Page 65 of Summertime Forgiveness

“I’ll ask him if he’s not busy,” she settled.

“Great,” Cora brought her hands together in celebration. The look that passed between her and Andrea did not go unnoticed by Jo.Yup, definitely scheming.

Tessa, who seemed to have picked up on her sisters’ mischief, chuckled.

“So, what about Jules? Do you think she’d want to tag along?” Jo asked Cora, steering the conversation away from her.

Cora looked over at her daughter, who was resting in a lounge chair up on the porch, sunglasses over her eyes that made it impossible to determine if she was asleep under their dark lens, and then back at the woman with a look of uncertainty.

“I’m not sure if she’ll be up to it, but I’ll ask her.”

The sisters gave her a sympathetic look.

“What about you, Tessa? Anyone that you could possibly consider taking to this shindig?” Andrea asked, once more changing the subject to safer topics.

When the day finally began to wind down, and the sky became tinted a dull, orange-pinkish hue, the extended family called it a day and prepared themselves to head to their respective homes.

“Today was lovely. I had a great time,” Tessa spoke as she hugged each sister goodbye and stepped into her car. “Kerry and the others are going to be so jealous of the fun I had today,” she cheesed.

The sisters laughed as they stepped back and waved goodbye to their cousin.

“I had a lot of fun today. I already missed them not being here,” Jo expressed as they walked up the steps of the front porch.

“Yeah, I agree,” Andrea added as Cora nodded in agreement.

“Hey, Jo. Can I talk to you?”

Jo looked at Cora in surprise. “Um, sure,” she accepted.

“I’ll go check on, Mom,” Andrea offered, heading for the door.

Jo and Cora made their way toward the side of the porch with the swing and sat in it. The two rocked back and forth slowly in silence for some time.

“If I made you feel some sort of way or embarrassed you by my comment about Daniel, please know that that wasn’t my intention. I’m sorry, Jo.”

Jo was rendered speechless by her sister’s apology. Cora took her silence as affirmation and continued to speak. “I just don’t want you to close yourself off from finding love again. What you and Charles had was special, and no one will be able to replace that, but I also know what it feels like to love again after a loss, even though the circumstances are different, and I believe that there is room in your heart to love again. I—”

“Cora,” Jo stopped her sister. “I…I.” She sighed in frustration as the words refused to come out. “I wasn’t embarrassed. You just caught me off guard by your suggestion, especially seeing as Daniel and I are just friends. I need us to just be friends,” she returned, hoping her sister would understand.

“I saw the way you and Daniel stared at each other the other day, especially when you both thought the other wasn’t looking,” Cora said after they’d fallen into silence for a while. “I know that look. I have given that look and received it.”

“Jamie?” Jo asked, already knowing the answer.

Cora smiled in confirmation. “That’s why I think you shouldn’t hide behind the hurt. You need to open yourself to the possibilities of being as happy as you deserve to be. From what I have seen, Daniel is a good man— a good man who is captivated by you. If your healing comes with love, then that is what you deserve.”

The passion and sincerity of Cora’s words touched Jo’s heart and made her think. Maybe it was time to move on. More than a year had passed since her husband’s death. There was no written rule that specified how long one should mourn. If she was honest with herself, though, she would admit that since moving back to Oak Harbor, she’d thought less about her deceased loved ones than when she had been back in Tacoma in her old house. Being around her sisters, her mother, and extended family had sped up the process of her feeling whole again. Daniel had been an unexpected but pleasant surprise that made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time, and that scared her. Her mind was split down the middle. She felt like if she gave him a chance, the memory of Charles and Nicholas would start to fade, and they would no longer be as important to her as they had been when alive, but being with Daniel also felt so right. It felt as if their paths were meant to cross at the time they did.

“I’m scared, Cora,” she confessed, the vulnerability causing her voice to quiver.

“I know.” Cora reached over and hugged her sister to her side. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but take a chance. If it doesn’t work out, Drea and I will always have your back.”

Jo grinned against her sister’s shoulder as she looked out at the water and the tiny dots that were boats in the distance. She could feel her anxiety slowly melt away. “Thanks, Cora,” she murmured gratefully.

“Anytime, sweetie.” Cora brought her hand up to cup her sister’s jaw as they remained in the same position for some time, looking out at the bay.

The following morning as Jo walked to the restaurant to help Daniel prepare for the afternoon crowd, she couldn’t help the butterflies that cascaded over each other in her stomach in a rapid motion the closer she got to her destination. More than once, she’d had to run her palms down the sides of her pants to get rid of the moisture there.

“Hi,” Daniel greeted her with a bright smile the minute she stepped into the kitchen.

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