Page 119 of Summer Longing
“I can’tbeher mother,” Jaci said. “That’s what all of this has been about.”
“Well, your feelings—and circumstances—might change in time. And take it from me, it’s never too late.”
It’s never too late,Elise thought.I hope that’s true.
Two floors below, Lidia let out a squeal. Ruth jumped up and ran into the hallway. “Everything okay?” she called out.
“Ruth, you need to come down here,” Lidia yelled.
Ruth rushed down the stairs. Elise and Jaci looked at each other and ran down after her.
They found Marco and Olivia standing in the kitchen, covered in mud. Olivia was holding out her left hand.
“What’s going on?” Ruth said.
“Mom.” Olivia beamed. “We’re engaged.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
There was no better place to prepare the dried seaweed than Lidia’s long kitchen table. Somehow, Marco’s mother had found a way to accommodate their complete takeover on the days when they had to do their chopping and sorting. It had become one of Olivia’s favorite parts of the workweek because, unlike when she was sitting with Marco out on the flats or working on the dock, here she could keep the baby nearby. Today, Mira amused herself with a row of rings on a new bouncer Lidia had bought her. Olivia and Marco worked in comfortable silence, the only sound the distant grind of Manny’s power drill outside.
“Your phone’s ringing,” Marco said.
“Is it?” Only then did she hear the faint tri-tone of an incoming call. She looked around for her tote bag and retrieved the phone; her mother’s face filled the screen. “Hey, we’re just chopping seaweed. Can I call you back?” Olivia said.
“I’m at the new house on Nickerson,” Ruth said. “I need you and Marco to stop by for a few minutes.”
Oh, the house. Olivia still had not checked out the place her mother would be moving into in just a few weeks. It was amazing how her sense of time had changed now that she had a baby to care for. An errand or visit that might have been spontaneous or happen easily just weeks ago now took military-style planning.
“Okay. Maybe before dinner? Mira’s dinner, I mean. So around—”
“I need you to come by now,” her mother said. Olivia glanced at Marco; he was completely absorbed in the work in front of him.
“Let me talk to Marco and call you back,” Olivia said. When she relayed the odd summons, Marco sighed, looked at the clock, and said, “We should just go and see what’s going on. Maybe she needs help with something.”
Nickerson was a two-minute walk from the house. They put Mira in the stroller and decided to just call this their lunch break.
Marco was good-humored about the interruption; now that he felt more confident about the business, it was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Spindler’s had just added the seaweed tea to its menu. He felt he had successfully created a category instead of just trying to compete in a market that was already competitive. It was a big step for his business.
Still, it would be a while before they could afford to move into a place of their own. Considering they’d outgrown his current living quarters, their next move was a question mark. Lidia was happy to have them under her roof, but Olivia didn’t see that as a long-term solution. She’d had enough of communal living during her months at Shell Haven.
“I think my mother is just trying to distract herself from the fact that my father is leaving tonight,” Olivia said.
Days after Carnival, Olivia’s parents had invited her to dinner and announced they were “spending time together” again. Olivia didn’t know who was more surprised by this development, herself or her father, who, frankly, seemed a little shell-shocked. Still, it had to mean something to him because he delayed his departure yet again. But tomorrow it was back to Cherry Hill. Olivia knew it was probably rough on her mother, who had acted like a googly-eyed teenager at that dinner. But a summer fling was a summer fling—even if it happened with your ex-husband.
“She’ll find a way to keep busy,” Marco said. “This town has a way of keeping everyone busy long after the summer ends. You’ll see.”
They followed the house numbers until they reached a three-story Greek Revival.
“I know this house,” Marco said.
“You do?”
“Of course. How can anyone miss it? It’s a beauty.”
Ruth waved at them from the front porch. Olivia turned to Marco. “We’ll make this quick,” she said, maneuvering the stroller onto the stone walkway.
“I’m so glad you two could come,” Ruth said.
