As the Tide Comes In

by Cindy Woodsmall

  “I hate to ask.” Sue Beth licked frosting from the cinnamon roll off her fingers. “But what about Sapphira’s art room?”

  All eyes turned to Tara.

  “Well, then”—Tara pursed her lips and squinted her eyes—“I think our next step is to deal with the art room. Gavin needs to make new arrangements to get help removing the brick from the outside of the house. The rest of us—whoever is available—work on packing up the art room.”

  “Knowing what today might hold,”—his mom took a pinch off a bacon strip and ate it—“I called Ellen last night and asked her to fill in for me. She’s the one who kept the shop yesterday, and she runs Blue Sails for me when none of us can be there. So Luella and I are free. Dell has a few photography appointments that couldn’t be rescheduled, and Sue Beth is teaching some art lessons later this afternoon but is free all morning.”

  “Then we have a plan for packing up Sapphira’s—my nana’s—art room. And unlike yesterday, when you start talking about the stories behind the more interesting pieces in the room, I’ll stop work and actually listen.”

  * * *

  Luella stepped up, up, up the metal spiral stairs of the lighthouse, her left hand gripping the skinny, round handrail. She looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Hurry up, Chuck.” She had only an hour before she and Tara were supposed to leave, but she had to squeeze in one last outing.

  Charles was at least ten steps behind her and looked quite at ease with his right hand in a pocket as he stepped at a slower pace.

  “I can’t believe you already went up this tower twice today, Luella.”

  He didn’t sound out of breath at all. The rat.

  She turned around to face forward and willed her own breathing to slow. She always felt a little claustrophobic as the tower narrowed. They were almost to the next landing. The sign ahead said there were only forty-one more steps to the top. “I told you I’m training to do rock and mountain climbing with Tara. I’m so accustomed to the flat land of South Georgia I’m afraid I’m going to be left in the dust.”

  “I don’t know how much good this training is going to do on the day you’re leaving. Seems to me you’re going to end up with legs that feel like Jell-O by the time you actually get to a mountain.”

  She stopped. He might be right. “Well, in any case let’s slow the pace.” She caught her breath and took it easy going up the next flight. They stepped through the metal door to the lighthouse deck and into the bright afternoon sun. She loved the feel of sea breezes in her hair from the top of the lighthouse.

  “So what do you think?”

  “Very nice. But it was nice on the ground too, and I don’t mean the lighthouse.” He was grinning at her.

  She smiled back but shook her head. It was hard to push past her first instinct to decline a compliment.

  He walked along the circular deck, taking in the view, spreading his hands on the black rail. “This was a good idea. I’ve been so busy with the hotel and other properties that I haven’t come up here. I can’t believe this is my first time at the top of this thing.”

  Luella came up beside him and leaned an elbow on the railing, looking at him. “I know. Especially someone like you, who enjoys travel and culture. A large part of your hotel’s attraction is this lighthouse and the fact that people can walk across the street to it.”

  They went around the small, round balcony to look over at the hotel. He gestured to it with a hand wave. “And its haunted back stairway, according to a certain travel guide I know.”

  She held her hands up. “I’ve never personally verified the ghostly footsteps going up and down the stairs.”

  “Maybe if you slept on the stairs by yourself, you’d hear mysterious sounds and then…you moaning, ‘What am I doing here and why?’ ”

  She laughed and poked his chest. “I think you should attempt that one, seeing as you’re the manager.”

  “You’re the keeper of the ghost stories. I think the verification is on you.”

  She studied him. He was smiling, looking out over the island, and the late afternoon sun made the laugh lines around his eyes stand out. She had no doubt he’d put a lot of effort into making sure his children had as good a childhood as he could give them. But she’d bet he wasn’t a pushover or someone who ignored the harder parts of parenting. A good man. What would it have been like had they met when they were younger? But that was a foolish line of thinking. At least they could enjoy each other now.

  “What is it?” He looked at her, tilting his head.

  “Oh, nothing. I’m just going to miss you.”

  “Yeah.” He smiled. “I’ll miss you too. St. Simons will be far less interesting with one fewer Glynn Girl. What about your tours?”

  “My ghost tour protégé—Dell’s grown daughter, Maggie—will take over for me until I get back. She’s been fascinated with all the stories since she was a little kid.” She ran her finger over the smooth black paint of the railing. She wasn’t one hundred percent packed, and Tara hoped to leave the island for Asheville within the hour. Dinner was at Hadley’s place tonight at seven. But it wouldn’t be fair to Charles to cut his first lighthouse-lookout time short.

  He clucked his tongue. “Telling ghost stories to a young child. Bad influence.”

  “I like to think of it as being the cool ‘aunt.’ ”

  They should go back down. It would take her at least ten minutes to make it back to her apartment, fifteen to finish packing, and then another ten to get to Julep’s to pick up Tara. But…

  Why was it so hard to leave this time? Being the “aunt” to all her friends’ children had always been enough for her as far as family went. It wasn’t as though she and Charles were superserious. They had been on just a handful of dates, for Pete’s sake, and she was fifty-two.

  “Luella.”

  His soft voice made her look up. He leaned in and kissed her, making her breath catch. The soft sensation of his lips on hers eclipsed the pleasantness of even the sea breezes.

  He pulled back enough to look in her eyes. “A kiss on the top of a lighthouse. That’s a first for me.”

  She smiled. “And me.”

  She longed to lean in and kiss him as if there were no tomorrow. How silly was that? It made no logical sense to want to get serious about this relationship. She’d made it this far in life without needing to have or be a significant other, and she really didn’t want to give that up now. She just needed to start her trip. Then her drive for adventure and travel would take over, and she’d feel more rational again.

  34

  Tara stepped over a crumbling, fallen log on the trail. Birds chattered from the tall trees around her. The morning sun streamed through the woods, hinting that it would be a hot afternoon. A group ahead of them was laughing and talking loudly.

  Was Luella ready for her first time to rappel? Hopefully she’d love it. She’d been an even-keeled traveler since they began almost two weeks ago. According to Luella, her research for the next travel guide was going well. They’d stayed in five different places since leaving St. Simons. Luella had booked the stays as they went, finding unique bed-and-breakfasts and insisting on paying because she could deduct the expenses as part of her writing business. The excitement of travel had made facing each new day easier, but it also had chiseled a deep ache in Tara’s heart. She hadn’t had the money to travel like this with Sean and Darryl. But because they’d had breaks a lot of families didn’t get, like not having a mortgage payment, they’d enjoyed outdoor activities together in ways most poor families couldn’t.

  Once again a recurring idea of late sprang to mind. Could she make a difference by starting a nonprofit and helping underprivileged families?

  The wind carried the strong scent of her mountains, and her brothers seemed to fill the air around her. She ached for them to be with her on this hike.

  Webb,
her former boss and today’s instructor, topped a knoll, facing them. He smiled and waved and turned back. Apparently he was just checking to be sure they were still back here. She’d told him earlier this week that she wouldn’t return to work at the outfitter store, but she appreciated his willingness to hold her job open for her. She’d also had lunch with her boss at the grocery store and let her know the same thing. Why was she burning bridges when she had no other source of income? But she couldn’t return to either job. Something else was calling to her. She just wasn’t sure what that was yet.

  “Did I see you wave at someone?” Luella asked.

  “The instructor was checking on us.”

  They’d joined an adventure group billed for beginners, and Webb had been clear that he didn’t mind the slower pace. Today’s program was only a half-day one, and it would give them a taste of several things: hiking, climbing, rappelling, and wading through creeks.

  “My goodness.” Luella went off the path and closer to the edge of the mountain, looking out at the view. “I can see why you love these mountains.” She closed her eyes and breathed deep. “It just smells and tastes like life and freshness.”

  Tara smiled. “It does.” The sweet smell of mountain laurel brought back many amazing moments of being in the woods with her boys.

  They were nearing the end of the trail to Cove Creek Falls, and once there they would gear up and rappel from it.

  “Webb seems disappointed you’re leaving the store for good.”

  “Yeah, that place was a big part of our family life. I worked there to afford gear. Sean and Darryl worked in the bike-repair shop from an early age and branched out to the main floor once they were sixteen. But I can’t go back.”

  Sadness nagged at her, undermining her strength for starting a nonprofit. But what about all the underprivileged boys and girls who never got a weekend of camping or mountain climbing or rappelling because of the lack of money? That thought made her heart ache. As painful as they were, she was so grateful for the memories she had of being outdoors, having adventures with her boys.

  She’d used the evenings, when Luella was busy on her computer writing about the day’s adventures and searching for the next one, to research her fledgling idea—to start a fund that would allow underprivileged families to rent or buy things like camping equipment and climbing gear. There wasn’t a better, happier place for a family than outdoors.

  Once the idea had become a little clearer in her mind, she’d called Gavin. He’d sounded excited at the prospect for her and encouraged her to keep moving forward and to reach out to other people in the industry. Webb was one of those people.

  Luella headed back to the path. “Are you ready for tonight?”

  Tara followed. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.” They would stay in her cabin tonight. Her and her boys’ home. But odd as it seemed, it felt right. Could her brothers feel any closer than now as she hiked this winding trail? The first rock climb they’d done as a family had taken place here. “Now, the real question is, Are you ready to go out on the rope?”

  Luella laughed. “You’re putting a middle-aged woman from an island at sea level on a rope hanging off a cliff near a waterfall. What do you think?”

  Tara patted her shoulder. Even though the constant ache of accepting that Sean and Darryl were gone forever was a tough opponent, Luella’s sense of humor had made being in the mountains of North Carolina these many days bearable. “Having you rappel like this seems a bit mean of me. But in my defense, it’s what you said you wanted.”

  “One can’t write a proper guide without experiencing the adventure for oneself. But ask me again when we’re hanging off the wet, rocky cliff if it’s still what I want.”

  “You’ll love it. Lots of people say rappelling is the fun part. It’s the reward after your muscles are burning from the climb.”

  “But you enjoy it all.”

  “I do. I’ve missed climbing.” The sunlight sparkled between the green, rustling leaves of the trees. “And everything about this area.”

  They continued the hike in silence, and before long they were in a circle with the group, listening to the instructor.

  “Oh, Tara.” Webb waved her over. “I got a text from a friend a few minutes ago. He’d already heard about Sean and Darryl, and he personally knows someone on the board of REI. He ran your idea past her, and she wasn’t against it. She said it’s a mammoth undertaking, but if you follow through and pull all the info together, you can send her the details in an email. If she likes it, she’ll take it to the board. I’ll forward her email address as soon as he sends it.”

  Her heart leaped. “That’s great. Thanks.”

  The loss of Sean and Darryl seemed to have shaken everyone who heard about it, especially those in the climbing community of Western North Carolina. Maybe it was selfish of her, but it helped to know that people cared, that her loss was also a loss to them.

  “We’re no REI, but my wife and I will be fully on board to help.”

  Tara could see Sean and Darryl smiling, and her heart was warmed by Webb’s support. “I…I don’t know anything to say except thank you.”

  “That’s plenty.” He eyed his group. “Okay, gather up.” As the group listened to the rappelling instructions, Tara started strapping on her own trusty seat harness and helmet. When she’d signed up for this outing, she’d asked if she and Luella could go down at the same time, and Webb said he’d have an instructor set up two anchors at the top of the falls. They’d also go down first so that as they waited for the rest of the group to reach the bottom of the falls, Luella could take notes and have questions ready for the guide.

  She tightened all her straps and started checking her carabiners and belay equipment. This was her third climb since returning to the mountains, giving her a way to connect with many of her rock-climbing buddies. There had been tears aplenty, but then they shook off the sadness and did what they do best—climb high and have one another’s backs.

  While traveling she’d also spent an evening with Pastor Mike, his wife, Patti, and their kids. Pastor Mike asked her to consider speaking to the church one Sunday morning. She didn’t mind the idea, but when he asked if she’d do it in five weeks, she’d felt sick to her stomach. That would be just shy of three months after her brothers died, and it wasn’t a large church, about three hundred. Could she do it without falling apart? She hoped so because she’d told him yes.

  With her gear ready she attached her double-link sling to the anchor and started rigging her rope for her descent. She made sure she was redundant on all counts and tested her system. Everything was good. But it looked as if she’d be waiting awhile for Luella to be done with the instruction. Leaving herself attached to the anchor, she sat on the edge of the waterfall and let her feet dangle.

  She took a deep breath. Luella was right. The air tasted like life. She imagined Sean and Darryl being here with her. They felt so close, as if their physical presence was all around her, but even if they were here, straight from the other world, she couldn’t see or feel or talk with them. How could joy and grief be so tightly interwoven, tighter than the weave of the thick climbing ropes?

  Her mind drifted to when she woke in the hospital with the rock in her hand. She could still hear the heavenly singing. Had the experience been a dream? She could also hear Gavin’s voice from two weeks ago when they were in the kitchen at Sapphira’s house, sorting out which of them the property belonged to. I’ve never thought this of anyone before, but I believe you can do anything you set your mind to.

  Was that true? If it was, she had the strength to hear the truth about the rock from Elliott and Hadley. The fact was, she’d put it off long enough.

  “All right, I think we’re ready.” Webb’s voice shook her out of her thoughts. “We’ve gone over everything and practiced a few times. Let’s get Luella set up to rappel.”

&nb
sp; Tara gave him a thumbs-up.

  They walked Luella through attaching to the anchor, and then Tara attached herself to her rope while Luella mimicked her steps on her own rope. Webb double-checked Luella’s ropes. Within a few minutes they were ready to begin the descent.

  “On ‘rappel’!” Luella shouted, readying the instructor.

  “On ‘rappel.’ ” Tara echoed, smiling at her.

  Stepping down the side of the rock sent a surge of energy through her. It was amazing every time. But what was Luella thinking? Was she still nervous? “You good?”

  “Yep. I think so.” Luella looked focused, which was a good sign. Many people concentrate on climbing technique and forget that rappelling is going down—and inherently more dangerous.

  “Take your time. No one is in a hurry. Actually, hold on.” Tara locked herself in place and pulled out her phone.

  Luella froze, holding her rope still. “Better not drop that thing down the waterfall.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Tara winked at her. “I won’t.” Using the front camera, she snapped a picture of Luella and herself on the rock face with the waterfall in the background. “Just gotta send this to Gavin, and then we’ll get back at it.”

  Before she could put her phone away, she got the response.

  Do I need to get my big ladder?

  She laughed and tucked the device back in her deep shirt pocket and unlocked herself to continue the rappel.

  “So, of all the people you could send that text to, why Gavin?” Luella stayed focused on the ropes and her descent.

  “Hmm?” Tara’s mind raced. “Oh, you know, there’s no waterfall in St. Simons.” And he was her friend. Why else?

  “Not Julep, Sue Beth, or Dell.” Luella’s breathing was a bit rapid and shallow.

  Was a simple text a big deal? “Well, I…”

  “Ignore me. I’m just teasing you, sweetie.”