Summer by the Sea (3 page)

TWO

Faith should’ve said something. She should have asked him something—
anything
. Casey would’ve. It was as if the mere idea of soon being in Casey’s presence had sent Faith spiraling back to the person she’d been all those years ago. And she wasn’t that person anymore. She was strong, confident. So why hadn’t she said something to Jake? In the grand scheme of things, striking up a conversation with a stranger whom she’d never see again wasn’t that big of a deal, but the attraction she felt toward him—like the pull of the tide—was something brand new for her. She’d never met anyone before who had made her so curious and interested from the very moment she’d met him.

As Faith pulled onto the bypass, she turned up the volume on her radio and tried to shake the feelings she was having. It was time to refocus. She was about to see her family—her mom, Casey and Scott, and her niece, Isabella, whom she’d only ever been able to see when she was visiting her mother’s house before Casey and Scott had moved to Boston. And she was about to see Nan! Faith missed Nan so much. Her grandmother always knew how to reach her. She understood her like no one else could. Life had gotten in the way for quite a while, and Faith hadn’t seen her as often as she should have, but she was going to make up for that right now. It was Nan’s birthday, and she was going to do whatever she could to make it special for her.

She pulled out the small piece of paper she’d used to jot down the directions to the real estate agency and held it against the steering wheel as she came to a red light. Nan had been insistent that they meet at the agency, get the key to the rental cottage, and arrive at the cottage together. The light turned green and she hit the gas.

In mere minutes, she’d be face to face with everyone. She took in a deep breath. It was time to mentally gear up for this. How would she begin a conversation with Casey? She went through the things she’d done recently: She could talk about Teacher of the Year. She was going to make a speech at the beginning of next year to the entire faculty. They could discuss this. Anything to get the focus off the elephant in the room. She could ask about Isabella. She was now five, and would certainly have changed. She couldn’t wait to see her.

Faith pulled her car to a stop in front of the real estate agency, the familiar cars of her mother and Casey empty and parked beside each other just across the parking lot. She swallowed, licked her lips, and ran her fingers through her long, brown hair one more time to fluff it up. Before she could get up the walk, Casey came out the door, carrying a key in her hand. Faith had replayed this moment over and over in her mind—seeing her sister again, preparing herself for how she’d feel, and here it was. There was no backing down now. It was done. She was about to spend the next two weeks with her sister.

Casey looked up, that perfectly radiant smile spreading across her face. It seemed genuine.

“Hey there!” She waved, the key dangling from her finger. “It’s so good to see you!” She shuffled over on her wedge sandals, the delicate straps crossed neatly at her ankles, and threw her arms around Faith. Their hug was awkward, both of them trying to be as normal as possible, given the circumstances. Isabella was right behind her, looking so much like her mother had at that age. Her niece had gotten Casey’s blond hair, her high cheekbones, and her lanky figure. She was beautiful. Casey pulled back to make eye contact. She still looked amazing, her long, tan legs the perfect body type to pull off her cut-off jeans. Casey stepped aside to allow Faith to greet Isabella. Isabella looked up through her lashes, a timid smile on her face.

“You remember your Aunt Faith,” Casey said, still smiling. “It’s been a while.” She looked over at Faith, and that language that only sisters can have flooded her. Casey was telling her how it had been too long, how much she’d missed her, and Faith felt so guilty that she had to work to keep her lips pressed into a cordial expression. She wanted to grab her sister and tell her how sorry she was that she hadn’t visited, even though Casey had invited her to Boston several times. She just didn’t feel like she could. So much had gone on between them. Casey’s actions could be hurtful and selfish, but she was still Faith’s sister, and they had a lifetime of other memories that all hit her like wrecking ball. She realized that she had missed her sister greatly.

Faith was glad to see her mom helping Nan down the steps because she was so overwhelmed by seeing her sister that all those things she’d thought of on the way there had left her now. Her mind was swimming with emotion. She didn’t know if she was coming or going. Seeing Casey again and especially Isabella had her confused. She thought she knew what to expect, but now she had new emotions. She missed her sister, and she felt guilty for not spending more time with her and her family. Nan held on to the railing, holding a handkerchief, the single gold band on her left hand shining in the sunlight. Even after all these years, she still wore that wedding ring.

“Hi, Nan!” Faith nearly shouted, unable to contain herself.

Nan got a firm hold on the railing again, planted her feet on the step, and looked up. “There she is!” she said in her thick, smooth, southern accent. “I’d have waited for you in the car—it probably would have been easier on my knees—but it’s so damn hot! How’s a lady supposed to act ladylike in this heat?” Nan winked at her and dabbed at her forehead with her handkerchief.

Faith laughed despite herself.
Still a firecracker
, she thought. Nan had on a skirt and flats, her legs hidden with thick stockings. No wonder she was hot. Poor thing. She got to the bottom of the steps and Faith rushed up to see her. She embraced her, Nan’s flowery scent taking her back to her childhood.

“Hi, Mom,” she said, releasing Nan and giving her mom a hug in greeting. Even now, her mother had a youthful appearance, her face milky smooth, as if she’d never spent a minute in the sun, her hair still light brown like Faith’s. She wondered how she was doing, taking care of Nan. Faith knew she’d been struggling a little because Nan refused to give up anything—she still did her own bills, bought her groceries, and cleaned her living area, but it was such a struggle for her now. It was all her mom could do to get Nan to let her take her to the store or help her up and down the stairs.

“So, where is this place, Nan?” Faith asked, unable to stop smiling. Something about being with her grandmother made her so happy. Maybe it was her frank, no-nonsense nature, or the way she didn’t seem to care about what people thought. Whatever it was, she loved Nan.

“First surprise,” Nan looked around the group, making eye contact with them all. It was just like her to add drama. “The cottage where we’re spending two weeks is actually on the old lot!”

That certainly was a surprise. A great one! She’d seen first hand how gorgeous it was, how much like their old cottage. Excitement bubbled up as she realized that she’d get to spend more time there. She wanted to feel the happiness of her childhood, the closeness with her mother and her sister, and the ease of those times before life had gotten so hard. Nan always just knew how to make Faith happy. Without even trying, she’d given Faith something priceless. She was going to get to spend day after day looking out at the very view she’d had as a child. The view she could still shut her eyes and see as clear as day.

“There’s a cottage on that lot?” Martha asked, clearly shocked.

“A brand new one,” Nan said, something lurking behind her eyes. Excitement? Was Nan just as happy to have the cottage again as she was? Faith had never thought about Nan’s feelings regarding the cottage. Faith had just assumed it wasn’t an important part of her life anymore, but, judging by the look on Nan’s face, it clearly was. “I arranged for us to be its first guests, the first ones to ever walk the hallways. I can’t wait to see that view.”

“Isabella,” Martha said with the same thrill on her face that she had when they were children and she’d planned something wonderful for them. “You will love this cottage. You know,” her eyes darted over to Faith, “your aunt spent many days building sandcastles there. I’ll bet you can build a bigger one than she did!”

Martha had her arm around Isabella just like she’d done with Faith. She would put her arm around Faith and lean in as if she were telling a secret that no one else could know. Sometimes, she’d say nothing in particular—just comment about the weather or what they were having for dinner that night—but it was her unique way of showing affection, and it was nice to see her doing it with Isabella.

At the same time, the obvious ease and love between her mother and her niece, the way the young girl relaxed into her grandmother’s frame and took in her every word with such awe made Faith feel the sting of guilt that she hadn’t been around Isabella enough as she was growing up. She didn’t have this connection with her niece. For all intents and purposes, she was a stranger to Isabella. Faith had let her issues with Casey get in the way of that bond for too long. She hoped she’d get the chance now to work on that.

“I’ll follow you,” Martha said, looking up from Isabella and waving at Faith. “You know how to get there, right?”

She nodded. As they got into their cars, Faith hadn’t asked, but she’d wondered… Where was Scott? Why wasn’t he with Casey? Had he just decided to stay home? Had Casey convinced him that it was a girls’ trip, and she’d rather see her family alone?

Once the others were in their cars, Faith made her way onto the bypass, and headed toward the cottage. Jake, the handyman—if that was what he was—had still been building things in there. He’d just finished the cabinets.

Would he still be there? If she’d wanted to think of something interesting to say to him, she’d probably missed her chance with Casey around. Casey would most certainly dominate any conversation. It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t try to. She was just good at it. Casey was a people person and she could find something interesting to say to anyone. It was a skill that she’d mastered to perfection. Would her sister let her get a word in edgewise with Jake? He was probably gone now anyway.

As Faith drove, Casey stayed on her mind. In high school, Casey had been a cheerleader and had organized the pep rallies on game day. She had planned school dances, she’d run for class president, and, with no experience in leadership at all, she had gotten it. She enjoyed those things and being in the public eye excited her. In contrast, Faith had been on the newspaper staff, where the only interaction at all would come from the small staff when they did layout and the few interviews she had to do with kids around school. It was perfect for her, and she was great at it. The two of them had gone on in very different directions, but it all made sense now, given their personalities. They were both successful, just in different ways. It had taken her a long time to understand this.

She stopped at the stoplight and put on her blinker. The more she thought about this vacation, the more being in close quarters with her sister excited her because maybe they’d have an opportunity to set things straight. They needed time together, forced proximity to finally discuss what had happened so long ago. Faith wasn’t mad anymore. It was what it was. Her biggest question now was, why? Why had Casey so blatantly disregarded her sister’s feelings? How was she capable of hurting Faith like she had?

When she and Casey had been about eight years old, they’d planned their weddings. They were going to get married on the same day so they could have the biggest cake ever made. Faith wanted a dress with a long train and a veil that covered her face. Casey wanted a tiara and big, puffy dress. They wanted to marry brothers so that they could live next door to each other and never be apart. Now look at them. She hadn’t seen her sister in years.

She only realized the radio was on when she pulled into the drive of the cottage. She’d been thinking about her situation so much she’d not even noticed the music. The sand gritted beneath her tires as she pulled her car up beside the large white work truck, the rest of the family pulling in behind her. Faith was thrilled to see that Jake was still at the cottage, this time on a ladder, nailing wooden shingles to the side of the house. Normally, she’d probably be annoyed that someone was there doing work as she arrived, but not today. She could hardly contain her excitement at seeing Jake again. Would he be around all day? Could she bring him some iced tea and steal a few minutes of his time to talk to him more? Jake climbed down to greet them. He didn’t seem surprised to see her, and his expression when she mentioned her Nan’s birthday earlier now made sense. He’d already known they were coming.

“You must be Sophia, the renter,” he said to Nan, offering her a hand, as she wriggled her way out of the car and stood in front of him. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” His eyes darted to Faith quickly, a smile surfacing, and then, as quickly as he’d looked at her, he looked away, his attention back on Nan.

Nan tipped her head back to get a look at the cottage, her eyes roaming the entire outside. “It’s quite a cottage,” she said with an approving smile. “I can’t wait to see it.”

“I wish I could have finished it before you all came to stay. I still have some work to do.”

She shooed the comment away playfully with her hand. “We don’t mind. I told that to the real estate office when they said it was currently under construction. I don’t want to wait until it’s finished. Plus, it’ll give me an extra set of strong hands to help me up and down all these stairs you’ve built. They warned me a hundred times that final touches were still being added, but I wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She turned slowly until she was facing her family. “The minute I heard this place was livable, I wanted to come. I don’t have the luxury of time, so I wanted to get into it as soon as I could—one last beach visit together in our spot. It was good luck that it had been completed by my birthday.” She looked over her shoulder at Jake. “Do you mind helping me up there?” She raised a knobby finger toward the steps.

“Yes ma’am.” He walked over and offered his arm. Jake certainly was a gentleman.

Faith noticed the ease in which Jake spoke with Nan. He had been chatty at Dune Burger—everyone seemed to know him—and he’d known just the right things to say to Faith when he’d found her on the porch of the cottage. Now, he spoke to Nan as if he’d known her longer than just ten minutes. He acted like they’d spoken before.