As she made her way back, she promised herself that she’d see her family more often. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them until these two weeks. There was nothing magical about their cottage—it could be old or new. What made it magical was the people in it—her family, and the one thing she’d learned this week—more than anything else—was that the were better together. She smiled as she remembered the nameplate on the front of the house: Better Together. It certainly fit. Even if they had to rent something else in the years to come, she would definitely still drive by this spot and remember how—no matter changes there were—it always brought them together.
The sand stuck to her feet as she walked, the tide washing them clean as fast as the sand covered them. The water was warm like the air, the breeze blowing against her as she walked back to the cottage. Even though she had to face leaving, she was excited to get back to her family, to have a few hours with them before seeing Jake one last time.
As she neared the cottage, Faith trudged up through the sand, her feet burning from the heat of it as she got farther from the water. The sea had provided relief from the relentless sun as it beat down on the shore. She jogged quickly toward the house and found Isabella sitting beside Casey and Scott right at the sea grass’s edge.
“Look, Aunt Faith!” Isabella said, her chest poked out in pride. “I made it all by myself just like you showed me how to do.”
Isabella had made a sandcastle with a moat around the edge of it, seashells adorning the roofline.
“It’s beautiful!” Faith kneeled down to get a better look. “Is this the door?” she said, pointing toward a shell that had been pressed into the side of the castle.
“Yes! And these are the windows,” Isabella said, squatting down and pointing to each little shell.
“Scott, do you mind staying with Isabella? I’m going to go up with Faith and check on Mom—make sure she doesn’t need any help,” Casey said. Scott nodded and Casey stood up, stepping toward Faith.
“Thank you for showing me your castle,” Faith said to Isabella. “I can’t wait to see what else you do with it!” She wondered what the real intent of Casey’s suggestion to help was. It was almost as if she’d been waiting for Faith.
“I’m going to make a town!” Isabella said with excitement.
Faith smiled, her love for her niece filling her up. She was so glad to have had the chance to be with Isabella this week, and she was happy that Isabella had warmed to her.
Once they were over the dune, Casey said, “Faith, I’m so scared.”
Faith stopped and turned to her sister. “Why?” She’d never heard Casey say anything like that before, and she wanted to know immediately what was wrong.
“Scott and I have been talking, and he’s willing to try if I am… Things are going so well here, but I’m so scared about what may happen when I have to go back to work. What if I fall into the same routine? How can I balance it all? I want to be sure that I’m being the best wife I can be. What do I do?”
Casey was asking Faith for advice. The mere thought of this made her laugh—one quick burst of laughter.
“It’s not funny.”
“No,” she said, becoming serious. “It isn’t funny. Casey, you are the strongest person I know. You will figure it out. You won’t fall into the same routine because you’re aware that it doesn’t work for your family. And the fact that you’re worried about it is good! You will be fine. Because you want it.”
“Then why did you laugh?”
“Because you were asking me what to do.”
“Ha! Thatisfunny,” she teased. “I’m just kidding. Faith, you might not have ever been married, and you can’t give me the answers I need regarding that, but you’re a wonderful listener. You always have been. That’s why I asked you what to do. I didn’t need a solution. I needed the answer you just gave me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, and they both went up to check on their mom and Nan.
Nan had been sent out to the porch to enjoy the last hours of daylight while they’d set up for her party. Scott kept Isabella busy with a puzzle in the living room as the ladies had worked to prepare. They’d taped streamers to cabinets and lights, careful not to get any tape near the newly painted walls. On the table, Casey had set up Nan’s albums full of photos so they could all have a look at them one last time before they were divvied up and taken home. A bouquet of helium balloons bounced around in the center of the table, the breeze from the open door causing them to dance on their strings. Her mom had picked up the cake. It was magnificent—a rectangular sheet cake with three-dimensional waves crashing onto an icing-painted shore. In the corner of it was one candle for Nan to make her wish. Faith set her silver box with the white ribbon on the table next to the cake and the gifts from her mom and Casey. The ribbon had gotten bent on one side in her suitcase, and she was fiddling with it to try and straighten it out.
“Can I come back in now, or are you going to let me dehydrate out here?” Nan said, peeking her head in and holding on to the doorframe for support. “Oh!” she said, her gaze bouncing from one decoration to the other. “It’s lovely.”
“Come in, Mom,” Faith’s mom said with a smile.
There was a knock at the door and Faith’s heart skipped a beat. She knew exactly who it was. Jake. She ran her fingers through her hair and cleared her throat. Casey opened the door and let him in. He looked as familiar as an old friend and yet a current of excitement zinged through her at the sight of him. He was all cleaned up again, his clothes clearly expensive but unfussy. He had on a polo shirt and a pair of shorts. She wanted to rush over to him and tell him how she wished he’d stopped by over the last few days, but she stayed put. His eyes fluttered over to her, and he smiled that big, gorgeous smile.
“Well, there he is,” Nan said, walking over to him and patting him on the arm. “I’ve heard a lot about your trip to Florida. Faith really seemed to enjoy it.” Nan smiled in her direction, and Faith could feel the heat on her face from embarrassment. She didn’t particularly want Jake to know that she’d blabbered on to Nan about her trip. But she had enjoyed it. She’d thought about it a lot over the last few days, and she wanted nothing more than to be with him again. It was so good to see him.
“It was fun,” he said, looking over at Faith again. She grabbed the kitchen chair to keep her legs from buckling with anxiety. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t seen him in two days or perhaps that she was going home tomorrow, but she found herself getting all worked up in his presence.
“I’ve made some ham biscuits and we have a veggie tray if you’re hungry, Jake,” her mom said as she brought the tray around and set it down on the table. “And we have drinks. I have beer and wine.”
“I’ll have a glass of wine,” Nan piped up. “Is it white?” She walked over to the kitchen to stand by Martha, who was busy uncorking the bottle.
“ Yes,” she said to Nan. “I know it’s your favorite. Anyone else?”
