Newport Beginnings

by Cindy Nichols

  Carrie sighed again, and Jen wished she could just make it go away, but it was probably best if she did talk about it anyway. She worried about her friend keeping everything all bottled up. But the cat was kind of out of the bag now, so she rushed in to try to help out her friend.

  "She invited Rob, and Cassidy and Bethany."

  Michael dropped his fork and stared at Carrie, blinking a few times before he said, "Oh, wow."

  "Yeah," Faith said, looking down at her plate.

  "That's—that's—"

  "It's fine," Carrie interrupted. "Really, fine."

  Amber nudged Michael's elbow. "Who are those people?" she asked Michael.

  "I'll tell you later," he responded, glancing at Carrie again.

  "Oh gosh. You guys act like somebody died. Amber, Rob is my ex-husband. Cassidy is his wife. And Bethany is my—was my stepdaughter. I just wasn't expecting to see them, that's all."

  "Well, I should say not. After what he did to you, and making a grand entrance like that, with the Maserati and everything—"

  Jen cut off Mrs. Grover before she could go any further, as Carrie's face was looking a little pinched.

  "It was just gross. They could have just shown up without all that. I mean, if your mom really needed them to be there. For the attention."

  "Oh, sheesh. I didn't put that part together," Dirk said. "So then, you're—um—I mean—"

  Jen's stomach dropped, knowing where this was heading. And if there was anything at all she could have done to spare her friend the next part, she would have.

  Eight

  Carrie dreaded these kinds of conversations. Everybody always got so weird. And if she wasn't overly concerned, why should they be? She wasn't exactly thrilled that her mom had done that to her, but she was over it. She'd had to get over it—and quickly. No point dredging it all up over again. Past was past. But Carrie knew enough about this juicy topic firsthand to know that since Amber was just finding out about it, it wasn't going to die quite yet.

  "Do you mean Rob and Cassidy from the Wives of Newport Beach?" Amber asked, her eyes wide.

  Jen said, "Yep, one and the same. But it was a long time ago."

  "Yes. I am the ex-wife that was on the cover of the tabloids for months. I am the ex-wife that he left for the bimbo with no explanation. I am the wife who was not allowed to go back to the restaurant that we'd built. Yep, that's me."

  Nobody at the table quite knew what to say, Jen included.

  "Wow," Amber said quietly. "I'm—I'm so sorry."

  "Look everybody, it really is fine. It was just a surprise. I'm over it. Why don't you all have a cookie. Mrs. Grover worked really hard on those, I'm sure. And I'm tired of waiting for one."

  She picked up the plate and passed them around with a big smile on her face. "On the bright side, at least I got to see Bethany."

  Carrie was grateful that Michael recovered quickly and helped her change the subject. Sort of.

  "That's great. How is she? She must be—what, a sophomore school about now?"

  "Yes, exactly," Carrie said. "I didn't get to talk to her for very long, but she said that they were on hiatus for the show and were going on a tour of the Continent."

  Faith laughed. "She really said that? The 'Continent'?"

  Carrie found herself laughing, too. "Yes, she did. I haven't heard that expression since—well, since I last read Jane Eyre.”

  Neither have I," Jen said.

  "That's weird. Why would she want to miss school? Even the first half, or whatever? Is she still playing tennis? She’d miss the finals.”

  "Didn't get that far in our conversation. It was very brief. I couldn't really tell if she was happy about it or not."

  "Hm. Well, did she seem good otherwise?"

  "She did," Carrie said, nodding. "And it was nice to see her."

  "And we got out just in time," Jen said with a laugh.

  "Wow. Yep, your mom's a great wingman, Michael. She tipped me off just before that lovely woman who married my ex-husband barged in."

  All eyes turned toward the gate as it creaked. Carrie smiled at the sight of Maggy, Faith's daughter. It had been quite a while since she'd seen her, but there was no mistaking the lovely brown eyes, the wavy brown hair and easy gait. And when Maggy spotted her mother, those eyes lit up.

  "Oh my goodness, Maggy. We'd just about given up on you," Faith said as she rushed to hug her daughter. Carrie noticed again how much they looked alike, down to the kindness in their eyes.

  "I'm sorry I'm late, Mom," Maggy said with a quick look at Carrie between hugs.

  Faith reached for a plate and loaded it up, topped it off with a couple of cookies and patted the chair beside her. "No worries, we're just glad you're here now."

  "Nice to see you again, Maggy. Been a long time," Michael said before he sat back down again.

  Maggy smiled and nodded at both Michael and Amber. "I don't think I've seen you guys since the wedding, actually. It's been a very long time. And I hear you're expecting. How exciting!"

  Amber blushed again and looped her arm through Michael's.

  "Yes, and can't wait," Michael said, squeezing Amber's hand.

  "Well, congratulations. The baby shower will be spectacular with these three." Maggie nodded at Carrie, Faith and Jen.

  Carrie laughed when Jen took in a sharp breath. "Oh my gosh. A baby shower. We'll have to start planning."

  "Relax, Mom. You've got six months," Michael said with a laugh.

  "That'll pass in the blink of an eye," Jen said.

  Carrie leaned back in her chair as they all started talking about baby shower food, colors, themes. It wasn't her area of expertise, by any means, and she was grateful that the conversation had veered in a different direction. She'd never had a baby, let alone a baby shower.

  Her memory cleared a bit, and she realized that that wasn't exactly true, and her thoughts turned to Bethany. She'd been a darling toddler—towheaded, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to see everything, even then. She'd fallen in love with her almost before she'd fallen for Rob, she sometimes thought.

  And her best friends had, in fact, had a small shower for her and Bethany. There'd been Beanie Babies everywhere, and Bethany had loved them. They'd had punch with orange sherbet in it—something she'd always hated, but had never told Faith and Jen that, even to this day—and they'd played games and giggled until they'd realized Bethany had fallen asleep in a pile of Beanie Babies, and Faith and Jen had helped get her into her crib.

  She'd forgotten how happy they'd been, all those years ago. She, Rob and Bethany, just the three of them. They'd worked hard to start the restaurant, Bethany playing in her playpen while they planned and cooked—well, Rob cooked. Carrie never really learned how, but she was an excellent sous chef.

  Everybody was so happy—everybody but Carrie's mother. Her mother, who'd never let her forget that Bethany wasn't her blood. Her mother, who'd never stopped asking if this was what she'd really wanted, someone else's baby. Her mother, who'd grinned at her from across the room last night, almost as if to say, 'I told you so.'

  She felt a squeeze on her elbow and looked up into Dirk's questioning eyes.

  "You okay?" he asked quietly, as the others were still yapping about the baby shower.

  "Of course," she said, as brightly as she could, and wiggled her shoulders, shaking the memories off. None of it mattered anymore, anyway. It was all a long time ago. She really couldn't care less about Rob and Cassidy—they'd all moved on. And now Bethany had, too, and was heading to the 'Continent', giving up half a year of high school and an entire tennis season. But there was nothing she could do, anyway. Better to stay in the present, and the people she cared about were all right here.

  Carrie glanced down the table—it was so nice to have everybody there. Max was the only one missing, and Jen had mentioned he wouldn't be home for another few weeks from his internship in Boston—and it was as if Jen had read her mind.

  "Max will be back in a couple of weeks," Je
n said, and she pointedly looked at Maggy, even though Carrie was positive that Jen didn't realize she was. Jen was never great at hiding her feelings, and most of the guests at the table knew that Faith and Jen had always hoped Max and Maggy would end up together.

  Faith wasn't much better. "Right. He'll be back in a little bit. You'll be able to come up again, won't you?" she asked her daughter pointedly.

  Maggy shook her head and smiled, with an exasperated look in Michael’s direction. He returned the look and shrugged his shoulders.

  "You guys really need to give that up. We already dated in high school, remember? No sparks, for either of us. You can't will it to be so."

  Jen and Faith shared a quick glance, and both reached for another cookie at the same time. Carrie imagined it was probably to hide their disappointment.

  "Well, you can't blame us for trying, right? We never give up on our kids."

  Even though Carrie knew she hadn't given up on Bethany, the words stung. She wasn't exactly sure why—she'd done her best, and had never wanted to stop seeing Bethany. She hadn't had a choice. And she still didn't.

  Nine

  The sun had mostly set and the twinkle lights they’d installed around the top of the deck cast a soft glow on the still-tattered awning. Jen sat back in her chair, listening to her favorite people in the world catch up. She finished her glass of wine just as the sun dipped below the water on the horizon. It had been a marvelous summer, and this was the perfect way for it to end.

  She looked around the table and soaked it all in. She hadn't been this happy in—well, she couldn't even remember. Max would be home soon, Faith and Maggy were together, and Michael and Amber were excited about the new baby—and the shower was set.

  Jen caught Carrie's eyes for a moment, and saw that there was a hint of sadness behind them. With all the commotion, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

  She reached for another of the offered cookies, vowing to check in on Carrie as much as she needed to until she could get her to talk. She wanted all of her loved ones to be happy, so she needed to check in with Carrie and make sure it was so.

  "Can we help clear the table?" Michael asked, standing and reaching for the plate of corn.

  Jen stood and held out her arms as everybody passed her their plates. "Thanks, honey. I'll get the dishwater started if you guys want to bring stuff inside."

  "I'm going to say goodbye, Carrie. Thanks for a lovely dinner, and it was nice to meet you all,” Dirk said.

  Jen waved goodbye and ducked into the kitchen when Michael held the door open for her. Amber followed with as many plates as she could carry, and Jen set about putting away leftovers as Michael washed and Amber dried.

  "Can I be of service?" Jen turned as Joe came in, his hands behind his back. "I'm a pretty good dishwasher, but it looks like Michael is, too."

  "I got this, Joe, no problem," Michael said, and Joe nodded.

  "Ma said she'd send something, and she did.” Joe held out a brightly colored tin toward Jen.

  Jen reached for the tin, anxious to see what was inside. Mrs. Russo was the best cook she'd ever met—except for her Nana—and it was bound to be good. She took in a quick breath when she opened it, and she glanced up at Joe who was trying hard to hide his smile.

  "She thought you might like that. Spent the day in the kitchen before she went to her party. At least that's what she told me to tell you."

  Jen laughed. "Oh, that was so nice of her." Jen couldn't believe that Mrs. Russo had remembered her favorite sweet—Italian wedding cookies, little bits of almond heaven covered in powdered sugar. "I can't believe she remembered."

  "How could she forget? We stole them every chance we got, remember? The only thing that gave us away was the powdered sugar all down the front of you."

  She felt her cheeks heat and she glanced at Michael—who had heard every word.

  "Mom? Stealing cookies? Nah, can't be," he teased.

  "Well, maybe once or twice," she said before she turned back to the leftovers, hoping that the pink in her cheeks faded quickly. "I remember that you and Allen did your fair share of sneaking into her kitchen, too, so don't pin it all on me."

  Joe held his hands up. He reached for Amber's towel and motioned for her to take a seat while he took over drying the dishes. "Fair enough. It was worth it."

  Jen nodded and listened to Michael and Joe talk about—well, lots of little things. She was glad that she'd invited him—Michael had another opportunity to learn about his father, who had been Joe's best friend before he died. And beyond that, just talk to a man who was his dad's age—or the age he would have been. It warmed her heart, and everything seemed right with the world.

  She boxed up leftovers for people to take home and got the rest of the things in the fridge, finally. When she was finished, she leaned against the kitchen counter. She folded her arms and grinned as she listened to her eldest son and his wife tease each other about who did dishes better. She'd worked very hard to make sure that her boys would be handy in the kitchen, and it appeared that she'd been successful—and Joe fit right in.

  Michael took off his apron and glanced at his wife before tenderly resting his hand on her belly. "You okay? Getting tired?"

  Amber nodded and sighed. "I am. I just don't seem to have much stamina at the moment. At least I've gotten my appetite back and haven't had to rely on saltines anymore."

  "That's a relief," Jen replied. "You two can go ahead and head home if you want. We can finish up here."

  "Sure. Thanks for a great dinner, Mom.” Michael kissed Jen on her cheek, gave her a big hug and shook Joe's hand. "Oh, I forgot to mention that I stopped by the house yesterday and spent a few hours raking. The weather's gotten a little cooler, and there were tons of leaves that had dropped."

  Joe whistled slowly. "You still have all those humongous eucalyptus trees that drop every leaf they have every day of the year?"

  Jen and Michael nodded at the same time.

  "Yep, the same ones you and Allen used to climb and almost give me a heart attack."

  "Had to be done." Joe laughed when Jen lightly flicked him with a towel.

  "She'd never let me climb any of the trees," Michael said with an exaggerated frown.

  "No, and I still won't. Besides, you have Amber to look out for. No climbing of fifty-foot trees."

  Amber agreed, then said, "I went with him and cleaned the inside. Well, I did what I could—dusted, vacuumed."

  Jen stared at them in surprise for a moment. "Oh, I would never have expected you to do that. Amber, you shouldn't be vacuuming," she said, wrapping Amber in a hug.

  Amber smiled. "It was no problem. Maybe that's why I'm a little tired today. But it was fun. The house is so beautiful, and we knew you hadn't been home for a while. Thought it might need a little TLC. We opened the windows, aired it out."

  Jen was so touched. She knew Michael loved the house—the one he'd grown up in—and she was grateful for the help.

  "From what I remember, just the property is a lot of work. You're right. But you should have seen it when they were building the place. Quite a sight to behold."

  Both Michael and Amber seemed to get a second wind as Joe described how Jen and Allen had built the house mostly with their two hands—both stories, with the vaulted ceilings.

  "Your mom was queen of drywall, and Allen could build just about anything."

  By the time he was done, Jen was immersed in the memories of long ago, and she had to shake her head once or twice when Michael said it was time they get going—long after they'd originally planned.

  Back on the porch, Michael said his goodbyes, and Mrs. Grover stood to do the same.

  "Nice to see you all again.” She turned to Joe. "I'm sorry your mother wasn't here. I had a nice time talking with her at the fundraiser."

  "She had a good time, too. She had another commitment tonight or would have been here. At Back Bay Village, for their Labor Day party."

  Mrs. Grover's eyebrows rose
as she looked from Joe to Jen. "Back Bay Village? Those people are pretty wild over there." She twisted her fingers together and looked worried. "You sure she'll be all right?"

  Joe laughed. "Sure. She's just going to watch the parade and the fireworks. She can hold her own."

  "Hm," Mrs. Grover said as she walked through the gate. "Well, thank you for a lovely evening. Enjoy the cookies." She walked quickly back to her house, with a last worried glance over her shoulder before she went inside.

  Carrie laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I wonder what that was about."

  "Who knows?" Jen said. "But I have no doubt Mrs. Russo can hold her own just about anywhere. Right, Joe?"

  "Absolutely no question," he said. "Ma's been around the block a time or two. She'll be fine."

  Ten

  The streetlights had been lit for hours by the time Maggy stretched and said she needed to head home. Everyone had left but Carrie and Jen, and they'd already gotten out leftovers to nibble on with the last of their wine, all of them excited to catch up with Maggy.

  But now it was over, and Faith would be heading back to work tomorrow herself. It was a bittersweet end to a perfect summer, and she tried to remember how happy she was as she stood to walk Maggy to her car. Every time they got together anymore, Faith knew it would come to an end much too early for her, and every time it tugged at her heart.

  She smiled as Maggy got warm hugs from Carrie and Jen, her 'bonus moms' as she called them. All the kids did, and she figured they must have done something right. And they were all close friends, too—Jen's Michael and Max, and Faith's Maggy—even if they weren't meant to be any more than that. Couldn't blame them for trying.

  Maggy reached for her mother's hand as they headed down the sidewalk to her car, and Faith vividly remembered the first time it had ever happened—her heart had almost burst with joy, even though Maggy could barely walk at the time. So by the time they got to Maggy's car, it was hard for her to let go.