And it could have been a lot worse. We came here because we thought it was safe. Never thought the most dangerous person on the island would be a woman in her seventies in a champagne-colored sedan.”
Jagger snorted.
“I’m not dangerous,” Jolene argued.
“No?” Tom asked. “You doxxed people who were hiding. That’s dangerous.”
“Honesty—”
“Jolene, either apologize and mean it, or go,” Gabrielle said. “This is a birthday celebration for a family member, and you’re kind of putting a damper on the whole thing. For once in your seventy-plus years, be accountable for your actions. Learn from them, and do better.”
Heads bobbed on the porch.
Jolene met my eyes, and this time, I could actually see understanding and true remorse forming in the lines of her face. “I’m sorry, Naomi.” Then she moved her focus to Mabel. “I’m sorry, Mabel.”
Mabel nodded.
Finally, she focused on Lennox. “I’m sorry, Mr. Paul. You’re a good principal, and … I was wrong.”
Lennox tugged Mabel into his side and exhaled. “Thank you, Jolene. We appreciate it.”
Wringing her hands in front of her, The Island Mouth stood in front of all of us, not sure what to do next.
“I guess I should head home.”
Was she expecting all bygones to be bygones? Because we weren’t there yet. She wasn’t going to get an invitation for cake, that’s for sure.
“See you at yoga,” Lennox said, as she reached her car, and opened the door.
She brightened at that comment and smiled slightly. “Y-yeah, see you at yoga.”
We waved her off, and headed back inside.
“Well, it wasn’t a megaphone declaration of wrongdoing, but it was something,” Maverick said. “Do we take what we can get?”
“With Jolene Dandy, you have to,” I replied.
“I could have done with giving her a couple of slaps across her wrinkly old face,” Dawn murmured. She flexed her hands out in front of her to show off a few big costume jewelry rings that would have done some damage to Jolene’s papery cheek.
Tom, Jagger, and Maverick all snickered.
Sam came out of the back room of the house, carrying a big cardboard box. “Are we ready to release Oakley?”
Everyone gathered on the porch at sunset as Sam and Tom set the box on the railing. “Birthday girl,” Tom said. “You rescued Oakley, it makes sense that you would free them too.”
Still clutching the carved bird in her left hand, Mabel stepped forward, took a deep breath, and lifted the flap on the box. A few flaps of feathers, then Oakley hopped up onto the rim of the box, turned and looked at all of us for a few seconds, then took flight.
Lennox kissed the side of Mabel’s head. “Well done, kiddo.”
Mabel beamed. “Goodbye, Oakley.”
Lennox’s arm wrapped around my waist, and I leaned into him. His lips pressed my temple. “I was thinking that maybe once mine and Mabel’s lease is up in February, we could look into something bigger. Like … four bedrooms. What do you think?”
I tilted my head side to side in thought. “I mean … while I love the idea of living with you. And I love you, I’m not sure I could ever leave the vineyard. But we could look at adding an edition onto the cottage.”
“Hang on—did you just say you love me?”
I spun to face him, grinning from ear to ear. “Maybe.”
Now it was his turn to smile, the scar making his lip lift up just a little more on one side. “I’d love to live on a vineyard. I’ve already learned so much about winemaking. Give me a full year and I’ll be a pro.”
Resting my wrists on his shoulders, I lifted up onto my tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you, Lennox Paul. I’m happy you’re in my life. I love your daughter and I’m happy she’s in my life. We deserve this joy, and I’m going to do everything I possibly can to hang on to it.”
“And I’m going to do everything I possibly can to hang on to you. Forever and always.” Then he kissed me on the porch, with our family around us, the setting sun in the background, and a bright and exciting future ahead.