Page 97 of The Summer We Mended
“This is the life,” she sighed.“We should do this every weekend.”
“I’d settle for once a month,” Tom replied, his feet dangling in the water from the swim ladder.“But yes, we should.”
After a while, they climbed back aboard, wrapping themselves in towels and letting the sun dry their skin.Tom made lemonade from the cooler, and Cody started humming an old song that David used to sing.Lily joined in softly, and before long, they were all singing, a little off-key, a little out of sync, but happy.
The sail home was slower, easier.The wind had mellowed, and the boat glided over the water like it had all the time in the world.Anna leaned on the rail, watching the coast come back into view, Vineyard Haven slowly growing clearer, the lighthouse now behind them.
She thought about all the times they’d sailed as a family, how her dad had taught her to read the clouds, how he’d let her steer even when she was too small to see over the wheel properly, how he’d whistle when the wind was just right.
She closed her eyes and let the memories wash over her.It didn’t hurt like it used to.Today, it felt like coming full circle.Not replacing the past but carrying it forward in something new.
Behind her, Nora laughed and Blaze was excited as he described the seals again to Cody, who listened with real interest.
Lily came to stand beside her, brushing damp hair off her forehead.
“I’m glad we did this,” Anna said.
Lily looked at her.“Me too.It was a good day to get out of the house and focus on living.”
Anna smiled.“That’s the perfect way to say it.”
As they neared the harbor, Tom called for the little captains to help lower the sails.Blaze and Nora ran to him, proud and eager, and Cody followed to assist with the ropes.The three of them worked like a seasoned team under Tom’s guidance.
June gave Anna a wink from where she was wiping off the deck with a towel.“We’ve got ourselves a future sailing crew.”
The boat glided back into its slip, and the lines were tied off with care.The harbor buzzed with life, kids fishing off the docks, a man tuning a guitar on a bench, the scent of fried clams drifting from a nearby shack.
As they disembarked one by one, sun-tired and happy, Anna looked back at theSeraphina.The deck still shimmered with salt water, the sails neatly furled.It had carried them through more than just waves today; it had carried them through memory, through joy, through something like healing.
Anna turned toward her family, her mother, her brother, the kids, and the people who had folded themselves into their lives like sails catching wind, and her heart felt full.
It was nice to remember her father in this way, to remember the good times and not just the sadness of his death.It was nice to get her mind off the worry for her husband, too.Being out on the water and keeping the shore in sight, she was confident that Luke would find his way home soon.
ChapterThirty-Eight
Lily
The twins burst through the front door with the force of a summer storm, each carrying a lumpy bag of clay supplies and loud opinions.
“Shotgun!”Blaze yelled.
“No fair!”Nora shouted back, swatting his arm with her canvas bag.
Lily sighed but smiled, keys already in hand.“There’s no ‘shotgun,’ guys.It’s three blocks.We’re walking.”
“But you have your keys in your hand,” Nora stated.
“Because they unlock the building,” Lily laughed.
“Okay, but if we were taking the car,” Blaze insisted, hopping on one foot as he shoved his sneakers on, “I would totally have called it.”
Lily opened the door wider.“Out you go, little captains.Let’s get to the studio before your mom finishes her tea and decides she doesn’t want peace and quiet after all.”
Anna appeared in the hallway just then, one hand curled around a steaming mug, the other holding her phone.Her hair was still damp from the shower, and she smiled back at the sight of the twins and their grandmother.
“Thank you,” she said softly to Lily, squeezing her arm.“A few calls I really need to make.”
Lily nodded.“Take your time.I’ll keep the twins distracted.”
