Page 18 of The Vineyard Bride

“Hi, Sam!Thanks again for getting that room ready last-minute,” Lola said.

“Don’t you worry about a thing.”Sam’s smile adjusted itself as he peered down at Aunt Beatrice.

All he could see was the woman in the accident.

“I heard that you called the ambulance for me the other night,” Aunt Beatrice said lovingly.“I wanted to thank you.”

Sam stretched his palm out across his chest.“I’m just glad to see you’re on the mend.”

“I am.Thanks to some stellar doctors and some even better pain medication,” Beatrice said.

“You’ll let me know if you need anything while you’re at the Sunrise Cove, won’t you?”Sam returned.

Aunt Beatrice affirmed she would, just as the front door jangled open to reveal two additional members of the Sheridan community: Kellan Frampton and Wes Sheridan himself.As usual, they hung binoculars around their necks and looked fresh-faced and eager after a full afternoon of birdwatching.

“Hi, there!”Wes’s smile erupted as he took in the sight of everyone.“I just picked Kellan up from high school and took a little tour around the outskirts of Oak Bluffs.The summer birds are back.Next come the tourists!”

Kellan smiled sheepishly, his hair draping over his ears.

“You were out birdwatching?”Aunt Beatrice piped up, her voice still a song.

Wes’s eyes danced down to the beautiful woman before him, wheelchair-bound, with her hands crossed over her lap.His eyes widened with surprise.He lifted his hand and tugged at his collar distractedly.

Was he nervous?

“Yes.It’s just a silly hobby, really.Something I’ve taken to in the past few years,” Wes explained.

“It’s one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon,” Beatrice continued, her smile crooked.“Tell me, have you seen any Osprey yet this year?”

Wes’s lips cracked open with surprise.“Yes.Kellan and I spotted two a few mornings back, just along the edge of our property.”

“They were remarkable,” Kellan interjected.

Beatrice lifted her chin to shine her beautiful blue eyes toward Wes.“It was one of the reasons I wanted to interview at a clinic here on Martha’s Vineyard.The wildlife is unrivaled.I pictured myself birdwatching in the morning, hiking the natural reserves, and swimming in the Sound as often as I could.”

Wes’s face grew shadowed with recognition.“You were the woman involved in the accident earlier this week.”

“That’s right,” Beatrice said.

“I’m sorry, Beatrice.I should have introduced you,” Lola stuttered.“This is my father, Wes Sheridan.”

“Pleased to meet you.My name is Beatrice.”

“I’m sorry to hear that my island didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet,” Wes offered.“I hope you’ll still find it in you to give us another chance.”

“The plan was to stay on the island at least until my great-nephew, Tommy, weds Lola.If I get this job at the Katama Lodge and Wellness Spa, the plan extends a whole lot longer,” Beatrice affirmed.“And don’t worry.Based on the hospitality I’ve received over the past few days, I can sense the goodness of this place.I won’t rate everything on one experience.”

“Beautiful,” Wes whispered back, clearly captivated.

Is Dad flirting?Lola glanced toward Tommy, whose eyes were slightly buggy.

“Anyway.We came in for a bite to eat,” Wes finally managed, glancing back toward Kellan as though he’d just remembered he was there.“Starving after that walk.Kellan demands an ice cream sundae.”

“Grandpa, you’re the one who dragged me here for a sundae,” Kellan teased.

Sam hurried to set up the ramp that allowed Tommy to wheel Beatrice’s wheelchair up to the second floor.Lola carried Beatrice’s things delicately, watching the older woman’s face as Tommy assisted her.It must have been the strangest thing, handing over your own free will to the first person you trusted.

“Have a good rest of your day, Beatrice,” Lola waved from her doorway as the older woman got settled.“If I don’t head out to meet Audrey soon, she’ll— Hmm.I don’t know.What will she do, Tommy?”

“Probably just make fun of you about something,” Tommy said with a laugh.“That’s typically the Audrey way.”

“I can’t wait to spend more time with you both,” Aunt Beatrice said.“Have a beautiful time, honey.”

Lola scampered down the stairs and leaped into her car, grateful for the freedom this afternoon allowed her.As she started the engine, she dreamed up a strange reality— one that involved her father falling in love all over again.

But was it even possible for Wes Sheridan to fall in love?His memory diminished by the day; he was headed toward the darkness of dementia.There was only a question of when he would lose the full depths of his memory, not if.

Still, wasn’t everyone operating on limited time?Lola and Tommy currently leaped into their lives together in their forties, with the potential for another forty years down the line.There were no guarantees in life.And Aunt Beatrice seemed like the sort of woman to know that, through and through.After all, she’d been brave enough, in her fifties, to start all over again, just because she no longer felt the love she craved.That was really something.

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