“Casey, I don’t have feelings for Scott anymore, but I am still hurt, because you should’ve stopped to look at my face when you left the party with him. You should’ve taken in what was around you and realized that I was there! But you were so worried aboutyourselfthat you never even noticed me, or my feelings, nor did you think to ask—not then or after. Why did you think I wanted you to see him? Why did you think I was so excited to get you two together? Not to become a couple! Because I’d found someone I truly enjoyed being with, and I wasn’t in your shadow. I trusted you enough to share that with you.” She was rambling, and she caught herself, so she stopped. When she looked over at Casey, her sister was crying.
“Do you know why I didn’t notice you?” she sniffled. “Because, for the first time in mylife, I found that one person who complemented me in a way that no one else ever had. He was so full of life and genuinely interested in me as a person that I fell in love with him instantly that night, and everything else faded away. When I was with him—you’re right—I didn’t notice you because I didn’t notice anyone. He was perfect for me, Faith. I knew you liked him, but it had been years! You hadn’t seen him in ages, and all of a sudden you started seeing him again. But as friends. I didn’t think it was that serious at the time.” She tipped her head back as if the gesture would keep the tears from rolling down her face, but they came anyway. “For me, it was like a lightning strike. He’s the man I promised to love for the rest of my life. He’s the daddy of my little girl. I miss having coffee with him at the kitchen table in the mornings, even though I had to look at the back of his newspaper,” she said, laughing through her tears. “I miss having to pick his book off the floor because he’d leave it there and I’d nearly trip over it. I miss… him. I’ve tried to move on, and this trip… it all was in an effort to do that, but you know what? It doesn’t stop me from crying every night when I go to bed. I miss him so much, Faith.” She burst into tears.
Faith stood up, and leaned over to embrace her sister. While she still didn’t feel like Casey had gone about it the right way, she understood now. Casey cried, her face against Faith’s chest, sobbing, as the crashing waves seemed to be hushing them, pushing them to be better with each other. In that moment, Faith couldn’t help but think about that photo in Nan’s book. When Faith was a baby, it had been Casey who’d held her to quiet her crying, and now, here they were—the two of them again—but it was Faith who was taking care of her big sister. She realized right then how right Casey and Scott were for each other and how much better they were when they were together. It also made her think about how no one really has it all together. No one’s life was perfectly happy.
“You need to tell him,” she said as Casey’s crying quieted down. “Take a chance.” She smiled, thinking about how she sounded a lot like Nan. “He’s leaving you because he wants you and he can’t have you. You’ve been too busy. Remember, you just said that there was a time when he was the only thing you noticed. You’ve changed that, and he feels it. You need to show him howyoufeel.”
“Maybe.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because I don’t know if it will help.”
“But what will it hurt, Casey?”
Casey was quiet, clearly thinking it over. Then, unexpectedly, she said, “You seem very sure about your suggestion for me to share my feelings. Have you shared yours?”
“What?”
“By your outburst today, I can tell how you feel about Jake. I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds at the party at all. It wasn’t intentional.”
“It’s okay. I overreacted, and I’m sorry too.”
“So have you told him how you feel?”
“Sort of.” She hadn’t really told him. She’d tried to plant a kiss on him instead. She needed to take her own advice. “You’re right, though. I should be honest with him. And I can see how hard that is. Calling Scottwouldbe hard for you to do, I know. If you need me, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” Casey said, leaning into her sister.
They stayed out on that porch just like they had as kids—the two of them with nothing between them but their past.
SIXTEEN
There was a knock at the door as Faith sipped her morning coffee. She’d slept very well after clearing the air some with Casey, and as a result, she was up bright and early. Since she was the only one up, and, consequently, the only one dressed and presentable, she decided to answer it. There was only one person she knew of who would knock on the door of their cottage, and when she opened the door, her guess was confirmed.
“Hey,” Jake said.
“Hi.” She opened the door wider so he could enter, but he stayed on the porch. It was wonderful to see him again, but she was curious as to why he wouldn’t come in.
He held out his fist. “The cleaning crew found this.” He turned it over and opened his fingers, revealing Isabella’s gold necklace. “Isabella showed it to me. She kept playing with the charm on it.” He smiled, his obvious fondness for Isabella filling his whole face.
His smile made Faith feel happy. She was still a little uncomfortable though. She’d taken a big risk yesterday, and it had backfired. She shouldn’t have kissed him. And she was unsure now of how to proceed. Had they settled the issue of the kiss or should she try to apologize further? She figured it would only make things more awkward if she mentioned it. She reached out and took the necklace.
“It looks like the clasp is loose,” he said, looking at her hand.
“You can’t fixthat, can you?” she said, trying to lighten the air. There was so much tension between them that she wanted to tease him to help release some of it on her end. She tried to keep her eyes off of his lips, the masculine quality of his hands, the arms that had held her in the water that day…
For an instant, she saw affection in his eyes, and she had to work to push the air in and out of her lungs so she could breathe.
“Nope, sorry.”
“Did you want to come in?” Faith didn’t know what she wanted to say to him or if, in fact, she wanted to say anything at all—she hadn’t thought it through. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to be around him, and she didn’t want him to go. It was just like Casey had described it: She didn’t notice anyone else when he was around—not even Nan who was standing behind her.
“Jake,” Nan said, putting a hand on Faith’s shoulder for support. “Quit trying to be polite and come in. I’m going to make a pot of coffee, and I need someone to drink it with me. Faith and I can’t drink it all by ourselves, and no one in this house seems to get up before nine a.m.”
Jake smiled again—warm and friendly—and Faith wanted to turn around and hold on to Nan for support.
“I can only stay for one cup.”
