Page 34 of Summer Longing
“Oh, Olivia. I can’t spend all of eternity in New Jersey.”
Olivia put her head in her hands. “I can’t believe this. Although I should. Why not? Why expect anything different from you?”
The waitress arrived with their salads. This time, the interruption was more than welcome. Ruth needed a moment to find her conversational footing. Okay, so the worst was over. Olivia knew Ruth had misrepresented the truth slightly, but Ruth felt she had made a solid point. Why not visit your mother? Was that so much to ask? And, really, what had Ruth ever done that was so horrible that it required a fatal illness before she got face time with her only child? “I want to spend more time together,” Ruth said.
Olivia picked up her fork and stabbed at a lettuce leaf. “Oh, so now that you don’t have your company, now that you’re bored, you want to spend time with me?”
Ruth sat back in her seat. “That’s unfair.”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said. “But it’s unfair that you were never around for me when I needed a mother, it’s unfair that you outsourced all of your parenting to Dad, and it’s unfair that you lured me out here under false pretenses.”
Ruth, shocked at the anger, could only shake her head. When she was able to speak, she said, “I never meant to let you down, Olivia. I did my best. And there was nothing false about my reasons for asking you here. I want to spend time with you, not because I’m bored or lonely, but because I miss you. Give me a chance to make up for lost time.”
Olivia shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mother. I just…can’t. I don’t want to get my hopes up that somehow it will be different this time.”
She once again checked her phone.
It was early evening when Elise finally heard from Fern.
“How’s it going? Are you holding down the fort?” Fern asked, the call breaking up as she spoke. Elise walked to the front door in an attempt to get a clearer connection.
“Great,” Elise said, hoping her voice didn’t falter. “Jaci’s been a big help at the shop.” At least, she’d been a big help there until Ruth showed up with Mira. Without explanation, with only a frantic plea and a rushed burst of instructions, Elise converted Jaci from tea barista to babysitter. Good sport that she was, Jaci went along with it.
Elise decided not to share that little detail with Fern. Or the other major detail of the day—the visit from the police. That would have to be discussed in person. “The shop was so busy. It was a massive day. If every summer weekend is like this, I think we’ll be in solid shape. We might even consider seeing if that woman from Chatham still wants a job. We’re that busy.”
“Listen, things went really well here too. So well, in fact, I should stay and work the market again tomorrow,” she said.
“Oh? Do you have a place to sleep?” It was a reprieve from having to tell Fern about Brian. And yet Elise felt a tremor of discomfort, an internal warning bell.
“I’m just going to get a cheap hotel room by the seaport. I have to set up so early in the morning, it doesn’t make sense to come all the way back.”
Elise couldn’t remember the last time she and Fern had spent the night apart. Of course, it made sense if the farmers’ market sales were substantial, if she was building another customer base. And yet a part of her couldn’t help but wonder if this was just a way for Fern to escape what was going on at home.
She kept these feelings to herself. At least, until hours later, when Jaci was helping her close up the shop, Mira asleep in the stroller pushed into a quiet corner. There were no more customers, no more distractions. And Elise could no longer avoid Jaci’s questioning glances. It was all too much! The truth was, she wanted someone to talk to.
“So I guess you’re wondering about why our tenant dropped off a baby for me to take care of today,” Elise said carefully.
“The thought did cross my mind.”
Elise walked out from behind the counter, made sure the front door was locked, and asked Jaci to join her at the armchairs by the window.
“First of all, I really appreciate your help today—at the store, and with Mira. You were a lifesaver. And I obviously owe you an explanation. But I cannot express strongly enough the need for this to stay confidential. I love your family, but your aunt Bianca is a bit of a gossip.”
“She makes us all insane.”
“She means well.”
“Does she?” Jaci said, an eyebrow raised.
Elise felt a surge of affection for her. “Well, okay, then. Between you, me, and these four walls, a crazy thing happened last week.” She hesitated only a second before unloading the whole story of the mysterious baby on the doorstep and the agonizing decision about what to do.
Jaci’s eyes widened. “Who else knows about this?”
“Um, Amelia and Rachel. They’ve been helping out. And Ruth, our tenant. But other than that, we’re trying to keep it quiet.”
Jaci sighed. “Hmm. Well, you can’t hope to keep the baby a secret. I mean, a baby is pretty visible around here.”
“I know. The thing is…” Elise hesitated.
