“We cleaned them all up and they’re drying now,” Wendy continued. “I thought maybe I could sell them or something.”
“I’m sure you could. Sand dollars are not easily come by ’round here. I’m surprised you found so many ... although I remember the time my husband and I found about a hundred. All in one day too. Lewis was just home from the war and we were newly married. Living in a fisherman’s shack. But with all those sand dollars, we thought we were rich.” She laughed heartily. “As it turned out, we were.”
“When did you first start your shell shop?”
“It was the summer of 1946. Not long after we found all those sand dollars. Lewis was working as a fisherman. We used his GI loan to buy the property in town, and we moved into the apartment up above. He continued to fish, and I started up the shop. When I wasn’t working at the shop, I was out on the beach hunting for shells. That’s how I got most of my original inventory—out there on the beach.”
“What a lovely way to live.”
She sighed. “It was ... oh, it really was.”
Wendy didn’t know what to say now. Nana appeared far away, and she hated to disturb her.
“Not everyone would agree with me about this”—Nana lowered her voice—“but I truly believe that people are happier with less ... not more.” She glanced around the spacious room with its high ceilings, expensive furnishings, and enormous fireplace. “This house is far too much for my taste.”
“I was pretty surprised Caleb has such a fancy house,” Wendy admitted.
“Oh, no, this isn’t Caleb’s house,” Nana corrected. “This is his parents’ home. They’re down in Palm Beach for the winter. They just let the kids use this place for get-togethers. Ashley is in charge.”
“Is Ashley Caleb’s wife?” Wendy asked quietly, almost wishing she hadn’t.
“Oh, goodness, no.” Nana shook her head. “Ashley is Caleb’s baby sister.”
“Oh.” Wendy wondered if Nana could see through her question.
“Caleb isn’t married. In fact, he’s gotten a reputation for being a confirmed bachelor.” She chuckled. “But I never give up hope.”
Before Wendy could respond, Ashley began calling everyone into an elegant dining room, where it didn’t take long for all eighteen of the guests to take their places around an enormous table that looked out over the ocean. Caleb sat at one end of the table with Nana on the other end. He led them in a blessing then asked everyone to share one thing they were thankful for.
“I’m thankful for my family and friends,” he began. “And for new friends too.”
Wendy felt nervous as they went around the table, unsure of what she’d say—especially since she hadn’t been particularly thankful for anything lately. Well, besides the sand dollars, and she’d been sworn to secrecy about that. Finally, it was her turn, and there was only one honest answer. “I’m thankful for my son, Jackson,” she said. “He’s been so helpful in coming back to Seaside. I couldn’t possibly do this without him.”
When Jackson’s turn came, she braced herself. “I’m thankful that I get to live in Seaside—the most beautiful place in the world!”
Everyone cheered, but Wendy felt like crawling under the table. How long could she let him go on living in a delusion? As they started to pass food around, she felt Nana’s eyes upon her. But the wise old woman simply smiled in a knowing way—almost as if she understood.
To Wendy’s relief, Jackson appeared perfectly relaxed and at ease with everyone, comfortably making conversations with those around him. Wendy tried to calm her nerves and follow his example, even making small talk with Crystal, who was seated next to her. But she couldn’t help but think this all felt strangely surreal—like she was someone else or playing a role in a movie. And yet, she realized it was surprisingly enjoyable too. For the most part, Caleb’s friends and family were disarmingly likable. Well, except for Crystal. Wendy still didn’t know what to make of her. The way the pretty blonde shared details about Caleb’s life, his likes and dislikes and personal history, well, it became clear that this woman had territorial feelings toward Caleb. For all Wendy knew, they were practically engaged. Or at least Crystal acted like it.
Still, the rest of them were great, and by the time they went outside to play football, Wendy almost felt like one of the family. Glad that she’d worn jeans, Wendy sat on a log to remove her suede boots and put on tennis shoes, listening as Caleb and Gerard bantered over who was on which team.
“Wendy and Jackson are my guests, so they’re on my team,” Caleb declared.
“Then I get Rick and Curtis,” Gerard told him.
“Don’t forget me,” Crystal cooed and, stepping next to Caleb, linked her arm in his. “Remember how I helped you win last year?”
Before long they were playing, running the football up and down the beach. And although Caleb kept assuring Wendy it was just a “friendly game,” she couldn’t help but notice how badly Gerard wanted to win. He tossed out good-natured jabs and took advantage of the situation whenever he could.
Caleb, on the other hand, was more laid-back, doing an admirable job of encouraging his teammates. He also gave Jackson lots of opportunities to handle the ball. Because of Caleb’s good attitude, Wendy was determined to put forth a good effort. He didn’t know that she’d grown up playing sports and could still run pretty fast. But Crystal seemed intent on monopolizing most of the plays, insisting that she had it under control. Unfortunately, Crystal could neither catch nor run—and their team was falling steadily behind.
“I’ll receive the next pass,” Wendy finally told Caleb as their team huddled together.
“Really?” He looked surprised. “You want to?”
“Let her,” Jackson urged. “She’s really fast—I mean, for a mom anyway.”
Caleb’s eyes lit up. “Okay then.” He told her a plan and where to run, and when the time came, she did exactly as told and they easily scored.
