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“I would have wanted to anyway and everyone knew that,” he said. “This way I didn’t have to stress over it and I would have never asked for the time off last minute.”
“Which we all knew,” her father said. “It was a win for everyone.”
She wasn’t sure where her father was going with that statement but decided to let it drop for now.
“What are you making for dinner?” she asked her mother.
“Dad is throwing steaks on the grill. He’s got it lit now. I made a few salads to go with it. Just keeping it light. No reason to do anything fancy and have Lincoln feel as if he has to choke it down.”
“Thanks a lot,” he said, bumping his shoulder into hers.
“My mother is just joking with you. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nope,” her mother said. “Sit and relax. You do enough cooking.”
“Tracy was excited you took her shopping,” Ashley said.
“Who’s Tracy?” Lincoln asked.
She turned and looked at him. “Tracy that flew over with me a few weeks ago. I didn’t tell you about her?”
“No,” he said.
“Tracy was in foster care in Boston,” Ashley said. “Grace brought her to the island and gave her a job and Melanie found her housing so she could finish high school and now she works for Grace full time and lives here. Grace is kind of training her. I wish she could go to school with me. Then I’d know someone.”
“You’ll be fine,” Chelsea said. “You’re only in Boston and can come back when you want. But you can’t commute. And driving in Boston traffic daily would be difficult.”
Ashley didn’t even want to live on campus, asking if she could stay in Roark’s condo. Since Chelsea worked on the island full time and Roark in Boston but could split his time, they spent more time on the island and Roark in Boston a few days a week.
There was no reason Ashley couldn’t stay at Roark’s from time to time but the traffic to get to the school and back might be too much and she understood Chelsea wanting her sister to experience college life in the dorms.
“What did we talk about?” Roark said. “If you need me to come get you to give you a break, I’ll do it. Or you can drive to the condo when you want. You’re always welcome. But give this a try. You might love it.”
Ashley’s shoulders dropped. “It’s so hard to fit in.”
Grace knew that. Though Ashley was coming at it from another side.
When Chelsea and Ashley first moved here, Ashley didn’t have much. Chelsea gave her younger sister a better life and taught her hard work and appreciation for it.
Roark gave them both an amazing life and Chelsea had fought hard against what her new husband could give her.
Grace looked over at Lincoln and realized that was not so different from her situation and she learned to accept that everyone had their pride.
What was better was knowing the person you loved didn’t want anything but that love.
“It will all work out,” she said. “And you know you can call me anytime too.”
There was more talk around the room, her brother and Lincoln talking about sports. She hadn’t realized Lincoln watched many sports, but it’s not like they had that much time together either.
“I hear Lincoln did some work at your house,” Emma said to her thirty minutes later. Grace, her mother, Kayla, and Chelsea were all getting the food out. Ashley was with the kids and the men either in the living room or on the deck. “Talk about sweet.”
“And he built shelving indoors and out for my herbs,” she added.
“Do you hear the change in your voice?” her mother asked.
“What? No,” she said.
“Yes,” Kayla said. “Amanda and Sidney said my voice did the same thing when I was dating Hunter.”
