Page 31 of The Summer We Mended
Anna smiled, despite herself.“Then I just wrote a novel.”
She plated chowder in wide bowls and set the table on the screened-in porch where the sea breeze could sweep through.Blaze and Nora came racing in, declaring their pirate quest complete and their hunger level extreme.Lily joined them a few minutes later, her steps slow but her eyes more present than they had been in a while.
She paused beside the table, taking in the spread.“Your father used to make chowder exactly like this.”
Anna looked up.“I know.That’s why I made it.”
They sat together.They ate.They laughed when Blaze spilled half his chowder down his shirt and Nora offered him her napkin like a queen bestowing a blessing.
Afterward, when the kids were off chasing fireflies in the twilight, Anna, Margot, and Lily lingered on the porch with mugs of tea.There was a comfortable silence between them.
Anna took a breath.“I drove by the studio today.”
Lily didn’t look at her.Just stared out at the darkening sky.“It’s closed.”
“For the season?”Anna asked gently.
Her mother nodded.“I couldn’t do it, not without him.I’d go in and sit at the wheel, and nothing would come.My hands didn’t remember how to move.”
Anna reached across the table, placed her hand over her mother’s.“Then don’t start with the wheel.Start with something smaller.Open the doors.Let the light in.See what happens.”
Lily’s lips trembled.“What if it never comes back?The spark?”
Anna squeezed her hand.“Then we make new sparks.Together.But I think it’s still in you.It’s just buried under all the love you lost.”
Lily looked at her daughter then, eyes shining.“You’re a lot like your father.”
“Good,” Anna whispered.“Because I could really use him right now.”
They sat together until the stars came out.And Anna reminded herself to give her mother the same grace she’d always given her growing up.They’d get through this rough patch and come out closer and better on the other side.
ChapterEleven
Lily
It was late morning, and Lily sat at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of lukewarm coffee, dressed in yesterday’s sweater and pajama pants.Her hair was tied in a messy bun, wisps of gray at her temples betraying the sleep she’d lost and the time that kept moving without her consent.
Margot let herself in with a short knock and a knowing smile, slipping through the door like she had done for decades.Her tote bag was slung over one shoulder, already bulging with supplies.Without a word, she crossed the room and turned on the faucet, beginning to tackle the dishes left in the sink.
Lily watched her for a minute before speaking.“Do I look like an invalid to you?”
Margot laughed, rinsing off a cereal bowl.“No, you look like someone who could use a little rest and grace.And I need to keep my hands busy so I don’t go crazy.Let me have this.”
Lily rolled her eyes, but there was the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.“You’re going to scrub the pattern right off those plates.”
“Fine, then you’ll have an excuse to buy new ones,” Margot shot back.She turned her head slightly.“There’s a church dinner tonight.Thought you might like to come with me.It’s chicken pot pie night.Your favorite.”
Lily’s smile vanished.She shook her head slowly.“No, thank you.I’m not up for pretending tonight.”
Margot sighed but didn’t push, at least not yet.She knew Lily well enough to ease in like the tide, slow and steady.“People in town are hopeful that you, Anna, and the kids will be in the church this week.They’re all itching to see how much those babies have grown.”
“Anna and the twins can go without me.”
“You used to love going to church to show off your family,” Margot muttered softly.
“I’m not exactly too keen on the teachings or the lies.”
“Lies?”Margot asked quickly.
