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“I’d say you’re right, Jo,” Dare agreed. “But your parents are coming today and you’ll have to tell them, and what about your Gran? Did you tell her?”
“Hell, no,” Jo explained. “I was so wiped out when I got home last night I couldn’t think straight and I wasn’t even sure I thought Chris was for real. Now with what you’ve told me, it seems more likely he really is my grandfather. But how do I handle this?”
She and Dare walked along, the silence only broken by the sound of the waves and the crying of the gulls. Everything seemed the same to Jo but at the same time everything was different. Then Dare turned to Jo.
“Look, I am no expert in any of this. But I think that being straight up with them is best. It’s not the first time in history someone’s relative has appeared from nowhere. With genetic testing these days it seems it’s happening more and more. What they do with the information is up to them. And you’ll have to decide what you want to do. Accept Chris or not. Try to build a relationship or not. And you have to realize your mom and gran might feel differently. You might all choose to handle this differently. And the three of you all have your own issues. I don’t envy you, Jo, I really don’t. But I am happy at least you know who your grandfather is.”
“Me too, Dare. Me too. My gran said a few things to me last night that I need to really take to heart. And maybe if I can try to work on things with Mom, I can get her to work on things with Gran. But I know I’ll have to tell them about Chris. I think one at a time. I’ll tell Mom first, and then we can tell Gran together. Chris is supposed to get in touch with me and I will have to ask him to keep his distance. But then I’m assuming he wants to meet them. He didn’t have a choice about meeting me. I just appeared to him as suddenly as he appeared to me.”
“Well, you’ve got a few hours to think about it,” said Dare, looking at his phone. “It’s almost eight and you need to go home and then get back to the motel by eight-thirty. And I sure need to be at the docks. A few of the boats are about ready to take on charters when the island re-opens for guests and I’m going to be there to mate. I’m not giving up on my dream of getting my captain’s license but I’ve got to put in my time. You know that. I’m really close to the seven hundred twenty hours.”
“I do know that, Dare. That’s awesome. Thanks for listening.” She smiled at him. “And I’ll text you today. I’m not sure where Chris will be on the island, but I hope he’ll find time to get in touch. He promised me he would.” Sighing, she added, “My next challenge arrives around noon. Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck, Jo. You’ll figure this out.” They were back at the motel. Dare waved as he hopped into his truck. Jo waved back and pedaled back to the breakfast she knew Gran had waiting. It would have to be a quick one.
I want this to work out, Jo thought as she pedaled along.But are happy endings really possible in life? I guess there are at least four of us who will determine that.
ChapterSeven
The phone was ringing when Jo arrived at the office and it didn’t stop for the next hour. People were anxious to re-book their vacations shortened by the storm, and Labor Day reservations were strong. Focusing on the motel and the work at hand surprisingly allowed her mind to clear a bit regarding Chris, her parents, and her grandmother. She wasn’t exactly sure how this would all play out, but she felt she would know what to do when the time came. In the meantime, she double-checked with the housekeepers that every room was in order, and she asked them to pay particular attention to the room her parents would be staying in. She wanted her mom to be pleased with how quickly they had recovered from the storm, and how hard she had worked to that end.
She walked over to the oceanfront and leaned over the railing for a few minutes. The beautiful sunrise had morphed into an equally beautiful morning, and the day was going to be one of those late summer gems. The humidity had dropped, the breeze was warm and gentle, and the colors of the water were like paintings she had seen, greens and blues of every hue. She loved this place, there was no denying it. And she loved her studies at the university. She could hardly wait to get back into the lab and eventually into the fieldwork, although she had done plenty of her own fieldwork and research over the years right here. Jellyfish amazed her. They didn’t frighten her; to the contrary, she felt like she could handle them endlessly – although a few stings early on made her that much wiser as she grew up. It occurred to her that even with the storm delay for fall classes, she’d only be on the island for a few more weeks. Gran was well on the mend, and she’d take care of everything as they moved into the off-season.
Her phone pinged with a text. She looked down and saw it was from her mom.
“At Whalebone. Quick stop here. Be there in an hour.”
“OK,”she texted back. Then she thought for a second and added, “Can’t wait to see you!”
She was sure that would surprise her mom, but she had decided she would extend the olive branch. Deep down inside, she wanted things to be more normal between them. She did love her. It just seemed through her teen years and when she left for college it was easier to keep that wall up and pretend that she didn’t care. Somehow, she thought she should hold that resentment forever. But lately, and especially after what Gran had said, she realized she was being very stubborn and maybe foolish. How much easier the conversations ahead would be if only she had realized all of this years ago. Now there were two major issues that had to be addressed.
She knew how quickly an hour could fly in the office, so she hurried back and took care of the few emails and voice mails that had come in during her brief break. It seemed more like ten minutes when she heard footsteps coming up the stairway to the office. She rose and stepped out from behind the counter to greet her parents, her heart beating so hard she was sure they’d see it beneath her T-shirt.
“Mom, Dad,” she exclaimed. “Got here OK, I see.” Her dad grinned, gave her a warm hug. He stepped back and Jo hesitated only a fraction of a second before she reached out to her mom. “So, you can see we didn’t blow away, mom,” she said, putting her arms around SeaAnna.
“Well, so I see,” sputtered SeaAnna. “To what do I owe such a warm welcome?”
“I, uh, just know you were worried,” said Jo, trying to maintain her cheery demeanor. “I mean, it was a pretty nasty storm. We’ve been working hard to get everything together for re-opening. I don’t think the losses will hurt us too much. Gran’s been looking at the numbers, and she thinks August will not be far off target.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” said SeaAnna carefully. “And how is she?”
“Doing much better,” Jo replied. “She’s anxious to see you.” Jo knew Susan had as much trepidation as she did about this visit, but she thought it wouldn’t hurt to try to set things up on a positive note as much as possible.
“JoBell, it is great to see how quickly everything got back together,” her dad said. “I’d like to take a walk around the property with you as soon as we get settled in. Just to see how the oceanfront held up and all. The TV images we saw were rough, but I guess different parts of the island were impacted differently.”
“For sure,” Jo agreed. “Some of the homes and buildings near the docks didn’t fare nearly as well and the soundside flooding really messed up a lot of houses in Frisco. You’ll see them when we drive around. But let me help you with your stuff, and then we’ll take that walk.”
She smiled at her mom, who looked at her uncertainly, and then headed out the door ahead of her parents. “Just take the car across the street and park right under where your room is. You’re in two-ten in Building C. I’ll meet you over there.”
Mike and SeaAnna drove to where Jo had indicated and began unloading. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be here,” said SeaAnna. “Just long enough, I suppose, to check on mom and be sure things are in order here. “
Jo looked at what they had brought and realized her mom was speaking truthfully. Just one suitcase for the two of them and a small overnight bag was all she saw. Clearly, they weren’t intending to stay any length of time.But why would they?she thought to herself.It’s not like they expect us to have a warm family reunion.
She must have been frowning because her dad said, “Well, we didn’t bring all that much because we knew you’d have it all under control, Jo. No doubt.”
Jo again forced a smile. “Gran said something about a late lunch early dinner kind of thing at the house. Even though she’s hobbling a bit, she can still cook. That will give you time to rest, Mom. And Dad, we can take that inspection tour.”
“So solicitous,” said SeaAnna slowly. “Anything I’m missing here?”
