“Do you mind if I stay up here so I can finish divvying out our assets for the divorce? Scott wants the lawyer to draw something up soon, and I guess it doesn’t matter that I’m on vacation.” She took in a deep breath and let it out. Even with all that was going on, she maintained her composure. Her marriage was dissolving right before her eyes, and she could manage to keep herself calm and collected. Faith had been a total mess when it was clear that Scott had feelings for Casey and had spent many nights crying into her pillow. She wondered if it was healthy for her sister to bottle up her emotions like she was.
“Don’t worry about us. I’ve got Isabella covered. She and I will spend tons of time making our sandcastles. You do what you need to do.”
Faith looked past Casey and saw Nan in the hallway, smiling. When she made eye contact, Nan said, “That’s what I like to see. Take care of each other. That’s the mark of a great family. If only Clara and I could have been like you two…” She looked down at the floor for a moment. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going out to the porch to get comfortable. I want to see some sandcastles.”
Faith remembered Nan mentioning her sister, Clara. What had gone on between them? Faith wished she could sit next to Nan and hear her tell the story, but she knew Isabella was waiting.
“Do you mind taking the beach bag down with you?” Casey said. “I’ll send Isabella once she’s ready.”
Faith grabbed the beach bag and a few towels, and walked with Nan onto the porch that wrapped around to the stairs leading down to the driveway. She set them down and helped her grandmother get settled in the rocker. “I’d like to hear about Clara,” she said as Nan wriggled into a comfortable position.
“I’d be happy to tell you about her. I miss her and it’s nice to talk about her.” The mention of Clara had brought a smile to Nan’s face.
“Maybe tonight?”
“Yes. Maybe tonight.” Nan’s smile faded to a more thoughtful expression.
Faith picked up her things and headed down the stairs toward the beach. Even in the morning air, the sun was hot, but it hadn’t penetrated the sand yet, and she felt the cool of it on her bare feet as she lugged two chairs to a clear spot. The shore seemed to stretch for miles, only a few people scattered along the coastline. She set the chairs down and opened them up, brushing the sand off the seats of each one.
Faith sat down and faced the sea. She looked back over her shoulder for Isabella, keeping an eye on the part of the cottage steps she could see over the dune. Nan waved from the porch, and she waved back. Then the cottage door opened and Isabella came out, wearing her pink, ruffled swimsuit and pink star-shaped sunglasses. She held the railing as she took each step very slowly, her pink flip-flops wobbling nervously with every step.
That staircase probably seemed huge to her, Faith thought. She remembered that feeling, going up the stairs at the cottage they’d had as kids. Because they were built on stilts, the first floor was raised an entire level and it had felt like she was climbing into the clouds.
Isabella’s blond hair disappeared below the dune, so Faith stood up to try and see her. When she did, her heart leapt as she saw Jake’s truck pull in to the drive. Before she could ponder it further, Isabella was running toward her, a bucket and shovel in her little hands.
“Look what I brought!” she said, plopping down next to Faith. “What should we do?”
“We need to fill a bucket with wet sand. Let’s each get one and take them down to the water.” As she walked with Isabella, she tried not to think about Jake. She wanted to see him and talk to him about last night, but Isabella needed her. Faith enjoyed spending these precious moments with her niece.
Isabella waited for the tide to retreat back to the sea before she squatted on the wet sand and began filling her bucket. Faith leaned over and filled her own bucket. Another wave rolled in, the foam rushing up around their ankles. Isabella held her bucket up high to keep the surf from stealing it.
“Is this good?” she asked, holding it out toward Faith.
“Yep! I think we have everything we need.”
They took their buckets back to a spot close to their chairs. Faith used a shovel to pack down the sand in her bucket. “You have to get it really packed in there. Can you do yours?”
Isabella watched intently, imitating every move Faith made.
“Then, you turn your bucket upside down like this.” With a thud, Faith tipped her bucket over onto the sand and patted the sides of it with her hands.
Isabella did the same.
Gently and carefully, Faith removed the bucket to reveal a perfectly round cylinder of sand.
“How did you learn how to make these?” Isabella asked in awe. She’d stood up and was walking around the little mound of wet sand, scrutinizing it. She bent way down and turned her head sideways. Then, she patted her own bucket and lifted it off. It was perfect, just like Faith’s.
“I don’t know. I just practiced.” She picked up a different size bucket and offered the beach bag to Isabella to retrieve more shovels. “We’re going to need to fill the buckets again. What shape do you want this time? I’m going to make a smaller one next to this big mound I’ve just made.”
Isabella dug around inside the beach bag until she found the one she wanted. It was a purple bucket with a white handle. They walked back to the water together.
On the way, Isabella stopped short. “Oh!” she said, bending down and picking something up. “Look what I found!”
Faith went over to inspect. It was a twisted little shell that was hollow inside. She turned it over in Isabella’s open hand to examine the beautiful stripes of light brown against its creamy colored body. It was in perfect condition. “Do you know what this is?” she asked, lifting it out of Isabella’s palm to see it more closely. “You’ve found a Scotch Bonnet. It’s the state shell of North Carolina. Not many people get to find them. How pretty.” She handed it back to Isabella. Faith had bought a book about seashells to read on her way to the beach when she was twelve years old. As Faith hunted for shells, she would look them up and see if she could find them in her book. She was surprised that she remembered the name of Isabella’s shell after so many years.
“Can we keep it?”
Faith couldn’t help but smile at this gorgeous little girl. Casey was right. Her personality was like Faith’s. Watching Isabella and seeing how she was like her family members made Faith think about her own children. What would they be like? Would they play with Isabella, build sandcastles with her? Would they be like Faith? She wanted a house full of children to care for, but until then, she was truly enjoying being with Isabella.
