Page 40 of The Beach Cottage
She crossed her legs and glared. “I’m fine.”
“I can see that. Do you mind if I join you?”
Grace shrugged.
Bea climbed over the rocks and sat on the sand beside her. She didn’t speak for a few minutes, and the two of them sat side by side, listening to the sounds of the ocean and the birds. It was the perfect hiding place. No one would find them there. No wonder Betsy had adopted it as her own getaway for so long.
“Are you nervous about your mother visiting?”
“No. Why would I be nervous?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re worried that she won’t like Aidan or that they’ll argue.”
“She wants me to go home with her.”
“And you don’t want to?”
Another shrug.
“I’m sure she misses you.”
Grace sighed. “I know. But we fight so much, I hate it there. She told me I had to leave if I didn’t change my behaviour. I’m only fifteen. I can’t believe she’d do that to me.” Tears filled her eyes, and her voice broke over the words.
Bea ached at the girl’s pain. Rejection like that was a hard thing to face. “Do you think she meant it, or was she speaking in anger?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t waiting around to find out. I can’t believe she’d kick out her own daughter just because we argued.”
“It probably made you feel like her love was conditional.”
Grace nodded and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “She only wants me when I’m good.”
“It’s difficult getting older and having to deal with these kinds of conflicts, but learning to face them now will really help you in life. If you can handle it in a mature way — really listen to what your mother is saying, try not to explode at her but instead, talk it through — you’ll be able to cope with anything that comes your way in life.”
Grace looked at her, making eye contact for the first time. “Do you think so?”
“Definitely. This is the hard stuff. Other things are easy in comparison. The people we love most can hurt us more than anyone else. But that means we also have to forgive them more often. Because relationships are tough — we have to fight for them or we won’t make it.”
“Do you and your daughter fight?”
Bea’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, definitely. Especially when she was your age. We fought a lot. Over all kinds of things. But we made sure to talk things through and to forgive because our connection was important to both of us. And now we have an amazing relationship.”
“You still loved her, even after the fights?” Grace’s tear-soaked eyes tugged at Bea’s heart.
“Of course. A mother never stops loving her kids, no matter what. I don’t know your mother, but if you feel unsafe around her, I’m sure Aidan will let you stay here.”
“No, I don’t feel unsafe.” Grace wiped her tears from her cheeks with a thumb.
“Maybe hear her out tonight, and you can decide what you want to do after that.”
“You don’t think Aidan will make me go with her?”
Bea shook her head. “No, I don’t think he will. He cares about you and wants what’s best for you.”
“But what if I don’t see him again?”
“I really don’t believe he’d let that happen. You’re stuck with him now.” Bea smiled. “He’s a very loyal and caring person.”
Grace stared at the ocean again. The two of them watched a seagull pluck a small fish from the water’s surface and fly off with it to perch on top of the cliffs.
