A Vineyard Rebirth

by Katie Winters

  Kerry’s eyes shone with a mix of fear and sorrow. Kelli sensed they’d driven too far from their day’s purpose.

  “Maybe we can do the diary read another day,” Kelli offered brightly. “The others will probably come by soon.”

  Her mother looked at her with confused, hollow eyes.

  “You know. Andy’s engagement party?”

  “Yes. Yes, of course.” Kerry shook her head to clear the inner cobwebs. “I’ll put all this stuff back. We can dive through it later. At least we managed to find a few items for the boutique. Such fun to imagine my clothes living new lives! I certainly won’t be wearing them any time soon.”

  Kelli watched from above as her mother stepped down the attic ladder gently. Kelli placed the blueprints at the top of the ladder, turned to place her feet on the rungs, then followed in her mother’s footsteps, careful to grab the blueprints on the way. She had a funny hunch about what the blueprints were for— but she didn’t want to hope too desperately. Things didn’t always turn out the right way for Kelli. In fact, it seemed like most didn’t at all. Why might this time be any different?

  Chapter Five

  Already, several guests had arrived for the Fourth of July and Engagement Party celebrations. Uncle Wes hovered in the kitchen with a little bowl of chips in his hand while his granddaughter, Audrey, stood several feet away from him with what looked to be an M&M lifted near her own face. Audrey’s firstborn, baby Max, slept in a little wrap over her breasts. Still, she spoke in a normal voice as she said, “Are you sure you remember how, Grandpa?”

  “What do you mean? As if I’d forget my newfound skill,” Uncle Wes replied with a funny, youthful scowl.

  “It’s just that yesterday, you made me doubt all the hard work we’ve put into this over the past year,” Audrey returned.

  Wes lifted his chin. “I told you. I was distracted. You were playing that useless hip hop music.”

  “You told me you liked Cardi B now, Grandpa!”

  “Sure. She’s okay. But you had that other one on.” Wes’s eyes shifted toward Kelli in greeting.

  “Has your granddaughter taught you all the music of the 21st century?” Kelli asked with a funny smile.

  “She’s keeping me hip, I guess,” Uncle Wes affirmed.

  “Watch this, Kell,” Audrey's voice sizzled with confidence. She lurched her hand back, then tossed an M&M through the air. On cue, Wes opened his mouth to allow the bite-sized chocolate morsel to land precisely on his tongue. Audrey hollered excitedly and then placed a hand steadily on Max’s head.

  It was remarkable to Kelli that Audrey, at the tender age of twenty was a mother. Still, she supposed she’d been a mother around that age as well. Funny to think of her back then. Just a girl, playing pretend. When had she become an adult in her own right? Was she even one, now? Sometimes, she still felt like this was all pretend.

  “Impressive,” Kelli told Wes as he grinned sheepishly. “You’ve been working on that all year?”

  “Sure have. When Amanda lets us keep exciting snacks in the house, at least,” Audrey told her. “She’s a stickler for salads.”

  “Sounds awful.” Kelli chuckled as she poured herself a glass of wine, then headed back into the living area, where she caught Beth coming in from the porch. Beth’s skin glowed beautifully. She looked youthful and radiant, on the verge of the next phase of her life.

  “Beth! There’s my future sister-in-law.”

  Kelli wrapped her arms around Beth and held her close for a moment. She still hadn’t confessed that she had witnessed the proposal. Perhaps she never would, so that it could be theirs to have forever.

  Beth lifted a hand after they released each other to show off her wedding ring. Andrew had done well; it was a vintage ring with a dark blue stone, something reminiscent of the Art Deco period. Kelli whistled.

  “Why does Andy have such a hard time dressing if he can pick out such a nice ring?” Kelli teased just as Andrew stepped into the living room with Will by his side.

  “I took a blind guess on that thing,” Andrew confessed with a funny smile. “Guess it worked?”

  “More than worked, baby brother,” Kelli corrected. “I’d say you picked a dream engagement ring.”

  Andrew pressed his lips against Kelli’s cheek. Their father, Trevor, came into the living room with a beer lifted and his eyes bright.

  “Here’s to the happy couple!” he cried.

  “Dad. Not everyone is here yet. We can keep the speeches and toasts for later,” Andy teased.

  “On the contrary, I just don’t think we can have enough toasts,” Trevor affirmed. “Where’s my darling bride?”

  Kerry hovered in the kitchen now, preparing the platter of pre-formed burgers, which one of the men would soon take to the grill.

  “In here, honey! Slaving away in the kitchen, like always!”

  “Is she complaining again?” Trevor teased after cracking a wide smile. He stepped through and kissed Kerry on the cheek, matching Andy.

  Again, Kelli’s heart lifted at this show of affection between her parents. She marveled that she’d made such a mistake in marrying Mike. Where had she gone wrong? Was she undeserving of love?

  Will latched onto her elbow and tugged it. She glanced down and met his stern gaze.

  “What’s up, Will?”

  “You look sad,” he told her. Always, he pointed out factual information.

  “Will...” Beth warned.

  “It’s all right, Beth.” Kelli kneeled the slightest bit so that she could match Will’s gaze. “I’m not that sad. I’m just thinking about something in my life. And all the things I’m grateful for, too. Are you grateful for anything?”

  Will considered this. He then pointed toward Andy as he blurted, “I’m grateful for him. He makes my mom smile.”

  “You can’t really ask for anything better than that, can you, Will?”

  Will shook his head as Beth’s eyes filled with tears. Kelli thought that probably, all these years, Beth thought she would live forever as a single mom. How strange that everything could shift so quickly. Almost on cue, the clouds could break in the sky, and you could find yourself with nothing but blue above.

  “A friend is headed over here,” Uncle Wes said to Trevor as he stuck another M&M in his mouth. “An old friend who left the island years ago.”

  “Oh? Do I remember him?” Trevor asked.

  “Not sure.” Wes furrowed his brows for a moment. It was a familiar expression these days, as he’d been diagnosed with early-onset dementia more than a year before. Still, with help from his daughters and granddaughters, he fought tooth and nail to cling to the memories he still had and even made more, day after day. It was remarkable.

  Even still, Kelli knew the story would end badly. The only question was when.

  “His name is Van Tress,” Wes finally affirmed. “Mark Van Tress. He’s a little older than both of us. Mid-seventies by now, I believe. He’s on vacation. I told him about our little get-together and said my sister always has enough food to share.”

  “Oh, brother,” Kerry hollered from the kitchen. “Here we go again.”

  “I think I remember him,” Trevor said. “He hung around the Sunrise Cove for a while, didn’t he?”

  “Always demanded to buy it,” Wes chuckled. “But I never let him. I told him it ran in the family, and it wouldn’t go to anyone but my daughters one day.” He paused and then glanced out toward the back porch, where Susan and Christine stood in rapt conversation. “I guess that process has already begun.”

  Mark Van Tress arrived several minutes later. He was a spry older gentleman, clearly from a good deal of money, and he greeted everyone warmly, many with gentle kisses on the cheek, as though he’d gone to Europe too many times and now needed everyone to know about it. Still, despite his clear money background, he was joyous and colorful, remembering everyone’s names almost immediately and sending winks across the room to those he couldn’t meet quite yet.

  “There are
so many people here. Trevor and Wes, your families have really grown. And look at that little bitty baby! Wes, don’t tell me you’re a great-grandfather!”

  Wes pointed toward Trevor with a broad laugh. “So is he, the old coot!”

  A long table was set with a white table cloth in the backyard, only ten feet or so from their stretch of the beach. Long ago, Trevor and Kerry had called their property their “little slice of paradise.” Even then, Kelli had known that their “slice” of paradise was a large piece. After all, they’d done very well in real estate and lived very comfortably in this large house, with its many rooms and its glorious view of the Vineyard Sound.

  Dinner was served: burgers, grilled barbecue chicken, homemade fries and potato salad— food perfect for a Fourth of July celebration. Prior to eating, Trevor stood to welcome everyone in a round of prayer.

  “Dear Lord,” he began as he closed his eyes. “Thank you for these tremendous gifts. When I look around the table at the Montgomery and Sheridan families, all together again, I comprehend the weight of all the time we spent apart and I am so grateful for the time we have together now. Thank you, also, Oh Lord, for dear Beth, who has come into our lives and changed them forever. Her union with Andrew will bring us great joy— and, in the case of Andrew’s mother, a great relief.”

  There was slight laughter at the table. Kelli didn’t dare open her eyes to catch the perpetrator, although she suspected it was Audrey. Usually, when someone acted out, it was always Audrey.

  Kelli was two seats away from Mark Van Tress. Between them sat her daughter, Lexi, while her other children, Josh and Sam, sat on the other side of the table. Amanda Harris and the other Sam, the manager of the Sunrise Cove, sat closer to her, but as the dishes were passed around, both Sam's hollered to one another, making jokes about having the same name.

  “Now, you’re Lexi, right?” Mark Van Tress asked as he scooped up some potato salad and placed it on his plate.

  “That’s right.”

  “And your mom is Kelli?”

  “You got it again.”

  “Wow, and how old are you?”

  “I just graduated from high school and I work at the boutique for my mom right now since we’re stretched thin. She works in real estate and owns the boutique.”

  Mark lifted his eyes toward Kelli’s with curiosity. “A working woman. I’m impressed.”

  “I’m exhausted,” Kelli joked. “But I don’t have to tell you that. I’m sure you worked a full life yourself.”

  Mark gave a half-shrug. “But real estate. That’s really something. You must know about all the properties in the Vineyard. Those of interest, anyway.”

  Kelli’s cheeks burned the slightest bit with embarrassment. She didn’t like being put on the spot at family gatherings and was normally grateful when the Sheridan sisters took the limelight.

  “Oh, she’s been trying to sell this crazy cool haunted hotel for a while now,” Lexi interjected as she dove into the food before her.

  “A haunted hotel? My, that’s really something,” Mark offered. “Where is it, may I ask?”

  “It’s to the southwest, along the edge of the cliffs,” Kelli explained. “But the hotel was destroyed back in 1943. Nobody’s touched it since, for some reason, even though the property is stunning. I’d love for someone to take over the place. Build it back up to what it once was. I hate going there and seeing all this potential every day, only to watch it continue to weather and rot. Another big storm and it might be gone for good.”

  Mark’s look was curious. He tilted his head, then suggested, “My son and I have discussed opening a hotel on Martha’s Vineyard for ages.”

  Kelli’s heart began to patter in that way that had once been familiar. Long ago, she had known what it meant to get excited about something. Was this that feeling? Was Mark Van Tress a potential buyer?

  “What sort of hotel did you have in mind?”

  “It would be something luxurious and most definitely a five-star hotel with a stunning view. The very sort of thing you’re currently describing. And goodness, I love the historical background you’re describing, minus the haunting aspect, of course.” Mark rubbed his palms together conspiratorially.

  “Sounds like you two should meet later,” Trevor suggested across the table as he shifted his fork from left to right to point at the two of them on either side of Lexi.

  “Let’s make it a date if that sounds all right with you,” Mark stated firmly. His face transformed from his friendly, familial one to one of a businessman on the verge of a hugely rewarding opportunity.

  Suddenly, Audrey clacked her fork against her wine glass. The others joined in, all eyes directed toward Beth and Andy. In response, they leaned in and kissed one another with their eyes closed, which resulted in whoops and hollers from all at the table.

  “Goodness, don’t they make the most beautiful couple?” Kerry cried.

  Kelli searched her memories for her own pre-wedding times. Had Kerry said anything similar about Kelli and Mike? She couldn’t remember, now. It didn’t matter at all.

  Chapter Six

  1943

  James liked Marilyn’s hair a certain way. He had told her this on their wedding night, just before the Big Event had happened, and she’d felt belittled and youthful and silly in the wake of it, as though, at first, he had to insult her appearance, before he then took one of the most important things from her: her virginity. Being a woman seemed endlessly cruel.

  They had been at the Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook Hotel for three days now. Marilyn sat on the stool in front of the round mirror in the presidential suite and prepared her hair just so, in the style that ensured James wouldn’t have a hissy fit before dinner. For not the first time, she wondered what sort of man he would be like when they finally had children. She knew in her heart that it wouldn’t be easy, but nothing ever was.

  James bustled through the room just as she finished her half-up-do. He’d spent the afternoon riding with Robert, assessing him. He hadn’t yet broken the news that he wanted to buy his hotel; rather, he was hunting him, monitoring his prey until the perfect time to strike. This wasn’t the first time in their very young marriage that Marilyn had watched him perform just this action. It disgusted her, but it also enthralled her. She was married to perhaps an evil man. How infinitely unlucky she was!

  “Darling, how did it go?” She asked because she knew that if she didn’t, James would demand why she hadn’t.

  “Oh, fine.” He sounded flippant. “The man is difficult to read. He did take me on a splendorous ride. It’s such a beautiful island, Marilyn. You really must ride with me next time. You’re a rather strong rider.”

  Rather strong? It was an insult to Marilyn, who’d spent her entire youth on a horse. It was the country girl’s way. Even still, it was about as great of a compliment that James Peterson could give.

  “Are you ready for dinner, darling?” Marilyn stood and dotted a strained kiss on her husband’s cheek. “I’m sure you’re quite hungry.”

  This would be the sort of dialogue she’d have the rest of her life. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Am I meeting your needs in bed? Forever, into eternity, until hopefully, one of them died early. She didn’t mind who.

  They dressed in their dinnertime best and walked down the grand staircase toward the ballroom below. The restaurant was attached to the ballroom, but it was still too early for any sort of dance. The ceiling had been painted beautifully; it was reminiscent of photos and drawings Marilyn had studied of ceilings in Italy. Her heart surged with excitement for the details of the place. Suppose James did buy it? Perhaps she could spend her days in the presidential suite, walking the coast, while James wandered the globe, buying up whatever he could. If he wrote her letters — imagine him ever writing a letter! — she would ignore them.

  Maybe she would take a lover.

  Ah, but no. She couldn’t think like that. The only people who were happy in the prison they lived in were the ones who could imagine it w
asn’t such a cage. She had to be creative.

  James and Marilyn sat at their now-familiar table, near the window with its endless, gorgeous view of the bluffs. A waiter arrived promptly to pour them glasses of red wine. Marilyn was happy to dull her senses before James blathered on.

  “I feel this place isn’t properly managed, Marilyn.” James leaned across the table and furrowed his brow. He looked excitable, like a teenager on the brink of revolt. “I don’t think this Robert character knows what he’s doing. He says he understands the very core of hospitality and that this place kind of fell in his lap after some man named Johnson passed it on to him, but I’m not so sure. He says it was a whirlwind, figuring out what to do with it and how to manage it. I mentioned already— well that it sounds like he needs some help! But his face was difficult to read.”

  “I see.” She folded her hands gently on her lap.

  The food arrived a moment later. James looked tipsier than normal, as though all the riding had wiped him out. He dove into his piece of quail, his motions swift, while Marilyn ate slowly, studying him. As he also drank quickly, he grew increasingly drunk and didn’t notice her constant watch.

  “Robert, my boy!” James lifted a hand as Robert Sheridan stepped into the dining room.

  It seemed to Marilyn that the string quintet in the corner actually faltered as a result of James’ wild screech. Her heart started to race at the idea. How embarrassing.

  But Robert didn’t miss a beat. He took the few steps toward their table, bowed his head in greeting, and said, “I trust your dinner serves you well?”

  “Very well, Mr. Sheridan,” Marilyn murmured. Slowly, her heart began to climb into her throat as her eyes found his seafoam green ones. What was it about this man? Why did she yearn to wrap her arms around him and cry?

  “I’ve told you. Please, call me Robert.” His smile didn’t falter, not once.

  “The meal is a delight, Robert. But please. Sit with us for a moment, won’t you? I suppose I didn’t quite get enough during our outing this afternoon.”