She washed her hands slowly at the sink, blinking back the brief sting of tears. Outside, someone called her name.
“Kate! You need to see this.”
Dani’s voice. Kate dried her hands and stepped out onto the back stoop.
Ben stood near the fire pit, sleeves rolled up, laughing with one of Rosa’s cousins as they maneuvered a steaming basket of lobsters toward the table. He glanced up as if he knew exactly when she would appear, their eyes meeting across the lawn.
The twist in her chest loosened.
“You made it,” she said when she reached him.
“Finished the railing by nine thirty, survived the family inspection, and drove like a law abiding man back here,” he said. “Couldn’t miss the lobster bake. Or the famous Channel 13 segment.”
“You hate being on camera.”
“I hate talking on camera,” he corrected. “I don’t mind being background scenery.”
As if on cue, the cameraman swung their way, catching the moment Ben set the basket down and lifted the lid, a cloud of fragrant steam rising above his head. Guests cheered. The reporter beamed. Dani glowed.
Kate stood back, letting the scene imprint itself. The inn alive. Her siblings competent and confident. Ben right where he belonged.
As evening came on and the last guests lingered over dessert, the air softened into that golden hour that photographers loved. The harbor shimmered. The scent of roses drifted from the garden. Kate slipped away for a moment, following the familiarpath between beds of blooms her mother had planted years earlier.
The roses had survived neglect and storms and everything else life had thrown at them. They leaned into the light now, heavy with blossoms, as if this season had been worth the wait.
“Your mother would have loved this,” Ben said, joining her.
“The party?” she asked.
“All of it,” he said. “The inn full, the family together, the success you’ve built from ruins.”
“We built,” she corrected automatically. “All of us.”
“Led by you.”
Before she could deflect the compliment, Tom called from above. “Sunset is starting! Fireworks in an hour!”
The widow’s walk could safely hold about twenty people, so they’d created a lottery system for guests. Those who didn’t win got prime viewing spots on the lawn, but everyone wanted the elevation, the wide view of harbor, town and ocean.
Kate climbed the narrow stairs, remembering all the times she’d come up here as a child, when Pop would point out the boats, teaching her to identify them by their silhouettes. Now she pointed out landmarks to guests, sharing stories her father had told her, creating the kind of personal connection that would bring people back.
As darkness fell and the fireworks began, Kate found herself pressed against the railing between Ben and Dani, James and Tom behind them, guests all around. The fireworks reflected in the harbor, doubling their beauty, while the crowd below oohed and aahed with sincere appreciation.
“We did it,” Dani said quietly, just to the siblings. “We actually saved it.”
“Wearesaving it,” Tom corrected. “Present tense. It’s ongoing.”
“Always the lawyer,” James teased, but his arm went around Tom’s shoulders, a gesture of affection that would not have happened in March.
The grand finale lit up the sky in red, white, and blue, explosions that made the old inn shake slightly. Kate felt Ben’s hand find hers in the darkness, a quiet claim she didn’t pull away from. Around them, guests cheered and applauded, full of lobster and wine and the satisfaction of a perfect holiday.
Later, after the guests had retired, after the chairs were stacked and the trash bagged and the lawn returned to something like normal, the siblings sat in the kitchen sharing a bottle of wine Tom had saved. They were exhausted but exhilarated, the kind of tired that came from succeeding at something difficult.
“The reporter said the segment will air tomorrow,” Dani reported, scrolling through her phone. “We already have seventeen inquiries about fall bookings.”
“Fall is going to be beautiful,” James said. “We should do something for the long weekend in October.”
“That would be great,” Dani said. “We could do a harvest dinner, and partner with local farms.”
