This had all been a labor of love. The decorations she and the girls had put up that afternoon, the little pineapple tea lights hanging in the trees, the leis they had made out of paper and straws.
It had been entirely too long since she had spent Jess’s birthday with her and Rachel wanted this one to be unforgettable.
She was just finishing the fruit salad she was serving up inside a cut watermelon when the slider to the patio opened.
“Um. I think we’re going to have to change.”
“You don’t have to change,” she told Grace absently without looking up from rearranging fruit for best effect. “You guys look adorable in those Hawaiian dresses, especially with the plumeria in your hair.”
“Not anymore,” her oldest said.
Something in the gravitas of her tone made Rachel lift her head from the salad and she could only stare in horror.
No.
Impossible.
“What have you done!” she exclaimed.
All three of her children stood inside the kitchen looking like creatures emerging from a mud bog. The girls’ hair, which she had spent an hour curling, now hung lank and wet and their darling matching muumuus she had sewn herself the day before were all but unrecognizable now.
If possible, Silas looked even worse. He was utterly drenched and had mud in his hair as well as across his face.
Ava was grinning from ear to ear, though Grace looked worried. As usual, she couldn’t read Silas’s expression but thought he looked...happy.
“What happened?” Rachel wailed.
Cody came in behind them, his drenched Hawaiian shirt sticking to his chest and shoulders. He had a big wet spot across the crotch of his shorts.
“It’s totally my fault, babe. I’m so sorry.”
“How did this happen? You were only outside for fifteen minutes! Oh! You’re tracking mud everywhere.”
“Everybody stop where you are,” Cody ordered. “Come out into the mudroom and strip down. I’ll carry you into the bathroom to clean off.”
How could he do this to her, twenty minutes before her sister’s birthday party? He knew how important this was to her. She wanted to cry, to scream, to throw the whole damn fruit salad in his face.
“Tell me what happened! You were supposed to just set up the table for the food and get the cooler for the drinks! I told you exactly what needed to be done. Nowhere in those instructions did I tell you to make a total disaster of the night!”
His mouth tightened. “I’m sorry. We were trying to help. A couple of the lawn chairs were dirty from the last rainstorm so we thought we would rinse them off with the hose. I went to turn it on but Silas grabbed the end with the power nozzle when I wasn’t paying attention and ended up spraying everyone. The girls started shrieking and ran through the garden and he thought it was hilarious and chased after them with the hose. You should have seen him smiling. I think he might have even laughed.”
Under other circumstances, she might have found this funny. She loved the times Silas acted like any other boy, teasing his sisters and learning if/then consequences.
Not now. Not when her sister was coming over to celebrate her thirtieth birthday any minute now, along with three dinner guests Rachel cared about and wanted to impress.
Cody picked up a wriggling Silas before he could run through the house and spread the mud. “I’m afraid he sprayed the table, too,” he said, looking abashed. “I’m so sorry. Let me clean everybody up, then we’ll see what we can do to salvage the decorations.”
Now she really wanted to cry. Rachel and the girls had worked so hard to arrange the table with place settings, chargers, her favorite china. It had looked magical, if she did say so herself.
“What were you thinking to let him anywhere near the garden hose? What did you imagine would happen?”
“It was an accident.”
“It always is. You didn’t think because you never do. Silas needs to be watched every single second! I don’t know how to get that through your head. I asked you to do one simple thing and look what happened! This was so important to me and now it’s ruined. Completely ruined.”
Cody’s mouth tightened. “It’s not ruined. The food will still be delicious. The cake is still epic. I’ll clean up the mess. Maybe it won’t be as perfect as you wanted but it will still be a great party.”
“How can it be? Look at you all! I don’t have backup Hawaiian clothes for the kids, Cody. What kind of a miracle worker do you think I am? It’s a good thing I snapped a picture of them earlier that I can use on Instagram tomorrow.”
She thought she saw annoyance flicker in his eyes but it disappeared before she could be sure. “So they can wear something else. They all have plenty of cute clothes.”
“It won’t be the same. You have no idea how hard I’ve worked for the past two days to make everything perfect for Jess.”
“Jess doesn’t need perfect. She’ll know that you tried and she’ll love you anyway for the effort.”
“That’s easy for you to say, especially now that you’ve ruined everything,” she snapped. “Like usual.”
Oh. She shouldn’t have added that. She didn’t mean it. Why did the worst things gush out of her when she was angry?
He didn’t say anything but she could see the hurt in his eyes and she hated herself.
“Girls, go in and take a quick shower,” Cody said quietly. “Grace, can you help Ava get the mud out of her hair? Once you’re clean, find your prettiest matching dresses, the ones you wore in that family picture your mom had us take a few weeks ago.”
“Okay, Daddy. Come on, Ava.”
She dragged her sister away. As soon as they were gone Cody turned on Rachel.
“We were only trying to help. I’m sorry things didn’t go the way you wanted. I wanted things to be perfect, too. I screwed up and I’m sorry. But it was an accident.”
She didn’t trust herself to speak, knowing her anger was completely out of proportion but unable to help it.
“Life doesn’t always go the way we want it,” Cody went on, his voice low and intense.
“You certainly don’t have to tell me that,” she said, her voice just as impassioned.
He jerked his head back as if she had slapped him. As he stood there holding their mud-spattered, beautiful little boy who faced so many challenges in his life and who had found a moment of joy in playing with a water hose, Rachel despised herself all over again.
Cody had been trying to help, not least of all by taking Silas off her hands for a minute. She knew how hard it was to wrestle him and get anything done. She spent all day, every day, trying to keep him out of one disaster after another.
She had taken a bad situation and made it so much worse. “I know I’m overreacting. I know. I’m sorry. I haven’t spent a birthday with Jess in forever and I just wanted everything to be perfect.”
There was that stupid word again. This time, her voice broke on it and to her dismay, Rachel felt hot tears begin to slide down.
Cody looked helpless. She knew he wanted to hug her but he was covered in mud and holding their son, also covered in mud, who was now cuddled up to him in a rare show of affection.
“We can choose to focus on what others might consider imperfection. Or we can choose to focus on the joy. Our decision, Rachel.”
She hated when he was right. Which was most of the time. She wiped at her eyes, hoping her mascara wasn’t running.
“Go clean up the two of you. I’ll see what I can do to salvage things outside.”
“I’ll be out to help as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can do it.”
He sighed and headed for the stairs, just as the doorbell rang. “I can get it,” she said, walking to the entry.
“We’re already here.” He opened the door and suddenly there was Jess. She
took one look at the mud-splattered Cody and Silas before her gaze shifted to Rachel’s eyes, which she knew were probably red-rimmed.
“Obviously this is a bad time.”
“Not a bad time,” Cody assured her. “Just a messy situation. We had an accident with the water hose. Hi, Jess. Happy birthday. I would kiss you but Rachel would kill me if I got you muddy on your big day.”
“I wouldn’t mind. Hi, Silas.”
He ignored her, busy playing with the button on Cody’s golf shirt collar. Jess’s smile never faltered.
“We need to run and change. As soon as I take care of that, I’ll come and clean up the table out there. I think we can salvage most of the decorations.”
Rachel highly doubted it but didn’t want to argue with him in front of Jess. “Go change. I’ll check it out.”
“What can I do to help?” Jess asked after Cody left.
“Nothing. It’s your birthday party. You can sit down and relax while I go see what I need to fix out there.”
“Or I can come out and help you,” Jess said with her usual stubbornness.
Rachel sighed. “Okay. But I’m afraid it’s going to be ugly.”
“Sounds like it’s been a rough afternoon,” Jess said as they made their way back to the patio off the kitchen.
“Cody was supposed to be home an hour ago to help me but got tied up on a job site, as usual. Silas has been on a rampage all day. Cody took the kids outside to do a few things while I finished up in here and apparently Silas discovered how fun it can be to spray his sisters and father with the garden hose.”
“Who wouldn’t enjoy that?” Jess teased.
“Me. Apparently I’m the party pooper because all I can think about are the ruined decorations.”
“Like Cody said, it’s probably not as bad as that. Let’s go see.”
When they walked to the patio, Rachel wanted to cry. The big tissue flowers she had made so carefully were soaked, their colors running onto the soaked tablecloth. The place settings were wet. The live palm tree she had bought at the garden center still looked good, at least.
“We can fix this.”
“Not by the time Eleanor and her family get here,” Rachel wailed.
“First of all, they won’t care. Trust me. Second of all, I can help.”
“It’s your birthday. Your only job is to enjoy yourself. I wanted it to be perfect for you.”
“I appreciate that. And the perfect birthday for me would be one where you let me help you fix this.”
How did Jess always manage to turn things around so she ended up with her own way?
“Fine. Help me clear these dishes off and take them inside. We can’t do anything about the flowers, but I’ll figure something out. Meanwhile, I don’t want to serve food on dishes that have been sprayed with the garden hose so we’ll have to use the everyday dishes. Fortunately, they’re white and will go with anything.”
“Sounds like a plan. Operation Party Repair. Let’s do this.”
She and Jess hurriedly cleared off the cutlery, glasses and plates and carried them into the sink, then Rachel went to her linen closet. She could only be grateful she kept it organized enough that she could quickly find a pale green tablecloth of the right size.
Working quickly, she and Jess reset the table. She ended up taking a few of the extra leis that she and the girls had made and artfully arranging them along with some shells from a basket she kept in the living room.
“Beautiful,” Jess declared.
It wasn’t close to as gorgeous as the original table had been, but it would do in a pinch.
At least the night was lovely, warmer than usual with a soft, sea-scented breeze. And she had to admit, it was nice to work with Jess, united in a common cause. When they returned to the kitchen, slightly breathless from the frenzied repair job, Cody was coming down with all of the kids in tow.
Rachel mourned the girls’ hairdos, which were now damp ponytails, but had to approve of the flowered dresses they wore.
“Will this work?” Cody asked.
She wanted to say something about how the little matching muumuus would have been better. She swallowed the urge and nodded instead. “It’s good.”
“What do we need to do?”
“Start the kebabs,” she told him. “We’ve cleaned up out there. The Whitakers should be here any minute.”
“I’ll go check the coals and then come back for the meat.”
“I’ll bring it out.”
She saw that Jess was currently entertaining all three of the kids, having them give her a tour of the elaborate, though still unfinished, playhouse Cody had been working on.
When Rachel carried the platters of meat out to the grill, Cody grabbed her for a quick hug. He smelled so good right after he showered. She had bought a new soap on Etsy, scented with cedarwood and sage and citrus. It made her want to just stand and inhale his neck.
“You fixed it out here. It looks great.”
Not as good as it was but it would do. “Jess helped.”
“I am sorry, babe.”
After a minute, she stepped away. “It wasn’t your fault. Silas is quick.”
“He didn’t understand what he did wrong. I know it was a disaster but I really do wish you could have seen him laughing as he sprayed everything in sight. He was just like any other kid, up to mischief.”
“But he’s not like any other kid, right? You have to watch him every single second. He could have pulled the hot barbecue grill over on him.”
“I only had my back turned for a second. I might not be the world’s greatest dad, but I know how to keep an eye on my kids.”
The defeat in his voice made her want to hug him and tell him he was a wonderful father, but the doorbell rang, announcing the Whitakers, and the moment was gone.
25
Nate
From the instant he walked into the McBrides’ lovely backyard overflowing with flowers, Nate sensed a subtle tension in the air.
He couldn’t quite figure out the source and wondered if he was imagining it. Everyone was cheerful enough, welcoming him and his family. The cute little McBride girls ran up and hugged Sophie, who seemed to lap up their attention. To his surprise, the youngest girl, Ava, then hugged him, too.
“Hi, Mr. Nate,” she said. Apparently, they had bonded during the evening he spent with them and their aunt.
“Hi there, Ava.”
“Guess what? Freckles is going to have puppies!”
“That’s fun.”
“Yeah. And I hope we can keep every single one of them.”
“We can’t,” Rachel said, which was obviously a position she had taken before and would probably have to reinforce over and over until after the puppies had a new home.
“Hey, want to see our playhouse?” Grace asked Sophie. “We got a new table in there. Our dad made it.”
“Sure. Let’s see it. Come with us, Silas.” She reached for the boy’s hand and he let her take him toward the playhouse with his sisters.
Sophie had always loved kids. She was so good with them. A complete natural. She must have inherited that skill from his mother.
As soon as the children were gone, Eleanor immediately turned to Rachel. “Where would you like my salad? Over on the long table?”
“Yes. That works. Thank you.”
“How can I help?”
“Everything is ready. We just have to get things on the grill, which shouldn’t take long,” Rachel said with a smile that seemed not quite genuine.
“I can help with that,” Nate said, heading in Cody’s direction.
“Sure. I would appreciate the company,” the other man said.
The two of them talked about the various construction sites they were working on while the three women brought out salads and appetizers.
; It was a beautiful evening on the coast, one of those perfect, seaside spring nights. Though the McBrides’ yard did not have a view of the ocean, he could hear it ever present, murmuring somewhere not far away.
Jess seemed slightly restless, as if uncomfortable at being the center of attention. Even as she smiled and made conversation, Nate somehow had the feeling she wanted to be somewhere else.
His mother was the complete opposite. She seemed in her element. She helped Rachel with the food, she entertained the children, she held Silas on her lap when he was about to throw what looked like an epic tantrum during dinner and distracted him by folding her napkin into a paper airplane.
What was the story between Rachel and Jess? Though it was clear they cared about each other, he sensed an uneasy edge between them.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming to this special celebration,” Rachel said after they finished the delicious meal of tender grilled chicken and juicy, flavorful steak kebabs.
“Everything was so good,” Eleanor said. “You have to give me your marinade recipe.”
“I’ll email it to you,” Rachel promised.
“Is it time for cake yet?” Ava asked eagerly. “I can’t wait. I’m starving.”
“You just had two chicken kebabs and tons of fruit salad. You’re not starving.”
“But chicken and fruit salad aren’t cake. I’m starving for cake,” she said.
He couldn’t fault her logic and had to smile. Jess smiled, too, her face looking bright and amused in the flickering garden lights. He didn’t want to look away.
“I guess we should get to the cake so I can get you three to bed, since you girls have school tomorrow. Ava and Grace, why don’t you come into the kitchen with me to help me light the candles for your auntie Jess’s birthday cake.”
“Cake,” Silas said from his spot in a high chair next to Cody.
“Did you hear that? Did he say ‘cake’?” Cody stared at his son.
“It sounded like cake to me,” Jess said, beaming over at the toddler with a soft light in her eyes.
“Say it again, sweetheart. Tell Mommy what you want,” Rachel urged.
The Path to Sunshine Cove Page 19
