"Thank you so much for coming, Mags. It was so, so good to see you, and to hear about how great your job's going. I'd say who knew you'd end up working with numbers, but I guess we all did."
Maggy laughed and kissed Faith on the cheek. "I don't know. Maybe it was the way I turned everything into a math problem when I was little."
"That, or you telling me I could borrow a dollar if I paid you back two."
They both always got a giggle out of that story, and it was the same this time.
Maggy squeezed Faith's hand when they got to her car and shook her head slowly. "That's pretty rotten what Carrie's mom did. I guess we shouldn't be surprised but, man, that's pretty over the top, even for her."
Faith closed her eyes for a moment, then glanced back at the beach house where Carrie and Jen were still chatting.
"I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't. But at least she got to see Bethany, and I think that was all she cared about. It's been a long time, and I know she misses her."
Maggy nodded. "I miss her, too. She hasn't called in—gosh, I guess it's been a couple years. And she stopped returning my calls a long time ago. I tried to keep in touch, invited her down for weekends, but she didn't want to come."
"I know, honey. We all tried. Just know that you were the best babysitter she ever could have had."
Maggy laughed. "Well, I don't know about that, but we did have fun when I'd babysit. I wonder if she still plays Scrabble. We were really good at it."
Faith laughed. "I doubt it. She looked so grown up. You wouldn't have recognized her. And dressed to the nines, just like Cassidy."
"Ugh. The Bethany I know would never have agreed to that. Sneakers, yes. Formal gown, no. But I guess people change."
"I guess so," Faith said quietly, with another look back at Carrie on the deck.
If Faith could have, she would have kept Maggy there talking longer, not wanting to say goodbye. But Carrie and Jen had asked all the questions Faith wanted to know about, so it was time to let her go. No guy in the picture, no dating at all, just her adult softball league and beach volleyball on the weekends. Maggy had played in high school, and continued on after college in a league in San Diego. Faith went down on the weekends to watch at much as she could, but hadn't been able to much this summer.
"I hope to get down for a volleyball game soon," Faith said as Maggy unlocked her car.
"Oh, no worries. I know you're busy, and I sent you a pic of the trophy we won."
"Yep, add it to the collection," Faith said before she wrapped Maggy in a big hug. "I love you, honey."
"I love you, too, Mom. Sounds like everything's great with you."
"Yeah, I guess it is. This job at the store on the island and making all these pillows was giving me a run for my money, but I think I’ve decided to try to keep it up once school starts. If busy hands are happy hands, I’ll be the queen of it."
Maggy smiled her bright smile and gave her mom one last hug. "It's great to see you so happy, finally."
As Maggy drove off and Faith continued to wave until she turned the corner onto Newport Boulevard, Faith thought about those last words. She knew that the last few years had been tough—her break-up with Maggy's father had been less than amicable—and it had been hard on Maggy, too.
She sighed with relief that Maggy seemed happy—a lovely, confident young woman with a great job, a happy life. So maybe it hadn't been all that horrible after all. And as she turned back toward the beach house, she realized that she was, in fact, happy. Finally.
Now to figure out how to juggle all these balls she'd launched—a full-time job teaching kindergarten, a weekend job at a store with a very unpredictable owner, a pillow project of her own. She hoped that she could keep all the balls in flight—and keep the life she'd worked so hard to repair on steady ground.
She looked back at where Maggy had just been, and then up on the deck at Carrie and Jen. She couldn't imagine never being able to see Maggy again, and hoped that Carrie was actually doing as well as she said she was. For Faith, it would have crushed her to have it all end that way and lose her daughter. She hoped that what Carrie was telling them wasn't all just delusion, and that she wasn't kidding herself.
Eleven
Carrie and Jen were pouring flutes of champagne when Faith got back to the deck. Jen handed her a glass and said it was time for a toast.
"Let's raise our glasses to the best summer ever," Jen said, the soft breeze from the ocean tickling their faces. She took a quick glance at Carrie. "With the exception of last night, of course."
Carrie shrugged. "Truly, I'm over it. This has definitely been the best summer in years. Saved the beach house, got to have Faith full time—we've had lots of fun."
"Definitely. And Joe's back, too. And Mrs. Grover and Mrs. Russo are hilarious," Jen said after a sip of her bubbly.
Jen wiggled her eyebrows at Carrie. "And Dirk's not too shabby, either. Glad he came by. He seemed really worried about you."
Carrie shrugged. “He’s sort of nice. He’s still a little bit too Mr. Newport for me, though. He knows everybody, always looks just right, and a realtor. You know how they are. I’m just glad we got through the fundraiser without too much collateral damage.”
Faith and Jen exchanged a glance. "Speaking of collateral damage, have you talked to your mother?"
Carrie shook her head. "Absolutely not. I turned my phone off last night when I got home, and haven't turned it back on yet. No telling if she called. It's not like she's going to feel bad or anything. I just don't want to deal with it."
"I can't imagine doing that to one of my kids. Or any of the ninety-nine cruddy things she's done to you that I've witnessed with my own eyes," Jen said.
Carrie leaned against the railing and looked out at the waves. The wind had come up, and the waves had gotten bigger just since they'd finished dinner and crashed against the shore louder than they normally did.
She turned back to her friends and said, "You know, I used to spend a lot of time wondering about it myself. I remember I even asked my dad once. I couldn't figure out why she seemed to take pleasure in messing things up for me. Or at least making things harder than they needed to be."
Jen hadn't heard this before from her friend, and her ears perked up. "You did? What did he say?"
"I don't know. I can't really remember. It didn't make sense to me at the time, so I guess I just didn't think about it anymore. I pretty much checked out and just did what she said until I could leave."
Jen couldn't imagine a mother not liking her own child. Just couldn't really wrap her brain around it. "You really have no idea? Maybe it's not against you—maybe she's just selfish."
Carrie took her last sip of champagne and set her flute on the table. "I don't know, and honestly, I don't care anymore. I shouldn't have agreed to help her with the fundraiser, anyway. Things had been kind of okay for a few years—okay for us, anyway—but I should have known better. Won't make that mistake again."
The blood in Jen's veins heated up. "I'd poke her in the eye for you if I could."
Carrie laughed. "I know you would, but today you'd have to stand in line behind me. Hopefully, tomorrow we can go back to pretending each other doesn't exist." Carrie crossed the deck and gave Jen and Faith hugs. "Thanks for being such great friends, guys. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Faith finished her champagne, too. "Feeling is mutual. I'm sure going to miss you guys."
Jen shook her head. "I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow. I guess this is goodbye for a little bit."
The three friends fell silent as the waves crashed against the shore.
“I really don’t want to go,” Faith said slowly.
“And neither do I,” Jen said. “I’ve decided to stay. For good.”
Carrie and Faith just stared at her for a moment, and Jen imagined they were having very different reactions. When they spoke, it was clear she was right.
“That’s fantastic,” Carrie said. “I’m thrilled.”
&nb
sp; Faith looked as if she could barely muster up a smile. “I’m happy for you, Jen. But sad for me.”
She looked as if she was mulling something over in her head, and Jen waited for her to continue.
Faith finally said, "It's only for a week. I'll be back on Friday. I'm hoping I can get all my schoolwork done during the week and spend every weekend here. I’m going to try to keep the job at the shop. I don't want to miss any Friday night happy hours.”
“Good. We're counting on you," Carrie said with one final hug for Faith. "I've got to call it a night, guys. Safe travels, Faith, and I'll see you next weekend. Good luck back in the classroom."
"You bet," Faith said as Carrie headed down the stairs.
Jen and Faith leaned over the balcony and waved until Carrie turned the corner onto the boardwalk, following the sand back to her condo.
After Jen was sure Carrie was out of earshot, she said, "You really going to be back every weekend? I’d be thrilled, you know.”
"I don't know. It sounds like a lot, but I’ll never know unless I try.”
Jen lifted the champagne bottle up to the light and wiggled it. There was a bit left, and as this was Faith's last night, they shouldn't waste it. She poured the rest into their glasses and held them up for another toast.
“Here’s to us all finding youth and stamina somehow. And to Friday night happy hours. And I wanted to make a toast to Maggy. She sure has turned out to be a really special young lady. What a treat to see her," Jen said before clinking her glass with Faith's.
"Aw, that's nice."
Jen nodded. "It's true! How lucky are we that are kids are decent human beings? Kind, compassionate, loving. And Maggy is all that."
"And gainfully employed, all of them," Faith added with a laugh.
"That too," Jen said, and they clinked glasses once again as the wind calmed to more of a breeze.
After a moment, Jen said, "Bethany's tough, but she's a good kid, too. At least she was last time I saw her."
"Yeah, Carrie did a really good job with her. Put her heart and soul into it, too. I wish it had turned out differently for her. For them."
"Same here. I wish there could be some peace for them, too."
The two friends sat for a while longer and finished their champagne, but soon they both yawned and decided to call it a night.
"Sweet dreams," Faith said before she headed up the last flight of stairs to her room. "Thanks for a great summer."
"Good night, Faith. Thanks for pitching in and helping save the house. It was definitely a great summer, and I feel like it's really a new beginning. For all of us.”
Twelve
Carrie took her time walking home, listening to the waves crashing on the beach. It was breezy, but not too bad. Worth it to hear the waves crash rather than lap at the shore—and she was feeling like it was kind of a crashing waves kind of night.
She was glad that she hadn't been the focus of the evening too much—but it had always come back to her, somehow. The whole evening was something that she was just trying to forget about, but she appreciated her friends' concern.
It had been quite a shock to see them, if she was honest with herself. Well, to see Bethany, anyway. Rob and Cassidy looked the same—him preening like a peacock, as usual, and her lapping it up, diamonds dripping everywhere. She was actually pretty—something Carrie didn't normally like to admit—but they were such gross people that it didn't even help.
But Bethany looked beautiful. When Carrie first saw her, she'd literally lost her breath. It had been several years, and now she was sixteen. She looked so grown up it had brought tears to her eyes. To Carrie, though, she could still see that little baby that she'd fallen in love with shining through her crystal-blue eyes.
She tried to shake it off as she neared her condo. None of it mattered, really, anyway. Not even what her mother did. The fact remained that she still had no relationship with Bethany, and she still didn't want one with her mother. She'd learned her lesson. Tomorrow, she'd head back to her dental practice and immerse herself in work. Business as usual. And since she loved her job, it should dull a bit of the ache in her chest that she'd been trying to deny.
She'd known she'd be back after dark and had flipped on the porch light before she left. As she neared her front door, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on her stoop. She ran over the events of the past couple days as quickly as she could, wondering who would send flowers. It wouldn't be Bethany. Certainly wouldn't be her mother. They must be from Faith and Jen, and she smiled at the warm thought. Everything in her world could be really bad, but Faith and Jen were her rocks, her bright spot.
She picked up the glass vase and leaned in to sniff the stargazer lilies. The scent washed over her and followed her into the room, and she set them on her kitchen island. The white baby's breath tucked into the flowers made them stand out even more. It really was a beautiful bouquet, and they made her feel much better.
The digital clock on the microwave told her it was too late to call Jen and Faith to thank them. They'd said they were going right to bed when she left as Faith had an early call to head inland the next day. She'd just read the card and call both of them tomorrow, thank them for being the best friends in the entire world.
Her phone buzzed, and she looked around for it. She'd completely forgotten she'd left it at home when she'd gone to Jen's—anybody she wanted to talk to would be there, so why bother?
The display read 'Jen' and she smiled, glad she could thank her so soon.
"I just wanted to check and make sure you got home all right," Jen said when Carrie picked up.
"I did, and thanks for the great surprise. The flowers are gorgeous. So thoughtful of you guys."
The phone was silent for a minute, and Carrie finally said, "Jen? Thanks for the flowers."
She could hear Jen clear her throat. "I would love to say you're welcome, but I didn't send them. I wish now that I had. That would have been very thoughtful of me. But I didn't."
Carrie turned to look at the flowers and narrowed her eyes. "You didn't? Not Faith, either?"
"No, I don't think so. She would have told me. We were very wrapped up in the barbecue. I'm sorry."
Carrie shook her head. "No, don't be silly. No worries."
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
"Who are they from, then?"
"Oh," Carrie said with a laugh. "I don't know."
"Carrie, check the card. I'll wait," Jen said, her voice incredulous.
"Okay, fine." Carrie had closed the books in her head on the past couple of days, and if the flowers weren't from Jen and Faith, she wasn't sure she wanted to know who they were from.
She plucked the card from the flowers and took a big sniff before she opened the envelope.
"They're very pretty, if you want to know."
"I'm sure they are," Jen said. "Quit stalling. Open the card."
Carrie sighed and opened the envelope. Her eyebrows rose when she read it. She cocked her head and looked over at the pictures on the mantle.
"Carrie, you're killing me here," Jen said, bringing Carrie back to the present.
"They're from Dirk."
"Ooh, la la." Carrie could just picture Jen wiggling her eyebrows.
Carrie laughed and said, "The card says thank you for your help with the fundraiser, and I'm sorry it didn't turn out better for you."
"Well, that's nice. I still think it's an 'ooh-la-la,’ though. He sits awful close to you, if you haven't noticed."
"No, I haven't noticed. I think it's your imagination."
"Mm-hm," Jen said. "Well, either way that was very nice of him. I'm right, though."
Carrie and Jen arranged to take Daisy for a long walk on the beach the next night after work, and Carrie took in a deep breath after they'd hung up.
"What a couple of days," she said out loud to absolutely no one. An awful lot had happened, and the last thing she needed to think about was Dirk. Besi
des, she was one hundred percent positive that Jen was mistaken. They were friends—they got along well, and they'd just pulled off a big event. That was it. Mr. Newport was probably just used to doing things like that. For clients.
She changed into her pajamas and boiled some water for tea. She almost fell asleep as she let the tea steep, and grabbed the mug. Setting it on her nightstand, she didn't even make it long enough for it to cool before she gave in, and drifted off to a place where she didn't have to worry. About anything.
Thirteen
"I can't believe this is it," Jen said as she grabbed one of Faith's bags and followed her out the door with a paper bag in her other hand.
They'd had coffee on the deck early and watched the sun light up the beach. But now it was the time they'd been dreading all summer.
"It's not 'it,’” Faith said with a smile. "I'll be back Friday night for happy hour."
Jen knew she was moping, but she didn't want to make Faith feel bad.
"I know. I'm just going to miss you. What will I do without you?"
Faith laughed and put her bags in the trunk of her car. "You're going to go through all of Nana's stuff, remember? And then over the weekend, we're going to go decide what to move on. That's going to take you quite a while. And we can't start fixing things up until you do it."
"Right," Jen said. "But it'd be more fun with you here. Who will I talk to?"
"Oh, brother. Carrie's here, and I am absolutely positive Joe will be stopping by a fair amount."
"What do you mean? He's busy with work."
"Uh-huh. To use your favorite phrase, 'ooh-la-la.’”
"Oh, my gosh," Jen said, and she couldn't help laughing. "I said the same exact thing to Carrie last night when she called about the flowers."
"And I know I'm right."
Jen almost doubled over, laughing so hard. "I said that, too."
"I bet you did," Faith said, her smile wide. She grabbed Jen in a hug. "I can't wait to hear all about it on Friday."
"Right. Sure. Oh, here, I made these to take with you."
Newport Beginnings Page 5
