Until Then (Cape Harbor)

by Heidi McLaughlin

  Rennie was midbite when her name echoed off the walls. She quickly set her fork down, stood, and launched herself into her best friend’s arms. To anyone looking in, it would seem the two hadn’t seen each other in years, not weeks.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t come to the house when you got in last night.” Brooklyn sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe.

  “I didn’t want to wake you or interrupt the baby-making process.”

  Brooklyn blushed. “I’m fairly certain the factory is closed. Besides, I was looking forward to a late-night gab session.”

  “There’s always . . .” Rennie paused and thought about the next couple of days. They would go to bed early tonight to rise at dawn to shop on Black Friday. It was tradition and not something she would pass up. Then they would be exhausted after shopping all day and go to bed early, which left them Saturday. “Saturday night?”

  “It’s a date. Wait until you see the ballroom. Bowie and his crew have been working nonstop since yesterday to get it ready for Friday. The tree is gorgeous, and all the decorations came out exactly as I wanted.”

  “Were you able to get the room booked for the month of December?”

  “Yes, almost every night is booked, and twice on the weekends. It’s been so crazy. I will never fully understand why Carly closed the inn. It’s taken hardly any time to bounce back. Most nights we’re at capacity on the hotel side, and we’ve started advertising for beach weddings.”

  “My interior designer is becoming a party planner. I’m not sure how I feel about the career change,” Rennie deadpanned. She glared at Brooklyn for a long beat before cracking a smile. “All joking aside, we need to talk about your wedding.”

  Brooklyn squeezed Rennie’s hand. “I know. I can’t wait. But first, the holidays, and then it’s all wedding talk. I want to make this one special for Brystol and Bowie—and Simone as well. I know she misses Carly.”

  “Speaking of, any idea of what I can get her?”

  “Bowie and I have made lists, picked up on little hints here and there. We are thinking of sending her on a cruise or somewhere tropical after the holidays. She’s working so hard and never complains.”

  “Oh, I bet she would love a nice trip. I should ask my parents what they recommend.”

  “Are they home?”

  Rennie shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. “Hanging with the koalas right now. It’s weird. I miss them, but I don’t. I’m a horrible daughter.”

  “No, you’re not. You’ve adjusted—that’s all. But yes, ask your parents what they suggest, and I’ll get it booked.”

  Rennie sent another text to her parents. After she set her phone down, she returned to her breakfast. In between bites, she asked, “What are the plans for today?”

  Brooklyn turned her phone toward Rennie and rattled off the list of things that had to be done to set up for Thanksgiving dinner. “The dining room needs to be set up buffet-style. All the linens changed. Plates, utensils, and all the necessities set out.”

  “Well, put me to work.”

  “You’re on vacation, Ren. I’m not going to make you work.”

  “You didn’t ask; I offered. Besides, what else am I going to do?”

  Brooklyn closed the screen on her phone and looked into her best friend’s eyes. “What’s going on? You haven’t mentioned Theo since I sat down.”

  Rennie sat back in her chair. Her fingers fiddled with the handle of her mug. “Theo’s in Japan or about to land, and I don’t know. When I see him, I’m happy. I’m in love. But when I’m here, it’s like he doesn’t exist, and I’m okay with that too. I don’t know. I’m sort of weirded out by this revelation.” She picked up her mug and finished the rest of the warm coffee.

  “Don’t be mad at me for what I’m about to say.”

  “B, I could never be mad at you.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table.

  “We feel like Theo doesn’t like us much.”

  The words lingered in the air as Rennie watched Brooklyn. Her friend looked embarrassed and possibly regretful for saying what she had. Rennie couldn’t fault her, though, because she had seen signs pointing in this direction. There had been a few trips in the past few months where Theo suddenly canceled, and when he had come to Cape Harbor, he acted as if he thought he was better than everyone else, which bothered Rennie.

  Rennie tried to form a proper response. One that would appease everyone, but she had a tough time finding the right words. She could make excuses for Theo, but that was all they would be. She didn’t see him changing anytime soon. Still, Brooklyn was her best friend, and she wasn’t willing to push their relationship aside for anyone.

  “He’ll come around. I think he’s a city boy who doesn’t know how to let loose sometimes. We have to teach him.” Even as she spoke, she wasn’t sure she believed her own words.

  As soon as the dining room cleared out, Rennie and a couple of the hotel staff got to work on setting up the space with long rectangular tables for Thanksgiving dinner. Despite all the guests staying at the hotel, only a handful would join them for dinner. Brooklyn had spoken to Rennie at length about what to do over the holidays and decided serving dinner would be best. They would do the same at Christmas. It was how Carly always ran the Driftwood Inn, and Brooklyn wanted more than ever to have the inn relive its glory days.

  By the armful, Rennie carried linens, boxes of utensils, and plates to the tables. She organized, stacked, reorganized, and practiced how the line would move. She wanted everything to be perfect because she suspected Brooklyn was under a bit of stress.

  She slowly ticked each item off the list and even found time to sneak into the kitchen, where she found Brystol and Simi making pies and had her hand slapped when she stole a cookie off the tray. Throughout the day, she kept busy. She helped check out guests who were leaving and showed the newcomers to their rooms.

  Around midafternoon, she found herself on the back porch in one of the rocking chairs, watching the surfer who braved the rain. She could never get the hang of surfing. One had to be able to balance on a board while it moved up and down. She could barely keep upright on a normal day. Watching the man outside brought back memories she had long buried, at least until last summer, when she saw Graham again for the first time in years. When he sat down beside her at the Whale Spout, their past flooded her senses. The way they used to be together, the on-again, off-again friends-with-benefits couple. When they were together, they flowed seamlessly, as if made for each other. Through their years as friends, they had taught each other everything about the birds and the bees. There wasn’t much they weren’t willing to try. Now, every time she visited Cape Harbor, she longed to see Graham, to be near him. Oftentimes, he stayed away, and she suspected it was because of Theo. Deep down, she thanked Graham for being the levelheaded one, because she wasn’t so sure she could control herself around him. Rennie loved to flirt with Graham. She had done it the night she returned to Cape Harbor without reservation and despite being in a relationship with another man. She couldn’t help herself. Graham made her feel. When he was around, she had butterflies in her stomach, and her heart pounded a bit faster. When they hugged, her body melded to his, and she clung to him, almost as if her life depended on it. As much as she wanted to go back to those carefree days, she couldn’t. They were adults now. They had responsibilities and commitments to others.

  Still, as she sat there gazing at the surfer, she couldn’t help but think about the spring break their junior year of college. A bunch of them pooled their money and decided to rent a house Rennie had seen an ad for on campus, which promised an amazing view, access to the beach, and the beds to sleep ten. The owner described the house as small but cozy. Turned out to be a one-bedroom shack a foot away from the beach with an RV-size refrigerator and a bathroom you had to back up into to use.

  Rennie stood there with her backpack slung over her shoulder. Everyone around her was quiet, most likely stunned by what they were se
eing. “Um . . .” She didn’t know how to finish her sentence.

  “What did the ad say again?” Graham asked as he ran his hand through his hair.

  “Comfortable house on the shores of Malibu, sleeps ten,” Rennie muttered.

  “Maybe ten outside,” one of Graham’s roommates quipped.

  “Maybe there’s more around the corner.” Rennie spoke with optimism. She refused to believe what she saw. There was no way she’d fallen for a con. Yet, with each step she took into the house, her demeanor changed. What she saw when she opened the front door was it. The house was nothing more than a shack. She turned to her group of friends and tried to smile. “At least we don’t have to walk far to the beach.”

  People grumbled. Some talked about getting their money back, but it was Graham who took her into his arms and told her everything was going to be okay. “Why don’t we head to the store and see if there are any tents or pop-up shelters.”

  “And chairs and a cooler, because we don’t have those either,” someone yelled while another added, “And I’m not paying any more money.”

  She could never ask anyone to give more than they already had. This was her fault. She should’ve driven out and inspected the place before she sent the owner money through Western Union. She was too trusting, something she would have to work on before law school.

  Graham and Rennie drove to the nearest store, the one that had every possible inflatable toy somehow pinned to the storefront. Inside, Rennie walked up and down each aisle, trying to find everything they would need. There were ten of them now, but she knew others were coming. She filled her arms with air mattresses, Koozies, and a couple of inflatable chairs. When she caught up with Graham, he had five or so bags of ice in his arms, and he pushed Styrofoam coolers with his foot.

  “What are we doing?” She sighed.

  “Making a bad situation better.”

  “I feel so stupid.” Rennie wanted to cry. She wanted to go back to her dorm room and hide until school started.

  “Don’t. You didn’t know.”

  When they returned, Graham took over. He told the group that if they were uncomfortable with the accommodations, they could leave, but that they were all responsible because they had all agreed when Rennie read them the ad. Rennie smiled. Graham had a way of making her feel better. After she unpacked everything, she found the courage to tell her friends, “If you want to use one of the air mattresses, you’re responsible for blowing it up.” A few grumbled, but in the end, everyone did their part.

  “Come on.” Graham took Rennie’s hand and pulled her behind him. He had on his wet suit, and the arms slapped his butt with each step he took. They walked toward the surf, trudging through the sand.

  “You’re not going to try and teach me again, are you?” she asked when they stopped by a surfboard.

  Graham laughed. “No, I lost count of how many times you’ve fallen off the board. I thought we’d go out and just sit for a bit.” He took the board from the sand and dropped it into the water. Rennie climbed on and sat cross-legged toward the front while Graham pushed them out into the water and finally slid onto the board.

  They were quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts as the waves moved them around. Up and down. Up and down. For Rennie, being on the surfboard like this was almost like a carnival ride, except waves were unpredictable.

  “You can’t let our friends get to you,” Graham said. She turned and faced him.

  “I know. I feel bad, though.”

  He shrugged and scooted closer to her. He reached for her hand, and she gave it willingly. This weekend they would be more than friends; she was sure of it. “I don’t like seeing you sad, Ren.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Their kiss deepened, and their hands tangled in each other’s hair. That was until a wave washed over them. Rennie and Graham laughed, but the tone had been set for the weekend. They were both single and could finally be together.

  Rennie startled at the sound of a door slamming. Her lips tingled. A reaction from the memory? Or something else? She couldn’t be sure. She looked over her shoulder to see who headed her way, but no one was there. She sat back in the chair and continued to push herself back and forth as she watched the man out on the beach take a break from surfing.

  She checked her phone, expecting a text from Theo, but there was nothing. Her parents had replied to her earlier message. They sent her a picture of them holding a koala bear and wished her a happy Thanksgiving and asked that she wish Brooklyn and Brystol one as well. They passed along the name of their travel agent and suggested Simone take the cruise they were taking in March to Europe. Rennie frowned at the idea, mostly because she would like to spend some time with them but couldn’t fault them for living their lives.

  SIX

  Thanksgiving dinner at the Chamberlains’ was awkward. The three of them were silent except for the clanking of the silverware when it hit a plate, the murmured requests when someone needed a dish passed to them, and Johanna’s sniffles. Each time Graham would look at his mother to confirm his suspicions that she was crying, she would look away or make an excuse to get up. On the other side of him, his father, George, stared at his plate, saying nothing. Grady had done this. He put his family through hell most days, but not showing up for Thanksgiving was a new low, even for him.

  Graham fumed. He wanted to find Grady and beat the shit out of him. His brother needed some sense knocked into him. He needed help. Grady needed to wake up and see what he was doing to their parents. Enough was enough. His family had done nothing but enabled his addiction, and this was how Grady repaid everyone. His absence. Usually, Graham wouldn’t care, but their parents did, and he hated seeing his parents upset.

  After dinner, when his father began watching the next sporting event on television and his mother insisted Graham do the same, he chose to help her with the dishes instead. He suggested she clear the table and put everything into containers while he finished carving the rest of the turkey, making sure to separate the meat from bone for the soup his mother would later make. Once he finished, he filled the roasting pan with hot sudsy water and moved it to the stove, where he turned the burner on low. It was a trick he learned from his grandma many years ago, the best way to remove stuck-on food. He also filled the sink and started washing the dishes his mother brought to him.

  “We have a dishwasher, you know.” Johanna pointed to it.

  “I know.” As much as Graham wanted to head over to the Driftwood Inn to be with his friends, he didn’t want to leave his mother so soon. He figured he would try to prolong his dish duties by handwashing everything.

  “Well, at least put some gloves on.”

  He held a hand up and laughed. “I think my manicure will survive the dishpan-hand look.”

  His mother swatted him with a towel and went back to work. They made small talk with hushed voices. She didn’t ask any more about Grady or about Graham’s love life. Instead, she talked about a vacation she wanted to take but was having a difficult time convincing George to go on. He was worried about Grady.

  “Always worried about Grady,” Johanna stressed. “At some point, do we give up?”

  Graham stiffened and looked out the kitchen window. In the fifteen years since the accident, he had never heard his mother ask such a question. He removed his hands from the water and dried them with a dish towel. He turned and found his mother sitting at the small table where she and George ate most of their meals. Graham took a mug from the dish rack and filled it with coffee and took it to his mother. He pulled the vacant chair out from under the table and sat down.

  “Grady needs professional help, Mom.”

  “I know,” she said quietly as tears escaped her eyes. Her hands wrapped around the mug. She lifted it to her lips and took a sip. “I’ve tried talking to your father, but he’s in denial. He doesn’t see the prolonged damage. There were times when you boys were growing up, I couldn’t tell you apart. So many of the same features—your eyes, cheekbones,
and the way you’d wear your hair. When I saw Grady the last time, he looked nothing like you, and I had to take a step back. My baby boy is in trouble and has been for years, and I’ve been blinded by the notion he’d get better on his own or this was his way of coping.”

  “What do you mean, last time? Isn’t Grady living here?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t seen him in weeks, Graham.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She tried to smile, but her cheeks barely lifted. “I didn’t want to burden you.”

  “Mom, he’s my brother. I worry about him too.”

  “I know, but he shouldn’t be your problem. He’s mine and your father’s.”

  Graham was at a loss for words. Her thoughts differed vastly from his father’s. George wanted everyone to look the other way when it came to Grady. On the surface, George needed to believe he had the perfect life.

  “I thought that with Brooklyn back, Grady would change. That her presence would bring him some closure,” Johanna stated. Graham knew this wasn’t the case. Grady was upset with Brooklyn and blamed her for Austin’s death.

  “If you could convince him—”

  “To do that?” Graham asked.

  “To go to rehab.”

  “I’ve tried. He won’t listen. I told him I’d drive him, be there when he got out.”

  “Try harder, please. For me? So much has been lost; I just want my son back.”

  “And I want my brother back.” Graham longed for the days when his brother was his best friend. Granted, over time, they’d grown apart, but they’d always had each other’s backs. He wanted more than anything to help his brother overcome his demons, to help him move on. Graham hated feeling as if Grady was a lost cause, but there were also times when he thought Grady could use a month or two in jail, under lock and key. He was sure it was his brother who had broken into the bar over the summer, but Graham couldn’t prove it. As much as he tried and told the police who he thought busted the door open and stole hundreds of dollars in liquor, nothing ever came to fruition.