As they walked down the sidewalk, bicycles lining the walls of buildings along the edge of it, the humidity settled on her skin, making the breeze feel cooler. The sun was so bright, and she wondered if it was shining back in North Carolina at that moment. Was Isabella building sandcastles for her daddy with Casey watching on? Was Nan sitting on the porch while her mom packed a picnic? There was Faith, miles and miles away, walking around Key West. It was surreal. As she looked over at Jake, in this town of unfamiliar shops and restaurants and hotels, he looked so familiar to her now. It seemed so right to have him there by her side.
“I’m so glad we could spend today together,” she said.
“Me too.”
When they arrived at the Heritage House Museum, they toured the grounds, making their way to the garden where Robert Frost’s cottage stood. It was a modest structure, painted a pastel blue—almost turquoise like the sea, with a low roofline and small entryway. Palms and other exotic plants flanked the front door. It looked so small when compared to how she’d imagined it as a kid. The owners didn’t allow anyone inside the cottage, so she and Jake stood in the shade of the trees that surrounded it.
“It’s amazing to me that those larger-than-life words that I read as a kid could have been written in this tiny place.”
“It’s a simple, little cottage, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “I suppose he didn’t need a whole lot to be happy.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon visiting landmarks where their favorite authors had visited, window shopping, and enjoying the sights. They’d even made it to the southernmost point in the United States. There was a marker to designate the spot. It was an enormous, striped monument, and its shape reminded Faith of one of Nan’s sewing thimbles.
“Ninety miles to Cuba,” Jake read the letters scrolled across the top.
He smiled a big, cheesy smile, and she took his picture with her phone. As they stood there together, she thought about how they were making memories, living life just like Nan had said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and thanked him again for bringing her there. He kissed the top of her head.
When Jake mentioned that they needed to get back to the airport, Faith felt a little sad. She’d enjoyed having his company all to herself. She liked being with him. And hanging over her head was the fact that once this trip was over, the realities of life would settle in, and they’d have to figure out what, if anything, to do about each other. She wanted to see him again after this trip. She didn’t know how she’d do it, since she lived a state away, and she’d be starting school again in late August. She wanted to see him play with Isabella again, she wanted to hand him a mug of coffee in the mornings, she wanted to sit with him on the porch, she wanted to seehispictures in Nan’s photo albums.
“We have a few movies to choose from for the way back, if you’d like,” he said. “I’m always asked to choose two movies for the flight even though I never watch them. So, let’s do it,” he grinned at her, the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes creasing upwards toward his temples in an adorable way. “We haveGood Will HuntingorOffice Space.”
“DefinitelyGood Will Hunting,” she said, taking a seat on a small sofa at the back of the plane. The television was mounted to the ceiling and could pivot on a hinge. Jake turned it toward her and got the movie ready. When he sat down beside her, their proximity was nice, and she was glad for the movie to give them a chance to just sit together—she was tired after the long day and she just wanted to be beside him. As they got settled, and he clicked on the movie, she leaned on his shoulder, her mind elsewhere. She wanted to stay in that moment forever and never have to face the real world, but all good things must come to an end.
“Faith,” she heard a whisper through the fog of sleep. She couldn’t remember being as comfortable and peaceful as she was right then. “Faith?” As she swam out of her sleep, she was aware of the warmth beneath her, the arm around her, and the breath at her forehead. Slowly, she opened her eyes and realized she’d fallen asleep during the movie. When she tipped her head to see where the voice was coming from, she was startled by the look on Jake’s face. It was an adoring look. She sat up, blinking to clear her vision.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t see the movie.”
He smiled at her. “I know. You fell asleep in the first ten minutes.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You looked too peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you.” Their faces were so close. She wanted to feel his arms around her, to feel his heart beat against her. He straightened up, pulling his arm from behind her, and said, “We’ll be landing in a minute or so.”
His words were the ones she’d been dreading hearing all day, marking the end of their date. She wanted this to be it. She didn’t care that she’d only just met him. She didn’t care that she was leaving the Outer Banks in mere days. She wanted to know what it was like to wake up tohimin the morning, holdhim, and kisshislips in the morning. No amount of rationalization could make her feel any differently. Jake was the one she wanted to spend her future learning about, and she didn’t care if she was in Florida or North Carolina or the South Pole. She didn’t care a thing about how he spent his money or where he lived. She just wanted to be with him. He was that guy in English class with the sweater, like Nan had said. He was the mystery that she wanted to solve.
TWENTY-TWO
Faith had spent the last two days with her family. They’d gone out to the beach until they couldn’t stand the heat anymore and then they’d lazed around the cottage. It had been great because they’d been so busy since they’d arrived that they hadn’t really had a chance to relax. Even better, it gave them all time to be together as a family. They turned in early last night after a round of board games, which made Nan happy.
She was glad to be able to spend more time with her grandmother. The cottage was new, but it was starting to feel familiar, the twinge of anxiety filling her every time she thought about leaving it. On the eve of the second full day at the cottage, she decided to spend it on the porch where she could enjoy the view she’d had for so many years. As she looked out at the sea, she could almost feel her old cottage at her back. Trying not to think too much about missing this place, she focused her attention on tomorrow.
Tomorrow was Nan’s birthday party. Her mom had found a bakery in town, and she’d ordered a grand cake. Faith smiled to herself as she remembered worrying about impressing Jake at Nan’s party. Now that she knew him better, she realized that she didn’t need to impress him. He’d never judge them based on the way they’d chosen to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday. Her worries seemed silly now. But her distress over Nan’s party had been replaced by a new uneasiness. She hadn’t seen Jake since their trip to Key West.
She’d fully expected him to drop by, but he hadn’t. She hadn’t seen him since he’d left her on the porch after their date. He’d brought her home that evening, walked her up to the door, and they’d had a little chitchat until it was obvious she needed to let him go. She’d put her arms around him and hugged him as she thanked him. His absence had made things feel even more unclear for her. She worried, thinking again how maybe he had just been doing her a favor taking her to a beach she’d never seen. Rich guy to the rescue.
She pulled her feet up into the rocking chair and hugged her knees. The sun was going down behind the cottage, and the blue sky looked as though someone had put it on a dimmer switch. It kept getting darker, her surroundings fading into black. The sound of the tide going in and out and the stars in the sky were all she had left of the evening. The warm breeze blew around her, the air still recovering from the day’s heat.
As she sat outside alone, she tried to get her mind off of depressing thoughts like losing her childhood cottage, how the area was going to have changed the next time she would be able to visit, and leaving Jake. She had a lot of great things to be thankful for from this trip. She’d made amends with Casey, and she felt like she understood her so much better. And she’d gotten to know Isabella so much better. She realized that she and Scott could still be friends, and she was so excited to see him back with Casey. She would never have imagined that she’d have that reaction, but it was this trip that had changed it all. She had Nan to thank for that. Nan had planned it and dragged them all there. She always knew just what everyone needed. Her mom was the same way, and Faith expected that when Nan finally went to find John, it would be her mom who would keep them all together. They were so much stronger as a family now.
Before coming on vacation, Faith had looked for just the right present for Nan. What does someone get a person who has lived her entire life, has everything, and wants for nothing? Nan didn’t need worldly goods because she wasn’t worried about that sort of thing anymore. What was important to her was her family, her health, and eventually meeting back up with the love of her life. So, shopping for Nan had been quite difficult. She’d settled on a gift, knowing that Nan wouldn’t need it and may not use it, but now, after spending time with her, and hearing her stories, it seemed perfect. It was small, wrapped in silver paper with a white ribbon, and hidden at the bottom of her suitcase. She couldn’t wait to give it to her.
The surf gurgled its white foam over her toes as Faith walked along the ocean’s edge. The sun was high in the sky now, but she’d been walking since after breakfast. Today was Nan’s birthday, the reason they’d all come here. Faith had been excited about it, ready to celebrate the matriarch of the family, happy to have this day with Nan. But now, all she could think about was leaving. Tomorrow, they’d pack up their things, fill their cars, and leave the cottage empty and stark the way they’d found it. It wouldn’t have a trace of any of them left, and they’d all go back to their regular lives.
While she had Nan to thank for all these new memories, she also had Jake to thank. He’d provided experiences that she never would have had otherwise. He’d also provided the opportunity for her to have feelings that she would never have had. And now, she had to go back home with all of this in her head. She knew she had to. That was why she was taking a long walk this morning. She needed the time to get herself ready to go back.
Her mom was most likely getting the cake by now. Nan had been puttering around, picking tidying up, and busying herself. Scott, Casey, and Isabella were on the porch, playing Uno when she’d left. Faith was so far down the beach now that she couldn’t even see the cottage anymore, so she turned around to head back.
