Miles
Sunday, May 14 - Mother’s Day
For the last decade, Miles had hoped the next time he saw Avery, they’d be alone so he could apologize. After which, they’d spend hours catching up. As entrepreneurs, they had a lot in common. But thinking time had lessened her pain had been foolish, assuming she’d accept a general apology was arrogant, and calling her Pepper hadn’t been the flex he’d imagined.
She’d seemed annoyed to see him, but there had been flirty moments when a familiar buzz arced between them. She’d blushed when he’d caught her checking out his forearms. At the mention of Dante’sInferno, a warm tingle had rippled through his chest. The promise of feeling that way again was the silver lining urging him to keep trying.
His ten-mile run earlier in the day had only heightened his confusion. Right now, he wanted to talk through the confusion with someone.It had been a couple of months since he’d seen his therapist, and contacting her on a Sunday was out. Searching for a friend who understood his past, he scrolled through his texts.
B&E Production Assistant:Remote fine. Please confirm for Tuesday
After selling CashCache, the app he’d written to help people get out of debt and start saving, Miles had taken a part-time gig as a financial correspondent onBright and Early, a national morning television show hosted by another former Montressa employee, Victoria Evans. This Tuesday, he’d been assigned a segment on the effects of rising interest rates on student loans. He could film remotely from the lodge, which had better internet and less construction noise than the Red House.
Wes:Welcome back. I will text you every day until you pick countertops. Seriously, pick something!!!
The past winter, Miles had hired Montressa’s head of maintenance, Wes DuCharme, as his contractor. Miles flew up from New York as needed to follow the progress of the renovation and answer Wes’s questions. For weeks, a box of granite samples had sat gathering dust in the Red House’s unfinished kitchen. Wes wanted to wrap up before Montressa opened, but Miles hadn’t realized choosing finishes would be so hard. He could’ve hired a decorator, but he’d used one for the Manhattan apartment he’d purchased after the sale of CashCache and hadn’t liked the results. Despite its feature inArchitectural Digest, the space felt cold and impersonal, as if he lived in a museum.
Nate:Dad doing well, ready for surgery tomorrow.
Nate:Thank you for the jet and use of your tricked-out apartment.
Nate:Your couch. WTF! Is it supposed to be a nest?
Miles chuckled. No one knew Miles like Nate Cooper did. They had been best friends since preschool and had grown up on the lake together. But Nate had fielded enough questions about Avery over the years. NowNate was engaged to Lily, Avery’s best friend, and no engaged couple should have to deal with unresolved, simmering tension between their best man and maid of honor. Besides, bothering Nate while his father waited for coronary bypass surgery was selfish.
The obvious choice was his Manhattan friends—former child actors Hayes Preston and Anna Catherine Page. He and Hayes had been playing phone tag all week. They needed to discuss plans for their project: a bereavement camp for grieving families, with counselors and various professionals to help navigate the loss of a loved one. Like Miles, Hayes also lost his mother at a young age and had become a trusted sounding board. Miles had his eye on the perfect spot: an abandoned corporate retreat.
Linden Lake’s loose heart shape mimicked the leaf of a linden tree, from which it got its name. The north shore resembled the top of the heart, with the Red House in the point between two half-moon coves. Montressa occupied the entire western cove, Bramble Beach sat on the eastern side. Past the end of the beach sat the retreat. It wasn’t for sale, but his goal for the summer was to purchase it.
The wood floors squeaked as he walked through his empty house. His mother had always said creaking floors were how Maine lakeside cabins said hello. The sound made him feel at home. He opened FaceTime and called Hayes. Anna Catherine answered before it rang. Perfect. He could wish her a happy first Mother’s Day and get some advice.
“Anna, that was a faster pickup than a Kardashian at an NBA game.”
“The Kardashians have moved on to rappers, Miles. Catch up.” She sat bathed in the sunlight of their den, propped up with pillows all around.
“Happy first Mother’s Day.”
“Thank you. I love being a mama, even if meals take forever because Lennox insists on nursing after I spoon-feed her solid foods.” Anna smiled and dropped her gaze to her nursing baby. “Mother’s Day mustbe a hard day for you. I never met your mom, but she raised you, so I’m honoring her today too.”
His throat tightened. Maisie Magrum had been amazing. Eleven years later, he still missed her hugs, her laugh, and her worn-out Birkenstocks by the back door. For the rest of his life, not a day would go by without reminders of her.
Good actors knew how to let a moment sit, and Anna Catherine quietly waited out his sadness. The compassion and safety of their friendship meant the world to Miles.
“Thank you, Anna.” He smiled as he wiped away a tear.
“How’s Sam?” she asked.
“Stable. I came back to Maine to help at Montressa, and you won’t believe this. Avery’s here.”
“Wait! What? Tell me everything.” She looked off screen. “Hayes, get in here. Miles … Avery … oh my God!”
Hayes appeared on screen, leaning his head close to Anna Catherine’s.
“When I got here yesterday, I went over to check on Montressa and survey the waterfront. And there she was, standing at the end of the old dock.”
“And did she look like all your dreams?” Anna Catherine asked. “Please tell me you said hello.”
“She looked great. Like she did that summer. She has gorgeous reddish-blond hair that glimmers in sunlight. Her eyes are this deep gray. They change color depending on what she wears. She’s mesmerizing.” Miles rubbed his stubbled jaw and shook his head. “I couldn’t keep my head straight and I called her ‘Pepper,’ which made her uncomfortable. It got worse from there. She used to be fun to joke with, but I may have been obnoxious.”
