Chapter 11
11
A fter putting down the boxes she’d carried from the car, Maileah opened the door to her cottage on Orange Blossom Way.
“Where shall I put these?” Junie asked, her arms wrapped around another cardboard box.
“Just stack everything in the bedroom,” Maileah replied. “I have to go through all those old relics before I put anything away.”
“What’s in here? Sweaters?”
“Just some things that don’t fit my style anymore.”
Inwardly, Maileah shuddered as she recalled the outfits she’d worn clubbing with Hawk. He liked her to look as cheap as he was. At the time, she’d thought acting like that was fun, but now, she was ashamed of her choices.
She realized how much she had hurt her family, especially when she took sides with her father.
She’d packed her clothes and accessories to move in with Hawk. But she hadn’t had a chance to unpack before the relationship imploded, so she shipped everything to Crown Island before she left.
Only now, she didn’t want any reminders of her old life .
This was a fresh beginning.
Junie peeked under a flap. “What are these? Halloween costumes?”
“Might as well be.”
“If you don’t want them, you can donate them,” Junie said. “I’ll help you go through them.”
When Maileah told her what was inside, her sister grinned. “Guess you won’t need those with Todd. Have you heard from him?”
Maileah brushed off her jeans. “He wanted me to see his new place this weekend, but I told him I was moving.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t offer to help,” Junie said.
“He did, but I knew we could handle it.” Maileah had a lot on her mind. She had borrowed Deb’s large SUV to move the boxes she’d stored in her grandmother’s garage.
After she and Junie had carried in her belongings, Maileah looked around. “I don’t have much to show for a woman who’s been on earth as long as I have been.”
Her sister slung her arm around her. “That’s because you carry your experiences inside. I don’t know anyone who has had more travel and adventures than you have.”
“I suppose that’s true.” She hugged Junie. “Thanks for helping. There is one more thing I want to do.”
Opening a cupboard, she found an old watering pitcher and vases. “Let’s bring some of those gorgeous wildflowers and roses inside.”
“Great idea. Do you have any scissors or clippers?”
“I don’t know. Check the drawers.”
“Score,” Junie said, bringing out a pair.
Maileah opened the French doors to the patio, and the two clipped flowers from the abundance of growth. “I’ll have to keep these trimmed, I suppose.”
Babe hadn’t mentioned anything about a gardening service, so she assumed that was her responsibility, but she’d ask. Not that she minded though. Trimming looked easy enough .
They brought their cut flowers inside, arranged them, and placed them in the living room, bedroom, and outside on a table.
“There,” Maileah said with satisfaction. “I’m home at last.”
“I know the feeling,” Junie said. “Although I’ll miss you at my place.”
“You’re welcome here, too.”
Just then, footsteps sounded on the path outside, and Maileah opened the front door. “Mom, Nana, what a surprise.” She welcomed them inside.
“I thought you might need some housewarming supplies.” April held up a bag from a local pizzeria and a bottle of wine.
Ella looked around, smiling. “Augustus and I had a sweet little place like this when we first married. That was before we bought our home on Beach View Lane. I loved its simplicity. I think you found a real gem, darling.”
“Thank you, Nana,” Maileah said, taking the pizzas into the kitchen. “My stomach was starting to rumble. We can eat outside.”
She and Junie cleaned up while their mother found a checkered tablecloth and Ella located the wine glasses.
After filling their plates with pizza and salad, the four women sat around the table under the umbrella, enjoying the new surroundings.
April pulled the cork from the wine. As she poured, she said, “First, I’d like to toast to you and your new beginning here on the island. I know you’ll find what makes your heart sing.”
“And his name is Todd,” Junie added with a grin.
Maileah’s smile faltered. “Maybe. Or maybe not.”
Junie frowned with alarm. “Did something happen between you?”
April and Ella looked between them with interest.
“I’m reconsidering a lot of things in my life.”
“Isn’t he part of the shiny new life you want?” Junie asked .
Ella touched her glass to Maileah’s. “It’s always good to consider your options.”
Maileah leaned over to kiss her grandmother on the cheek. “I’m going to start meeting you in the mornings for yoga. My brain needs a kickstart, and my body needs more flexibility and balance. Or is that the other way around?”
“It’s both,” Ella said, a smile lighting her face. “Monday and Wednesday. Don’t be late.”
“I want to alternate that with walking, but I can’t wait to get back on a jet ski.” She’d noticed a pair in the open garage at Sailor’s home and imagined he took those out with Skeeter.
A twinge of jealousy threatened her, but she pushed it away. She had no reason for that. She wanted to be happy for them.
As they ate and talked, dusk began to gather. Something caught Maileah’s eye. “Hang on, I think I found something.”
A cord dangled from a branch, so she looked around until she found an outlet to plug it into. Tiny white fairy lights flickered to life, illuminating the tree above them.
They all gasped at the leafy boughs stretched overhead like a protective embrace.
“What a magical place you’ve found,” her mother said. “I’m sure your life will come together here.”
“That’s my goal, Mom.” Maileah sat with her family again. Taking in the faces around her, she thought about these women who meant the most to her, the ones who had been there for her when no one else was.
Leaning against Junie, she reached across the table and clasped her mother’s and grandmother’s hands. “I know I have a sharp tongue and often leap before I look, but thank you for not giving up on me. You’ve saved me.”
“You saved yourself,” her mother said. “We just cushioned your fall.”
“You sure keep things lively,” Junie said.
Maileah laughed. “Maybe a little less so in the future. ”
“You don’t have to take it that far,” Ella said, winking at her.
After finishing the wine and putting the rest of the pizza and salad into the refrigerator, Junie and April helped tidy the cottage while Maileah organized her toiletries and workspace. Both tasks took little time because she’d been traveling light.
Ella put herself in charge of supervising, and she was chatting away about her memories of Crown Island. “This is the first time you’ve lived by yourself in a long time. Will you feel safe after we leave?”
Maileah glanced around. “I was just thinking about that. It seems a little odd, but I’ll get used to it.” She’d had roommates or boyfriends since college. “Maybe I’ve been afraid to be alone.”
“It’s understandable.” Her grandmother touched her hand. “Call me if you need anything or want to talk, though you’ll probably find plenty to keep you busy.”
“I will, but don’t be surprised if your phone rings.”
Her gaze landed on her workspace, which she’d set up on a small table facing a window. A laptop, a coffee cup full of pens and pencils she’d collected from her travels, a notepad, assorted charges, and an old hand-loomed potholder for a coaster.
She was ready.
After her family left, Maileah closed the door. She was alone, except for the rustling of creatures she hadn’t yet identified. Birds and squirrels, she hoped.
A breeze cooled the room through wood-framed windows she’d cracked open a few inches and secured with a safety peg. Leaves swished lazily across the roof.
Clad in an old T-shirt, she slid between the soft, worn sheets she’d brought from Junie’s house. Maileah felt comforted under the old bedspread wrapped around her like a hug.
Every creak in the old cottage registered in her weary brain, cataloged to explore in the daylight. As she lay still, the distant, rhythmic sound of ocean waves floated into the cozy bedroom.
Tomorrow would be the start of her new life.
She already knew what she had to do, even if it went against everything she thought she desired.