Page 25 of The Vineyard Bride

Chapter Ten

The Sheridan and Montgomerywomen left the cabin on the southern edge of the island on Sunday morning at eleven.As they collapsed into their vehicles and waved goodbye, they all proclaimed the weekend to be “a huge success.”Nobody bothered mentioning the incident with Valerie, and in fact, the events of Saturday had basically obliterated any bad memories— allowing them walks on the sunny beach, vibrant guacamole, margaritas, more soulful conversations, plenty of games, and dessert.

Amanda drove Audrey and the rest of their bachelorette supplies back to the Sheridan House, where they planned to go through everything and recycle what they could.On the way back to Oak Bluffs, Audrey dropped her head back on the headrest and heaved a sigh.

“I hope Mom’s okay after that Valerie thing.I wish she would have said she didn’t want to be there rather than come and try to blow it up,” Audrey said.

Amanda groaned.“I had no idea what to do.”

“I just hate that it made Mom sad,” Audrey continued.“I didn’t want to remind her that building this life with Tommy means giving up her old life.”

“I think she’s made her peace with that,” Amanda assured her.“It’s something we’ve all had to come to terms with since we moved here.”

“You’re right,” Audrey breathed.“We’ve all made sacrifices.It’s just that usually, our sacrifices don’t come to the island, make fun of us and our family members, and then storm out in a drunken rage.”

“Well said.”

Amanda and Audrey unloaded Amanda’s car and then waited around for Noah to arrive with Max.Noah had graciously agreed to babysit over the weekend, calling it “guy bonding time.”Audrey screeched as she brought Max into her arms and kissed him three times on the cheek.Amanda watched from behind, her arms crossed over her chest.

I have to stop dreaming about having a child of my own.

I have to stop wishing time away.

“What’s up, Amanda?”Noah asked.

“We had a wild weekend,” Amanda tried.

“So did we,” Noah reported.“I mean, come on.We ate mashed peas and corn.We watched Peppa Pig and plenty of sports.We even didn’t scream that much!”

“Wow!”Audrey cried.“Not that much!Nice work, Max.”

Amanda stepped into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of water as Noah and Audrey continued to dote on Max and each other.Amanda’s heart shivered with loneliness.As she reached for her phone, a text message came out from Sam— as though he’d sensed that she needed him.

SAM: Hi there.Are you back from the cabin?

A half-hour later, Amanda met Sam at the sailing docks.She’d decided to dress up a little bit, wrapping herself in a light-yellow dress that tied behind the neck and a pair of light heels.The air was warm and calming, seventy-two degrees, and the water frothed gently against the sailboats that were tied along the docks.Sam stood out at the far end of the docks in a pair of jean shorts and a gray t-shirt.Amanda’s heart shivered with longing for him.

When she reached him, she fell into his arms and nuzzled her nose in his chest.His large hand wrapped over her shoulder.For a long moment, they couldn’t find words and simply fell into the beauty of being alone with one another, there at the edge of the water.

“How did it go?”Sam asked.

“Oh gosh.It was dramatic for a while,” Amanda explained.“Lola’s friends from Boston made a mess of things.I felt terrible for Lola.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sam said, tilting his head.

“We rebounded,” Amanda explained, lifting herself up to kiss him.“I hate to say that I missed you, though.”

“I missed you, too.”Sam’s smile stretched from ear to ear.“I thought we could enjoy this afternoon together on the boat.I figured you’re tired of drinking, so I brought some sparkling water, fruit, and juice.”He gestured toward his backpack.

“You know me too well!”

Together, Amanda and Sam prepared the boat, quickly untying and tying the thick, scratchy ropes and casting themselves out into the abyss.Amanda lifted her chin toward the sun and closed her eyes, listening to the water as it splashed across their boat.

A bit later, Amanda found the energy to tell Sam more stories from the party.“The life-size cut-out of Tommy was insane.After the first night, we carried him with us everywhere we went and took funny pictures of him out by the beach.Lola carried him around under her arm like a poster.It was hilarious.”

Sam laughed good-naturedly.“And the desserts and flowers?”

“They were spectacular,” Amanda affirmed, grateful that she dated someone who cared to ask her about stuff like that.

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