Page 95 of The Summer We Mended
“You did it, Lily.You made it beautiful.”
She smiled again, this time with her whole soul.
“Man, it’s good to see this place hoppin’ again,” Henry’s deep baritone rumbled from behind her.
She barely turned, just grinned, before she looked back at him over her shoulder.“I’d have to agree with you there.I forgot how good it feels.”
“David would be grinning from ear to ear right about now.He’d love every second of the whole family being here and helping.”
“Except his brother,” she teased.“You should go show Maisie how it’s done.”
He barked out a laugh.“You’d spend days cleaning clay out of the rafters if you let me have a shot at that wheel again.”
She giggled and turned around to look at him.“I have never heard as much laughter as the day I walked into the studio to see David trying to teach you how to use a wheel.Both of you were covered in clay, as was the entire building.”
“Entire building is an exaggeration,” he said with a chuckle.“But it was entertaining.It’s a good thing you didn’t have video cameras set up in here.”
“Ahh, but that would have been a golden memory to have,” she replied with a smile.“The two of you together were something else.Close as two brothers could be.”
“He sure would be proud of you, Lil.And the kids.He’d tell me not to be too hard on Jess and to let Maisie have as many helpings of Cap’n Crunch as she wants without letting her mom know.”
“That sounds about right,” Lily agreed with a laugh.“He was something else.I miss him everyday.”
“Me too.You can miss him and still live your life without guilt, though,” Henry said softly.
“That’s a work in progress, but I hear you.I’m glad you’re here, Henry,” Lily said as she squeezed his arm.
She turned around and went back to her students.Henry Hartman wasn’t a man who showed much emotion at all.His face was next to the word stoic in the dictionary; it had to be.That moment with him was priceless.It might not have seemed like much to the untrained eye, but to Lily, it was solid gold.
David may be gone, but his legacy was still working on his brother and that was something she was proud of.
ChapterThirty-Seven
Anna
The next morning, the sun was already stretching its golden limbs over the rooftops of Vineyard Haven when Anna, Lily, Cody, and the twins arrived at the dock, a canvas bag slung over her shoulder and her hair pulled back into a loose braid.The air smelled of salt and cedarwood, and the sea called to her in a way it hadn’t in years.
“Morning!”Tom called from the sailboat, already barefoot on the deck and checking lines.“You’re right on time!”
Anna smiled and stepped carefully onto the wooden planks.The boat rocked gently beneath her feet, but she welcomed the motion.It was familiar, soothing, like returning to a forgotten language she once knew by heart.
Lily was right behind her, hand in hand with Nora, both dressed in light sweaters that the breeze tugged at playfully.Blaze trailed after them with Cody, who was carrying a cooler full of sandwiches and waters, already playing the role of second mate.
The boat, theSeraphina, was Tom’s pride and joy.A twenty-nine-foot sloop with crisp white sails and sleek navy trim, it cut a beautiful figure in the harbor.June waved from the bow, where she was tying down extra life jackets and laying out towels.
“Welcome aboard!”she called.“Who’s ready for an adventure?”
“Me!”Nora shouted as she climbed on deck.
“Me too!”Blaze echoed, already rushing toward the helm like he’d been born to steer.
Tom watched them with a sparkle in his eye.“Well, well, looks like we’ve got ourselves a couple of little captains.Blaze, Nora, permission to come aboard?”
“Yes, Captain Tom!”Blaze saluted, grinning.
“Permission granted!”Nora added, laughing as she tried to mimic the gesture.
Anna laughed along with them, the sound surprising her with how full it was.There was something about today, something lighter than yesterday, easier than the months before.A moment carved out of time where everything just… fit.
