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“Mom.”
“Yeah?” Ariel stuck her head back inside the room.
“You can leave that open.”
With a nod—and feeling hope flood her heart—Ariel swung the door wide again before turning and jogging lightly down the stairs.
***
To Ariel’s surprise, Katie suggested waterskiing at the marina for their outing. Ariel, although a bit hesitant, was willing to give it a try. They packed their swimsuits, towels, sunscreen, and headed out for a day of fun.
Once they arrived at the marina, Katie eagerly signed them up for a waterskiing charter. As they put on their life jackets, Ariel felt her nerves flare at what was to come—Katie had often skied in Miami, but Ariel hadn’t had time to join her because of the demands of her old position at Opulent Ice corporate. Something nagged in Ariel’s mind at that—that Katie was asking Ariel to make a day of something that Ariel had so often neglected to do with Katie back in their old life.
Katie was already in the water, patiently waiting for her mom to join her. Ariel took a deep breath, settled her skis, and held onto the rope. With a little help from the instructor, she was up and skiing!
As they both enjoyed the thrill of the ride, Katie cheered Ariel on.
“Mom! Keep your arms straight and lean back a bit more to avoid sinking. And make sure you keep your skis parallel to each other!”
Ariel corrected her form, and she rose higher on the water, skimming across like she was floating on air. “Whooo hooo!” she shouted, somehow managing to grin while the salt water sprayed back at her. They continued skiing for a while, soaking up the sun and enjoying the beautiful scenery around them.
After an hour of waterskiing, Ariel and Katie were both exhausted but exhilarated. They made their way over to the boardwalk, feeling the sun on their skin and the wind in their hair. The smells of cotton candy and fried food wafted towards them, making their stomachs growl. Ariel was thrilled when she saw Katie's eyes light up.
“Mom, can we get some food?” Katie asked, pointing towards the carnival food stands.
“Sure, what do you feel like having?” Ariel asked.
“Corn dogs!” Katie said with a grin.
Ariel couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's enthusiasm. It was something she had sorely missed over the past few days. They made their way over to the stand, where they ordered two hand battered corn dogs, a couple of lemonades, and a massive order of curly fries. They sat down at a picnic table overlooking the ocean, enjoying their food, the salty breeze, and the sound of the waves crashing.
After her first bite, Katie said, “No offense, but this is almost better than your food.”
Ariel smiled. “It’s pretty darned good. I think there’s honey in this corn batter. And I’m glad you're having fun, Katiebug.”
Katie hesitated for a moment before finally looking up at her mom. "Mom, I have to tell you something. Something really bad."
Ariel's heart sank at the tone of Katie's voice. " You can tell me anything."
“Even after I said all those mean things to you on the beach?” Katie asked, her eyes filling.
“Of course,” Ariel said. “Honey, I know you didn’t mean any of that.”
“I did mean some of it,” Katie admitted, swiping at her eyes. “I mean, the stuff about feeling like you were paying more attention to the house than me. But it wasn’t fair to yell at you. And I know that Leeside is your job now, and how hard it was to get it up and running. You worked really hard.”
Ariel scooted to Katie’s side of the table.
“And back in Miami, with your old job, I hardly saw you. Now, I see you every day, and you’re there when I get up, and when I go to bed, and I can go to the Seaside and get fries anytime I want. It’s your dream, but it’s also a dream for me—to have you around so much. So, I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”
Katie choked back her tears as she admitted, “That day, before you found me on the beach, Connor didn’t just text me that he wanted to take some time apart.” Her voice was shaking. "I found out that he's been seeing another girl."
Ariel felt her stomach drop as she processed what Katie had just told her. She had always liked Connor and had thought he was good for Katie, but it seemed that she had been wrong—and Ariel immediately thought of how she’d felt back in Miami, when her old boyfriend, Dylan, had moved on and broken up with Ariel over text message.
"How did you find out?" Ariel asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
And did Richard Stanton have something to do with this?
"One of my friends saw him with her at a party," Katie explained, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "He tried to deny it at first, but I just couldn't believe him. And that made it even dumber that he was so jealous over me talking to Darcy—Connor was the one seeing someone else.”
