“I knew it.” Carol’s shoulders crumpled forward as she shook her head.
“Knew what?” Camilla demanded.
“You don’t have to dance around it. I’m ready to hear it. You’re finally getting divorced. It’s over. Someone told me they saw you out with some handsome doctor, and well... Well, Camilla, you know that I just really want you to be happy, don’t you? That’s all I really want from you. If that means dating doctors and letting your marriage go, then that’s what I’ll accept.”
Camilla wanted so badly to roll her eyes. “Mom, please don’t jump to conclusions.”
“But Camilla, really.” All the color drained from Carol’s cheeks. “I just couldn’t live with myself the past few weeks. I know I overstepped. I just want the best for all my girls. I want all of you to have a love like your father and me have. But I know it’s the modern world, and...”
“Mom! Can you please just let me talk for a minute?” Camilla’s smile widened with exasperation.
Carol placed her mojito back on the picnic table earnestly. For a moment, Camilla thought she would reprimand her for talking over her, as she might have done twenty-five years before.
“Jonathon and I are taking things slow. Very, very slow. But he’s back in my life. And I think he will stop by later this afternoon,” Camilla said finally.
Carol erupted from the picnic table with more force and excitement than a woman half her age. She rushed around the side and then fell onto Camilla with a huge, boisterous hug.
“Camilla! Camilla, I knew you would come around!”
Camilla rolled her eyes back into her head, even as she held onto her volatile mother. On the other side of the table, Janet matched her eye roll, which was understandable, considering Carol hadn’t fought so much for Janet’s failed marriage. Still, the guy hadn’t been Jonathon. He hadn’t been half the man Jonathon was.
“Tell us everything,” Tina ordered as she poured herself another helping of mojito. “Don’t leave out any details!”
“I mean, I might leave out a few...” Camilla said as she arched her brow toward her mother, who blushed and burst into laughter like a little kid.
Camilla outlined the basics of the previous month: the story of the investment company, their work with Susan Sheridan, Andrea’s devastation (and the horror of that wedding dress), Jonathon’s terrible injury, and finally, their reunion. Her sisters and her mother were captivated but also shocked at her news.
And just as she finished, the door between the back porch and the main house burst open to reveal the three people that were the most important in her life— the ones she loved dearly: Jonathon, Andrea, and Isaac. They were all sun-tanned and vibrant. Andrea carried a massive watermelon and Isaac hauled in another twenty-four pack of beer. Jonathon was freshly-shaved and bright-eyed. His gaze found Camilla’s instantly, as though to check that the coast was clear for his arrival.
But almost immediately, Carol rushed for him, wrapped her arms around him, and said, “Jonathon! I can’t tell you how much I missed you! Sit down. Sit! I know how much you love my mojitos. Oh, and just look at your hand—what a mess. I told you over and over again; you shouldn’t work out in the field like that. You should be behind a desk telling other people what to do.”
Jonathon splayed his good hand over the table between himself and Camilla. Camilla placed hers tenderly against his, and his fingers closed over it. He mouthed, “I love you,” over the table so that nobody else could hear.
“Sorry, my family is so crazy,” Camilla mouthed back.
Jonathon shrugged. “We all are.”
“Here you go, Jon,” Carol said as she placed a mojito on the table before him. “Remember, I’m offended if you don’t drink at least three of these before dinner.”
“I guess we’ll all end up on the floor like every other Fourth of July,” Jonathon replied with a lopsided grin.
“That’s the way I like to throw a family party,” Carol affirmed. She then turned toward Andrea and Isaac, who she’d basically ignored. “Andrea, look at you. You look absolutely beautiful, my dear. You’re glowing with that beautiful tan. Did you wear any sunscreen for those boat tours?”
A few minutes later, Andrea found her way to the table with her parents. She gripped a chip and crunched along the edge as she heaved a sigh.
“Hey. I’m just glad she has you two to pick on, now,” Camilla said. “It was all me for Memorial Day and I couldn’t take it.”
“We’ll balance out the attacks from now on,” Andrea said as she rolled her eyes. “And Isaac? Prepare yourself. Once you’re officially married into this family, it’ll be your turn.”
“If she doesn’t get to you today,” Camilla added.
“Great,” Isaac said as he collapsed in the chair beside Andrea. “Let the games begin.”
It was one of the more perfect days of Camilla’s life after that. Her mother seemed to buzz with unlimited energy; her sisters chatted and gossiped and sang little songs and recounted childhood memories. Andrea and Isaac were endlessly adorable together, with Andrea making little jokes to Isaac, ones that only he could hear. Jonathon and Camilla continually found one another again, even when Jonathon was called over to help with the BBQ or Camilla was called into the kitchen to help with the salad preparation. They found peace with one another, space to joke and flirt. Camilla felt again that she had a partner in this life, a teammate who had her back, no matter what.
Later, as twilight descended over Martha’s Vineyard, the first of the Fourth of July fireworks blared into the sky and burst into a million little fiery stars. Camilla placed her head on Jonathon’s shoulder as they swung their feet off the side of the dock. His arm wrapped around her shoulder warmly. It was as though they were two pieces of the same puzzle.
“It’s so funny, isn’t it?” Jonathon said suddenly.
Camilla lifted her head the slightest bit. “What’s funny?”
“That you can watch Fourth of July fireworks every year for your entire life, but you never get over how amazing they are. I always feel like a little kid.”
“I think that’s the point.” Camilla laughed and settled her head deeper against his chest so that the sound of his heartbeat flooded her ear. It was as though everything — the sea, the sand, the fireworks and their heartbeats and the lilting gossip from her family members, up on the porch was all connected as one. She was grateful for all of it and she wanted to stop time right then and there. For that moment, everything was just as perfect as it was meant to be. The way it would always be, as long as they worked for it— as long as they put their love first.
Coming Next in the Sisters of Edgartown Series
You can now pre-order Mila’s Book
Other Books by Katie
The Vineyard Sunset Series
Secrets of Mackinac Island Series
Sisters of Edgartown Series
A Katama Bay Series
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