“Nonsense.” She shooed at her son as if knocking away the words. “If we hurry, we can catch the last bit of daylight left. Let’s head out to the deck.”
Five minutes later, the four were settled in on the back porch, Ben and Tabitha flanking the young couple in Adirondack chairs painted coastal hues.
This was Tabitha’s favorite time of day, in her favorite seat in the house—or more accurately, out of it. Something about the lulling and consistent crash of the waves along the shore steadied her heart rate, calmed her senses. There was a reason white noise was a prescription for insomnia. Tabitha knew it was a blessing to have nature’s finest sound machine just outside her doorstep, the perfect tool for relaxation.
They talked about the surface things families often discussed. Had Casey remembered to follow up with his professor about his deadline extension on a recent paper? When was the open house for Ben’s most recent listing? Did Tabitha have any days off anytime soon?
Catching up with her favorite people—just chitchatting—was the perfect endcap to her day.
“Are you two working on anything new?” Tabitha asked as she placed her now empty wine glass on the deck railing. Ben had finished his long ago, but Casey was still nursing his, slowly savoring it, Tabitha supposed. Her eyes moved to Hannah’s still full glass, wondering if next time the young woman might prefer a red. She’d have to remember to ask her that.
“We just composed something this weekend. Still working on the bridge, but it’s coming together.” Casey sat up a little taller. “Actually, would you like to hear it?”
“I’d love to.”
The young couple exchanged glances before Casey passed through the house to retrieve his guitar from his truck. Tabitha knew he always traveled with one, but she wondered if she should invest in a guitar to keep here at the beach house for the times he came by. She couldn’t think of a better place to listen to her son play his sweet music.
Minutes later, Casey settled back in, his guitar on his knee, Hannah huddled close as he started in on their new melody.
Ben looked around them toward Tabitha, meeting her eyes. His crinkled at the corners, those crow’s feet deepening in a way that only made him more handsome the older he got.
Thiswas Tabitha’s peace: to be surrounded by the people she loved dearly in a place that filled her with so much joy and contentment. Hannah wasn’t technically family, but so close there was hardly any difference.
There weren’t any words to the song, but that wasn’t unusual. Casey and Hannah often began their pieces with the guitar first, and later added in words to complete the entire composition.
But even without them, there was something almost spiritual about the tune.
It was happy and light. Joyous in a way that felt almost like unwrapping a present. Bubbly in parts and softer in others. Child-like almost, something Casey would have loved as a young boy. She could envision him bopping around to it, that mop of wild curls bouncing around his cherub face as he boogied to the beat.
“I love it,” she blurted the instant the song drew to a close. “What’s it called?”
“For Our Little One.”
Ben’s eyes shot back over to Tabitha. “Little one?”
“Are you?” Tabitha jumped from her chair, knocking it back across the deck by several feet. Her gaze fell upon Hannah, then jumped to her son. “Are you pregnant?”
The answer was hesitant, almost meek, as though unsure if Tabitha’s sudden jolt was a positive reaction. “I…I am. Almost thirteen weeks.”
At the hospital, Tabitha was the perfect gatekeeper of her emotions. Complete poker face.
The same couldn’t be said for this situation, the one where she’d learned that her one and only son was about to become a dad, making her a…grandmother.
And out of all of her advancements over the years, she couldn’t think of a better promotion.
CHAPTER FOUR
Edie stood in the empty gallery, her imagination easily filling up the space with large, colorful canvases that stretched floor to ceiling. She could picture the whole thing: from the artwork adorning the walls to the hue of the tablecloths to the taste of the food.
They’d been working on it for several weeks now, and in her head, she’d nailed down every last detail.
Which would be fine if she was the only one running the show.
But with three people came three differing opinions. And while Edie found herself in agreement with Cal at times, other times she leaned toward siding with Josh.
Sure, both men had their respective roles. Cal as the lead artist of the event and Josh as the food and wine curator. He’d teamed up with Morgan from the bakery, and together they were ironing out the catering menu, with Edie’s input whenever needed.
The fact that this art and wine event was equal parts both meant that Cal and Josh had equal say. And often, Edie found herself nominated as the unofficial tiebreaker.
