Farewell to Cedar Key Page 25

  At the close of office hours on Friday, Brandy popped her head into my office. “Anything you need done before I go?”

  “No, I’m all set. Thanks, and have a great weekend.”

  “Will do. You too,” she called as she left.

  I got up and stood in the doorway of Simon’s office. His head was bent over as he read papers on his desk. I quietly observed him for a moment. No doubt about it, he was a really handsome guy. Not to mention also a caring and nice person. He just wasn’t the one for me.

  I cleared my throat and he looked up.

  “Have you got a second?” I asked.

  “Sure,” he said, sliding the papers aside. “Have a seat.”

  “I wanted to apologize for Grant’s behavior the other night.”

  A quizzical expression crossed his face. “His behavior?”

  “Yeah, I’m afraid he was . . . well, actually, I’m not quite sure what he was doing, but I’m sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable.”

  Simon let out a chuckle and shook his head. “No apology needed, and what he was doing was . . . staking out his territory.” His chuckle turned to a laugh. “I understood his tactics.”

  “You did?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I’m afraid it’s a guy thing. In an old-fashioned world I think it was called one-upmanship.” He leaned across the desk. “He seems to love you very much, Josie. And it’s easy to see that you feel the same way about him.”

  When I remained silent, he went on. “I’ve known that ever since I met you and the first time you mentioned Grant’s name. The way you spoke about him, I could see it in your face. But, hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  I felt a grin cross my face.

  “Seriously,” he said. “I’m very happy for both of you. So . . . where do you go from here? With him in the Boston area and you down here?”

  I let out a sigh. “Good question. At the very least Grant would like me to relocate up there with him.”

  “I’m not surprised. I thought that might be coming. Are you going?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I asked him to give me some time to think about it. But I’d give you plenty of notice if I was planning to leave,” I hastened to add.

  “Don’t worry about that, Josie. You have to do what’s best for you.”

  I stood up to leave. “Thanks, Simon. Thanks for being so understanding.”

  A smile covered his face as he nodded. “That’s what friends are for, and Josie, I wish you all the best no matter what you decide.”

  I spent a lot of time over the next few days thinking about Grant’s request. I knew I loved him, but did I actually want to leave my hometown and begin a whole new life elsewhere? More and more, I was beginning to realize that yes, I did. That old saying was true: home is where the heart is, and my heart was with Grant.

  He had been gone for a week now, and it seemed each day I missed him more. I missed being with him, his laughter and his love. We had talked on the phone a lot over the past week, and he had refrained from asking if I’d made a choice yet. But that was Grant, again giving me the space I needed without pressure.

  Orli and I had just finished cleaning up after supper.

  “Your knitting class is at seven, right?” she asked, cutting into my thoughts.

  “Yeah, it is, why?”

  “Lily called earlier and asked if I could stop by and visit with her for a while. Would that be okay?”

  “Sure. Be home by nine.”

  “Okay,” she said, placing a kiss on my cheek before leaving. “I will.”

  Orli still hadn’t brought up the subject of her senior year in the Boston area. I also hadn’t told her about Grant asking to marry me or his request that I move in with him. I felt that before I discussed this with her, I wanted to be sure of my decision.

  Just as I was about to walk out the door for the yarn shop, the phone rang.

  “Josie, do you have a second?” my mom asked.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Well, Mags called earlier today. Needless to say, she’s thrilled that my path report showed good news on Monday. So she wants to have a gathering for a long weekend here on the island.”

  “Yeah, Mallory had mentioned something about that.”

  “Well, the plans are in the works, and it’s going to be held mid-April, just after my three-month checkup with the doctor.”

  “That’s great. I know that’ll be a fun time.”

  “I think it will be. Mags is renting a house for the five of us to stay in, and you’ll never believe what she managed to do.”

  I let out a chuckle. “I give up.”

  I heard my mother’s laugher across the line and had to admit it was a good sound. “Well, it seems she’s coerced Sydney and Noah into letting us stay at their place for four nights.”

  “What? The Lighthouse? She’s kicking Sydney out of her own home?”

  My mother laughed again. “That’s just it. Sydney and Noah have had plans to spend the month of April back in Paris. She said it would be empty anyway, so why not.”

  “Oh, wow! The Lighthouse is the perfect place for your gathering. That’s great.”

  “I know. I’m really excited about this, and all of us want you and Mallory to come by on the first night to join us. I think it’ll be fun.”

  I laughed again. “Oh, no doubt it will be, especially with Mags there. Absolutely I’ll come, and I know Mallory will too.”

  “Great. Okay, then if I don’t see you before, I’ll see you on Friday at the open house.”

  I hung up the phone and smiled. It was good to hear my mother excited and positive, and I was grateful for the friendship she had with her four friends. I didn’t have a wide circle of close friends, which made me even more appreciative to have Mallory. Being a busy, young, single mom had forced me to work long hours and then attending college had cut into my free time, so I’d never formed numerous friendships. But having Mallory always in my life had more than made up for that.

  That’s when it hit me. If I left Cedar Key, I’d be leaving both Mallory and my mother. My mother. Oh, God, I could only imagine what her feelings on this would be. She got upset if I canceled out a dinner at her house. I doubted that she’d be accepting of her one and only daughter moving to the Boston area. Getting her to finally accept the fact that I’d be attending college there had been tough enough.

  “You guys are doing so great, I’m not sure you’ll continue to need an instructor,” I said, looking across the table. “Well, that excludes you, Gabe. You never needed me.”

  All four men laughed, and Gabe held up his hand while shaking his head. “That’s not true, Josie. I’ve enjoyed these classes very much.”

  “Hey, what’s this I hear about you heading to Ormond Beach this weekend?” Saxton asked.

  I saw a faint crimson creep up Gabe’s neck. “Yeah, Chloe and I are going over there to check out some property. I’m giving some serious thought to relocating there by the end of the year.”

  “That’s great,” Doyle said. “Not so far a drive that you couldn’t come back here for a visit. Did I hear you’re considering opening a yarn shop over there?”

  Gabe nodded. “I’m giving it some serious consideration, yeah. That’s always been a dream of mine. To open my own place like my mother did. But I’d like to take it a step further and have enough land with my house to keep a few alpacas. I haven’t done any spinning in a few years, but I’d enjoy getting back to that.”

  “It sounds like a great plan to me,” my father said. “And I have no doubt that Shelby and I would drive over to visit your place.”

  “That is exciting,” I said, recalling Chloe’s words about beginning a new chapter in her life.

  Maybe I’d reached a point in my own life where it was time to do the exact same thing.

  43

  Orli had just left for school and I was savoring my morning coffee while I watered the plants on the patio when I heard the phone ring.

  “Do
you know what next week is?” I heard Grant ask when I answered.

  I headed to the calendar on the wall. “And good morning to you too,” I said as a smile covered my face. “Ah, yeah. The second week of February.”

  I heard Grant’s laughter. “Right, and that means Valentine’s Day is next Saturday.”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I just booked myself a flight to Gainesville next Thursday. I didn’t think it would be right for us to be apart on such a special day. We’ve spent too many Valentine’s Days without each other.”

  I felt excitement bubble up. “Really? You did that? That’s wonderful, and God, no, I don’t mind. It’s been three weeks since we’ve seen each other, and it feels like a year.”

  “Exactly. I’ll arrive on the twelve-thirty flight, get the rental car, and should be on the island by two.”

  “I can’t wait. I’ve missed you, Grant.”

  “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. I love you, Josie.”

  “I love you more,” I said, and I meant it.

  I heard him chuckle. “I doubt that’s possible. I have to be in court in a half hour, but I’ll call you this evening.”

  I hung up the phone and smiled. Not only was I happy that I’d get to see Grant in one week, I was thrilled that I’d finally be able to give him my answer in person. Now I had to call my mother to see if she was home so that I could stop by and prepare to do battle with her.

  Delilah opened the door with a huge smile when I arrived at my parents’ house. “Miss Josie, come on in. I don’t see nearly enough of you.”

  And soon, you’ll be seeing much less of me, I thought.

  “Your mother will be right down. Would you like some coffee or tea?”

  “Coffee would be great. Thanks. Is my father home?” I asked as I headed to the family room.

  “He just ran down to the library. Should be back shortly.”

  I walked to the large window that looked out to the ocean. I would miss this. I knew I would. My childhood home, the Gulf, my parents. But I also knew that the time was right for me to embrace the love of my life and all that went with it.

  “Josie, I’m so glad you stopped by,” my mother said as she joined me. “Your father’s at the library, but he’ll be right back. Is Delilah getting you something to drink?”

  I turned to give my mother a hug and felt bad that within a few minutes I’d probably be robbing her of this happy mood.

  “Yeah, she’s getting coffee,” I said, sitting down.

  “Good. Well, you look happy this morning. Everything’s going well?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it is. Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Delilah walked in holding a tray with two coffee mugs. “Would you like cookies or anything to go with this?”

  “None for me,” my mother said.

  “No, I’m fine. Thanks.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll be cleaning upstairs if you need me.”

  “So what’s going on?” my mother asked.

  “Well . . . as you know, Grant was here last month.”

  My mother nodded. “Right. That was so nice of him to fly down here for you and Orli.”

  “It was. And of course you know I spent a week up there over Christmas.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well . . . ah . . . it seems . . .”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Josie, just spit it out. What’s going on?”

  I felt perspiration wetting my forehead as I fingered the coffee mug. “Things have changed.”

  My mother leaned forward. “Changed? In what way?”

  “I’ve fallen in love with Grant all over again.”

  I expected anger. I expected a snarky retort. I did not expect my mother to throw her head back laughing and reach for my hand.

  “All over again? My darling daughter, you’ve never stopped loving Grant. I knew that. Your father knew that, and Grant knew it. You were the only one who was so stubborn that you refused to admit it.”

  It didn’t happen often, but I was at a loss for words.

  “You silly girl,” she said. “Well, actually, if you finally realize this, you’re no longer a girl. You’ve finally matured into a woman.”

  “So you’re not surprised?” I managed to find my voice again.

  “Not in the least. I’ve been hoping that you’d discover this before it was too late. I honestly give Grant the utmost credit. Waiting around for sixteen years for you to wake up and smell the coffee, so to speak.”

  I shook my head and started laughing. “Why have you never said anything?”

  She waved a hand in the air. “Oh, Josie, really? You felt I interfered in your life too much as it was. I wasn’t about to point out the obvious to you.”

  She was right. How many times had I accused her of being a control freak?

  “And so . . .” she said. “Do I dare ask where all of this goes from here?”

  Here it comes, I thought.

  “Well.” I cleared my throat. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Orli has been hinting that she’d like to finish her senior year in the Boston area and live with Grant and . . . it seems that she’d also like to attend Emerson. As a . . . journalism major.”

  I saw a look of surprise and joy cover my mother’s face.

  “No. I had no idea. Journalism? She’s never said a word to me.”

  “She’s only recently shared this with Grant and me.”

  “So she wants to leave Cedar Key at the end of this school year? Won’t that be difficult for her, making new friends and trying to fit in for her senior year in a new school?”

  “That’s what I thought too, but she seems excited about the idea.”

  “Well, that makes sense.”

  “It does?”

  “Perfect sense. First of all, Orli is at an age now where it’s understandable that she’d want to spend more time with her father. No matter what you think, Josie, she did miss out on special times with her dad. You, of all people, should know this. Look at the close relationship you have with your father. And it was never formed with phone calls and occasional visits.”

  She was right, and I felt a twinge of guilt.

  “But knowing my granddaughter as I do, I think there was a method to her madness.”

  “What do you mean?”

  My mother laughed. “Oh, Josie, Orli has always been a fixer. The one who ran interference between you and me, the one who organized those kids to fix up Mr. Al’s house years ago. My granddaughter is the peacemaker. I have no doubt that if she indicated she wanted to live up there with Grant . . . it might have been the nudge you needed to wake up and see that you belong there as well.”

  “You think? You’re saying this was all planned on Orli’s part?”

  “Well, I’m not saying that was her only reason for wanting to be up there. No, I think she truly wants to spend more time with Grant. And Molly too, for that matter. She does have another grandmother, Josie. Molly has missed out too. But . . . yes, I do think that girl of ours has enough insight to realize that her decision just might affect you too.”

  I shook my head and smiled. “You could be right. I’ve always taken pride in the way that Orli takes charge and handles situations.” And then what my mother was really saying hit me. “So . . . are you okay with me also moving up there? Leaving Cedar Key?”

  “Of course I am, Josie. Maybe I was a bit overbearing at times, but as you’ll find with Orli someday, children are only a loan. We love them, we raise them, we do the best we can, but eventually they have to fly off on their own and become who they’re meant to be. Sometimes it’s only around the corner or in the same town. Sometimes it’s across the country or the world. But nothing ever . . . and you can trust me on this . . . nothing ever breaks the bond of a parent and child.”

  I had no control of the tears streaming down my face. All of the stress of the past month seemed to be pouring out of my eyes in a huge flood of welcome relie
f. I leaned over as my mother opened her arms to me. I felt her patting my back, and I knew in that moment that she was right. It didn’t matter where we were geographically, because love is love and family is family, despite any distance.

  “And so,” I heard her say, “is Grant expecting you to live in sin, or is there a wedding on the horizon?”

  I pulled away laughing as I wiped my eyes. “Actually, he did ask me to marry him when he was here last month. He said, at the very least, he wants me to move in with him, but I asked for some time to think about it. He called this morning, and he’s flying down here next week for Valentine’s Day.”

  My mother reached up to brush a tear from my cheek and nodded. “And I know that this time, my brilliant and beautiful daughter will make the right choice.”

  44

  When Orli arrived home that afternoon, she entered the house to hear the CD player going full blast, and she heard me singing away as I prepared her favorite meal of baked macaroni and cheese. I looked up and saw the smile on her face along with raised eyebrows.

  I slid the casserole into the oven, ran over, grabbed Orli’s hands, and began dancing around the kitchen with her to an ABBA song. When it ended, we both collapsed in laughter as I caught my breath.

  “What’s all this about?” she said, still laughing as her eyes caught the chocolate cake on the counter that I’d baked that morning.

  “This is about celebrating.”

  “What are we celebrating?”

  “Life. Love. The month of February. You. Me. Us. Everything,” I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air.

  Orli narrowed her eyes. “Seriously, Mom. What’s going on?”

  I shot her a smile. “Seriously . . . I will tell you later after we finish your favorite supper.”

  She ran over to peek inside the oven. “Mac and cheese?”

  “Yup.”

  “This must be pretty serious,” she said before heading to her room.