Page 22 of The House on Firefly Beach
She shook her head.
“I wonder what went through his mind.” Uncle Hank pushed them again on the swing, the movement having a lulling affect on Sydney, and she could feel the heaviness in her eyes. “He’s a good man. We all make mistakes, Sydney.”
“But he isn’t the same person anymore,” she challenged. “Even if he regrets that day, he’s not the same boy who pulled out of our driveway in his old truck. Time just keeps moving us all forward and we can’t go back.”
“That it does,” Uncle Hank agreed. He turned his head to look down the beach, the lapping waves nearly invisible against the night’s sky. “You two used to walk all the way to his house at the end of the shore,” he said, pointing to the strip of sand that ran along the coast past the lighthouse. He fell silent just long enough to get Sydney’s full attention, something washing over him. Then, his mournful eyes met hers.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked.
“There are so many memories here… Are we going to have to sell Starlight Cottage?”
“What?” The question seemed to come out of nowhere.
“Clara and I bought this house because of the serenity of this view. But soon it will be gone, the trees leveled, and the coastline full of out-of-towners…”
“So you’re thinking about selling?” Just the idea sent an ache through her temples.
“It’s a lot of house for just me.”
“Robby and I are here too.”
“Eventually, you’ll want your own space, I can imagine.”
“Not necessarily. I love living here with you.”
“At some point, Sydney, you’re going to move forward with your life, settle down with someone wonderful, and you’ll want somewhere that you can be a family.”
She let that comment register. “Are you saying that I’m not moving forward with my life right now?”
“I am incredibly grateful to you for helping me get back on my feet, but you can’t spend the rest of your life taking care of an old man. You’ve made a good start by taking a job that’s using your gift of writing. Keep going! Get out there. Take risks. Let Robby play a few football games if he wants to… Stop worrying so much about getting hurt. You have to live like there’s no such thing as heartbreak. If you tiptoe around, trying to keep yourself safe from it, you’ll miss all the moments that will make you who you are.”
They rocked together, Sydney contemplating Uncle Hank’s advice. Sydney always took the predictable route, the path with the least amount of resistance. She considered herself to be the levelheaded one of the family—stable, reliable. But had she missed out by not taking chances? Had Nate felt like she was holding him back—was that why he’d left her behind? She tried to conjure up what her perfect future would be, but she came up empty, not knowing what she really wanted for herself and Robby. She’d had such a clear picture when she and Nate were dating, but when he left, he took all her dreams with him.
“I don’t know what I want my future to look like,” she worried aloud.
“You don’t have to have all the answers right now, Sydney. You just have to want to find them. The minute you let that desire take over, your future will show up right in front of your eyes.”
Sydney had spent the last decade focusing on being a wife and a mother. At the time, she felt that that was what she was meant to do. But now, it was time to concentrate on what would make her the happiest and also the best role model for Robby. He deserved the world, and she decided right then and there that she was the one who could give it to him.
Chapter Eight
Not a cloud in the sky, the gulf sparkled like diamonds. A lone sunbeam made its way past the thickly painted white windowsill and onto the rustic plank wood of the kitchen floor.
Sydney sat at the kitchen table, opened her work email the next morning and found a new Ms. Flynn letter, the subject line catching her eye: Heartbreak. She could definitely relate to that… Mama must have opened the window to let the morning breeze in, and it brought with it a swirling scent of briny air mixed with the coconut aroma from the candle that was burning on the table next to a note that said she and Robby had taken Beau for a walk. Sydney made herself a cup of coffee, opened the message on her computer, and read.
Dear Ms. Flynn,
I have a problem. I’m in love with someone who isn’t in love with me. I can’t live without her and I feel like my heart is breaking every time I see her. What do I do?
Best,
Mel
She stared at the letter, trying to find the right words. This wasn’t a simple issue. She copied and pasted the email into a new document and sipped her coffee, savoring the nutty, bitter flavor, as she began to try to construct her response.
Dear Mel,
There’s no easy answer for this. It’s something that only time can fix…
