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“Best to you as well, Chris,” Mike said.
Jo hesitated and then shook Chris’s hand as well. “We’ll keep in touch.” Then she and Mike waved to Marcie and walked out.
The clear night air had a bit of a chill. Jo looked up and saw the Milky Way. It always took her breath away.
“Dad, do you think we’ll get this worked out?”
“Jo, it’s going to work out one way or the other. I think you and Chris at least have the ability to converse and that’s a good starting place. Can’t speak for the others. You know that.”
They drove in silence and SeaAnna was waiting for them at the bottom of the steps when they got to the house. Jo got out and left the door open for her. “Did you and Gran have a good day?”
“Actually, yes, we did,” said SeaAnna yawning. “Our conversation earlier today on the beach helped me talk to her in a way I haven’t for years. Who knows, maybe ever? We broke down some walls and talked honestly and I think we’re on our way to healing. A lot of this was my fault, so I have to own that. We really tried to focus on us as mother-daughter and didn’t talk much about Chris. I don’t think she wants to talk to him any time soon. But I thought I heard in what she said today some possibility she could change her mind. And as you know, I’m going to wait. It might be the wrong thing to do but that’s my choice.”
She hugged Jo and got into the car. “We’ll see you in the morning before we go. Try to get a good night’s sleep. I love you, Jo.”
“I love you both. See you in the morning,” she said and she waved as they drove off. She knew they couldn’t see her but she stood there for a long time thinking about the hug her mom had given her and how good it felt. She hoped that Gran would be as forgiving. After all, it was Jo who brought Chris back into her life, and clearly, he was not welcome.
“Gran,” she said softly as she entered the house. It was dark inside.
“I’m here, Jo, laying on the couch. I turned off all the lights when your mother left. I just wanted to lay here and look at the starts through the window. Sorry, I forgot you’d be coming home too. It’s gorgeous out there tonight.”
“Yeah, it is,” said Jo, sitting down on the edge of the couch. “I saw them earlier and the Milky Way always captivates me. But, Gran, are you OK? You and Mom, I mean. Better?”
“Yes, sweetie, better. We should have had the conversation we had today a very long time ago. But maybe that old saying better later then never is true. We still have, as you say, work to do, but I think some of her old resentment is gone and I need to keep from pressing buttons. I’m pretty good at that, you know?”
Jo smiled in the darkness and then yawned. So much had happened in just one day. She had set things in motion but now the end results were out of her control.
“Gran,” Jo began.
“Jo,” Susan said. “I know what you’re going to ask me. Don’t push, Jo. The answer is probably no, but I keep thinking. I’m thinking and thinking. I’ll let you know when and if I have an answer for you.”
Jo hugged her and said “That’s good, Gran. I’m off to bed. If I don’t see you in the morning, I will call around lunchtime. We are nearly full, so it’s going to be crazy.
Rest well.”
Jo walked down the hallway to her room. She pulled back the curtains knowing the first light would wake her. But she also wanted to look out and see the stars. She got into bed and saw a glimpse of Orion, her favorite constellation, and then she fell into a deep and satisfying sleep.
ChapterTen
Jo tried to be as quiet as possible but Susan had been up for hours after a night tossing and turning, so the little noises Jo made while tiptoeing across the floor and removing her yogurt from the refrigerator didn’t bother her. What was bothering her was Chris. There were times during the night she could almost feel him next to her, holding her, loving her in a way that she had never experienced before or since. She knew that despite her best efforts over the years, she had never really forgotten him, or the way he made her feel. But she also knew he’d left her. Whether or not the story he told Jo was true, he also doubted her. That was the worst part. It made her sick to her stomach. There was a sadness that she just couldn’t seem to overcome. It was all-encompassing, and even with the beautiful sunshine streaming through the windows indicating yet another “Chamber of Commerce” day, she felt gloomy and overwhelmed.
She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. No, at the moment, she didn’t know exactly what she’d do about Chris. But she did know what to do about something else that was bothering her. She’d get out of the house today, get some fresh air, and see what the island looked like roughly ten days after the storm. Since it was her left ankle she’d hurt, she had no qualms about driving. It was still a bit sore but not swollen, so she’d have to be extra careful going up and down the steps. She could, if needed, go one step at a time. She hadn’t said anything to Jo about wanting to get out. Jo would likely have coddled her a bit more, and while she appreciated that, she also knew she had been cooped up in the house for too long.
She showered with a new sense of purpose and decided that she’d moped enough. Time to get back to the real world and make an appearance. Now that her neighbors had retrieved her car from its safe haven at the airport, she’d take a quick road tour of the island and then stop at the Sunshine Mart to pick up some groceries. She’d be back before Jo called to check in at lunch. She washed her hair and decided to let it air dry. It was short enough that when the wind caught the little bit of curl she had she thought it almost looked good enough for a fashion magazine. She laughed at herself, finished greeting dressed, made a quick list for the grocery store, and then carefully made her way down to the car. Susan had always told Jo if she wanted to use it during the summer, she could, but Jo preferred to take the bike. That gave Susan the chance to come and go as she pleased and, in the end, that had worked out well for both of them.
Susan took her time driving through the villages. She knew some of the back roads that the tourists rarely, if ever, drove on. She saw the flooding devastation and too many houses to count with windows and doors wide open, in an effort to try to dry things out and combat the mold that grew insidiously in the days following a tropical system. She saw the CERT trailer in full operation and decided that if they still needed volunteers, she’d try to help out in the next few days before Jo headed back to university. That thought gave her pause and she unexpectedly felt a lump form in her throat. She loved having Jo with her in the summers, and this year, Jo had really been a tremendous help at the motel. She pretty much handled things on her own and that had been a boon to Susan who found herself starting to dread the annual summer grind. She’d done it for so many years she was afraid she’d lost track of herself. She’d never known another life. She was thrilled Jo had followed in her footsteps with her interest in jellyfish. She was proud of her and she would miss her terribly. There was another reason to get out of her funk. She wanted these last few days with Jo on the island to be happy ones.
She drove by the docks, which were bustling with activity. With the good weather and visitors coming back, the charter business would be in full throttle. She was impressed by the repairs she noticed, and thought that on the whole, the island had fared better than it could have. Small consolation, she knew, for the people whose homes were flooded, but life was almost back to normal and she was grateful.
She parked for a while, opened her windows, and just enjoyed the view, the salt air, and the gentle breeze. She was lucky to have been born and raised in such a wonderful environment. The island could have its moments but it was truly the paradise most visitors thought it was. Hundreds, if not thousands, of guests had mentioned to her they hoped to retire on the island. Some of them did. Happily, not all of them, as it would be even more crowded than it was now. So many changes over the decades. She’d like to think she was still the same Susan but she wasn’t that naïve. It was also a tough life when you had to make a living here. The years had given her a certain kind of “street smarts” – maybe “island smarts” was a better term. Her circumstances had knocked the stars out of her eyes at a pretty young age. She was thankful she’d lived long enough to put that all in the rearview mirror and enjoy just living here. Ah, but then Chris had to come back into the picture.
Her revery interrupted by that thought, she drove on to the grocery store. As she got out of the car, she could hear voices coming from somewhere on the top of the roof and assumed that the Sunshine Mart was having some repair work done. She’d seen plenty of contractors hard at work on her drive. She entered the store, grabbed, a cart, and had several brief but enjoyable conversations with folks she hadn’t seen in several weeks. She made sure to get the kind of yogurt that Jo liked, one with probiotics. Susan herself didn’t care for yogurt, but Jo did. As she placed the carton in the cart, she again thought of how lonely she’d be with Jo back at school. She selected a bottle of wine for the evening. Hopefully, they’d have some time over the next few days just to relax in the evenings and kind of put the whole summer in perspective.
She had loaded her car, returned the cart, and was just about to start the car when she noticed Ray, the owner of the store come around the corner from the rear. He was deep in conversation with someone. With a gasp, Susan realized Ray was speaking to Chris. After all the years, she knew it was him before she could actually see him clearly. His build, albeit a bit heavier now, was the same, and the bits of gray around his sandy hair made him even more handsome. He was tanned apparently from the work he’d been doing lately. It was only then that Susan noticed the burgundy-colored JCS Roofing van parked at the far end of the lot. She felt her heart beating faster and her throat was dry. It looked like the two men might be wrapping up their conversation. She saw them nodding and shaking hands. There was no way she wanted him to see her, although she realized on a sunny day looking into an unfamiliar car – if he even noticed it – he’d be unlikely to recognize her. She was taking no chances. She saw no traffic oncoming so deliberately went out the entrance way and headed directly home.
She unloaded the bags making several trips, taking one step at a time as she’d promised herself. With every trip, her determination became stronger. By the time she’d taken everything upstairs and put the items away, she’d made up her mind. It was too early yet for wine, but a cold iced tea would be perfect. She sat on the couch and waited for Jo to call as she knew she would. Sure enough, right before noon, the phone rang. She took a deep breath and tried to sound steadier than she felt.
“Hi, Jo, love. How are things?”
