Chapter 17 #3
The blonde woman finally made it across the sand, both heels now dangling from one finger, the other hand fanning her own face like she’d just crossed the Sahara. “Oh my God, Noa. You didn’t tell me there would be so much sand.”
“It’s a beach, Sadie.” Noa didn’t even turn around.
“I know, I just didn’t think it would be everywhere.
” Sadie recovered instantly and turned a full-teeth smile on Maddy and Aspen, hand pressed to her chest. “Hi! I’m Sadie, I’m Noa’s official cheerleader.
” She raised her fists holding the heels in the air and called out to the beach. “Go team! Or whatever.”
Maddy looked at Aspen. Aspen looked at Maddy. They both fought to hide their smiles.
And then the rest of the Reyes family arrived, and one-by-one gave Maddy their own version of a warm welcome.
Noa’s dad, Hector, said welcome home mija with a pat on the back.
Noa’s younger sister, Bella, told Maddy she had to sit with her at the barbecue because she had fifteen years of dirt about Noa to catch her up on.
Noa’s older sister, Mia, stepped in close, gripped Maddy’s shoulder hard, and gave her a look that clearly said don’t you ever do that shit again and we’ll be good, without using a single word.
And then there was Carmen.
She’d hung back to let the others go first, and then stood in front of Maddy and just looked at her, eyes filling with tears.
Then pulled Maddy into one of the bear hugs she was famous for and Maddy realized she had not been hugged like that in fifteen years, and felt her own eyes go hot with tears.
She told Maddy she had broken Noa’s heart, and a piece of her own heart too, and before the weekend was over they were going to sit down and Maddy was going to let her say all of it.
Maddy had expected no less.
Noa had stood back through the whole thing with her arms crossed, letting her mother run the show, and then she leaned in, grin gone crooked. “She’s been rehearsing that greeting since Tuesday.”
Maddy dragged the heel of her hand under her eyes and laughed, wetly. “Well yours was you look expensive.”
“Mine was an accurate observation and you know it.” Noa was already grinning again.
Maddy laughed again. She was still recovering from the entire Reyes reunion when the rest of the St. Claire’s arrived.
Chloe with one arm holding a covered dish and the other wrapped around Maisie’s shoulders, Olly pulling a wagon of coolers, and Marion, who’d walked straight to the only patch of shade on the beach, set up a single chair, and sat down, pulling a book out of her bag.
“Aunt Aspen! Maddy!” Maisie lit up and broke into a run across the sand, then Maisie gasped and pivoted on the spot. “Noa! You’re here!”
“I am.” Noa looked thoroughly pleased about being the highest priority, which Maddy should have expected given that Noa was an actual marine biologist.
Maisie planted both feet in the sand and looked up at her. “Did you know that giant kelp can grow two feet in one day?”
Noa turned to face her fully, like they were about to enter a duel.
“I did know. Did you know that the blades of kelp are filled with gas which keeps them buoyant and floating towards the sun?” She held up a finger before Maisie could respond.
“And did you also know that a single piece of kelp can host up to 8,000 individual sea creatures?”
“Duh.” Maisie’s face went flat for exactly one second before she was bouncing on the balls of her feet again. “Okay, what did you see on your expeditions this year? I need to know everything. I’ve been waiting a whole year.”
“We’ve got all weekend, kid. Let’s pace ourselves.” Noa pulled Maisie into a side hug, grinning at Maddy over the top of her head.
“I can’t believe I lost my cool factor of working in Hollywood to someone who studies sea kelp.” Maddy placed her hands over her heart like she was wounded.
Noa shrugged. “Sea kelp is incredibly cool. Can Hollywood suck carbon dioxide out of water 20 times more effectively than land forests and protect coastlines from erosion?” She raised her brows. “Didn’t think so. And kelp’s not even showy about it. So there.”
Maddy shook her head with a smile.
The Howells arrived next in a loud, cheerful mass—Jake out front carrying a foil tray balanced on one hand and his whole family that looked like the starting line of their own football team behind him hauling beans and rice in quantities that suggested they’d misread the guest count by about three hundred.
“Wow, isn’t this a sight?” Jake grinned as he looked from Maddy to Noa to Aspen. “The debate band’s back together again.” Then his eyes landed on Sadie. “Oh, hey Wendy.”
Noa hit him in the arm.
“My name’s Sadie.” Sadie blinked at him, lost.
“Oh, is it? My bad.” Jake shrugged, then turned his attention back to Maddy. “You ready to show these people what you’re made of, Mads?”
Maddy looked around at all of them. Noa, Aspen, Jake, the old high school gang with a floppy-hatted Sadie bolted onto the side of it, Maisie still vibrating about kelp. The Reyes', the Howells, the St. Claires.
She landed back on Jake with a smirk. “Hell yeah I am.”