The waves were rough, pushing gritty sand around Faith’s feet and she had to move them around to keep them from getting buried. As a child, the waves had scared Faith when they were this big. She’d worried they were giant, gray creatures rolling on their sides. Each one slammed the shore in an eruption of white, bubbly foam then fanned out along the ground like spilled milk. Faith took in a big gulp of the salty air. The smell of it took her right back to her childhood. So many memories were colliding in her mind that she had trouble sorting out which one to let float to her consciousness. Roasting marshmallows, her mom squirting chocolate sauce on them just to make the girls giggle; eating sandwiches with wet, sandy hands; a rainbow of brightly colored beach towels on the line outside; shopping at the local kite store for the perfect kite and flying it—just the three of them at Jockey’s Ridge—the wind so strong, Faith could hardly hold on to it…
“I’m glad I came,” Casey said, pulling her back to reality. “I wasn’t going to.”
Faith turned to her sister, waiting for further explanation. She, herself had been worried about coming, self-conscious about her decision to stay away from her sister for all of that time, but it had never occurred to her that Casey may be anxious about coming too. For the first time, she realized that perhaps seeing Faith again wasn’t easy for Casey either.
It was clear to Faith by Casey’s silence over the years that she didn’t feel what she’d done was so awful—she had tried to explain it to Faith a few times—but Faith had always her short, not wanting to hear Casey’s side of things. How could what Casey had done ever be right? But now, as she looked at her sister, the age lines starting to show around her eyes, she realized that she’d been too stubborn. She should have at least heard her sister out. What would Casey have said? Would she have asked for forgiveness? Would she have told her she wanted her sister back? Perhaps she should have talked to her instead of holding on to old grudges.
“Why weren’t you going to come?” she asked. Faith was ready to hear her side of things now.
“I didn’t want my situation to bring everyone down. This is Nan’s time. It’s her birthday. I want her to be happy. I told Mom and Nan that Scott was working when I arrived without him. It’s the truth. Well, half-truth. I didn’t know if it was the right time to tell them…”
How silly of Faith to think that Casey had been worried about seeing her again. Faith acknowledged that Casey’s impending divorce from Scott was awful, and it might upset Mom and Nan, but what about the fact that she and Casey hadn’t spoken in years? What about that? Faith let out a huff of indignation loud enough to make Casey turn her head.
“What was that for?” Casey said, a twinge of panic on her face. Were Faith’s feelings not even in the forefront of her mind? Faith could feel the ache in her throat, the unsaid feelings still right there on the end of her tongue, but she took in a breath and turned to face the wind.
“What’s wrong with you?” Casey said, her words coming out urgently as if she were preparing for a blow, for some sort of confrontation. She knew just as well what was wrong, but she wasn’t going to say it, was she?
Well, Faith wasn’t staying quiet anymore. She could feel the anger from Casey’s selfishness swelling in her chest, and it had to come out. “Weren’t you worried at all about dealing with this?” She wagged her finger between them, noticing the tremble in her hands from built up anger. She wasn’t trying to play down the divorce—that was a big deal—but this was a big deal too. Even with their differences, Casey had been Faith’s best friend growing up, the one person she knew better than anyone else. And Casey had just let her walk away.
“Of course I was. I just didn’t want to bring up old wounds. I just want to move past it,” she said, her words coming out controlled and even, like they would in a courtroom. There was a moment as Casey looked at her when her strong expression faltered. Without warning, tears surfaced in her eyes, but she blinked to clear them and then they were gone.
With all her childhood memories at this beach right on the surface, it occurred to Faith that the reason this was such a lovely place was because they’d hadfunhere. That’s why she and Casey had been so close. No matter what had happened in the past, Casey needed her now. She’d have to be the bigger person here. Faith hadn’t let Casey explain herself because she didn’t want to hear Casey’s lame excuse for hurting her. She didn’t want an excuse then, and she didn’t want one now. She simply wanted an apology, an acknowledgment that Casey had hurt her. And if she ever wanted to hear that, she couldn’t put Casey in a position where she felt defensive. The only way to feel close again was to try to enjoy themselves.
“I haven’t ever let you explain, and I’m sorry. So I have an idea,” Faith said, turning the conversation in a totally different direction. It was time for her to take charge for once. She’d never done it before with Casey, but she’d learned to be strong. She knew she could. She’d always followed Casey’s lead, but right now, it seemed like, even though Faith had her own trust issues to deal with regarding Casey, they were in the past. Casey was losing a husband and the father to her daughter. “We’re on vacation. For two weeks. Let’sactlike we’re on vacation. Leave all the baggage behind—the past, work, Scott. I will if you will.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Why? Look at this place. It’s amazing! It’s just like what we had as children. Let’s give that to Isabella. Let’s take it back for ourselves. We’ll deal with the rest in two weeks.” She stood still and looked at her sister.
Casey’s face showed contemplation. Then, a small smile emerged. “You’re right,” she said, nodding. Despite her agreement, she was clearly still thinking it over. But, one thing Faith knew about her sister was that when faced with the half-empty, half-full conundrum, Casey always chose half full. “Okay!” She laughed then, and unexpectedly, her laughter sent prickles of excitement up Faith’s arms. She hadn’t heard Casey’s laugh in so many years. It took until that moment to realize how much she’d missed it.
FOUR
Tap, tap, tap.
The hum of the paddle fan floated into Faith’s consciousness.
Tap, tap, tap.
Was there something wrong with the fan? The tapping came and went, but each time, it was the same—three taps and then silence. Faith rubbed her face to get enough focus to look at the clock. She blinked to try and see the numbers.
Tap, tap, tap.
Nine in the morning! She hadn’t slept that long in ages. She threw the covers off her legs, her silky shorts and camisole cool against her skin, and walked over to the window. She pulled back the sheer, gauzy fabric, the only barrier between her and the sun. Before she could focus on the view, she jumped with fright.
“Oh!” she cried, dropping the curtain and covering her mouth. She stood there for a moment, collecting herself.
Tap, tap, tap.
This time, the taps were right on the window. She swallowed, blinked her eyes again to clear them, and ran her fingers through her untamed hair. Self-conscious of her attire, or lack of, she debated on whether to change quickly, but he’d already seen her. She adjusted her top, tugging it down at the back to make the neckline dip a little less. Slowly, she pulled back the curtain again. Jake was on a ladder, right outside her window, a hammer in his hand. With his free hand, he motioned for her to open the window.
The lock slid back under her fingers and she lifted the pane of glass upward, heat coming at her like an open oven door.
“Mornin’,” he said, clearly trying to keep his eyes on her face. She could see the flicker of his gaze as it moved downward, but his manners prevented it from lingering. She squared her shoulders slightly, trying not to think about the fact that it was too hot to grab a blanket and wrap herself up. It was too late for that anyway.
“Good morning.”
“I’m so sorry if I woke you. I’m just reinforcing a few loose shingles that I’d missed. I had to get started before it got too hot, but I didn’t realize anyone was in there.” His gaze flickered again, and he looked at the wooden tiles covering the outside of the house. “When the guys put them up, they do so many so quickly, they aren’t as thorough as they should be. I found a few loose ones, so I’m just checking around the door frames and windows.” He looked back at her. His eyes were on her face like he was searching for something. Then he smiled. It was a wide, gorgeous smile that was so friendly it felt like she’d known him for years. Without warning, a current buzzed through her as she pictured what that smile would look like in a different setting. Would he smile like that if she sat down next to him in the sand? Or across the table at dinner? Or late at night on the sofa as they talked?
