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Katie was sitting at the water’s edge, her knees drawn up to her chin, staring out at the water.
The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the entire beach, and casting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Ariel paused, taking in the beauty of the sunset before she kicked off her shoes and felt the soft, warm sand beneath her feet as she made her way toward the water. The waves were calm, gently lapping at the shore. She waded into the water’s edge as she approached Katie, feeling the coolness of the ocean against her skin.
When she reached Katie, Ariel gently sat down beside her. She said nothing at first, instead choosing to take the moment to appreciate the beauty of their surroundings in silence before she finally spoke up. It was funny, how so many complicated—and sometimes painful—things could happen in beautiful places.
“Katie, is everything alright? Darcy told me you were out here and seemed a little upset…"
Katie let out a long sigh and turned toward her mother. Her eyes were rimmed in red, and her nose was red and swollen. “Connor texted me earlier today saying he can’t hang out for a while," she said sadly as tears began streaming down her cheeks anew.
Ariel's heart sank. She knew how much Katie cared about Connor, and she hated seeing her daughter in pain. She pulled Katie into a tight side hug, hoping to offer some comfort.
"I think we're breaking up. I mean, he didn’t say we were, but—" She put her head on Ariel's shoulder and hugged tight against her mother's body, hiccupping with sobs.
Ariel tightened her arm around Katie and watched the sun drift closer to the horizon in silent despair, searching for the right words. Out in the water, tied up to the small private pier that belonged to Leeside, were the rowboats that Miles had made for Ariel as a gift, and they bobbed cheerfully in the tides, their colorful hulls too bright for Ariel’s despairing mood.
“Honey, I know that it seems bad now, but…”
But before she had a chance to offer what little comfort she could, Katie pulled away from her. She wiped her tears with the back of one hand and glared at Ariel, anger flashing in her eyes.
"You don't understand," she said harshly. "You think I'm too young to know my own heart? You're always telling me what's best for me, but how can you possibly tell me what that is when you don’t even know how I feel?"
Ariel was taken aback by the sudden change in temperament, but before she had a chance to respond, Katie continued angrily, loud enough that seagulls hovering near skittered off at the sound of raised voices.
“Maybe if you spent more time trying to understand me instead of putting all your time and energy into this stupid B and B and this stupid little restaurant, this wouldn’t have happened! I could have met Connor and just been a girl who lived at the creepy old house. But no, you had to push yourself in where you were warned you weren’t wanted, and no matter what happened, you made sure this place opened. So now, Connor’s dad hates you—and I know how he feels.”
Ariel felt her temper flare as Katie listed her faults. “Now wait just a minute,” she said firmly. She grabbed Kate's arm and held it gently but firmly as Katie whipped around to glare at her mother, eye to eye.
“I'm sorry if I haven't been the perfect parent, but you have no right to speak to me this way. You may think that I don't understand your feelings right now, but you obviously don't understand how difficult this endeavor was for me, either. I left Miami where I had all my professional contacts from the last twenty years! All our family resources were used up here, and, yes, all my time was dedicated to making sure everything went forward with the house.” Ariel paused and caught her breath before continuing on angrily. "And despite what seems like failure from where you stand, those sacrifices will pay off someday soon—no one else tells us what to do with our work, our lives. We’re free from that. I thought that freedom would be a gift to us.”
Katie stared back silently at her mother with wide eyes. Tears flowed freely down Katie's face as frustration overwhelmed Ariel.
"Of course I understand, Katie," Ariel said, her voice lowering. "I've been there before, my heart broken, but you don't have to shut me out like this. I'm your mother, and I'm here for you."
Katie scoffed, swiping at her nose, and staring back out over the water. "You think you know everything, but if that’s true, how did you end up divorced from Dad? And why did Dylan dump you back in Miami? And how come,Mom, you’re so scared of what’s going on with Miles and his ex-wife?"
Ariel felt a sharp pain in her chest. "That's not fair, Katie. I may be divorced, but that doesn't mean I don't know what it's like to be heartbroken."
Katie rolled her eyes. "Please. You have Miles. You're happy now, even despite being insecure about him. You don't understand what it's like to be alone and miserable."
Ariel felt another surge of anger. "You have no idea what I've been through."
Katie stood up and faced Ariel, her fists clenched at her sides. "You don't know what I've been through, either! You don't know anything about me!"
Ariel stood and took a step forward, her own anger rising. "You're right, Katie. How completely accurate. I don't knowanythingabout you. All I know is that you're acting like a spoiled brat and treating me like garbage, when all of this has been forus.”
They both stared in mute anger. Ariel’s heart was racing, and she knew that their relationship could be forever changed by the hurtful things they’d said to each other. Katie's outburst had hit Ariel like a ton of bricks. Ariel had poured her heart and soul into the B and B and the Seaside Café, but it seemed like it wasn't enough for her daughter. Ariel felt anger bubble up inside of her, despite her efforts to push it down.
"I'm sorry, Katie," Ariel said coldly, her voice laced with bitterness. "I've done everything I could for you, but it seems like it's never enough. Maybe it's time for you to realize that life isn't always fair."
Katie's face fell at her mother's words, and she kicked at the sand, wiping away her tears. "I cannot believe you," she said, her voice shaking with anger. "You don't understandanything.You're so obsessed with your stupid B and B that you can’t even see how much I'm hurting."
"I'm sorry that you're hurting, but you need to learn to deal with your problems. Blaming them on someone else isn't going to solve anything."
Katie's expression hardened, and she turned on her heel, storming away from the beach. Ariel watched her go, feeling relief overtake her. Shehadput her foot down, and maybe now Katie would learn to appreciate all that Ariel had done for them.
But as Ariel sat back down on the sand, watching the waves crash against the shore, she felt a pang of guilt. Maybe she had been too harsh with Katie. Maybe she hadn't been there for her daughter as much as she should have. Was it too late now? Was the damage done?
Ariel stayed on the beach for a moment longer, lost in thought. Then, remembering Darcy and dinner prep, Ariel walked back to Leeside in silence. She swore that she could feel the weight of Katie's sadness on her own heart.
