Chapter 28 #2
We walk toward the lighthouse, the sound of gulls overhead, the scent of sea air curling around us.
The front door’s open, voices carrying out onto the porch.
The air is full of laughter and shouting.
Somewhere in the background I can hear a baby squealing.
It’s the closest I’ve had to a family in a while.
Like he gets it, Zach squeezes my hand.
“Uncle Zach!” Ayda runs out of the lighthouse, throwing her arms around him. “Mom said you’re bringing a girlfriend, but I told her it’s just Sadie.” She looks up at me. “Hey, I read the Babysitters Club book you gave me. I’m totally a Kristy.”
My lips twitch. Kristy is the founding member. Of course she’d want to be her.
But before I can reply, Skyler appears in the doorway, a coffee mug in one hand and an arched brow aimed at her daughter. “Come back to the table and finish your breakfast.”
“But I wanted to ask Sadie if she has the next book in the series.” Ayda rolls her eyes at me, looking every inch the teenager she’ll be in a few years time. “Seriously, moms are so annoying.”
“I heard that.” Skyler takes a slow sip of her coffee, eyes narrowing over the rim. But I can tell she loves Ayda calling her ‘mom’. “And for the record, I was reading those books before you were even born.”
Ayda crosses her arms. “Yeah, but that was like a hundred years ago.”
Zach coughs out a laugh.
Skyler shoots her daughter a narrow-eyed look. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, kid. I’m the one who pays for those books.”
Ayda has the good grace to look sheepish. “Sorry.” She looks back at me. “Do you have the next one? Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls? Mom said she’ll bring me into the shop next week but that’s forever away.”
“Zach?” Asher calls out from the side of the lighthouse, where he’s walking with Hudson, the two of them in deep discussion. “Can you help us with this?”
Zach glances at me, the corners of his mouth tugging down like he’s not ready to let go of my hand. “You okay?” he asks.
I nod, because I really am. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a more welcoming family than the Fitzgeralds. “I’m fine, honestly. Go on, I’ll be inside. Skyler looks like she needs someone to back her up.”
Skyler raises her coffee cup. “Babysitter Club alumni unite.”
Zach squeezes my fingers before letting go, then turns and heads toward his brothers, tucking his hands into his pockets like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
And I follow him with my eyes for longer than I should, before I walk inside with Skyler and Ayda.
The kitchen is exactly the kind of warm chaos I’ve come to expect from the Fitzgeralds.
The lighthouse is small so even a few of us inside makes it feel crowded.
A big wooden table is covered in platters with croissants, scrambled eggs, fruit, and what looks suspiciously like someone’s half-eaten pancake.
Autumn is moving between the counter and the table with the energy of a woman on a mission, while Francie is topping off mugs like she’s running her own café.
Eden’s perched on a stool with a sleepy Elijah balanced on her hip, and Parker’s taping a handmade paper sign above the fireplace that reads “Gala Day To-Do List.”
I hover in the doorway for a second, unsure where I fit, until Autumn spots me and beams.
“Don’t just hang out there!” she says. “Come in. I need somebody who isn’t calling me a little dictator.”
A minute later, I have a croissant in one hand, a coffee in the other, and I’m nodding rapidly at Autumn’s instructions for making sure everything’s ready on Main Street.
“I’ll come and check, of course, but I can’t be in three places at once, and I trust you more than I trust Hudson and Zach.”
“It’s fine,” I tell her. “I’ve got it.” All she wants me to do is make sure the paintings are in their right places, then text her to confirm.
Which is exactly what I agreed to do yesterday.
But I get it, this is her baby, she’s panicking, even if she’s coating it with a veneer of a tyrant.
“I’ll message you as soon as I get there,” I promise.
“Thank you.” She lets out a sigh. “Now tell me what’s going on with you and Zach.”
I practically spit out my mouthful of coffee. What is it with this family and drastically changing the subject?
Skyler snorts from behind the counter. “To be fair, she lasted longer than I thought. Let’s give her that.”
“I gave it two minutes, tops,” Eden says, bouncing Elijah in her arms. “Honestly, I’m disappointed.”
Autumn rolls her eyes. “Well come on, somebody had to ask. Zach is like a brick wall every time I mention your name. And it’s killing me. You know I live on oxygen and gossip.”
I swallow my coffee and try to find a graceful way to deflect, but Parker walks over and kisses Autumn on the cheek. “Don’t scare away your helpers on Art Trail day. Grill her tomorrow when it’s all over.” He sends me a wink that tells me he’s got this, like he’s a practiced Autumn wrangler.
Autumn narrows her eyes like she’s weighing whether to push harder, but Elijah lets out a loud yawn and flops against Eden’s shoulder.
“That’s our cue,” Eden says, hopping down carefully. “Shall I put him down for a nap before he turns into a tiny tyrant like his mom?”
“That would be great,” Autumn says, ignoring her jibe. “When you’re back we’ll go through everybody’s responsibilities for today.”
“I thought Elijah was my responsibility,” Eden says, frowning. “I’m the official babysitter. You didn’t say I’d have to do anything else.”
“She’s a hard taskmaster,” Skyler says. “You know this.” She glances at Autumn. “Am I excused to drop Ayda at dance class?” she asks.
“Okay. But straight back here after.” Autumn lifts a brow. “I’m serious.”
“I’m gonna check on the guys,” Parker says, ruffling his wife’s hair.
“Good. Make sure they know their orders.”
His lips twitch as he touches his fingers to his temple. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Autumn wrinkles her nose at him, but there’s love in her expression. She already looks frazzled, and I shoot her a smile. “You’re doing amazing,” I tell her, because I know what it’s like to be in charge of something this big. When I first decided to buy the bookshop, I barely breathed for months.
“Thank you.” Autumn tells me. “And for the record, you’re way too good for my brother.”
Eden disappears up the stairs with Elijah, and Skyler calls for Ayda, who’s trying to sneak one more bite of pancake before leaving.
As I reach for another sip of coffee, Francie suddenly pushes past me, her hand over her mouth.
“Bathroom,” she manages to say before darting out of the kitchen.
“Well, that leaves you and me,” Autumn says, not commenting that it’s morning and Francie is suddenly feeling sick.
“Then let’s do this,” I say, smiling warmly at her. And as we walk over to look at her list I realize something.
Thanks to this family, I’m finally starting to feel like I belong somewhere.
And I love it.