Farewell to Cedar Key

by Terri DuLong

  Orli smiled and reached for two mugs from the cabinet. “Oh, good! I just knew she’d do well. Can we go visit her when she gets home?”

  “Well, we’ll have to check with Grandpa. But yes, I’m sure we can stop by for a brief visit.”

  She placed the filled mugs in front of us. “Okay. Let me know what time we can go. Enjoy your coffee. I’m going to take a shower.”

  I swear that was a smirk I saw cross my daughter’s face.

  As soon as she left the kitchen, Grant burst out laughing. “Josie, you need to chill out. I have a feeling our daughter knows precisely what went on here last night . . . and from what I can see, she’s entirely fine with it.”

  Maybe he was right. I felt a grin cross my lips. I pulled up a stool and joined him at the counter. Placing my chin in my hands and leaning toward him, I said, “Okay, Mr. Know-It-All . . . and where do we go from here?”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” he replied, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “When we have some private time, we’ll discuss it.”

  The phone rang and I answered. “And so . . . did you behave yourself with your housemate?” Mallory teased.

  “That depends what your definition of behave is,” I told her.

  There was a pause before she said, “No! You slept with Grant, didn’t you?”

  I shot him a grin and winked before saying, “Hey, we’re not in high school anymore. A woman never kisses and tells.”

  I heard her laughter come across the line. “Oh. My. God. You did! Well, all I can say is, it’s about damn time. Good for you. Hey, the reason I’m calling is to invite you to dinner tomorrow evening. Are you free?”

  “Yeah, we are.”

  “Great. How’s six?”

  “Perfect. Thanks, Mallory. We’ll see you then.”

  It had been Orli’s idea that the three of us spend the afternoon walking around the downtown area. Strolling Dock Street, licking my ice-cream cone, I recalled doing the same exact thing as a child with my parents. Both of my parents. We headed to the City Park and found a bench overlooking the water.

  “Come on, Dad,” Orli coaxed as she removed her socks and shoes. “Let’s walk along the shore.”

  He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Sure, why not? Are you coming, Josie?”

  I laughed and waved a hand. “I’ll pass, but you two go ahead.”

  I watched as Orli ran toward the water with Grant following and heard their squeals as the incoming tide lapped at their feet.

  It felt good to watch the two of them, and although I knew that I’d done a good job raising our daughter and that I’d never deprived either one of them of time together, I also knew that perhaps the time had arrived to let Orli decide where she wanted to be. I would miss her. A lot. I had always encouraged her to experience what gave her happiness, and lately I could see that at this time in her life, that happiness might be with Grant in the Boston area.

  They returned to the bench a few minutes later, laughing and joking with each other. Orli leaned over to brush the sand from her feet.

  “Dad said we could go to the book café for hot chocolate and coffee.”

  “Right,” he said, laughing. “My old bones need to warm up.”

  Orli nudged him playfully on the arm. “Oh, Dad. You’re not old. You’re just . . . seasoned.”

  Grant and I burst out laughing.

  “That’s one way of putting it, I guess, but you make me sound like a roast beef.”

  “Come on,” she called, running ahead of us.

  “I’m just going to pop next door and see if Lucas has the latest Ken Follett novel. Grab us a table,” Grant said as he walked through the archway to the book shop.

  “Hey,” Suellen greeted me. “I heard your mom was doing pretty well.”

  “She is, and she’ll be home in a few hours. We’re all really grateful.”

  “That’s wonderful news.”

  I gave her our order, and then Orli and I sat down.

  “Oh, I’m glad I found you.”

  I looked up to see Chloe walk in. She reached into a tote bag and removed a gorgeous piece of knitting.

  “I wanted to show you the cowl I designed for your mother. It’s not finished yet, but I think it’s turning out well.”

  I picked up the peach-colored piece of work and nodded. “It’s beautiful, Chloe. She’s going to love it.”

  “Oh, it is,” Orli said, reaching to touch it. “That’s for Nana?”

  Chloe nodded. “Yeah, I’m calling it the Healing Cowl, and I hope it’ll help with her recovery.”

  “Can you join us?” I asked.

  “No, I’m afraid not. I’m on my way home, but I peeked in the window and saw you. Gabe is coming for dinner, so I have to get cooking.”

  “Give him my best,” I said.

  “Oh, I will.... By the way, we’re definitely going to Ormond Beach next weekend.”

  “Well, good for you. I’ll be anxious to hear about it.”

  I watched her leave the shop and had no doubt that she was about to embark on a whole new adventure—which caused me to wonder where, exactly, I might be headed myself.

  Spending the previous afternoon with Grant and Orli had given me a sense of family, but walking up to Mallory’s front door with Grant at my side made me feel complete—the other half of a whole.

  “Hey,” she said, swinging open the door and hugging both of us. “Troy,” she hollered. “They’re here.”

  Troy came to greet us, pulling me into a hug and extending his hand to Grant. “Good to see you again. It’s been a while,” he told him. “Come join me in the family room. I’m catching the end of the Bucs game.”

  “Right,” Mallory said. “And we’ll be in the kitchen.” She shot me a grin. “Men and their sports.”

  “Where’s Carter?” I asked.

  “Oh, he’s at a friend’s house for supper tonight. They’re working on a school project. Glass of wine?”

  “Great,” I said, sitting at the table. “Oh, I see we’re going fancy tonight. Eating in the dining room, huh?”

  She popped the cork on a bottle of Pinot and laughed. “Well, sure. It seems this might be a special occasion.”

  “Really? For you?”

  She slapped my arm. “No. For you, silly.”

  I took a sip of wine and shook my head. “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but nothing’s going on.”

  “Oh, come on, Jos. It sounded pretty promising yesterday.”

  “Shh! Geez, you don’t have to let Grant hear us talking about him. I really don’t know what’s going on. Things do seem to be on a good track. Probably more so than in sixteen years, but . . . well, he said we’d talk when we had some private time. I thought he’d bring the subject up last night after Orli went to bed, but . . .” I could feel a flush creeping up my face.

  Mallory turned from the stove and laughed. “Oh, I get it. You had other things on your mind.”

  “Something like that,” I mumbled.

  “Well, I hate to sound like an old record, but . . .”

  “I do love him, Mallory. I guess I never really stopped. I just needed time to grow up and find me.”

  “Exactly,” she said, coming over to give my shoulders a squeeze. “And you have done a remarkable job of doing just that, but now . . . well, it might be time to take inventory and see where you’re headed.”

  Mallory was right. I knew that. But I also knew that in life there are never any easy solutions.

  “I think you’re forgetting one thing,” I told her.

  She spun around to look at me. “What’s that?”

  “Grant’s livelihood is in the Boston area. You don’t seriously think he’d consider uprooting, giving up his law practice, and moving to Cedar Key, do you?”

  I saw the frown on her face. “Oh, shit. I never thought of that. That you might leave Cedar Key?”

  “Exactly. This could turn out to be a case of be careful what you wish for.”

  41

  As
soon as the doorbell rang Monday evening, I realized that I should have called Simon to let him know that Grant was also going to join us for dinner. Too late now, I thought as I glanced out to the patio where Grant was reading the newspaper. I ran a hand through my hair and headed to the front door.

  “Simon, come on in,” I said, and found myself in an embrace as he handed me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

  “They certainly are,” I heard Grant say behind me and I spun around. “Oh . . . ah . . . Simon, this is Grant . . . Orli’s father.”

  I saw the surprised expression on Simon’s face as he extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. I didn’t realize you were in town.”

  “Yeah, I flew down last week to help Josie through the ordeal with her mother.”

  I noticed that he hadn’t included Orli’s name in that sentence.

  “Right,” I said, gesturing toward the family room. “Simon, come in and sit down. Dinner will be ready shortly. How about a glass of wine?”

  “Sounds good,” he said, settling himself on the sofa.

  “Coming right up,” Grant replied, heading to the kitchen as if he were the man of the house.

  I went to the rolltop desk and removed a notebook. “So . . . I have a list of the women and what each one will be bringing for the open house. We’ll also have to get some paper plates and cups, that sort of thing.”

  He nodded and looked up as Grant came into the room expertly carrying three wineglasses. After passing one to Simon and to me, he held his in the air and said, “Dr. Mancini, here’s to your new practice. I wish you much success.”

  “Thank you,” he said before taking a sip.

  “Josie tells me you’re having an open house at the end of the month. I’m sure your patients will appreciate that.” He settled himself on the arm of my chair, displaying a relaxed attitude as if he’d lived in the house forever before he reached over and patted my hand. “You’re fortunate to have such an excellent nurse working for you.”

  Oh, Lord! What had I been thinking? Maybe this dinner wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  Simon cleared his throat. “Yes, I was very fortunate that a colleague of mine suggested that I interview Josie. . . . I knew immediately she’d be perfect for my office.”

  Grant sent me a smile and, of all things, a wink. “Yeah, Josie can be quite perfect.”

  I jumped up, sloshing a bit of wine over the rim of the glass. “I need to check on the casserole. I’ll be right back.”

  Yanking open the oven door, I shook my head. What the hell was Grant doing? I’d never seen him act like this before. I removed the casserole to allow it to cool a bit before serving. I popped a tray of biscuits into the oven and took a gulp of wine before heading back to the family room.

  “Right, the winters can be pretty brutal, but I guess when you’re born and raised in New England you get used to it,” I heard Grant say.

  I was pleased that I was no longer the topic of conversation.

  “Biscuits are in the oven,” I said. “Just a few more minutes.”

  “Josie, how’s your mother doing?” Simon asked.

  “Better than I would have expected. She came home Saturday evening and she looks great. Still a bit tired, but I know she’s relieved. She sees the doctor a week from today.”

  “Right. I’m sure he’ll have the path report by then, but it’s great that his initial assessment sounds good. Is Orli joining us?”

  “No, she’s at Laura’s. But she said to be sure to tell you hello.”

  Simon smiled. “And Lily said the same to you.”

  “It’s been nice being able to spend a few days with my daughter,” Grant said. “Josie told me that your daughter is living with you for a while.”

  If I didn’t know better, I’d think Grant wanted to make sure that Simon knew I shared all information with him.

  “Yes, father-daughter time is very special. And I think when they hit a certain age, even more so. Lily will be off to college this summer.”

  I heard the timer on the oven buzz. “Okay,” I said. “Dinner is ready.”

  Both men jumped up to follow me into the kitchen.

  “Simon, you can take that seat,” Grant took it upon himself to say, as if he had his designated spot beside me.

  I managed to place the casserole and biscuits on the table without dropping anything, but I could feel the tension surrounding me.

  We made small talk throughout the meal, and I thought I’d choke when both men reached for the wine bottle at the same time, saying, “More wine, Josie?”

  I could feel my annoyance building as Simon appeared ready to challenge Grant. There was no doubt that testosterone levels were rising and a test of the alpha male was in play here. Had I not been so nervous and irritated, it would have been humorous.

  “No, thanks,” I mumbled.

  Somehow we managed to get through dinner and the cleanup. When we finished, I put my hands on my hips, faced both of them, and said, “Okay. Grant, do me a favor and let Simon and me sit here and finish discussing the open house. Didn’t you mention earlier that you wanted to watch something on PBS this evening?”

  The bewildered expression on his face caused me to suppress a grin, but the glare I sent him was well understood.

  “Oh . . . right. I’ll leave you to it,” he said, turning around and heading to the family room.

  I heard the volume from the television and brought the notebook to the table. “Okay. Flowers. Maybe we should get a few bouquets for the waiting room.”

  “Very good idea,” Simon said. “I can pick those up Thursday evening. I’m sure they’ll stay fresh for the next day. And you did the flyers to place around town, right?”

  “Oh, yes. I did.” I reached to the back of the notebook and removed a folded sheet of paper. “What do you think?”

  “Excellent. Maybe I should put one on the outside door of the office too.”

  “Good idea. I’ll make copies tomorrow when I come into the office.”

  “Well, I think we’re in pretty good shape. The food is accounted for, flowers, the flyers. Can you think of anything else?”

  “Oh . . . do you have business cards?”

  “Gosh, I meant to get some printed and never got around to it.”

  “Don’t worry. There’s still time. Jot down what you’d like to have on them, and I’ll run into the printer in Chiefland. It would be nice to pass those out, with your phone number on them.”

  “Great. I’ll have that for you tomorrow.” Simon took the last sip of wine in his glass and stood up. “Thank you so much, Josie. For the wonderful dinner and for all your help getting this open house together.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” I said, following him to the front door.

  He ducked his head into the family room. “Good night, Grant. Have a good trip back to Boston.”

  I couldn’t resist a smile. Was that his parting dig?

  Grant raised his hand in a salute. “Thanks, and all the best with your open house. With Josie’s assistance, I know it’ll be a success.”

  Yup, definitely snarky.

  I closed the front door and walked into the family room. Grant’s eyes were glued to the TV screen and he avoided looking at me. I positioned myself between him and the television, hands on hips, and said, “Well? What the hell was that?”

  He raised his eyebrows as if he had no idea what I was talking about. “What do you mean?” he asked, but I saw the sheepish expression that crossed his face.

  “What do I mean? I mean you acting like some silly, lovestruck, jealous teenager. That’s what I mean. You embarrassed the hell outta me.”

  He jumped up and pulled me into his arms. “Aw, Josie, come on. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. But it’s pretty obvious that guy is interested in you.”

  I pushed him away and plunked on the sofa. “Oh, and I guess it doesn’t matter what I think?”

  “What do you think?” he asked, s
itting down beside me.

  “I think we still haven’t discussed where we’re going from here. You and I.”

  He reached for my hand and this time I didn’t pull away. He let out a deep sigh and nodded. “Okay. Where I want to be is with you. I’ve always wanted that, and while I understood your reasoning years ago . . . things are different now, and I think you know this. From what you’ve told me and shown me over the past month, I’ve come to believe that you love me as much as I love you.”

  I remained silent for a few moments. “I do love you, Grant,” I whispered. “Very much, and I always will.”

  “And do you want to be with me and spend the rest of your life with me?”

  “I do,” I said again.

  He squeezed my hand. “And that’s what I want, but we have to be realistic. My job, my career, is in the Boston area. We know that Orli wants to come there when school finishes in May, and she seems pretty certain about attending college in Boston. And so . . . I want you to come too. I want you to marry me, but at the very least I want you to live with me, be in my life, every single day. It took sixteen years, but I’m asking you to marry me.”

  I wasn’t surprised at his request. And I knew I wanted to marry him. I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to give up everything that had formed my life till now—my family, my friends—and live permanently in the Boston area.

  I leaned forward and brushed his lips with mine. “I do love you, Grant, with all my heart and soul. And I do want to marry you, but . . .”

  I saw the intense expression on his face.

  “Could I think about it? Could I have a little time to get everything straight in my head? I know how I feel about you, I’m absolutely sure of that. I just need to consider everything else that’s involved.”

  I saw a huge smile cover his face as he pulled me into his arms. “I’ve waited sixteen years, Josie. What’s a little longer?” he whispered in my ear.

  42

  Grant flew back to Boston on Wednesday as planned, and by Friday, I knew I had to have a talk with Simon. Although he hadn’t mentioned a word about Grant and the dinner, I felt like there was an elephant in the room and I hated the uncomfortable feeling it was causing.