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“No, it’s fine. It’s not that heavy,” she assured her.
With that, Jo pushed the side door open and entered the dining room. She walked toward the foyer separated by the columns and the arched open doorway. She passed the stairs and came upon the center table with the ceramic vase in the foyer. She remembered Andrea had broken it, but all three sisters had glued it back together. Although they hadn’t done that great of a job, the fact that it was still the focal point of the table warmed her heart in that it was kept there after all these years. It was as if the history of her childhood years had been preserved with how many things remained the same, unchanged— like her bedroom, the old swing out by the oak tree a few feet away from the house, and the markings on the height chart displaying the last height recorded for each sister by the wall across from the stairs. An appreciative grin graced her lips as the nostalgia overwhelmed her.
Jo left her luggage at the foot of the stairs before heading to the kitchen to grab a glass. When she made it back outside, everyone was seated in their original positions once more. Jo reached for one of the empty bamboo chairs and placed it beside Andrea’s.
Andrea lifted the bottle of merlot and poured it into Jo’s waiting glass until it was half full. She smiled with gratitude at her sister before raising the glass to her lips.
“So, what have I missed?” she asked after taking a few sips of the alcoholic beverage.
“Well, Jamie is finally finished with the gazebo behind the inn, and it is beautiful. The dock is also finished, and you won’t believe this, but he restored Dad’s old boat. It looks so brand new and sleek,” Cora gushed as she filled her sister in about the changes that had taken place since her return.
“Sounds like someone is a huge fan of the man’s work,” Jo mused as she noted how excited Cora sounded talking about Jamie.
“He’s a great contractor and a good man,” Cora continued to say.
“And boyfriend, don’t forget to add that,” Andrea added with a smirk.
“Drea,” Cora jumped in with a look of warning.
“What, are you two an item now?” Jo said in surprise.
“We’re dating,” Cora confirmed. “But we decided to take it slow,” she hurried to add.
“That sounds wonderful, Cora. I’m happy that you’re putting yourself out there again. You deserve to be happy,” Jo assured her sister.
“Thanks, Jo.” Cora looked down at her sister with a smile. Jo returned her smile.
A peaceful quietness fell over the women as they looked out into the dark of the night, sipping their refill of wine. Their mother had only had a few sips on account of the medications she was on, but the others indulged heavily in the fruity wine. Now and again, the conversation would pick up before dying down again. Such was the cadence of the evening.
Becky, Aurora, and Andrea decided to call it a night, but Jo and Cora remained out on the porch, not ready to head inside.
“I sold my house,” Jo confessed, turning her head to look at her sister, gauging her reaction.
Cora stared bug-eyed at her sister. “That was… unexpected,” she replied cautiously. “What made you sell?”
Jo turned away from her sister’s searching eyes. “I needed to. With Charles and Nicholas gone and Tracy starting school and her new life… it just didn’t make sense living there all by myself,” she explained. “Not with all the memories…” she softly added before bringing the wineglass to her lips and finishing the drink in one gulp.
She heard the chair beside her slightly creak before her sister’s warm fingers intertwined with hers and squeezed in reassurance.
“I’m sorry you had to go through it all by yourself, Jo. I wish I had done more, reached out more, and come around more. I want to be here for you now, any way you need, just tell me, and I will,” Cora expressed, her tone pleading as the guilt from not being there during those hard months for her sister plagued her.
“Thanks, Cora. It means a lot to have you in my life again. Especially now,” Jo reassured her sister. “I just need to stay here for a while until I can decide what it is that I want to do next.”
“You know this is always your home, Jo, and whatever you decide, I’ll always support you. Maybe you can take a few days to go swimming, boating, hiking… whatever it is you need to do to take your mind off everything and just relax until you figure out what you want to do. It’s okay to take your time. We’ve all gone through some major transformations this year, but I believe that it will get better,” Cora encouraged her sister, squeezing the hand she held once more.
Jo looked over and gave her sister another grateful smile. “So, Mom’s birthday… Andrea told me that you wanted to continue the tradition that Dad started. What are your plans?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Oh, yeah, but I also want to make it better, you know— a huge family affair,” Cora said.
Jo reached for the merlot and poured herself another drink.
