River's End (9781426761140) (34 page)

The next morning Anna got up early and was making coffee in the kitchen when she noticed two figures down by the river. It was hard to tell who they were since it was barely dawn and a thick blanket of fog had rolled onto the riverbank overnight. But they appeared to be embracing. Probably one of the couples sharing a Christmas hug. But then as the pair walked up to the house, Anna nearly fell over from shock. Blinking to see if her eyes were playing tricks, she realized it was really true—Lauren and Sarah, mother and daughter, walking side by side on their way up to the house.

Anna took in a deep breath and waited for the front door to open and then, trying not to look as stunned as she felt, welcomed them, casually offering them coffee.

“Oh, Grandma,” Sarah said in a teasing tone. “Don't pretend you're not shocked by the fact that Mom and I are acting civilly.”

Anna poured three cups. “Well, I'll admit you've caught me off guard.”

“I went to talk to Sarah last night,” Lauren explained. “But then, for some reason, I decided not to. Instead, I went to bed early. Then this morning, I woke early and went for a walk. When I saw Sarah down on the dock, I thought I'd corner her. I marched down there thinking I'd force her listen to my full apology. Either that or she'd have to jump into the river.” Lauren laughed. “But I'd barely asked her to forgive me and she said yes. Just like that!”

“Actually, there's a little more to it than that.” Sarah took a cup and sat down at the kitchen table. “I was feeling guilty.”

“Guilty?” Anna sat down across from her.

“Yes. I was thinking about Christmas—I mean that it's supposed to be the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth—and I remembered the Bible verses you told me to read, before Grandpa got hurt.”

“About forgiveness?”

Sarah nodded. “I read them yesterday morning.”

“Good for you.”

“And I'd been thinking about them off and on all day. Then last night when everyone was having a good time together and I realized how miserable I was . . . that's why I left.”

“So she could be miserable alone,” Lauren said in a slightly teasing tone. Then she smiled apologetically at Sarah and sat down. “Sorry. But I'm glad you took the time to think about it. Not just for my sake either.” She sighed. “When I think how long it took me to figure these things out—well, maybe I still am—anyway, you're way ahead of me.”

Sarah looked at Anna with sparkling eyes. “So, I kept thinking about everything you'd said. And I read those verses again. It was around midnight when it started to make sense. I started to figure it out—and it just hit me. I finally got it.”

“About forgiveness?”

“Yes!” She smiled happily. “I understood that I was blocking God from forgiving me when I refused to forgive my mom. I could see how I'd built this wall all around me. Each stone was like each time I chose not to forgive. I realized how this wall isolated me from God and from others—and that it was making me miserable. And I knew I needed to knock it down. And that's what I did.”

“We both happened to get up early,” Lauren told Anna. “To go for a walk.” She winked. “Think that was a coincidence?”

“I think God planned the whole thing,” Anna said with certainty.

“As soon as I saw Sarah, I started telling her how sorry I was about everything—but she cut me off. She didn't even let me apologize for all the messes I've put her through over the years.” Lauren shook her head. “And it was a long, long list.”

“But I didn't really need to hear it anymore,” Sarah confessed.

Anna could hardly believe her ears.

“Because I had already forgiven her.” Sarah smiled at her mother.

“Good for you,” Anna reached for Sarah's hand and then for Lauren's. “Good for both of you.”

“I'll say.” Lauren sighed. “What a relief.”

“You were right all along, Grandma,” Sarah admitted sheepishly. “And I feel so much better now. I don't know why I couldn't see it before.”

“It doesn't matter,” Anna assured her. “What's important is that you see it now. What a wonderful Christmas present for you, Sarah. And for all of us.”

“This is the best Christmas present I ever could've received,” Lauren proclaimed.

And it turned out to be the best Christmas as well. Anna was thrilled to have so many of her loved ones around her—and without any squabbles. She knew she couldn't expect every Christmas to be like this one, but she was determined to enjoy it to the fullest while it was here.

By Saturday, as they were getting ready for the wedding, Lauren asked Sarah if she would consider standing up with her. “I know it's last minute. I wasn't really planning to have anyone. But would you be my maid of honor?”

“Really?” Sarah blinked. “You'd want me? After all we've been through?”

“But it's behind us now,” Lauren reminded her.

“What about Brad?” Sarah asked.

Brad came in from where he'd been visiting with his parents in the living room. “I think it's a great idea,” he told Sarah. “Lauren already asked me about it, and I gave her two thumbs up.”

“Okay then.” Sarah glanced at Anna. “Do you think I should wear my graduation dress?”

“Oh, yes,” Lauren told her. “Please, do. You looked so pretty in it.”

And so later that evening, with about fifty candles burning in the handmade candleholders, and with Marshall playing classical guitar, and with Sarah positioned by the bride, and a small group of family and friends looking on, Lauren and Brad stood by the fireplace and repeated their wedding vows. Anna thought it was perfect.

Then, just before the happy couple was getting ready to make their exit on a riverboat the next morning, Lauren and Brad took Anna aside.

“We want to ask you something,” Lauren began a bit nervously, “before we go, we wanted to hear your thoughts on this.”

“On what?” Anna asked curiously.

“Well, Brad and I both love it on the river. And he can sculpt anywhere. And now that I have my business degree I'm ready to really manage a business.”

Anna felt her hopes soaring. “Do you mean . . . would you want to come here to live?”

“Could we?” Brad asked hopefully. “I could probably help out with the inn, too.”

“And we can take one of the little cabins,” Lauren told her.

“You can have Babette's house,” Anna told her.

Lauren's eyes lit up.

“Is that the little cottage you told me about?” Brad asked her.

She nodded happily. “We'll stop by and see it on our way out.”

Anna hugged them both. “This is wonderful news!”

“We probably won't be ready to make the move until March or so,” Lauren told her. “But I definitely plan to be back here before the summer season begins.”

“I'm already looking forward to it,” Anna told her.

Then, after they'd all waved good-bye to the newlyweds, throwing birdseed instead of rice, Anna hurried upstairs to tell Clark the good news.

“Do you know what this means?” she asked.

He grinned. “That you won't be nearly so busy this summer?”

“Yes. Plus I'll have Lauren nearby. And Jewel and Skip will be here, too. It's like everyone who'd been leaving is coming back again. Maybe Sarah will end up back here, too.” She sighed. “But I won't pressure her.”

“Maybe they're like the water in the river,” Clark said thoughtfully. “It seems like it goes its own way as it passes to the sea, but eventually it evaporates from the ocean, turns to rain, and runs back down the river again.”

Anna laughed. “You're right.”

The wedding guests were coming back into the house now, but Anna could tell by the excited sounds of their voices that something was wrong—or as it turned out, something was right.

“Jewel is in labor,” Janelle announced. “Skip is taking her to the hospital to have the baby.”

“And Sarah went with them to help,” Marshall explained.

Anna chuckled. “I'm not sure what Sarah knows about birthing babies, but I'm sure Jewel appreciates the gesture. Hopefully they'll get there fast.”

“Skip asked for you to call his parents to meet them at the dock,” Janelle explained.

Anna made the call and, later in the afternoon, was making plans to go into town herself, when Sarah called from the hospital. “Jewel had the baby!” Sarah said with excitement. “Practically as soon as they got here. It was so scary. I thought she was going to have it on the boat.”

“But she didn't—and she's all right?” Anna asked.

“Yes. She and the baby are fine. Skip is a basket case.”

“What was it?” Anna asked. “Boy or girl?”

“A girl. Seven pounds something. I can't remember for sure. But she had a lot of hair. And everyone is saying she's a really pretty baby, but she looks kind of red and wrinkly to me. Although Skip's mom says that's normal.

Anna laughed. “Yes. That's normal.”

“But I think Skip's mom is a little mad at you.”

“Mad at me?” Now Anna remembered that Skip and Jewel wanted to move back to the river.

“Because Jewel named the baby Anna.”

“She did?” Anna laughed. “Well . . . I'll be.”

“Anyway, I wondered if you want to come to town to see the baby, Grandma. Then you can give me a ride home.”

“Wild horses couldn't keep me away,” Anna told her.

It took Clark a few weeks before he was ready to get out and about very much. In the meantime, Johnny faithfully visited him almost daily. He came every afternoon right around four,
and the two would play checkers or chess and catch up . . . Anna assumed on fishing.

It was early February when Clark finally proclaimed that he was ready to go out in a boat. Fortunately, it was a nice warm day. Anna assumed that he planned to go fishing with Johnny, but Clark firmly shook his head. “No. I'm done with that.”

She felt slightly bad now. “But you guys had so many good times out there . . . I mean before the accident.”

“I want you to come with me today. And I already told Skip and Jewel that we'd be gone for several hours. So you have no excuses.”

She smiled. “I would love to go with you. Let me get my jacket.”

Before long, they were chugging up the river and Clark was wearing the biggest grin she'd ever seen. “You're really happy to be out here again, aren't you?” she said.

He nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

“Are your ribs okay?” she asked as they bounced on another boat's wake.

He grimaced slightly. “There's still a little pain. But not anything too bad.”

“Because we could make it a short ride,” she suggested.

He shook his head. “No, I'm fine.”

She was surprised when he continued on past the docks in town, going right out under the bridge. “Clark,” she said with alarm, “you're not going out on the ocean today, are you? Crossing the bar could be hard on your ribs.”

“Don't worry.” He continued heading down the river.

She didn't say anything, but she was worried. Even though it was a relatively smooth day on the river, the bar could be choppy and rough. And it looked like the tide was coming in. She glanced nervously at her husband, hoping that his previous head injury hadn't impaired his judgment.

But instead of heading out the river, Clark pulled up to a dock on North Jetty. It was a relatively new-looking dock and sturdy looking. “Whose is this?” she asked as he helped her out of the boat. And then she remembered something . . . something about this location was familiar.

“Come on,” he said as he took her hand.

“Clark?” She tilted her head to one side. “Are you thinking about purchasing that lot again?”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “Just come on.” He led her to what looked like a recently built staircase. “Feel like a little climb?”

She shrugged. Whatever he was up to, he was certainly determined. And since this was the most exercise he'd had in weeks, she wasn't about to let him go up alone. But when they got to the top, she thought they must be trespassing. The house in front of them was new and beautiful and obviously someone's home.

“Clark,” she said quietly but urgently, “whose place is this anyway?”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a key. “Yours.”

“What?” She looked at him then looked at the fabulous house. “That knock on the head must've done more damage than we realized.”

He laughed. “This is the fishing trips, Anna. Every day when Johnny and I said we were going fishing, we were coming up here to work on the house.”

“You're kidding!” She felt slightly dizzy. “This amazing house? You actually built it? And you never even told me?”

“I wanted to surprise you, darling.”

She stared up at the shimmering windows, the clean bold lines, the expansive observation deck that wrapped around the riverside. “Clark, it's beautiful.”