Page 56 of The Summer We Mended
Anna wandered down and sat in the grass near the flower bed, watching the kids with a fond smile, her fingers tugging idly at the hem of her shirt.“I think we’ll sleep well tonight.”
“Youbettersleep well tonight,” Lily teased, glancing over at the twins.“Because tomorrow is going to be chaos and I’ll need your help.”
“Organized chaos,” Anna said.“With clay.”
“Oh no,” Lily groaned.“I forgot to prep the wheels.”
“I’ll help,” Tom offered immediately.
Lily raised a skeptical brow.“Do you even know how to wedge clay?”
“Absolutely not.But I’m willing to be taught.I’ve got strong arms and zero ego about learning.”
She gave him a sideways glance.“That sounds suspiciously like a pitch.”
“It was,” he said shamelessly.“Did it work?”
To her surprise, it had.She nodded, a smile breaking out.
“Well then, rookie, I’ll take you up on that.Can you get to my studio around eight tomorrow morning?”she asked.“Let’s see how you handle cleanup.”
“I’ll be there with coffee and croissants for certain,” he answered.
They spent the rest of the hour outside.The light shifted gradually from gold to amber, and eventually to the soft, silvery hues of early twilight.Fireflies began to emerge in quiet flickers, the first whispers of night making their presence known.
Max eventually collapsed under the shade of the tree near the fence, panting with satisfaction, his head resting on Nora’s knee as she braided flowers into his collar.
Blaze had taken to drawing battle maps in the dirt with a stick, explaining in great detail how the Golden Tornado would save the yard from invisible invaders made of mud.
Tom helped Lily gather up the makeshift toys while Anna rounded up the kids, promising more time with Max tomorrow if they got their teeth brushed without protest.
Lily stood at the edge of the yard, watching as Tom and Max disappeared back to their house.She walked inside and could hear Anna giving the kids their marching orders for showers.She smiled.
Today had been a good day, and she felt good about tomorrow, too.All of it had snuck up on her, as if she’d just gone from grieving and lost to happy and putting one foot in front of the other overnight.She knew that’s not how things worked, but regardless, it felt nice.
ChapterTwenty-One
Anna
The next morning the kids were up with the sun, excited and ready to go to the pottery studio.They’d actually beaten Lilly and Anna awake, which made Anna giggle.
“They’re usually not up this early for Christmas,” she said playfully as her mom walked into the kitchen.
“Their excitement makes this easier, that’s for sure.”Lily smiled.“I was a little hesitant this morning, thinking about all the things that I haven’t done yet.Hearing their giggling and whispers helped me forget about all those things.”
“I’m glad.I love that we get to share this with you, Mom.It’s definitely giving core memory vibes for the kids.I know how much I loved going to the studio with you, and now they get that, too.”
The four of them ate breakfast and got dressed, ready to head to the studio in town.As they pulled into the parking lot, Anna noticed Tom’s old truck sitting in a spot.
“Looks like he was serious yesterday,” Anna said with a smile.
“It does,” Lily answered with a shake of her head.“He’s a really nice man, it’s nice that he moved next door.”
“Seems to be very knowledgeable in a lot of things, too.”
“He’s a widower, too.It’s nice that he gets that part.”
Anna swallowed hard.She knew what her mother meant, but it was still hard to hear.Her mother had lost her husband, her best friend, and life partner.While Anna had lost her father, it was different.She was grateful that she had found someone who understood her mother’s grief and pain, though.
