Hometown Ties

by Melody Carlson

  “Why would he—”

  “Never mind.” Marley shook her head. “I’m sure I must sound like I’m in junior high again. You know the truth, Janie. I’ve just never been good at any of this.”

  “Any of what?”

  “You know. The guy thing.”

  Janie laughed loudly now. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s outside of my comfort zone. I haven’t dated since my divorce.”

  “Not at all?”

  Marley shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “But what about Jack? You guys seemed to hit it off. I suppose maybe I did assume that maybe something would come of it … someday.”

  Marley pointed at her. “See, I knew you were assuming.”

  “Here’s the boat.” Janie stopped in front of a pretty sailboat. Holding her grocery bag in one hand, she gracefully hopped aboard, then reached for Marley’s hand and helped her to board as well.

  “This is nice.” Marley nodded in appreciation. “Very nice.”

  “I’ll give you the tour,” Janie offered. While using official boating terms, which Marley was sure she wouldn’t remember, Janie walked her around the deck and around the outside of the cabin. Then she led Marley below.

  “See, this is one of the spots where I think a painting would look nice.” Janie pointed out a small bit of mahogany wall next to the galley. “Maybe a vertical piece. Like a sailboat with its sails up tall, maybe with a sunset. We want it to be in your more colorful palette. More like the pieces in the gallery. In fact, those colors have inspired my plans to outfit this place. I’m thinking bright tropical colors. Kind of like your house.”

  Marley nodded. “Now you’re talking my language.”

  “Your art will really punch it up.”

  “I’m already getting an image in mind.”

  “The other piece—maybe even two pieces—will be in here.” Janie opened the door to reveal very compact sleeping quarters. “See there, alongside that bookshelf. I think a couple of paintings on either side would look nice. Just to brighten it up.”

  “Ahoy,” called what sounded like Victor from above.

  “Ahoy,” Janie called back. “I’m giving Marley the tour. We’ll be up in a second.”

  Marley felt a wave of nerves and wondered why. What difference did it make to her if Victor invited a friend to join them? It’s not like this was a double date or a prom. Good grief, they were middle-aged adults. Just grow up. Forcing what she hoped looked like a natural smile, she followed Janie on up to the deck, where Victor was showing Jack around.

  “Marley?” Jack said in surprise. “I didn’t know you were joining us.”

  She smiled bigger. “Same back at you. But it’s nice to see you.”

  “I’m going down to the galley to throw some things together for us to snack on,” Janie told Victor.

  “I’ll help,” Marley offered.

  “And I’ll play first mate.” Jack grinned at Victor and rubbed his hands together. “I haven’t done anything like this in years.”

  It didn’t take long to get the cheeses and olives and fruits and crackers organized onto a couple of plastic platters, ready for whenever they all decided to stop for a little break. As the boat was starting to pick up speed, Marley and Janie went back on deck, settling themselves in the cockpit where Victor was at the helm, navigating the boat through the bay. Meanwhile, Jack was busily doing something with a rope.

  “Ah …” Marley pulled her hat down more tightly onto her head and sighed. “This is the life.”

  “Victor thought a little sailing trip might inspire you,” Janie explained as she leaned back into the cushions. “Not that you have to paint anything you see out here. But you never know.”

  Marley reached for her bag. “That reminds me, I brought my camera along for just that purpose. I better keep it handy.”

  “Guess who Abby met coming out of my house yesterday?” Janie’s eyebrows arched mysteriously.

  “No!” Marley shook her head. “Not Bonnie Boxwell.”

  Janie nodded solemnly.

  “Oh, dear.”

  “I did everything I could to avoid it. Bonnie just popped in unexpectedly, and I knew Abby might stop by. And then—well, it was just too late. The two planets collided.”

  “Was there any bloodshed?”

  “No, but it was close.”

  As Janie colorfully relayed the story, Marley watched Jack. He gracefully ducked to get beneath the sail, then maneuvered his way to the other side of the deck. He seemed fairly comfortable in his role as first mate and, to Marley’s surprise, he looked much younger in his faded denim Levi’s and white T-shirt than what she’d been telling herself he was. Just as Janie finished up her tale of Bonnie and Abby, Jack turned and looked directly at Marley. She couldn’t believe he’d caught her staring at him. But he simply nodded and grinned like it was no big deal. Feeling embarrassed and self-conscious, she turned back to Janie, trying to think of something to say and at the same time wondering why she was being so juvenile. Was it possible that she really did have feelings for Jack? Was she more attracted to him than she was willing to admit?

  “There’s a seal.” Janie nudged Marley, then pointed.

  “Oh, yeah.” Marley grabbed up her camera. Aiming and focusing and pretending to be quite interested, she took a couple of shots, knowing full well that the seal’s head would appear as a small dark spot in the water—nothing particularly subject-worthy for a photo or a painting. The distraction was worthwhile. The more she looked around through the lens of her camera, the more she began to spot scenes that might actually lend themselves to a canvas, including another sailboat with a rose-colored light on its sails, heading in the opposite direction.

  After about half an hour, Victor turned the boat toward a small cove and Jack, as ordered, did something to the sail; the boat slowed down, and they dropped the anchor. Marley followed Janie back down to the galley to put the finishing touches on their mobile feast. Janie uncorked the wine, and soon they were all topside again, sitting in the cockpit with the guys, enjoying the scenery, food, and friendship.

  “This is perfectly lovely,” Marley said to Victor. “You really know how to live. I’m torn between envy and admiration.”

  He grinned. “I’m not sure I deserve either one. It took almost my whole life to figure things out.”

  “You mean the first half of your life,” Jack told him. “Because you’re only embarking on the second half now.”

  “I’d have to live to be well over a hundred to make your math work.”

  “Some scientists are predicting our generation will live past a hundred,” Janie said. “I actually used that theory in a lawsuit once.”

  “Did it work?”

  Janie grinned. “It didn’t hurt my case.”

  “I think everyone should reinvent themselves at least once in their lifetime,” Jack said.

  “Did you reinvent yourself?” Janie asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I did.” Jack told them how he used to teach art in a community college in California. “I was one of those guys—you know, the losers. You can’t make a living at your craft so you teach it instead.” He shook his head. “I felt like such a hypocrite telling kids to embrace the artist’s life and express their creativity and all that while I was an adept failure at it.”

  “But you’re an excellent artist,” Marley said.

  His brown eyes twinkled as he smiled at her. “You really think so?”

  She nodded. “I absolutely do. Your watercolors are delightful. And I know watercolor is the hardest medium to work with.” She looked at Janie. “Did you see his paintings?”

  Janie looked slightly embarrassed. “I’m not sure.” She pointed a finger at Marley. “But that’s your fault. I was so busy showing Victor your
art that I don’t think we looked at much else.”

  “We’ll come back and look around more thoroughly,” Victor promised Jack.

  “You should’ve heard Janie,” Jack directed to Marley. “She was going on and on about this wonderful seascape that had just been delivered to her house. Like she was trying to rub it in.” He feigned a hurt expression. “Here I thought Janie was such a nice person, and she was practically stealing business right out from under my nose.”

  Janie grimaced. “I probably added insult to injury when I stood there in your gallery telling Victor how we might commission some pieces directly from Marley.”

  “Ruthlessly cutting out the middle man completely.” Victor chuckled. “I’m surprised you even agreed to come out here with us today, Jack.”

  Jack reached for a cracker. “Well, I did worry that you had some diabolical plan to tie an anchor around my neck and throw me overboard.”

  “With friends like us …” Victor held up his hands.

  “Poor Jack.” Janie refilled his wine glass. “Please, accept my sincere apologies for my heartless attempt to drive you out of business.”

  “Yes, and when I’m starving and the wolf is at my door, I’ll remember who took me down, Janie Sorenson.”

  They all laughed.

  “Seriously,” Jack said, “I consider myself a staunch supporter of the arts. And I’m thrilled to see Marley’s work being so well received, whether in my gallery or your living room.”

  “You didn’t really like that seascape anyway,” Marley said in an offhand way.

  Jack blinked. “Are you serious?”

  “I got the impression you didn’t care for it.”

  He shook his head with a perplexed expression. “I guess I better be more careful of the impressions I leave. Obviously, the painting wasn’t done when I saw it, but make no mistake, Marley, I could tell it was going to be good. I liked it just fine.”

  “You did?”

  “I came back to my gallery and started looking for a place to hang it.”

  Marley felt slightly guilty. “I had no idea. I honestly thought you hated it.” Now she started to giggle.

  “What’s so funny?” Jack reached for a gray hooded sweatshirt and pulled it over his head.

  Marley’s giggling turned into full-blown laughter.

  “What is it?” Victor asked.

  “Share with the class,” Janie urged.

  Marley took a deep breath, recovering. “I was so certain you hated my painting that I kind of went into this mad rage.” She chortled. “And I was squirting out paint and whipping around my brushes and working late into the night. Really crazy.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Janie said. “I remember you said you were an angry painter.”

  “All because of me?” Jack smiled at her. “I don’t know whether to be flattered or worried.”

  “Probably both,” she admitted.

  “Now I suppose I’ll need to provoke you to get those paintings for Victor,” Janie teased.

  Marley made a face. “Yeah, come on over and insult me and make fun of my art and tell me that I should hang up my paintbrush. That should do the trick.” Now she looked around, noticing that the light was getting really gorgeous. “Hey, if I could get onto shore right now, and if you pulled the boat over there, I could probably get some photos that might lend themselves to a good painting.” She hadn’t even finished her sentence when both Jack and Victor sprang into action. The next thing she knew, Jack was helping her to shore.

  She perched on a rock and started snapping shots of the boat against the rosy sky and water. “Hey, Janie,” she yelled across the water, “can you turn on some lights?”

  Before long, Janie had lights turned on, which made the shots even more interesting. “This is looking really good,” she told Jack as she continued to shoot.

  “Come back around,” Jack yelled toward Victor.

  “Yes,” Marley agreed. “That’s going to be perfect.”

  Before long, the light faded, and to Marley’s surprise the boat kept going. “Are they abandoning us here?” she asked with concern.

  Jack laughed. “I had a feeling I was being shanghaied.”

  Marley shivered. “I wish I’d thought to grab my jacket.”

  Just like that, Jack peeled off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her shoulders like a cape. She didn’t know how to react, but she welcomed the warmth. “Thanks, Jack. You didn’t have to do that.”

  He just nodded. “Oh yes, I did.”

  The sailboat was slowly turning back around now. “Looks like they might be coming back after all.”

  “Too bad.” He chuckled.

  Although she wasn’t totally sure what he meant by that, she suspected he intended something flirtatious. And that bothered her some.

  Chapter 17

  Caroline

  “Thanks for meeting me,” Caroline told Janie as they took their coffee to a table by the window. “I can’t believe how much I look forward to something as ordinary as getting coffee.” She sighed as she sat down. “Kind of pathetic, huh?”

  “No, not pathetic, Caroline.” Janie made a sad smile. “I remember feeling very much like that toward the end of Phil’s life. He wanted his last days to be at home.”

  “Did you care for him yourself?”

  “We had a nurse to help. She came daily and was worth her weight in gold. There’s no way I could’ve done it on my own. But I did feel the need to remain with Phil twenty-four/seven.” She took a sip of coffee. “I was never sure which day was going to be his last. And I wanted to be there for him.”

  “That must’ve been so hard.”

  “There were times when I felt like I wasn’t going to survive it. I actually thought when Phil died, I would be next. If not for my kids, maybe I would’ve.”

  “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “It’s not something I like to talk about. Even now it’s hard to remember those days.”

  Caroline set her spoon on the napkin. “So you understand how it feels to be stuck at home. I mean maybe you didn’t feel as stuck as I do. I realize you loved your husband dearly—and it’s not that I don’t love my mom.” Suddenly Caroline was crying. “I’m sorry, Janie.” She reached for a napkin to wipe her eyes. “I think I’m just a little more bummed than usual today.”

  “It’s okay,” Janie assured her.

  “For some reason it felt like a really long weekend. It didn’t help that the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Everyone else was out having a great time, and I was trapped in an old-folks’ home.” She shook her head. “I felt like a caged tiger, like I wanted to just kick down the doors and run free.”

  “Can you go outside?” Janie asked. “Just in the backyard for some fresh air?”

  Caroline rolled her eyes. “You obviously didn’t see Mom’s backyard.”

  Janie nodded. “I can guess. It probably looks a lot like my parents’. Overgrown with weeds and neglected.”

  “Worse. It’s overgrown and neglected and a garbage dump.” She made a face. “I keep the curtains closed because I can’t stand to look at it. My mom’s pack-rat syndrome wasn’t just limited to the confines of her house. I’m afraid to walk in the backyard. A person could trip over something and not be found for days—not to mention I have a feeling there are rats back there. Sometimes when a window is open I hear stuff scurrying around.”

  “Oh dear.” Janie shuddered. “That’s terrible. But maybe you’re hearing cats. There are a lot of feral cats in our neighborhood.”

  “I hope it’s cats.”

  “Hey, I’ve got a handyman, Caroline. Maybe he could come over and give you a hand too.”

  Caroline frowned. “I seriously don’t know how I could ask anyone to go back there, Janie. Not in good conscience. And
I doubt I could afford to pay anyone what it would really cost to clean that place out. Plus, my mom would have a fit if she knew what was going on.”

  “You could keep the curtains closed.”

  Caroline nodded, trying to appear interested in what she knew was a hopeless cause. “Well, I’ll think about it.”

  “How are your mom’s feet?”

  “Better. We’ve been soaking them in Epsom salts every day. The nurse’s aide suggested some aloe vera, which seems to be working. Mom’s actually been enjoying getting around in the wheelchair. Kind of like a kid with a new toy.”

  “And the respite care … that’s working out okay?”

  “Mom is never too happy to see Darlene, but that’s not surprising. Naturally, Mom doesn’t remember her from last week. Hopefully she won’t pull any stunts while I’m gone. But at least Darlene’s got my number.” Caroline chuckled now. “She’s not the only one, either.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you remember Adam Fowler from high school?”

  “Popular sports guy a few years older than us?”

  “That would be the one.”

  Janie nodded grimly. “I remember him. Kind of a jerk as I recall. But a lot of kids were jerks in high school. I try not to hold that against them.”

  So Caroline told her about the grocery store incident and how Adam actually apologized in the checkout line.

  “You’re kidding!” Janie laughed. “He said that right in front of everyone?”

  “It was crazy.” Caroline chuckled to remember it. “But it gets even crazier.”

  “How so?”

  “He’s called me several times.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s interested in getting to know me again.” Caroline made a face. “And how’s this for pathetic: I was so bummed this weekend, I kind of encouraged him.”

  “You encouraged him?”

  “I was lonely.” Caroline gave her a weak smile. “Mitch is still in Thailand, and Adam was being so sweet on the phone. It’s like he told me his whole history. I pretty much told him mine, too.”

  “Interesting. Do you see it going anywhere with him? I mean, in a serious relationship?”