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“After everything you did for us growing up, Miss Jeanette?” Franny giggled. “It’s the least we could do. Honestly, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I would have had a childhood.”
“And Dad was never there for me,” Carmen added, still squeezing her mom tightly, “even though he was the one that was home all the time. Seriously, Mom, we wouldn’t have made it without you.”
Jeanette felt a lump of emotion form in her throat as she heard this, and kissed them both on the top of the head.
“You two should head to bed,” she said, her voice a little shaky. She pushed at them lightly, sending them off to bed as if they were once more eight years old instead of twenty. Both of them said goodnight one more time as they headed down the hallway toward their bedrooms, leaving Jeanette alone in the living room.
The moment she heard their bedroom doors close, Jeanette felt the tears she’d pent up starting to fall. She found the wine bottle that only had a few sips left in it and upended it into her glass before stepping out onto the balcony off of the living room. She was greeted by a gust of warm August air, and she felt comforted by its playful nature.
Twenty years.Not just of marriage, but of her career. And now both were gone, lost on the same day. How? And why? She’d been an amazing worker for the agency and an amazing wife. There was nothing or no one who could tell her otherwise. And yet, she’d lost them all the same.
Jeanette had had her suspicions about Daniel, sure, just like she had had her suspicions about her job. Unlike her, he struggled to keep a steady job. There was always something wrong with every place he was hired at. The pay wasn’t good enough. The work conditions weren’t suitable. They made him wear a uniform. Endless reasons. Then a couple of years ago after he’d quit his last one, he decided he didn’t need to work anymore. Their house was paid for, and with Jeanette’s retirement and small trust, it just wasn’t necessary.
She’d thought it odd that he would want nothing to do all day but wait for her, but at first, she’d found it sweet. Then he stopped answering the phone if she called during the day. And sometimes, when she came home, he wasn’t there and wouldn’t be home for another few hours. Still, nothing could have prepared her for what she had walked in on. Seeing that stripped something away from her, something she wasn’t sure if she could ever get back.
Daniel had fought to keep her from leaving. He had begged, pleaded, and offered to go back to work—especially after she’d taken his name off of her bank accounts. And that was how she found out about his other little issue. If he wasn’t cheating, Jeanette discovered that he was gambling. According to him, he wasn’t bad, but things were starting to turn slightly south for him.
Jeanette realized then and there that her finding out about his cheating had actually been a gift from the universe. Daniel had been planning to start using her hard-earned money to fuel his habit, and she knew that they could never reconcile. Even if he never cheated again and went cold turkey with the gambling, she’d always fear when he’d start again.
Stop crying,she told herself internally, brushing away her tears.
“It’s time for a fresh start,” Jeanette said aloud, peering over the mass of illuminated buildings of the city set against the dark blue night sky. She raised her glass to the view, toasting it goodbye, and drained her wine glass in one gulp.
Back inside, she snuggled up on the couch she’d been sleeping on the last few weeks and pulled the thin blanket up to her chin. As she willed herself to sleep, she whispered a new little mantra to herself.
Tomorrow is the beginning of something bold. The start of something new. Tomorrow is when I feel strong again. I am bound and determined to make this work for me. And I will not fail.
2
Jeanette stepped into the Boston airport, a little tipsy. She’d done her best to avoid an alcoholic breakfast drink, but then the lure of mimosas became too strong. She was trying to tell herself it was a mistake. To drink so early in the morning was obviously a cry for help. Or at least that’s what she used to think. But in truth, the bubbly orange juice had helped tamper down her anxiety and even made her a tad giggly.
“Jeanette! Jeanette! Over here!” a familiar and beloved voice called through the sea of people.
She pushed gently through the mess of bodies, heading toward the voice, and a huge smile broke across her face as she spotted Whitney and Amanda. They hadn’t changed much since she’d seen them last. They still shared a startling resemblance to their mother. Sandy blonde curls, bright blue eyes with long eyelashes, and pronounced noses speckled with light brown freckles.
She remembered the three of them playing in the corner of their great-grandfather’s wheat field, using sticks as swords to rescue the princess trapped in the wheat monster’s dwelling in the center of the field. They had been so young then. So innocent and naive. And then the real world hit. And they all discovered that their fellow man could be worse than any made-up monster they conjured.
“Hi!” Jeanette squealed excitedly. Her purse strap fell down to her elbow as she opened her arms, and the three of them embraced tightly.
“You look so great, doll,” Whitney praised, giving her another squeeze before taking Jeanette by the shoulders and holding her back so she could look at her. “I see you’ve escaped the gray hair curse as we did.”
Jeanette laughed as Amanda threw her arm around her shoulders and they began to walk to baggage claim.
“So far, yes, but only time will tell,” she replied, looking back and forth between them. “Oh, I can’t believe it! We’re together again!”
Once more the three of them converged on one another for a group hug, annoying the travelers milling around them. Together they fished out the two bags Jeanette had checked, and then the three of them talked excitedly as they made their way to the ferry. She’d heard a little bit about what was happening at The Sea Glass Cottage through their phone calls, but now that they were together, Amanda and Whitney filled her in on more information.
She discovered The Sea Glass Cottage had fallen into despair a few years ago, but when the pandemic hit, it had really taken a plunge. With no constant flow of guests, there was no money for repairs, and one by one they had to shut off the rooms to make ends meet. Then, when Aunt Miriam lost her battle with cancer, her will had revealed a pleasant surprise among the gloom of her passing. She’d left her girls a small fortune, along with a request to return The Sea Glass Cottage to its original glory.
So far, they’d paid for work to renovate the outside of the bed and breakfast. A new roof, siding, and porch had replaced the rotted-out and dangerous planks that had once been there. Work was currently being done on the windows as well.
“We’ve been really blessed,” Amanda explained as the ferry sailed into the dock. “Jason has been a real gem in helping us find great contractors who don’t charge an arm and a leg, though I’m not sure if he’s doing that for our benefit or his.”
“Who’s Jason?” Jeanette asked, following them off the ferry.
“You remember Jason,” Whitney replied cheerily. “His daddy used to be the sheriff’s deputy.”
Jeanette balked, memories flooding back to her.
