Chapter 39
T hey hit the ground running after they made up, starting with Gregory showing Charlotte that her office was cleaned and ready for her return. She’d been working from home and the conference room since she got back.
The day slipped by in a blur. Charlotte, running on sugar from the cinnamon bouquet she’d had to sample immediately and the pastries Melanie brought with her, coordinated with her family, Gregory, the park’s staff, and Mel. She knew what needed to be done and by whom and answered questions with confidence, no checklists needed. They made it through every aspect of preparation, from ironing tablecloths at Aunt Marianne’s insistence to ensuring careful placement of Charlotte’s mom’s incredibly detailed stained-glass triptych, with minimal stress and hiccups.
An hour before guests arrived and after everyone was changed and ready for the event to start, Charlotte found her uncle and aunt sitting on a bench outside the Manta’s exit. Its carved wood looked like cresting waves with pale foam roiling at the top of them; fronds of carved seaweed wrapped the bench’s legs. It was one of a kind, carved by Uncle Frank years ago when they first had the idea for Under the Waves and then stained by Aunt Marianne. It was one of the last items they’d placed. Seeing the couple sitting on the bench in the land they’d worked to bring to fruition for so long was enough to make Charlotte’s eyes well with moisture.
She smiled as she approached them. “I knew you still had that bench, but where have you been hiding it? I haven’t seen it in forever.”
“Of all places, it’s been in our bedroom,” Uncle Frank said, giving his wife the kind of warm and intimate look that came from decades of partnership. “Marianne here insisted it should be somewhere she could look at it every day.”
“I did. But when I said that, I didn’t know you’d choose the bedroom, because it doesn’t go with our decor even a little.”
Frank elbowed Marianne and teased, “Hey now, I’m sophisticated. I have taste.”
“If you think so, dear, I’ll let you hold on to that.” She patted Frank’s knee.
“Well, regardless of whether it matched your bedroom’s design,” Charlotte said, “I’m glad it’s finally here where it belongs. Where it’s always belonged. Do you know how many people are going to take pictures of this bench? It’s practically a throne.”
“You think?” Frank asked.
“I know ,” Charlotte answered. “And I want anyone who poses for a selfie here to know about you two, so I had a little something made.”
She reached into a tote bag and pulled out a brass plaque, aged with faux verdigris to look like it had been in the ocean for ages. The plaque was engraved: T HIS BENCH WAS MADE BY F RANK AND M ARIANNE G ATES, TWO DREAMERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL OF ADVENTURE IN THEIR HEARTS AND brOUGHT MAGIC TO ALL.
Charlotte handed it to her aunt and uncle. “Under the Waves needed this finishing touch to show all you’ve done for not just our family, but every family who visits Lands.”
Frank scrubbed his face with his hand, and Marianne stood to embrace Charlotte. “Thank you. We love you so much and we’re so happy you’re here to stay—for good, this time. And you know, we aren’t the only dreamers around here.”
Marianne nodded her head over Charlotte’s shoulder, to where Gregory was standing. “Aunt Marianne, I think you’re right.”
Charlotte broke from her aunt and leaned over to kiss her uncle on his forehead. “I’m glad you’re happy with how everything’s come together.”
“It couldn’t be more perfect, Charlotte.”
She left them sitting on the bench fussing over where the plaque should go and walked over to Gregory, gorgeous in a gray pinstripe suit with a seafoam-green tie.
“What do they think of everything?” he asked, his voice anxious.
“They’re over the moon to see this last piece of their come to reality. I think what we’ve done has given them permission to close the chapter on this part of their life,” Charlotte said.
“Like, in a good way, not a we’ve taken over everything and they feel useless kind of way, right?” His voice was frantic.
“Gregory.”
“Hmm?”
“How much caffeine have you had today?”
“I lost track.”
Charlotte pulled back and squeezed his biceps with her hands. “Well, it’s time to cut you off. Everything’s all set. My aunt and uncle are thrilled, Emily is pleased, it’s all done. You don’t have to worry.”
“That’s easy for you to say! You’ve been at a theme park grand opening before. What if the mock sushi makes someone ill? What if the rides don’t run for half the night? What if—”
Charlotte placed a finger on his lips. “Then we’ll have many amusing stories to tell later. It’s going to be okay; I promise.”
Gregory nodded. “When did you become the practical one?”
Charlotte shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be the one calming me down about something in the near future. Speaking of one of us calming the other one down, how are you feeling about riding the Manta? I know you’ve been skipping the test and soft-opening rides.”
“Marianne was supposed to tell you I’ve gone on it a million times and loved it,” Gregory whined. “Would you believe me if I said I wanted to save my first ride and authentic reaction for the grand opening?”
“Hmm,” Charlotte teased. “That’s very thoughtful of you, as long as you enjoy it, of course.”
Panic filled his eyes. “ Why would you say that, Charlotte? Do you think I’m not going to like it? Am I going to throw up and/or cry in front of everyone? That would be a terrible headline!”
“That would also be an amusing story, but no, you’re going to love it. The designers brought Uncle Frank’s vision to life beautifully. We’ll ride together and you can crush the life out of my hand if you need to. But maybe don’t eat until after we ride it. Deal?”
“Deal.” Gregory stopped and turned to Charlotte. “Have I mentioned how stunning you look this evening?”
Charlotte had chosen a sleeveless ocean-blue maxi dress for the night with silver-sequined sneakers. She’d left her hair down in waves and clipped in barrettes that looked like abalone shells.
“My ocean goddess.” He lifted the back of her hand to his lips.
Charlotte grinned. It was going to be an excellent evening.
* * *
Before the festivities started, Charlotte led Gregory and Melanie to a spot around a sculpted coral reef so they could see the guests approaching.
“The guests will be coming in there,” Charlotte said as she pointed. “We’ve designed the land so they enter through the tunnel that simulates going under the water and then they’ll step into this open space and be able to take the whole area in. It helps add to the sense of wonder when you compress and then release the space like that. Of course you both walked through there multiple times today, so you already know that. I’ve probably already said that. I’m rambling. Okay, I guess I am a bit nervous.”
“Babes, it would be weird if you weren’t nervous.” Melanie slid an arm around Charlotte’s shoulder and surprised her by putting an arm around Gregory’s shoulders, too. “Feel the nerves, but remember to be proud, too. Look what you both did. Together.” She moved her arms and spun around to face them. “Together you two can do anything you want. Remember that, okay? And remember that I knew it before anyone.”
“Hey, I knew for a while,” Charlotte said.
“Yeah, but you didn’t want to admit it.”
Gregory tucked Charlotte into his side. “Melanie’s right. You didn’t. We didn’t. We got there, though.” He kissed her cheek.
Frank, Marianne, and Emily joined them. “I see you brought Gregory and Melanie to the best spot in the house,” Uncle Frank said.
“You know it,” Charlotte answered. “Where are Mom and Dad?”
“Right over there. They wanted to watch you watch the guests arrive,” Aunt Marianne said. Charlotte waved at them.
“Remind me,” Emily said, “who all did we invite again? I know I helped make the list but all the prep has scrambled my brain.”
“Local press, theme park influencers, teens from local schools, people who love the thrill rides at Rushing Vortex up north, and friends and family, of course,” Gregory rattled off.
“That’s a lot of people,” Emily answered. “Definitely the biggest party we’ve ever had here at Lands. And that’s in no small part due to you for pushing us, Charlotte—in a good way, to be clear.”
Since Charlotte got home, she and Emily had started repairing their relationship. It would take a while to get back to where they were as kids, and Charlotte wasn’t sure if they’d ever be that close again. They’d see. “Thank you,” Charlotte said. “I want this party to be a success, and I can’t wait to see how many guests come to Lands this year just to ride the Manta Diver and see all of Under the Waves.”
Marianne tapped Charlotte on the shoulder. “Here they come.”
Charlotte moved next to Gregory and squeezed his hand. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
The first wave of guests walked into Under the Waves—Charlotte had planned it carefully so the influencers and press who wanted to take a million photos and videos would have time in the morning to explore before the park opened so they could film all they wanted. That meant they ideally wouldn’t be holding up phones and cameras all evening long. She didn’t want selfie sticks obscuring the faces of all the people coming in.
First up were their younger guests and harshest critics: teenagers.
Charlotte watched them take in Under the Waves. Some of them were clearly not impressed, but she could see others’ expressions transform from curiosity to surprise and delight. Nothing beat this feeling and she didn’t have to be at a theme park with a multimillion-dollar budget to get it. Her uncle had designed Under the Waves with such thoughtfulness and care and with everyone’s input, Charlotte’s experience, and Gregory’s finance management finesse, they’d made the attraction look amazing.
The walkways appeared to be made from grains of sand with shells, fossils, and bits of seaweed embedded into the flat surface. Caustic lighting that cast reflections of moving water across the walkway—bioluminescent spots would glow at nighttime—adding to the feeling of wandering the sea floor and seeing what was out there. Gentle wind chimes secured in the trees gave the space a background sound of crashing waves, and the splash-play area, though not open to guests for the grand opening, was on to add to the sound design.
It was all perfect.
They stayed in place as the bulk of the guests entered, magic hour starting as the last group came in. They hadn’t wanted to risk having an event in the middle of the day in case it was too hot; they had plenty of shady spots in the land but this was better. At this hour, everyone would see the sunset and twilight glow illuminate the faux sea cliffs.
Some influencers Charlotte knew from her DreamUs days stopped in their tracks, taken with something about the space. Other guests barreled in, eager to see it all. Proud-looking staff directed them toward the ribbon-cutting stage and seats in front of the Manta. They also offered drinks and small bites—Melanie had helped Quinn and Holly develop a tasting menu representative of what would be available in Under the Waves all the time, but with a celebratory flare for the event. Melanie refused to let them go for the easy trick of serving blue drinks to represent the ocean and calling it a day; she used the word “elevated” frequently. And as ever, Melanie was right. Charlotte noticed a lot of people positioning phones to photograph their snacks—especially Holly’s chocolate bouchons with the seaweed espuma swirl on top.
Guests also gathered in a crowd around Owen and their corgis. The photos they’d shown Charlotte of Mabel and Olive dressed as mermaids didn’t do the pups justice. With mermaid tails crocheted from sparkly yarn and crowns of seaweed and shells, the dogs looked ridiculously adorable. People came over to fawn over them with pets and ask for photos, and Mabel and Olive were eating it up. Owen art directed everyone for the best possible shots, a huge grin on their face.
This could only happen at Lands of Legend. Relief that she’d come to her senses in time to be part of this coursed through her body, followed by a comforting sense of rightness and belonging.
When the final bunch of people trickled in, Charlotte led everyone toward the ribbon-cutting stage. “It’s time to officially get this shindig going and get these folks on rides. Remember, Uncle Frank and Aunt Marianne, you’re kicking things off after I introduce you.”
Marianne patted Frank’s hand and inhaled deeply. “We’re ready.”
Charlotte made sure her parents, Gregory, and Mel were seated in the reserved front row before taking the stage.
“Hi, everyone! Thank you for joining us for the grand opening of Under the Waves!” Charlotte beamed into the microphone. When the applause died down, she continued, “This addition to Lands of Legend has been a long time in the making, but I’ll let the minds behind all of Lands tell you about it. Please welcome Frank and Marianne Gates, the founders of Lands of Legend.”
Charlotte made way for her aunt and uncle and then took a place offstage.
“We’re so happy and grateful to have you all here,” her aunt started. “Lands of Legend has always been a project of love for Frank and me.” Here, she took her husband’s hand. “Frank had a vision for this park back in the early eighties and built it piece by piece, sharing his imagination with all of us. Lands kept growing and our family grew alongside it; our daughter Emily and our niece, Charlotte, practically grew up here. We’ve all contributed over the years and made it through some tough times.”
Marianne’s eyes watered and she paused for a moment. “Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever see Under the Waves become real. As some of you know, it’s been a real stop-and-go addition to the park. Frank’s idea for the Manta was ambitious—even I questioned him about the practicality of all of this a few times. But thanks to support from everyone we know and love, and from Ever Fund, specifically Gregory Binns, here we are. We couldn’t be more thrilled. Frank, do you have anything to add?”
Charlotte waited since she knew her uncle wasn’t big on speaking in public. Frank took a moment, looking down and swiping a hand under his eye. “I’ll just echo you: Thank you to everyone who made this happen. I’ve had my doubts about whether we’d open this last part of Lands of Legend before we retired, but I shouldn’t have strayed. Now, what do you say we wrap this up and go on rides?”
The crowd cheered. Charlotte walked with her aunt and uncle to the deep blue shimmering ribbon tied across the entry to the Manta Diver and handed them oversized ceremonial scissors. Together, they cut the ribbon and entered the queue. Charlotte ushered her cousin and parents in after them. Melanie wasn’t ready for the Manta yet, so she hung back. Gregory approached with slow steps.
“Do you see how happy everyone looks?” Charlotte asked, sliding an arm around his waist. “Under the Waves is perfect, Gregory. Perfect.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and looked out on the crowd for a moment before facing her. “It is nice to see, but I’m more concerned with how you’re feeling. It’s been a long day. A long, what, five months?”
“Almost. But we did it. Together.” She stepped closer and ran her thumb over one of his laugh lines. “We make a good team.”
He leaned in and kissed her, sweet and brief. “I can’t wait to do more of this with you.”
“This?”
“Everything, Charlotte. Everything.”
She extended her hand to Gregory. “Me too. Including this.” She nodded toward the Manta. “May I have this roller-coaster ride?”
He clasped her fingers. “Always.”