Page 18 of Summer Longing
“There’s a stroller frame with wheels out back. I borrowed it from Amelia. Take her for a walk. I won’t be long. Thanks, Ruth—you’re a lifesaver.”
Oh no. Ruth hadn’t moved out here to be anyone’s lifesaver. Clifford Henry was going to get an earful! She’d had enough of this nonsense. She turned around, looking for her phone, her mind already formulating the message she would leave if she got his voice mail—
The back door banged closed.
Elise was gone.
It was not yet officially summer by the calendar, but the town’s population had clearly shifted from year-rounders only; the seasonal renters had arrived, and the streets were flooded with day-trippers.
Fern was too busy servicing the line of people at the counter to do more than offer a quick smile when Elise walked in the door. She jumped into action beside Fern, filling plastic cups with ice for the iced tea and using the instant hot taps for the rest of the orders.
“You took care of the baby situation?” Fern said, brushing past her on the way to the fridge. They were already out of their pre-sliced lemon wedges.
“Yes,” Elise said. Fern squeezed her hand, and Elise’s gut churned with guilt.
The line began to dwindle. A few customers walked in from the bookstore across the street, but then the shop was quiet.
“We need to refill this,” Fern called, opening a tin that was down to its last few scoops.
Elise nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Hey,” Fern said, walking over to her. “I know it wasn’t easy to hand over the baby. You okay?”
This was it. No more stalling. Elise had to tell her what was going on.
The front bells jingled with the arrival of more customers.
“Wow, wow, wow, you guys—this place is amazing!” Jaci Barros, Lidia and Manny’s daughter, walked in with a look of wonderment. “My mom just told me you were open for business. I had no idea!”
Elise exhaled. A momentary respite from the confession she had to make to Fern.
“Hey there, kiddo. How’s the Ivy League treating you?” Fern said, hugging her.
Both the Barros kids were blessed with their parents’ Portuguese dark good looks and strong work ethic. Marco had the ambition and follow-through to cultivate the oyster farm, and Jaci was the first woman in her family to go to college. And not just any college—Princeton, and on scholarship.
“Let’s put it this way—it’s hard to be back,” Jaci said.
“Oh, you don’t mean that,” Fern said. “And don’t let your mother hear you say it. She missed you so much.”
“I didn’t feel like I was even gone that long, and nowthiswhole amazing situation is up and running. Congratulations—it’s beautiful,” Jaci said, walking over to the shelves of tea tins. “Can I open one?”
“Sure, hon. Look around. Enjoy.”
Jaci unscrewed a lid and peeked inside. “It smells delicious. Like strawberry shortcake.” She looked up at them. “Do you guys need any part-time help?”
“Aren’t you working with your brother this summer?” Elise said.
Jaci rolled her eyes. “I’d rather not. Seriously—anything but the oyster farm.”
Elise and Fern exchanged a look. “Well, you have to talk to your parents about that,” Fern said. “I don’t think they’d be on board with you leaving Marco in the lurch.”
Jaci poked around some more, ordered a green tea that they refused to let her pay for, then left with promises to be in touch about the job situation.
Fern shook her head. “Lidia can’t be too happy about her attitude.”
Elise barely heard her. Her mind raced as she searched for the words that would bridge the giant chasm that lay between them, a chasm only she knew about at that moment.
“Fern,” she said slowly. “I didn’t give up the baby.”
