Page 84 of The Summer We Mended
“Lily, you have such a good eye, too.Would you be able to help as well?”
Lily’s eyes went downcast for a second, her entire body tensing.Jess was certain her mother had finally pushed too hard and that Lily would say no and then leave.But that’s not what happened.
“I would like that.David and I loved the solstice parties.I think it would be a great way to honor him.”
“I thought so, too,” Claudia said as she reached out and covered her sister-in-law’s hand with hers.
Jess turned to glance at Anna, who was cutting Blaze’s chicken into smaller pieces.There was a strength in her cousin that Jess had never fully appreciated until now.A kind of unbreakable steadiness that even grief hadn’t managed to topple.
“You can tell Mom no, you know?”Jess whispered.
Anna gave her a small smile.“I don’t think Aunt Claudia has ever heard the word.Besides, it’ll be nice for us to focus on something other than waiting for new news.”
“I get that.I’ll rescue you if I need to.”
Anna giggled.Claudia was animatedly explaining to Lily some of her additional ideas for the party.Henry and Tom were deep in conversation about Tom’s sailboat.June was watching it all unfold, and Cody looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here.Jess understood that feeling all too well.
An hour later, Claudia directed the cleanup like a conductor with a full orchestra.June stayed close to the edge of the room, helping without drawing attention, and Jess noticed how the kids kept gravitating toward her, like they’d decided she was part of the family already.
And maybe she was; she seemed to fit into the mix well.
By the time the house had quieted, and the last of the dishes were stacked in the sink, Jess returned to her laptop.The solstice party was less than twenty-four hours away.Her checklist was long, her nerves tight, but as she looked around the house she felt excitement and hope, not fear and overwhelm like recently.And that…felt nice.
ChapterThirty-One
Anna
Anna woke the next morning, dreading the day in its entirety.She knew that her Aunt Claudia had the best of intentions, but Anna wasn’t really feeling it at all.She understood why her mom had holed up in her house, in her bed, and shut the rest of the world out for the last year, because that’s exactly how Anna was feeling right now.
If it weren’t for the kids, she wouldn’t have gotten out of bed at all today.The last month, after learning that Luke’s jet went down, Anna had felt exhausted and overwhelmed with worry and fear.
She took a deep breath, put one foot in front of the other, and made her way outside to the pier.She needed that thirty minutes alone by the ocean this morning, more than she had since they’d arrived and she’d learned about Luke’s accident.
She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, sending it up into the sky.There was something almost religious about sitting by the ocean and watching the sun rise over it.Almost as if she were close enough for her conversations to be heard by God.She hoped that was true, anyway.
When she was finished, she went back to the house and showered.She was right back into her schedule before she could talk herself out of it.
By midmorning, Vineyard Haven had already begun to transform.The once-quiet harbor front was alive with a buzz of activity as families, vendors, and volunteers gathered for the solstice celebration.Anna had always loved this part of the island, the way the breeze swept off the water and carried the smell of salt and blooming roses through the streets.Today, that air was tinged with excitement, and she welcomed it.
It had been years since she’d attended a solstice party.She remembered holding her dad’s hand as they walked around, and he’d fill her and Cody full of cotton candy and funnel cake.
“It’s a once-a-year event, Lily.They can splurge a bit,” he’d say.
When the twins were about four years old, Lily and David had come out to Colorado to see them and took them all out to a nearby carnival.Her dad repeated those same words to her when she protested about how much chocolate and sugar he was feeding them.She smiled at the memory.
As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Blaze was one of the first out of the car, sprinting ahead toward the open field where long rows of white tents had already been raised.“Come on, Mom!”he shouted, waving her forward.Nora trotted behind him, arms full of streamers.
Anna chuckled as she followed, her canvas tote bouncing against her hip, filled with clothespins, markers, and extra sunscreen.The kids were eager, genuinely eager, and for the first time in days, she didn’t feel like she was holding her breath.
The entire community had turned out.Tables were being set under string lights strung between trees and poles, colorful paper lanterns waiting to be hung.Long rows of picnic tables lined the park’s edge, covered in bright cloth held down by jars filled with wildflowers, an idea Jess had found on Pinterest and executed beautifully.
Claudia was a whirlwind of energy in linen pants and a wide-brimmed hat, directing traffic like a general at war.“Put the lemonade over there, closer to the shaded tents!No, no, no…not next to the seafood!I don’t want sweet and briny clashing in the air!”she barked, though there was no true bite to it.
Anna spotted her mom near the bandstand, helping Cody string bunting.For a moment, Lily looked like herself—laughing at something Cody said, her hair tucked under a ball cap, hands on her hips, assessing the decorations.Anna’s chest ached with a quiet, fierce gratitude.They needed this.All of them did.
The kids had been conscripted by Claudia into “official junior decorating assistants,” and they took their titles seriously.Nora darted between adults, offering ribbon choices with a dramatic flair, while Blaze had taken charge of handing out zip ties to secure banners and signs.The two of them made a game of it, sprinting back and forth to “supplies headquarters,” a blanket spread with crafting tools and boxes of décor.
Vendors set up booths selling everything from handmade candles and soaps to locally grown produce and baskets of blueberries.The ice cream cart had a line before it even opened, and the air carried the scent of kettle corn popping in a giant cast-iron drum.
