“Who’s Shaun again?” Her son had only heard bits and pieces of their life. Since he had no photos or faces to connect to, he often got lost amid stories.
“Shaun was your Aunt Phoebe's one-time boyfriend. We were all good friends. He took care of things with Nicky over here after I left. When I went to the Caribbean, I wasn’t ready to let the house, the pier, and Enchanted Cove go.”
“Alright. There will be time for that later. It’s getting late and I have a few things to do. I bought some groceries. I figured you wouldn’t have anything. I have a few pots and pans, figuring all that stuff in the cabinets needs to be washed. Here.”
Nicky handed over a large suitcase and a bunch of bags. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I should thank you. Not only do I finally get to see your lovely face again, but I also get to meet your beautiful son. And I don’t have to do this anymore. It was tiring.”
It felt good to hug Nicky and know she was real again. “After so many years away, it feels great to be back, although I’m nervous. Being home feels so strange. It’s like I left Phoebe in the Caribbean.”
“I’m glad you're home too, Luna. You're going to drive yourself mad with all this. You looked longer than anyone could. You did the right thing for you, Jonah, and Phoebe. Her soul needs to rest and you need to move forward with your life.”
She was right. Luna closed her eyes, felt the warmth of her friend’s embrace, and smiled. “I love you. Thank you for all you did. We should go out for dinner soon.”
“Okay.” Nicky turned to Jonah, a smile on her lips. “I'll be seeing you soon. Keep that handsome face out of the windows. You're going to have all the young girls in town going crazy. We don’t need something like that to happen.”
Luna watched her best friend depart, glad to see her and sorry to watch her go.
“It’s time to go home, Olive. I can feel it in my bones.” Barking sounded beside Ronan as he walked to his car. “Come on, get in before we get into trouble. I’m not supposed to have a dog, remember?”
Olive sat neatly in the back seat. “Stay down, girl. I’ll give you a biscuit in a moment.”
The joyful sound escaping her furry lips made it clear she would do anything for that biscuit, even be quiet. Once they were on the road, Ronan breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s definitely time to go home and not just because of that dratted landlord. I am aching to see my home, Enchanted Cove. You’ve never been there, girl, but you’ll love it. It is beautiful, from the first glimpse of the crystalline water to the bobbing boats in the water and people. I only hope nothing has changed since I’ve left. It’s been a long time, girl. I had my reasons for leaving, but now we are headed home. I’m glad you're taking the journey with me.”
Ronan smiled for no reason in particular, tossed a few biscuits into the back seat for Olive, and reached around to give her chin a good scratch. The drive was long, and thoughts of Luna kept popping up in his head. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been in the Caribbean.
“Never in my heart will I find another like her, Olive, although you’ve come close all these years. You're a good girl.Maybe one day our paths will cross again and you’ll be around to meet her. Luna probably has five kids by now, and she’s working on a few grandkids. How time flies.”
The struggle was real, to let go of Luna. He’d left her once, thinking she’d go away. Sadly, he couldn’t run from himself and the memories that haunted him day and night still after almost twenty years.
As he boarded the plane, Olive strapped into her own seat in her travel suitcase, his nerves were off the charts. “I hate flying.”
“I beg your pardon, sir?” The perky blonde flight attendant looked confused despite her smile.
“Nothing. I was talking to my dog. This is Olive. Olive this is…Kelly.”
“Aw, she’s cute. Would you or your furry friend like something to drink?”
He couldn’t imagine how they were going to give his tiny dog something to drink, but it amused him nonetheless. “I’m good, really, thank you, but Olive would like some water.” He smiled for emphasis, eager to see what they would do.
Two
Morning came with a rush of energy as the sun blazing through sheer and well-worn curtains hit Luna’s eyes. “Oh, not already.”
“Hey, Mom, are you up? Can’t say I got much sleep. This place is creepy. This bedroom, the kitchen and bathroom are the best. The living room looks like a haunted mansion.”
“Sorry, I had the furniture covered in sheets when I left to protect it.”
“No, I mean that’s with those sheets off. That furniture looks like something from the Dark Ages.”
Luna smiled, yawning to chase away the tiredness and empty feeling in her belly. “Well, I need coffee. Did my wonderful friend leave us coffee?”
“Nicky bought us some good things. I think she bought the entire store. I had a donut already and some bacon. I drank an energy drink and had a few pop tarts.” Jonah smiled. “It's the best part of this trip so far. Please tell me that if we can’t get this place up and running again, we will leave.”
Luna patted his head. “Give me a week. That’s all it will take to get this place in tip-top shape. You know, one time Phoebeand I trashed the entire house with toys, garbage, food, and puzzles everywhere. Rather than get mad, our mother made us clean everything. It was crazy, and I ended up doing most of the work because Phoebe snuck away.”
Luna smiled at that amusing memory as she headed for the kitchen in search of coffee. “Oh thank goodness, it’s the good stuff. I hate that instant coffee.”
