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Her mother, Rachel, handed Jenni the plate of biscuits, and Jenni took one.
Then her mom stopped rocking for a moment and looked at Jenni directly. “I know you had said something about us gettingtogether, so if you’d like to fly to Texas, you’re certainly welcome to join us.
Jenni smiled. “No, this should be a grandparents’ delight.” She laughed. “And believe it or not, Caitlin texted me just the other day with an invitation to go back to Hatteras. I really think I could use the break.”
What she didn’t say was that visiting with her young niece and nephew was not the kind of break she had in mind.
Her mom took the news in stride. “That’s great, hon,” she said. “Given what you’ve told me about the gala, I know you’ve earned a bit of time away.”
“Well, honestly, the office is going to close for the week,” Jenni said as she stretched her legs blissfully. “Since the holiday is on Thursday, Dee said it didn’t make sense to come in, go out, and come back. There’s absolutely nothing going on, and I think Dee will use that week to move her mom to a facility with a more intense level of care. Her mom isn’t doing well at all.”
Mom nodded. “Sorry to hear that but glad you’ll have a nice week to relax. Caitlin’s mom and dad both going?”
“Yes,” answered Jenni. “And I think Andrew will be there as well. This will certainly be a different kind of trip from the one I made in April. But who knows, I just might pick up a rod and see what I can catch in the heat of the summer.”
“You know you really should catch up with Uncle Ron sometime,” said Rachel. “He can give you a lot of pointers. And he’d get such a big kick out of it.”
“You’re right, I should,” agreed Jenni as she got up from her chair. “Now let me help you with the breakfast dishes and give Dad a hug before I head back home. Y’all have a wonderful trip and give the fam my love. I’ll get out there one of these days.”
On the drive home, she decided to give her Uncle Ron a call in the next week or so before she left for the coast. Probably notenough time to pay him a visit, as he lived close to Asheville, but she could at least chat with him a bit.
Her mom was absolutely correct. When Jenni called, he sounded thrilled to talk to her and equally thrilled that she wanted information about surf fishing. He explained that in the heat of the summer, not too many fish were biting, not like the big schools in the spring or fall, but there was always something interesting to catch. And if she could get offshore just to experience the Gulf Stream and catch a few fish out there like tuna or dolphin, well, that would be fantastic.
Now, a few short weeks later, Jenni was headed out of Raleigh and on her way to the Outer Banks.
She laughed at the memory of telling her uncle she would in no way ever even want to catch a dolphin, when he patiently explained that he didn’t mean the bottle-nose mammal type, but the fish otherwise known as mahi-mahi. She had told him she doubted if she’d have a chance to do that, but she thanked him, nonetheless.
The difference between traveling east in April and July was startling. It seemed as though Raleigh had been evacuated and all roads led to the OBX, the popular shorthand for the Outer Banks.
She noted license plates from all over the east coast and plenty from further afield. For a moment, she wondered if Caleb would be there, somewhere in the throngs of vacationers, but she tried not to dwell on the subject.
He had texted her a few times after the gala event, but Jenni had this strange sense of betrayal she couldn’t shake, and she chose not to respond.
She remembered one time in particular.
Hi Jenni!
I’d love to talk to you about the gala. Just say when!
?
She deleted it line by line until all that was left was the smile emoji.
It was still on her phone. She just couldn’t delete it.
He never tried to call, thankfully, and the few times she’d spoken to Tory since then, his name wasn’t mentioned by either one of them.
This time, when she made it to Whalebone Junction, she remembered to pull in and text Caitlin. She was startled at how difficult it was even to make a right-hand turn as she rejoined the steady line of traffic headed south on Highway 12. The light was so different.
She left Raleigh before sunrise to avoid the traffic. And now, even though it was still relatively early in the day, the sun was intense. She felt like she was baking in her car, despite the air conditioning working perfectly.
From the top of the new Basnight Bridge, the ocean just shimmered, and the sky was a brilliant blue. But glancing to the west, she noticed the beginnings of clouds building, a pretty sure sign that thunderstorms would pop up by the afternoon.
She habitually held her breath driving over the top and then relaxed and exhaled as she drove down the other side, wondering just how many people crossing the bridge did the same thing.
She was looking forward to seeing Caitlin and Andrew. Knowing they would want time alone together would give her the chance to do what she’d wanted to do in April, just relax.
She also knew she’d love talking to Barb, and Caitlin’s dad, Scott. She was spending the better part of the week with them, and she was certain there would be a lot of reminiscing about her and Caitlin’s college days. She hoped Barb wouldn’t talk too much about all that had transpired back in April. Those memories, along with what had happened more recently, were still very painful for Jenni.
