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“You go, girl.” Alice grinned at Mandie. “I’ve been trying to get them to get along all summer.”
“Sorry, Mandie,” Ginny said.
“It’s fine.” Mandie sliced through a chunk of watermelon like it was anything but fine. “I’m just sick of it.”
“Kelli,” Kristen said. “Shad. Did you guys go to Bell Island today?” She stepped into Kelli and gave her a quick hug.
“No,” Kelli said. She exchanged a quick glance with Shad and slipped her arm through his. “Shad ran the half-marathon on Diamond, and we stayed there for breakfast.” They’d then gone to Rocky Ridge and spent a few hours with one of his co-workers. They had a huge house overlooking the black-sand beach, and Kelli told herself the extra exposure to the sun had definitely drained her.
She gave Kristen a smile and moved to say hello to Alice and then Jean and Clara. She stood next to Jean and nudged her. “Do you have time for lunch this week?” She smiled at her. “Or next week. We can ask AJ too. I know she’s doing more freelance stuff now.”
“Yeah, sure,” Jean said. “My sewing lessons aren’t going this summer, but the Seafaring Girls are starting up again.”
Kelli nodded and said, “I’ll talk to AJ.” She looked past Jean to Clara. ‘How’s the inn coming, Clara?”
The woman quickly swallowed her mouthful of soda and nodded. “Good,” she said with a smile. “Will Bridge finally agreed to build up the dock again and add a ferry that will go back and forth.”
“He did?” Kristen asked. “When did he do that?”
“Today.” Clara started to laugh, and Kelli could feel her joy as it filled the room. It was nice to see and hear, because Clara had seemed so miserable since she’d moved to the cove over a month ago.
Her husband stood over by the sliding glass door that led outside with Arthur, and he’d always been personable and warm. Duke was in Alaska, and perhaps that was why Robin was being so loud tonight. She hated her husband being gone, and maybe the holiday had triggered an extra dose of missing him.
Clara continued to detail how with the ferry services restored, she’d be able to get restaurants to come to the inn. She’d be able to hire people and they’d be able to get to work. She laughed and kept popping chunks of pineapple into her mouth as she talked.
Kelli liked being involved in her happiness, and she certainly didn’t have anything to add to the conversation. She noted that Eloise and her family hadn’t arrived yet, nor had Laurel and Paul or AJ and her people.
“Knock, knock,” someone called, and Kelli turned as Tessa Simmons and her boyfriend came into the house. Kelli smiled at her and moved to embrace her. “Hey.” Tessa smiled as they separated. “Shad, how are you?”
“Good, good.” He hugged her too, and they both faced her boyfriend.
Tessa jumped to attention. “Guys, this is Abraham Sanders. Abe, these are some of my new friends here on the island. Kelli and Shad Webb.”
“Great to meet you,” he said, and he had a quick smile and bushy eyebrows that reminded Kelli of her grandfather. He put off a good air, and she shook his hand and welcomed him.
“I mean, it’s not my house.” She smiled over to Robin. “It’s Robin’s. She loves throwing a good party.”
“Who wants a red, white, and blue drink?” she called in that moment. A swell of voices filled the air, and Robin grinned around at everyone. “Girls, let’s get them made.”
She really was on something tonight, but Kelli had never known her to be anything but responsible. She joined Robin and her girls at the island in the kitchen and watched as they poured a cranberry-watermelon drink into the bottom of a glass filled halfway with ice.
“Then,” Robin said. “You pour in a little bit of heavy cream. Just a little. Right down the side.” She demonstrated it, and the white liquid sat on top of the red.
She put down the carton of cream. “Then, Sprite.” Mandie handed the can to her, the top already popped open, and Robin poured it in. “And Gatorade Zero.” Her younger daughter, Jamie handed her that bottle, and Robin topped off the cup with the blue liquid.
It really did stay separated, and for some reason, the red, white, and blue drink made Kelli grin and grin.
“Non-alcoholic,” Robin called. “Everyone can have one.”
Kelli joined the fray of people making the drinks, and she took one to Shad and then Tessa and Abe before she made one for herself and joined them in the quieter corner of the living room. Charlie slouched on the couch nearby, his attention on his phone even after Alice brought him a festive Fourth of July drink.
Kelli cheered when Eloise, Aaron, Billie and Grace arrived, and she couldn’t help noticing the glow that accompanied Laurel when she arrived with Paul. The house seemed to swell with friendship and love, and Kelli was so glad to be part of it.
She sipped the last of her drink and looked around the room. Robin laughed too loud—that meant something was up. Something she was trying to cover up.
Alice seemed more subdued, and that was usually never good either. The year she’d gone through her divorce, she’d wasted away, physically and emotionally. She was so much better with Arthur, and he never got too far from her. He leaned down and spoke quietly to her a couple of times, and Kelli wondered what that was about.
AJ and Matt arrived after Scott, Aaron, and Mandie had gone into the backyard to start grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and they didn’t have Asher with them. She raised her eyebrows and moved toward AJ. “Where’s your boy?”
