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ChapterSix
Four days later
“Do you remember this one?”
Jo looked over at the photo Andrea had pulled from the family album as they sat in the wicker chairs on the east side of the wraparound porch overlooking the water.
“Oh my God… how did that even make it in there?” Jo asked, mortified.
“Let me see,” Cora called from beside her. Her sister snickered the moment she passed the photo over to her. “Look at those rosy cheeks,” she gushed, looking over at Jo with puppy dog eyes.
Jo sucked her teeth, reaching for the photo.
Cora leaned away from her sister’s hand. “Look, Drea, it’s Jo, the diver,” she joked, waving the photo in Andrea’s direction.
At this, Andrea cackled while Jo settled back in her seat with her arms folded across her chest, huffing. She chose to ignore her two annoying siblings and instead focused her attention on the dark blue waters. She could see the small ripples within the still tranquility. The birds soared high in the bright blue sky as the yellow sun beat down on the water’s surface. It all looked like a picture from a postcard. It was so beautiful. She loved all of it.
“All right, Jo, we’re sorry. Here you go,” Cora broke into her thoughts, handing the picture back to her.
She took it from her sister and looked down at it with a frown. The picture had been one of the worst and most embarrassing days of her life. She ran track back in high school, and on the day in question, they had a meet back at the old sports center in Harbor Heights. The track had lines sprayed onto the grassy field, and rain had fallen just over an hour before she was slated to race. She had been confident of a victory, having gone into the two hundred meters as the favorite to win, but just thirty meters away from her victory, she buckled and went sliding over the wet grass, taking down two other runners with her. In the end, she was disqualified, and the race was not run over, leaving many people angry and disappointed with her, especially the two runners she had tripped. As she looked down at the photo that one of her friends had snapped with his camera and given her a printout, much to her chagrin, she couldn’t help but wonder why her father had chosen to keep that photo. Sure, there were others in the album showcasing her many wins, both academically and athletically.
Flipping the photo over, she noticed the writing at the bottom,“a reminder that failure is not permanent. Dad.” It brought a smile to her lips.
“Are you okay?”
Jo turned her head to the side to see Cora giving her an anxious look.
“Mmmhmm,” she replied. “I was just thinking about Dad,” she continued, “and how he never gave up on this place or that one day we would come back, albeit it had to take his life for it to happen.”
“Dad was a proud man, Jo. He didn’t know how to admit that he was sorry, and neither did we,” Andrea spoke up. She paused and looked out at the water, and Jo waited for her to continue. “I feel like I owe it to him, Mom, and myself to make sure that this place carries on the legacy that he put so much of his time and energy into building for his family, for all of us.” At her last statement, Andrea looked over at her sisters with much feeling.
“Yes,” Cora chimed in. “I believe so too, Drea.”
Jo simply nodded in agreement as the three settled into a comfortable silence.
“I like the colors you chose for the inn’s interior, Drea. They really brighten the place and give it a welcoming kind of vibe,” Jo complimented her sister, who had taken on the responsibility of redecorating the inn.
“Oh yeah? You think so?” Andrea asked, pleased by her sister’s approval.
“Yeah. I mean, I know it’s not finished yet, but from what I saw and the discussions I had with Marg about the type of furniture you’re planning to add to the foyer and sitting area, I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”
“See, Cora, it’s not even finished yet, and already the compliments are coming in. Marg said a few of the guests also commented on how much they loved the colors downstairs and that they hoped we would be continuing with the guest rooms as well. I told you it was a good idea.”
At this, Cora chuckled lightly, “Okay, Drea. Your idea was a winning one.”
“So, are there any more plans for renovations or upgrades?” Jo asked.
“Oh, yes. Dad left a ton of things that he wanted to be done. Jamie has completed most of them so far, like the gazebo at the back of the inn, the dock that was raised, a firewood house, and the upgraded rose garden,” Cora informed her.
“Wow, that’s a lot,” Jo mused. “What about the restaurant?”
“Well, nothing more has been done to the space. Maybe you could take a look and make it a project of your own,” Cora suggested.
Jo hesitated to answer. She wasn’t even sure how long she was actually planning on staying there. Her mother’s birthday was just around the corner, and she had given herself until then to make her decision.
“Yeah, maybe,” she answered noncommittally. Andrea and Cora exchanged a look between them that didn’t go unnoticed by her. “Where did you say Mom went again?” she asked, choosing not to comment on the incident.
“She said she was going over to Mrs. Borden’s to play cribbage with a few of her old friends,” Andrea informed her.
