The afternoon had flown by; Luke was already marinating chicken in the kitchen while Nick performed his best juggling routine (big beefsteak tomatoes instead of colorful balls), and I spotted Charlie and Jay out on the deck, husking corn. “Grandpa took us hiking in Aquinnah,” Finn said, sparking something in my chest.
Aquinnah.
Ihadto see those cliffs, to see if they were as incredible as their rendering in Annie’s watercolor painting.
Had she gone to see them with her summer love?
God, that sounded soGrease.
“And then we got lemonades,” Teddy added. “Gram had a lot of phone calls, so she stayed here.”
“But she still has asurprisefor us,” Finn said as I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Couldn’t Beth be an attentive grandmotherfor once? I had yet to see her spend any quality time with the boys. “Something is happening later.”
“Huh.” Connor nodded slowly, seemingly in the dark. “That’s exciting—”
“Liv!” I pivoted to see my dad and Erica coming in front the deck, faces pink from the sun with the twins in tow.
“Hey, Dad,” I said once Maisie and Bryce took off with Teddy and Finn. “What’s up?”
He gave me a look. “That’sa lotof candy.”
Oh, okay, I thought, a little taken aback. I’d been expecting Erica to come at me.
“Yeah, I know,” I said, “but believe me when I say Ididforce them to narrow it down…” I blindly reached into my tote bag and grappled for his sweet treat. “Will this make things better?”
My dad chuckled at the gummy sharks. “Funnily enough, there were a few sightings today on Shark Watch,” he told me as he popped a piece of candy in his mouth and chewed. “Mmm, that’s the stuff…”
I smiled and quickly presented Erica with her Fun Dip, bracing myself for her to admonish me for the massive amounts of candy. But instead, she laughed. “I haven’t had this inyears!” she said, excitedly ripping open the package.
“Really, Erica?” her brother called. “Don’t upset Mom by spoiling your dinner!”
“Take a hike, Jay,” Erica said. “It’s not my fault your daughter isn’t here to bring you Fun Dip.”
And with that, she spun on her heel and waltzed back outside.
Daughter?I thought, sort of stunned.Since when am I Erica’s daughter?
For as long as I could remember, I’d beenChris’sdaughter.
My dad squeezed my shoulder before I could decide how I felt about that. “We love you, Liv,” he said, then planted a kiss on the top of my head and whispered, “But you’re on call if Maisie or Bryce boots.”
* * *
Finn and Teddy’s surprise revealed itself after dinner, when I offered to help Charlie clear the table. “Mom!” Finn shouted, and everyone turned to see a woman walking into the kitchen. Her brown hair was trying to escape her messy bun, but her face lit up when her sons practically fell out of their chairs so they could race over to her. The Carmichaels cheered, which encouraged Nick to pump his fist and start a chant.
“Ashley! Ashley! Ashley!”
“Are you our surprise?” Teddy asked once they’d hugged.
Ashley nodded. “A good one, I hope.”
By way of an answer, her younger son squeezed her again. A lump rose in my throat, unable to imagine being seven and not seeing my dad for an entire month. Because I knew what it felt like to be seven and not see my mom…for much, much longer than a month.
“Anepicsurprise,” Finn clarified, then he dropped his voice a little. “Is Dad coming?”
“Not yet, sweetheart.” Ashley gently smiled and touched his cheek. “He misses you so much, but he still needs to help…”
With what?I wondered if Connor would fill me in, now that Ashley was here.
