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“I’m sure she would love to hear from you, even if it was about that.”
Bethany Baldwin’s face flashed through Aria’s mind. In the image, she smiled gently at Aria before turning back to face her father, Kenny. She was always in support of Kenny. Always, Kenny came first.
“Whoever my mother was back in the nineties, she doesn’t exist anymore,” Aria said simply. “Bethany Baldwin is now exclusively the wife of Kenny Baldwin and the mother of Natalie and Gregory. She has no time for beautiful things like art, design, or silly seaside cottages filled with secrets.”
“How do you know that?” Cole asked.
Aria stood and brushed herself off, eyeing the debris that remained in the house. More than anything, she wanted to escape this conversation.
“Let’s keep working for a little while and then grab a pizza,” she suggested. “I’ll buy.”
Cole followed Aria back into the cottage, wordless. As Aria continued to work, she felt his eyes burning into her, as though he struggled not to say something that was heavy on his mind. But before he could, Aria turned on the music and played one of his favorite songs, which he began singing along to, almost without thought.
ChapterSeventeen
The Remington family was always there for one another, no matter the season. Even though Carmella and Elsa were still barely speaking, Carmella put on a pair of shorts and a tank top and met Elsa and the rest of her family at the Remington House. It was a sweltering day in June to move the last of Elsa’s things down to her new place with Bruce, but it had to be done.
Elsa was a mess, to say the least. As Carmella entered, she threw herself forward to hug her, saying, “It feels almost as hard as when I moved out to live with Aiden so many years ago. So much has changed, but so much has also stayed the same.”
Carmella laughed as Bruce entered the room, smiling at Elsa, who was heavy with tears.
“I told her she doesn’t have to move in with me,” Bruce said. “We just had all those builders come and create the very best and dreamiest house we could have ever imagined, but if she wants to stay here in her childhood bedroom, that’s fine with me.”
Elsa swatted Bruce playfully and sniffed at Carmella as Janine, Henry, Mallory, Mallory’s boyfriend, and David entered to carry boxes and furniture. As they went out, one after another, Carmella was reminded of last year when someone robbed the Remington House to get back at Aiden, a man who’d died and didn’t care about belongings anymore.
Carmella carried a box of books to Bruce’s truck, positioning them next to a big bookshelf and a box marked “clothes.” As she turned back to retrieve more items, Bruce stopped her and spoke under his breath. “Elsa has been so broken up about this situation with your mom.”
Carmella’s stomach twisted. “I wanted to tell her the truth.”
Bruce nodded. “She knows that. And she’s working hard to accept it. I just wanted you to know that.”
Carmella’s throat was thick with tears. She hurried past Bruce to grab another box, then followed after Henry and Janine as they piled a bedside table onto the truck. Very soon, everything Elsa wanted to bring was secured back there, and Bruce and Elsa piled into the front and waved.
“Everyone! Barbecue at our house in an hour,” Bruce announced. “I have beer, wine, and enough chicken to go around. Bring anything else you might want. Let’s christen this place!”
Carmella texted Cody about the spontaneous family party, and he wrote back that he’d bring Georgia and Gretchen very soon. Afterward, Carmella, Nancy, Janine, and Mallory collapsed in the kitchen to drink water, listening to the house as it creaked and groaned around them.
Recently, Mallory had moved in with her boyfriend, who’d taken on the role of “stepfather” of Zachery fluidly. Mallory and her boyfriend were adorable, holding hands when they could and speaking as though nobody else in the world existed.
Carmella met Cody, Georgia, and Gretchen down at Elsa’s new house, which was half the size of the Remington House, perfect for a couple in their forties prepared for the second half of their lives. Elsa greeted them joyfully. She’d changed into a beautiful blue summer dress and walked them through the house, pointing out the tiles in the bathroom and the cabinets she liked in the kitchen. When they reached the back veranda, Bruce was at the barbecue, already flipping chicken like his life depended on it.
“It looks like you two already belong here,” Cody said.
Elsa laughed as she set the outdoor table, her eyes alight. A moment later, Cole appeared on the back porch, smiling at his mother. “All the boxes are in your bedroom,” he explained as he cracked a beer.
“Thank you for doing that,” Elsa said. “Carmella, if you ever need someone strong to lift stuff around your house, Cole’s your guy.”
Carmella blushed, remembering that Cole had spent a great deal of the past week at the seaside cottage, clearing debris and clutter with Aria. Cole sipped his beer, giving Carmella a funny look, saying nothing.
Everyone else arrived in groups: Janine and Henry, Nancy, Mallory, her boyfriend and her son, Maggie, David, and Alyssa. Carmella put Georgia down for a nap and sat out on the back porch, where the air sizzled with expectation. There was something about the first night at a new place— something that set the stage for the rest of the time there.
“I think we should make a toast,” Nancy said, raising her glass of wine. “To Elsa and Bruce and their amazing new chapter.”
Everyone else followed suit, raising their glasses so that they reflected the orange and pink glint of the sunset. Elsa blushed and kissed Bruce gently, her engagement ring displayed prominently as she squeezed his bicep.
Not long after that, Bruce’s partner at the law office, Susan Sheridan Frampton, arrived with her husband, Scott. They’d brought a bottle of wine and a beautiful plant as a housewarming present, and they smiled and greeted everyone as they sat at the picnic table. Carmella was in awe of women like Susan, who were so driven and business-oriented yet also seemed to balance their family's needs with their needs.How did she do it?
As Susan, Bruce, and Mallory discussed the Sheridan Law Office, Elsa squeezed Carmella’s arm and tilted her head toward the house. “Can I show you something?”
