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CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
CHARLOTTE
Over the next few days, they all tried to make the vacation time pleasant for Brent and Emma and their parents. Granny Liz especially enjoyed having Henry and his family at the cove and worked hard to put together family meals, including Charlotte as often as possible.
Amby finished painting the new sign for the Inn, and Charlotte was as thrilled as her cousins about the new look. It symbolized all the things they’d done to refresh the Inn.
Charlotte kept busy redesigning the Inn’s website. When she wasn’t doing that, she worked on information for Family First. She loved being in total control over her projects and setting her own timeline for completion. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of setting up her own company.
Shane left to go back to Miami to take care of business with the promise that he’d return the next day. Though she missed him, she thought it was wise for him to focus on something besides the emotions surrounding his mother’s death.
Henry and Savannah left for a day trip to visit their friends in Sarasota, and Brent and Emma went sailing once more with Eric. This time Livy went with them, and Brooke stayed behind to work at the Inn.
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The next day, Charlotte was surprised when Henry requested to extend their stay an extra two days.
“Not a problem. We’ll take care of it,” Charlotte said, pleased. She loved having him around. He was a calming influence.
When Shane called later that day, he said, “I’m done with my meeting. I’m on my way.”
“I’m glad. We’re having dinner at Mimi’s house tonight.” Mimi was Dylan and Grace’s grandmother and a terrific cook.
“All right. I’ll see you when I get there.”
Charlotte decided to ask Livy to trim her hair. Then she and her cousins spent rare time alone doing their nails, chatting and laughing like old times. Charlotte realized how she’d come to count on them to fill her life with their friendship. Their mothers might not be close, but she and her cousins more than made up for it.
When Shane returned, Charlotte was ready to greet him with a shorter hairstyle, freshly painted nails, and a new sundress.
“You look terrific,” said Shane when he came to Gran’s house to escort her to Mimi’s. He swept her into his arms.
She relaxed against him. It felt so right to be with him.
He held out his elbow. “C’mon, I’ll walk you across the lawn. We don’t want to be late for one of Mimi’s meals.”
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Dinner at Mimi’s was as delicious as expected. She served cold poached salmon with a creamy dill sauce, crisp, cold snow peas, a green salad, and blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. Dylan was out of town at an art show, but Grace and her wife, Belinda, showed up at their grandmother’s. Charlotte was happy to spend time with them catching up. And, as always, she enjoyed Shane’s family. Mimi and Henry talked about old times when he was a kid spending time at the cove. Brent and Emma listened to all the stories with interest, occasionally teasing their father.
“I’d like to come and stay at Granny Liz’s next summer,” Brent announced. “Eric thinks I can get a job at one of the nearby marinas.”
“Seems promising, but we’ll have to wait and see,” said Savannah. “You might want to do an internship in Shane’s office or help Austin with a computer project. I think there will be lots of opportunities for that.”
“We can talk about it,” said Shane. “You might be a big help with Family First.”
“Knowing Brent, he’s going to change his mind a million times before deciding,” said Emma. “Me? I know I want to be a nurse.”
“You’ll make an excellent one,” Savannah said, winking at her. “Think of all the help you’ve given to your dolls over the years.”
Everyone laughed, and Charlotte was struck once again by how easily the family got along. She’d been guided from an early age to understand her place was in New York in a productive work environment until a man came along to maintain the rich lifestyle her mother thought she should have.
After dessert, the family disbanded. Henry, Savannah and the kids wanted to take a swim in the pool at the Inn, and Austin had plans. Charlotte thanked Mimi for a delicious dinner and accepted Shane’s offer for a walk on the beach.
It was one of those Florida nights Charlotte had come to love. An onshore breeze swept away the heat of the day, the moon added a golden glow to their surroundings, and the water continued to caress the shore and move away in a comforting rhythm as old as time.
Shane took her hand as they walked along the water’s frothy edge resembling a white lace fringe against the dark water.
She looked up at the sky. Stars twinkled against the black backdrop, and she wished she could stretch on her toes, reach up to gather them, and hug their brightness to her.
