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Jo’s heart broke for Marg. She understood the feeling of helplessness. She watched as the woman sat on one of the sofas and released a heavy sigh.
“I just need to be here, Josephine. I need to take my mind off everything,” she expressed.
“I understand,” Jo replied, taking the seat opposite her. “I just wish there was more I could do to help.”
Marg reached over to take her hand in hers. “You’re understanding and offering to help is enough,” she said sincerely.
The two sat and chatted until Jo’s time was finished. She left Marg to finish out the day and headed for home.
Ten minutes later, Jo was at the house. Laughter coming from the back caught her attention, and so she decided to detour there. She found her mother, Jules, Tracy, Aurora, and Erin sitting on the back porch. The girls were all engrossed in whatever Becky was telling them, and no one saw her approaching. She took the time to observe her daughter laughing along with her nieces, the usual tenses she had felt since she arrived on the island were gone, and her face lit up, reminding Jo of her happy-go-lucky daughter, who was able to smile in the midst of adversity.
Becky was the first to acknowledge her approach. “Hi, sweetie. How was your time at the inn?” she asked as Jo ascended the three steps.
“Hi, Mom, it was good. A couple checked in this afternoon, and I helped them get settled,” she informed her mother before placing a kiss against her temple.
Straightening up, she looked over the girls who had smiles, except for her daughter, whose lips were set in a thin straight line, her eyes wary. Catching her mother’s eyes, she quickly looked away. Jo felt her heart constrict with fear.
“How are you girls doing?” she asked, forcing a smile.
“We’re good, Aunt Jo,” Erin replied. “Grandma was just telling us stories about you and Mom and Aunt Drea,” she further explained.
“All good things, I hope.” She turned to her mother with a knowing smile, appreciative of the fact that her mother was filling in the girls on their history as a means of drawing them closer.
“All good, I promise,” Becky replied.
From the corner of her eye, she could feel her daughter’s stare.
“Where are Cora and Drea?” she asked.
“They’re inside preparing dinner.”
“Okay, let me pop in really quick and see if they need any help,” she said before making her way through the back door.
She found Cora removing a tray of baked chicken from the oven. Andrea stood by the kitchen sink cleaning and chopping vegetables.
“Seems like you guys have everything under control,” she spoke, making her presence known.
“Hey, how was your day at the inn?” Cora greeted.
“It was fine,” she replied simply. “Need any help?”
“Not really,” Andrea answered this time. “Everything’s almost done. We’re just about to set the table, plus you must be tired.”
“I’m okay,” Jo replied. “I’ll just head back outside and make sure Mom doesn’t tell the girls anything embarrassing about us.” She slid off the stool and made her way toward the back door. She halted in surprise to see her daughter by the door.
“Hey, sweetie, are you all right?” she asked, approaching her cautiously.
“Can we talk? In private,” her daughter requested.
“Oh… sure,” she agreed even as her heart rate accelerated. “Let’s go for a walk,” she offered, leading her daughter back through the door.
After letting her mother and nieces know that she was going for a walk with Tracy, the two made their way down to the sunken patio and took the pathway that led toward the dock. Jo rubbed her sweaty palms against the fabric of her jeans, her nerves getting the better of her the closer they got to the dock. When they finally made it, she went to the end of the dock and sat on one of the Adirondack chairs. Her daughter followed suit and sat in the chair opposite hers.
As the two continued to sit in silence, looking out at the water, Jo took the time to admire the pinkish-orange hue of the sky heralded by the sun slowly disappearing below the horizon while the water shimmered from the last burst of brightness.
“Mom, I need to ask you something, and I really need you to be honest with me,” Tracy finally spoke, breaking the silence between them.
Jo schooled her face to remain stoic even as her heartbeat tripled its normal rate.
