Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The car arrived right on time.
Essie watched it pull up from one of the bedroom windows.
The shiny black sedan eased to the curb, lights blinking once before going dark.
Frank was moving down the hallway with his suitcase, efficient as always.
Suit and shirt crisp. Shoes polished. He believed in dressing appropriately when sitting in First Class.
Everything about him was prepared for departure.
She missed him already.
She walked out with him to the porch, the late morning air warm but bearable. The sounds of the Colony filtered to them along with the shushing of the waves. Someone in the distance started a weed trimmer. All around them, life proceeded as usual.
Except it didn’t feel that way to her.
Frank let go of his suitcase handle and turned to her. “I’ll call once we’re through security.”
“Good,” Essie said. “And text when you land.”
“That, too.” He smiled as he reached out to brush his thumb along her jaw. Then he pulled her into a hug, holding onto her like he understood exactly what she was feeling. “I won’t be gone any longer than I have to.”
She nodded against his shoulder, her emotions nearly getting the best of her. She’d thought she was okay with this. Now? Not so much. She sniffed and made herself smile. “I know. Tell Chad I said hi. And that I’m praying for both of you.”
“I will.” He kissed her, then grabbed his bag, and rolled it to the car. The driver stepped out, took the suitcase, and slid it neatly into the trunk. Frank glanced back at Essie, lifted a hand in a small wave, blew her a kiss, and then he was in the car.
The door closed softly, and the car pulled away just as quietly as it had arrived.
Essie stayed on the porch longer than necessary, arms tucked loosely around herself, watching until the car turned the corner and headed for the main entrance.
The house felt different when she went back inside.
Empty. Still. Like something was missing, because it was.
Frank’s coffee mug sat in the sink. A pair of his reading glasses rested on the arm of the chair where he’d left them the night before. Minor things that seemed like glaring reminders now.
She poured herself a cup of coffee she didn’t really want and carried it into the living room, settling into her chair by the window. Outside, the day carried on, oblivious to the small ache inside her.
She should read her book. But her thoughts drifted, going in a different direction.
Mostly to her friends.
Cece, curled up with Peanut most evenings, the cat a constant presence in the house, and endlessly amusing, based on the anecdotes Cece loved to share.
Blaise had Beau as a companion for all those long walks, for someone to talk to.
It didn’t hurt that he was so cute, either.
Even Maude with her fish, Pixel, had something to greet her when she came home, something that needed to be fed, noticed, cared for.
Essie glanced around her own quiet space. Maybe the reason she missed Frank so much was because now she had no one to take care of. No one to look after. No one to cook for. No one to spoil.
“You don’t even have a plant,” she said aloud, then shook her head at herself.
A pet had never been part of their plan. Not with the traveling they loved to do. And not now with Sophie’s drama taking up so much emotional and mental space. Life was complicated enough.
And yet, the idea lingered.
A small dog would be easy enough to travel with. And if there was a trip the animal couldn’t go on, she could probably get one of the girls to look after it. Or she could hire a pet sitter. Maybe someone from church.
She set her coffee down untouched and stood, moving slowly through the house, unable to focus on anything but how quiet it was. How easily a morning could stretch on when there was no one else to account for.
Essie frowned. She wasn’t lonely, exactly. But she was alone. And for the first time since she’d remarried, she let herself consider the difference. And then thought about how long it was going to last this time.
Essie shook herself out of it before the thought could settle too deeply. A pet is a big decision, she told herself. Not a my-husband-just-left-for-the-airport decision.
She carried her phone into the kitchen, leaned one hip against the counter, and scrolled until she found Liliana’s name.
She hesitated, then reminded herself she wasn’t calling because she was lonely.
She was calling because she wanted to hear her daughter’s voice.
And extend the invitation to come visit, which she hadn’t done yet because of how hectic things had gotten.
Liliana answered on the second ring. “Hey, Mom.”
Essie smiled. “Hi, sweetheart. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
Liliana laughed. “Sleep in on a Monday? No, I’m up. What’s going on?”
“Well,” Essie said, choosing her words as she went, “Frank just left for Italy, and the house feels very quiet. I was wondering if maybe you and Mateo and the kids might want to come stay for a few days. Nothing fancy. Just a visit.” Liliana had begun homeschooling Mateo Jr., so school, which was almost over anyway, wasn’t a consideration.
And Mira was just a baby. She could go anywhere.
There was a pause on the other end, then warmth flooded Liliana’s voice. “Oh, Mom, I’d love that.”
“You would?”
“Of course I would. The kids would be over the moon.” She laughed softly. “Let me guess—with Frank gone your tiny house suddenly seems a whole lot bigger?”
Essie chuckled. “Something like that.”
“I want to say yes immediately,” Liliana replied.
“But I need to be honest. Mat won’t be able to get off work this week.
You know how things are right now with the police department.
They’re understaffed. And with him trying to make detective, the last thing he wants to do is ask for special favors. ”
Essie nodded, even though Liliana couldn’t see her. “I figured as much. I just wanted to ask.”
“But,” Liliana added quickly. “That doesn’t mean the kids and I can’t come. We’ve been due for a visit anyway.”
Essie’s shoulders relaxed a little. “Really?”
“Really,” Liliana said. “I’ll talk to Mat tonight, but I don’t see why not. He’d feel better knowing we’re with you while Frank’s away, too. He might not mind having a quiet house, either. He’s so beat when he gets home from work. In a way, it would be like a little vacation for him, too.”
Essie smiled, her mood lifted. “That would mean a lot to me.”
“Then it’s settled,” Liliana said. “I’ll text you later once I’ve nailed down the details.”
“Take your time,” Essie replied. “No rush.”
After they hung up, Essie set the phone down and leaned back against the counter, looking out the window at the blue water and stretch of sand beyond.
The house was still quiet.
But not for long.
Smiling now, Essie didn’t sit back down. She went straight to the pantry and opened the door, scanning shelves she already knew by heart but suddenly saw with new purpose.
The cereal selections weren’t going to work. None of them had marshmallows or bright colors. There was plenty of peanut butter and jelly, but she’d need more bread.
The mac and cheese was sadly lacking, too. She made a mental note to pick up the kind with cartoon characters on the label, the one she never bought for Frank and herself but knew the kids preferred. The kind with the pasta in shapes.
She’d also need more snack items. Crunchy things that left fingerprints. She laughed.
She moved to the refrigerator next, pulling out a notepad from the drawer beside it. Sandwich fixings. Fruit they’d actually eat, like bananas and grapes. Oh! She should get juice boxes. Those would be great to take to the beach, too.
The eggs were low and they’d need those for pancakes. Which would also require chocolate chips, because there always had to be chocolate chips. Maybe she should get some of those mini M&M’s.
Those could also be an ice cream topping, so she should buy ice cream. And cones, because cones were more fun.
The list grew quickly.
Then came logistics. She had plenty of beach towels, but what about sunscreen?
The kid-friendly kind? She added it to the list. Hats would be good.
A bucket and shovel, even if they only played with them for ten minutes before abandoning them for the water.
She’d stop at the dollar store for those, and bubble wands, and maybe a cheap frisbee.
Anything that involved motion, noise, or encouraged activity.
Essie paused in the hallway, picturing the sleeping arrangements.
The kids would be in the loft, but she’d check that there were enough pillows.
Lilana could have the guest room. Or she could share the king bed with Essie and put the kids in the guest room.
They’d need some kind of crib for Mira, because Essie was pretty sure she was too little to sleep in a bed.
She paused by the linen closet. She should put a nightlight in the loft so it wasn’t scary in the dark.
Mattie. might claim to be a big boy, but new places sometimes felt intimidating.
Besides that, she didn’t want him tumbling down the steps.
She could grab a nightlight at the dollar store, too. It went on the list.
By the time she circled back to the kitchen, her earlier heaviness was gone, replaced by a new focus.
The house would be the opposite of quiet soon. Essie chuckled at the thought. She hadn’t looked forward to chaos like this in a long time.