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“Not sure,” said Susan sadly. “This is going to be a great Christmas with the three of you here, but…”
“But what? I don’t get it,” lamented Jo. “You’ll change your mind tomorrow when we’re all getting ready. We’ll have an early dinner at Marcie’s and you’ll be fine. Promise me you’ll think about it. Please?”
Susan gave them all a weak smile. “Sure, I’ll think about it.”
After dinner, as Jo and SeaAnna did the dishes, she saw her dad take Susan aside.
“It would really be great if you’d come with us, Susan,” she heard him say. “I don’t know what’s bothering you, but just set it aside tomorrow, and we’ll have a good time. It’s Christmas after all and we did miss out on Thanksgiving.”
“OK, Mike,” Susan replied as she gave him a hug. “Thanks for talking sense into me. Sometimes I just get in a mood. The festival is going to be very special, from what I’ve heard, and we’re going to have fun. Now let’s have a bit more wine and finish decorating the tree.”
Susan seemed to relax then, and they spent the evening decorating, listening to Christmas music, and laughing more than any of them could remember.
The next morning dawned crisp and clear. Jo had texted Dare to see if they could get together, but he said he’d be tied up helping out at the docks all day and he’d see her that evening.
After breakfast, Jo announced they’d all be taking a good walk along the beach. It was low tide in an hour or so and the beach would be nice and flat. Susan and SeaAnna got their coats and hats, but Mike said for them to go on. He’d wait for them and maybe even try to fix them lunch. He had some work to finish up on, and he wanted to rest from the drive yesterday.
“Does Dad seem preoccupied to you?” Jo asked SeaAnna as they started walking. “Oh, he’s always that way at the end of the year. I guess clients have all kinds of year-end questions and your dad feels obligated to help them out. He’s good like that.”
Jo then turned to Susan. “Are you all over the bit of blues you had last night, Gran? You look more chipper today. Hey, what should we all wear tonight? Christmas sweaters or something a bit more more tame?”
In the end, they all decided coats and hats were again in order, as the temperature was expected to drop fairly substantially during the evening. The skies were perfectly clear and there was no moon, so the starts were out in abundance as soon as the sun set. As they pulled up to the docks, they realized they were lucky to find a parking place. It seemed most everyone on the island had come for this inaugural celebration.
All three women stepped out of the car and looked around. There were lights strung everywhere, on every piling and from building to building. Christmas music was coming from speakers placed strategically along the walkways. Jo knew Jamie and the Hanks would play later, but there was still about an hour before things really got started. The smells of the oyster roast were incredibly tantalizing and Jo was thankful they'd eaten before they came. Otherwise, she could have easily eaten every oyster there.
“Wow, this is really magical,” Jo said softly. “It’s just so different from how we always see it in the summer.”
“Yes, it is lovely,” agreed Susan. “What do you think, SeaAnna?”
“Honestly, I’m impressed,” she said. “I had no idea it would be this big of a deal. But what do we do now? Where are we supposed to go?”
Mike inserted himself into the conversation. “I think we should walk to the far end of the dock. That’s where the boat line up will be. Dare texted me today while y’all were walking. He said that would be best.”
Jo thought it was a bit unusual that Dare had texted Mike, but then they had been in touch more often recently, Mike had said. It also seemed they were walking away from where most of the spectators were, but perhaps the organizers expected even more of a crowd and this way Jo and her family would have a good vantage point.
“Hot chocolates, anyone?” Mike asked. Three hands shot up. “I’ll be right back, then. Don’t move because I don’t want to lose you.”
As they stood there, they noticed most of the boats were already getting in some sort of line up. Jo still hadn’t seen theCarefreeor Dare. Then, as Mike arrived with their hot drinks, he motioned for them to look up.
There, coming around the corner, was a small boat all festooned in twinkling lights. It looked new. Jo guessed about twenty feet, but it did have a little tuna tower, as the captain’s lookout were known.Good for sound fishing,she thought. And then she gasped.
“Oh my God, look! It’s Dare. What in the world?”
SeaAnna stood fixated at the sight of the small craft coming up beside them. There on the side was the name of the boat, theSeaAnna II.
Susan felt faint and grabbed Jo’s arm. Dare was smiling and waving from the tower. SeaAnna was crying but she wasn’t sure why.
Dare climbed down and Mike helped him moor the boat to the pilings. “Welcome aboard!” Dare shouted.
Jo climbed onto the deck. “Dare, where did you get this boat? How, when…?”
“Ask your dad,” Dare grinned.
“Dad, Mike?” the three women said in unison.
“Well, it’s a long story but it’s not,” he said as he helped SeaAnna and Susan onboard. “Captain Jeff and Chris have been keeping in touch all fall, and you know I keep in touch with Chris from time to time. When Dare passed his exam and got his license, which he now has in hand…” They looked up and Dare waved a piece of paper proudly. “We decided to help him out a bit,” Mike continued. “Jeff said he was ready to expand his business a bit, and in his opinion, Dare was ready to have a boat of his own. We all pitched in. Dare will be paying us back over time. He’s earned it and I have no doubts he’ll make us all whole in no time.”
“But, Dare,” Jo said. “How could you not tell me?”
