Page 2 of The House on Firefly Beach
Growing up, Sydney had spent every summer at Firefly Beach, and when her divorce was finalized, she’d moved back for a few months to recharge, but returned to where she’d grown up in Nashville, since Hallie and her mother lived there. Then last summer, when Uncle Hank had been struggling with Aunt Clara’s death, and Sydney had been given Aunt Clara’s dying wishes to follow her heart, she’d moved back to Firefly Beach full time. Her mother divided her time between Starlight Cottage and her home in Nashville, but this summer she’d been there full time to help with renovations.
The gazebo where Sydney stood had been remodeled especially for the evening, widened to accommodate the throng of wedding guests in their rows of white chairs. The wedding had given them a timeframe, but their love of this place had been their motivation for restoring it.
Starlight Cottage was the home that had seen them through all their ups and downs. It had been revived originally with love and magazine-worthy décor by their great aunt Clara, designer extraordinaire, and when she’d passed it had fallen into disrepair. Now Sydney, Hallie, and their mother, Jacqueline Flynn took care of it. With the grief that had been filling the hallways, her sister’s wedding was like a warm coastal breeze flushing through the whole property, breathing life back into it again. The family’s energy buzzed through the entire place, laughter filled the empty rooms, footsteps and banter tickled the hardwoods, and it was becoming the retreat that it had always been for them.
The ever-present salty air blew Hallie’s veil despite the fact that they were all sheltered from the wind and the setting sun in an orange and pink sky. Ben’s Labrador-spaniel mix, Beau, sat at his master’s side, sporting a coral-colored bow tie. The dog tilted his head, his ears perking with interest as the preacher spoke.
“Will you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? And whatever the future may hold, will you love her and stand by her, as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” Ben said, Hallie’s hands in his as he peered down at her adoringly. Ben leaned toward her, clearly lost in the moment and ready to press his lips to his soon-to-be wife’s.
“Wait,” the preacher said, gently placing his hand on Ben’s shoulder to stop him. “I have to get the rest of my lines out before you kiss her… That’s my job.”
The crowd chuckled and Ben looked back at the preacher, playfully impatient.
“Hey, I didn’t write the rules for the wedding,” the preacher added. “You two did.”
Everyone laughed again, and in her amusement, Sydney let her eyes roam the front row of the guests, searching for her mother, to share in the moment of humor, but her attention was pulled toward Nate once more. This time, he was whispering something to the supermodel, the woman’s eyes hidden behind her enormous designer sunglasses. She nodded at whatever he’d said and then fanned her perfectly smooth and professionally made-up face with one of the programs that Sydney had picked up from the printers herself yesterday to allow Hallie time to attend a final meeting with the wedding design team before the big night.
As if he could feel her gaze upon him, Nate looked back at Sydney, and his interpretation of her mood was obvious. This time, there were silent words in his stare. He had something to say, and the minute the ceremony was finished, she knew, by that look, that he’d find her to tell her whatever it was. Her mind wandered to places she could go to avoid him. She wasn’t going to let Nate derail this evening. Sydney turned back toward her sister, basking in the happiness on Hallie’s face as she and Ben continued their vows.
Sydney’s eight-year-old son Robby, dressed adorably in his little tuxedo, his light brown hair combed perfectly to one side, held up the lace ring-pillow made from a swatch of Aunt Clara’s vintage honeymoon gown that had been meticulously preserved over the years, in the back of her great-aunt’s closet. Their Uncle Hank had offered the dress to Hallie as a wedding gift, telling her that Aunt Clara would’ve wanted her to have it, and that he knew she could do something amazing with it. The soft blue satin had floated like the waves of the gulf over Hallie’s arm when she held it out that night, deciding right then and there that it would be her “something blue” at the wedding.
Robby held the pillow above his head, just like he and Sydney had practiced all week, as the preacher untied the rings.
While Ben’s friend from college sang the couple’s song, “Marry Me” by Train, about knowing beyond a shadow of doubt that The One is right there in front of him, Sydney tried to sort out the best way to avoid Nate at the reception while still being able to enjoy her family. She had planned to spend the entire night celebrating with her loved ones, rather than reliving old wounds. But what alarmed her was the pattering of her heart, just knowing Nate was out there. It was an involuntary response that she used to have every time he met her on the front porch of his parents’ small beach cottage, bare feet, sun-kissed hair, those stormy blue eyes that used to swallow her like he couldn’t get enough of her…
She looked back at the bride in an attempt to refocus, but her racing mind wouldn’t allow her to. Life seemed to move along neatly for her sister Hallie. Sure, she’d had her moments of uncertainty, but she was a successful designer, and she’d found the love of her life. Sydney’s path wasn’t quite so obvious. She had wanted to be in a better place before she’d come face-to-face with Nate again, but as fate would have it, she was still at her aunt and uncle’s estate, Starlight Cottage, in Firefly Beach where he’d left her, the dreams of writing that they used to share now a distant memory for her, just like those long-ago days with Nate.
Memories floated into her consciousness, one in particular lingering: she and Nate were on a blanket in the sand one night. She was tired from too much sun and the rum-and-pineapple cocktails they’d been drinking. With their writing notebooks strewn out around them, he sat cross-legged on the blanket and she lay down and propped her head up on his knee, the fireflies swirling around them like restless stars. Laughter floated over the dune from Starlight Cottage behind them, both of them twisting around to see Uncle Hank and Aunt Clara in rocking chairs together on the porch.
“That will be us someday,” Nate said, pushing a rogue piece of hair behind her ear adoringly.
Sydney rolled onto her belly and propped her chin on her hands. “You sure you want to spend every single day of your life with me?” she asked.
His smile fell into a serious affection, his eyes devouring her. “Yes,” he said with a quiet determination. “When you find the right person, it feels like you’ve found the rest of yourself. And that’s how I feel about you. Without you, I’m not really me—just some half-empty version of myself.”
He leaned down and kissed her, and even now, Sydney could still drum up the mix of fruity cocktails and the unique scent of him as his lips touched hers.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the preacher announced.
Sydney blinked away the distraction, frustrated that Nate could still have that affect on her. She breathed in the briny air to steady her nerves.
“You maynowkiss your bride.”
Ben dipped Hallie, her arm dropping by her side, the bouquet dangling in her hand against the satin fabric of her vintage French couture wedding dress as the train fanned out along the boards of the gazebo. Their silhouettes were a picture of perfection in front of the glorious sunset that had materialized as if on cue over the water behind them. The crowd cheered. Beau barked. When Ben righted Hallie, the couple turned toward the onlookers, and Hallie was positively glowing.
The preacher stepped behind them, calling over the couple, “I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Murray.”
Ben, a top Nashville music producer, had organized one of his new bands to play their jazzed-up version of a wedding march. He took Hallie’s hand and gave her a spin, Hallie’s train fluttering out around her ballet-slipper-style shoes. Then he dipped her one more time and kissed her again, the whole crowd whooping and clapping. While the music filled the air around them, mixing with the rustle of the palm trees in the ocean breeze and gentle lapping of the gulf, the wedding party made their way out of the gazebo and down the pier toward the reception.
Sydney took Robby’s hand, grabbed Beau’s leash, and walked in the procession, behind her sister and Ben. She kept her eyes straight ahead and tried to avoid the loaded look from Nate as she passed him. But walking across the lawn, her flats treading lightly down the path of rose petals, she knew just by his stare, that no matter how hard she tried, there would be no avoiding whatever it was that Nate had to say.
Chapter Two
“I just saw the food table,” Hallie said to Sydney, swishing over to her in the incredible chiffon vintage gown with an open back and lace-edged empire waist that she’d picked out only a week after her engagement, when the two of them had gone out shopping.
Sydney smirked deviously.
