by J A Stone
CHAPTER 22
Corey watched Lucy and Tripp from the window as they walked toward the house. Lucy looked so young, like a child of twelve or thirteen, with shoulder-length bouncy hair and the slender build of a gymnast. When they were close enough for them to possibly see her, Corey backed away from the window. A few minutes later she heard footsteps on the stairs, and then Lucy was standing at the door. Corey opened the door and ushered her into the sunporch.
“I’m so glad to finally get to meet you,” Lucy said. “And where’s the wonderful Stella?”
“Nice to meet you too,” Corey said in return. “Stella is already in bed. She skipped her nap this afternoon, and the beach wears her out.”
“Oh no,” Lucy said. “I’m so disappointed.”
“Don’t be,” Corey said, managing to bring forth a smile from somewhere. “She’ll be up and going early tomorrow morning. Feel free to stop by anytime, especially at six a.m. when she’s usually raring to play.”
Lucy laughed. “Smells wonderful in here. I thought the guys were doing the cooking outside.”
“Do you know my sister? She would never pass up an opportunity to cook for a group of people. I think that’s her amazing chess pie you’re smelling right now. Let’s go see.”
They walked into the kitchen, where Diane was in a tizzy because she’d used all the sugar to make the chess pie and didn’t have any for the sweet tea.
“I’ve never heard of a chess pie,” Lucy said. “What’s in it?”
“This is our grandmother’s recipe but pretty standard I think: eggs, a lot of sugar, evaporated milk, white vinegar, and cornmeal.”
“Umm . . . it smells a lot better than those ingredients might suggest,” Lucy mused.
“I’ll run to the store and get you some more sugar,” Corey offered.
“I’ll ride with you,” Lucy said.
“That’s okay, you don’t have to.”
“But it will give us a chance to get to know each other a little better,” Lucy said in a genuinely friendly voice. How could Corey refuse?
“Well, then, let’s go.” Corey walked down the stairs with Lucy trailing behind her. When she reached the bottom, Tripp and Jack were standing off to the side of the stairs, fiddling with the fish cooker. Both men looked up. Corey felt nervous. “We’re off to the store for sugar. Do y’all need anything?”
“Actually, I think this propane tank is empty. Do you know how to exchange it for a full one?” asked Jack.
“Let me go,” Tripp offered. “Never send a girl to do a man’s job.”
“No, let us go. I was thinking Corey could tell me all of your childhood secrets on the trip to the store,” Lucy said with a provocative look at Tripp.
“That would take a lot longer than just a trip to the grocery store,” said Jack, laughing.
“Ha, ha,” said Tripp. “Excuse me while I go get the car.”
“Here, just take my car,” Corey said, throwing him her keys. Tripp reached out and caught the keys with one hand just as Fran and her husband, Mark, drove up in their MINI Cooper.
“I’m afraid to drive something that fancy.” Tripp threw the keys back to Corey. “Mark can drive me to the store.” Tripp picked up the propane tank and walked to Mark’s car, signaling for him to get back in.
As they drove off, Fran, in a flowing, floor-length cotton sundress, walked up to the group holding a bowl of broccoli salad. “I guess Mark forgot he had two bags of ice in the backseat.” No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than the MINI Cooper reversed and approached them backward. Mark jumped out and quickly handed the ice bags to Jack. Then he gave a big wave to the group and drove off again.
“I guess the Wizard came through with that brain, after all.” Jack laughed and started up the stairs with the ice.
“When I put down this bowl, I’m going to give you a great big hug, Corey. I can’t believe that our little Corey is old enough to be a mom,” Fran said as they all trailed along behind Jack. “You know, Lucy, Corey was like my baby sister, always tagging along after me and Diane. She was such a little pest. Of course, that was when she wasn’t playing with your husband.”
“I’ve heard,” Lucy said, looking at Corey with a cautious smile. “Tripp’s dad told me that Corey and Tripp were inseparable when they were children. I can’t wait to get her alone and find out what he was really like.”
Corey didn’t say anything as they walked upstairs and into the house. Diane was wiping her forehead and pulling baked beans out of the oven. “I don’t know why I decided to make something that had to be cooked in the oven. I swear this kitchen must be one hundred degrees right now.”
Fran winked at Corey and Lucy. “Feels fine in here to me, Diane—must be one of those hot flashes. Are you going through the change?”
“Phew on you,” Diane said. “If I’m going through the change, then you must be, too, ’cause you are two months older than I am. By the way, I’ve given you a new name.”
“Didn’t know I needed one,” Fran said, rearranging the refrigerator to make room for the broccoli salad.
“I thought Stella could call you Grannie Frannie,” Diane said with a smile.
“Lovely, and what does she call you?”
“I am DiDi.”
“How about DoDo instead?”
“You only think you’re funny,” said Diane.
Corey felt warm inside, listening to these two women argue over what her daughter was going to call them. “Have you heard any noise on the baby monitor?” asked Corey.
“No, and she looked sound asleep when I peeked in on her a few minutes ago,” Diane said. “Let’s fix ourselves a drink and go sit on the sunporch away from this heat. I’ve made sangria. Shall I pour a glass for everyone?”
“None for me,” said Lucy. “I’ll just have a glass of ice water.”
“Um . . . no alcohol? I wonder if that means anything,” said Fran.
Corey watched as Lucy’s face turned beet red, but she didn’t say anything.
Taking pity on her, Corey said, “I love this sunporch. But I do sort of miss the old screened porch. I miss listening to the crickets chirping, and those old paddle-wheel fans blowing a cool breeze on us while we played spades.”
“Maybe we could get up a game while you’re here. How long you staying?” asked Fran.
“She may just stay forever,” said Diane. “I’m not sure she can make it back to Atlanta, just her and Stella.”
“Bad trip down?” asked Fran.
“Stella’s not one of those babies that goes to sleep in the car. It took us eight hours because I had to stop every hour or so and let her out of the car seat for a bit. If there were an airport anywhere close by, I would have parked my car and flown.”
“Well, it will get easier,” Fran said knowingly.
“And you know this because you have so much experience?” asked Diane. Fran and her husband were free spirits who’d never had children.
“Okay, I’m just trying to make Corey feel better,” Fran said sheepishly.
Car headlights invaded the shadows on the sunporch as the guys returned from the store. “Jack!” Diane yelled. “They’re back. Let’s get some fish frying pronto. I don’t want to eat at ten tonight.”
It wasn’t quite ten when they sat down to eat, but it was close. The three drinking women had downed several glasses of sangria by that time, and Diane and Fran were heavily into catching Corey up on the small-town Marianna gossip. Their information was only of minimal interest to Corey, and she was sure it held none whatsoever for Lucy, who nevertheless managed to smile politely and feign interest. Corey was beginning to develop a slight headache when the guys came up with the fish and hush puppies. When Tripp walked in, Corey felt her pulse quicken. Her eyes locked with his, and for once he was the first to turn away. Then, Corey’s eyes fell on Lucy, who happened to be looking at her. Had she seen the look that had passed between Corey and Tripp? Maybe she was just imagining that Lucy seemed to be watching them.
Perhaps her guilty conscience was working overtime?
“Oh man, I’m starving,” Jack said as he sat down at the table, his plate brimming with food.
After the blessing was said, Lucy turned to Tripp. “Don’t you think it’s a good time to make our announcement?”
Corey watched as Tripp’s face softened, looking down at Lucy. “Uh, yeah, why don’t you do it, Luce?”
Lucy’s eyes shimmered with excitement. “Tripp and I are going to have a baby.”
“Congratulations!” Diane said immediately. “I had a feeling that you might be since you weren’t drinking tonight.”
In the deluge of good wishes that followed, Corey began to feel a little envious. She remembered how lonely and confused she’d felt when she first discovered she was pregnant. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have been surrounded by well-wishers, as Lucy was now, and to have embraced her pregnancy with joy and happiness instead of shock and confusion?
Tripp seemed uncomfortable as they continued to be the center of attention. Corey noticed that he quickly shifted the subject away from the pregnancy to Jack’s skill in cooking the fish.
Corey surreptitiously watched Tripp and Lucy together at the dinner table. Lucy seemed to sparkle next to him in a way that she hadn’t when it had been just the women. She would place her hand on his arm to emphasize certain points during a story.
Just as they were finishing up dinner, the baby monitor came to life with Stella’s cries. Corey jumped up immediately and went up the stairs quickly. Stella was sitting in her bed, crying. “Oh, poor baby.” Stella’s clothes were wet with sweat, and the room seemed much warmer than it was downstairs. Corey turned on the bedside light and pulled out some dry clothes. After changing her diaper and redressing her in clean pajamas, Corey decided she should get her some water and turn the air-conditioning down. Stella seemed bemused about what was going on when they walked downstairs and she saw all the people at the dinner table.
“DiDi,” Stella immediately said, reaching out for Diane.
“Would you hold her while I fix her a bottle of water? It’s really hot upstairs. I think we need to turn the air-conditioning down.”
“Of course.” Diane took Stella from Corey. Stella laid her head down on Diane’s shoulder and started sucking her thumb.
When she had a bottle of water in hand, Corey took an unwilling Stella from Diane and carried her back upstairs. Corey rocked her awhile, holding the bottle, before finally placing her back down in the bed. Stella whined a few times but then started sucking thirstily on the bottle.
By the time Corey got back downstairs, Lucy, Fran, and Diane were just finishing up washing the dinner dishes. “Your timing is perfect.” Diane laughed.
“I love it when a plan comes together,” Corey replied before remembering that Tripp had frequently used that phrase when they were growing up. She stole a look at him and caught him looking at her before he quickly looked away.
“I think it’s time that we head out,” Tripp said.
“Us too,” Mark agreed. “See y’all at the marina at six a.m.?”
“I’ll be there,” said Tripp.
“Me too,” agreed Jack.
CHAPTER 23
Corey didn’t see Tripp or Lucy again for several days. On the Fourth of July, they were invited to the MacKinnon house for drinks and appetizers on the deck, and for a better view of the fireworks that would be shot off from the end of the pier. Corey tried to get out of going by saying she was afraid Stella wouldn’t like the fireworks. But Diane was having none of it. “Stella will love the fireworks, you’ll see.”
So Corey found herself sitting on the deck of the MacKinnon beach house, holding a squirming Stella in her lap. Luckily, the deck was quite crowded with people. Fran and Mark were there, as well as several other people whom Corey didn’t know. She wondered idly if Lucy’s baby had also been conceived at this beach house. But then she stopped her thoughts from going any further in that direction.
Although Tripp was as far away as possible from Corey on the deck, at times she was certain she could feel his eyes upon her and Stella, and she had to restrain herself from looking in his direction to see if her feeling was correct.
When the first brilliant fireworks lit up the sky with loud pops, Stella jerked, flattened herself against Corey’s chest, and then started crying loudly. Corey wished she could locate Diane at that moment and say, See, I told you so. But instead, she quickly carried Stella inside the beach house to calm her down. After a couple of minutes, Stella started looking at her new surroundings and then wanted to get down and explore. Corey stood her beside the sofa just as the door opened and Tripp came inside.
“Everything okay?” Tripp asked. Stella already seemed to recognize Tripp, because she smiled adoringly up at him. And then without so much as a pause, she let go of the sofa and took a few faltering steps toward him before falling on her diapered bottom halfway to him.
“Oh my gosh!” Corey cried out in surprise. “Stella just took her first steps!” She ran over to Stella, sat down beside her, stood her up, and said, “Come on, Stella, do it again!”
“Really? Her first steps? Hey, Stella, come on, do it again,” Tripp said encouragingly as he got down on his knees. And just as though it were no big deal, Stella let go of Corey’s leg that she’d been holding on to and started walking again. This time she made it all the way to Tripp. But once there she seemed to have second thoughts about what she was doing; she looked back at Corey and then plopped down right at Tripp’s feet.
Corey crawled over to where Stella sat on the floor and hugged her excitedly. And it was just at that moment that Lucy opened the door. Her eyes registered surprise to see the three of them sitting closely together on the floor. “Hey, Lucy,” Corey said immediately, “can you believe Stella just took her first steps?”
“I was wondering where you all were. The fireworks are over.” Lucy continued to stare at them with intensity.
Tripp awkwardly pulled his tall frame up off the floor. “Sorry for missing the end of the fireworks. Stella just started walking toward me. Can you believe it? Her first steps.”
Lucy slowly nodded her head in agreement. “Tripp, some people are starting to leave. Maybe you should come out and tell them good-bye.”
“Sure.” Tripp offered his hand to Corey to pull her up off the floor. She hesitantly put her hand in Tripp’s grip and allowed him to haul her and Stella up.
“And I need to get Stella to bed,” Corey said, trying to keep the squirming baby from getting back down on the floor.
“Yeah, I can see how sleepy she is.” Tripp smiled.
Corey went outside, found Diane, and told her Stella’s big news.
“You little rat,” Diane said, shaking her finger at Stella. “After I’ve spent the last four days trying to get you to take your first steps with me!”
“I’m going to take her home now. She needs to settle down so she’ll go to sleep.”
“Wait just a few minutes and I’ll walk with you,” Diane offered.
“Nah, you stay and enjoy. I’ll see you back at the house.” Corey walked over to Lucy and Tripp, still struggling with Stella. “We had a real good time. Thanks.”
“Tripp, why don’t you help Corey down the stairs with Stella?” Lucy offered.
Before Corey could respond, Tripp reached out, and Stella lunged toward him. “Come here, you little squirt,” Tripp said.
Corey could hardly believe how much the father and daughter looked alike in that moment. She looked quickly to see if Lucy had noticed the same thing. But Lucy had turned to someone else who’d come to say good-bye and was no longer looking their way. Tripp started walking toward the steps, so Corey followed along behind him. Stella, the traitor, seemed perfectly happy without her mother.
Halfway down, Tripp turned back to Corey. “You’ve done a good job with her, Corey. I can tell you’re a great mother.”
“Thanks.” Corey felt tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. They
were at the bottom of the stairs, so Corey reached out for Stella.
“Let me carry her back to the house for you.”
“You need to stay here with the rest of your guests,” Corey said.
Tripp looked up at the many people still milling around. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He closed his eyes and leaned his face close to Stella’s hair for just a minute, as if he were inhaling her smell. Then he held her out to Corey.
Morning came much sooner than Corey would have liked. Perhaps Jack woke Stella when he left before six to go fishing. But for whatever reason, Stella, always an early riser, was up earlier than usual. To keep her from waking everyone else in the house, Corey decided to pack her a “to go” breakfast and take it down to the beach. They didn’t need the umbrella so early in the morning, so she just grabbed a chair, some towels, and the toys. Corey imagined they’d have the beach and the sun, which had just risen, all to themselves for a while.
Once on the beach, Corey realized her mistake about breakfast. Stella was too excited to sit still and eat. Finally, Stella managed to eat a few handfuls of Cheerios mixed in with a little sand. They hadn’t been on the beach too long, when Corey noticed a tiny dot of a person way down the beach walking toward them. Corey watched the dot for a while until it grew larger, and she realized it was Lucy, meandering slowly, picking up seashells as she went. When she was almost to them, Corey had to wave, and Lucy responded by walking up to where they were sitting.
“Find any good ones?” Corey asked.
“I like this one,” Lucy said, holding up a brown-and-white-striped scallop shell, which Stella immediately reached for.
“No, Stella, that’s Miss Lucy’s shell.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Lucy said, offering the shell to Stella and then immediately pulling it back. “I mean, if it’s okay for her to have it.”
“Sure. Did you get left alone today?”
“I’m just a fisherman’s widow,” Lucy said, and then as if realizing how that must have sounded to a real widow, she added quickly, “I’m sorry. How thoughtless of me.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Corey said. “Don’t you like to fish?”
