An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach #1)(116)

“Then tell me what is.”

“You didn’t love him. They were the ones who loved him.”

“I always loved him, even when I didn’t know him.” She touched his arm.

“That doesn’t even make sense.” He pulled away. “My gram was the best.” He began to cry, and Maggie understood this was not about her.

“I know she was,” she said softly. “Your father told me all about her. How wonderful she was. That she was kind and good hearted and how much she loved you and your sister.”

“I loved her and my grandpa. Why did they have to be taken away?”

She put a hand on his back, and this time he made no move to pull away.

“I wish I had an answer for that. There are so many times in your life when you will wonder why this or why that, questions you may never find the answer to.” She felt like crying along with him. “Jamey, Brett and I don’t want to take the place of your grandparents. We never could, and we would never try to. I know how much you loved them and how much you hurt. We are honored they chose to raise our . . .” She had to say it. He had to know how she felt. “That they chose to raise our son. We just want to have a place of our own in your life and in your sister’s life. We don’t want you to ever forget your grandparents. They loved you. But we want to love you, too. We both hope in time you might grow to like us. But whatever happens, I promise you, I will never try to take your grandmother’s place. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He wiped his face on his bare arm, his nod barely perceptible. They sat in silence and watched the sandpipers run along the waterline and two gulls argue over something one of them had plucked from the sand.

“I’m never going to call you Grandma.”

“I’m never going to ask you to. You can call me whatever you want.”

“Can’t I just call you Maggie?”

“Of course.”

“Are you and Brett married?”

The question caught her off guard. This kid had a lot on his mind.

“No. We thought we would be, long ago, but it didn’t work out that way. I married someone else—Natalie and Grace’s father—and Brett married someone else, too. Alexis’s mother.” Among others, but no need to get into that now. “My husband died a few years ago, and Brett is divorced.”

“So you could be married, if you wanted to be.”

She glanced in his direction. She’d raised two kids. She knew sly when she saw it.

“I think it’s time to get back to the house.” She patted him on the knee. “Your dad is grilling burgers. Are you hungry?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

They climbed down from the stand and walked back to the house.

“What’s everyone been doing?” he asked.

“Making food. Your sister and Daisy are playing hopscotch with Alexis. And Natalie is watching the concert on TV.”

“Oh, yeah. I heard about that. I wanted to see it. Guess I missed it.”

“Talk to Nat. She recorded it. I’m sure she’ll play it for you later.”

“Why’d she record it? She’s like, old, right?”

Maggie suppressed a grin. Natalie—her baby—old? “You know who DEAN is?”

“Sure. Everyone knows DEAN.”

“Well, did you know Chris Dean is from Wyndham Beach? My friend Emma is his mother. He and Natalie have been friends since they were kids. They’re like this.” She crossed her fingers and held them up.

Jamey stopped dead in his tracks. Maggie smiled and continued up the steps and into the house.

Dinner had been loud in a good way, loud in a way Maggie was not accustomed to. Male voices predominated, even though there were only three guys in the group. Owen had arrived with Emma and had taken his turn at the grill while telling the story of how his great-great-grandfather, Jasper Harrison, had brought the carousel to Wyndham Beach for his terminally ill daughter. He’d wanted to do something that would make her happy every day of what was to be a short life, so he’d had the carousel built, and when she died at the age of thirteen, he shared it with the other children in town to keep her memory alive.

“I never heard that story before,” Liddy remarked. “Huh. That’s very cool.”

After everyone finished eating and all hands volunteered in the cleanup, they walked as a group back to the park for the fireworks. They carried blankets on which they sat clustered together, watching the lights in the sky, oohing and aahing at every display, laughing and covering their ears at the loudest booms.

The show ended, and they gathered their things and walked back to Cottage Street, still in a group, still clustered together.

Like a family, Maggie thought as she trailed behind, watching their interactions, listening to their teasing and their laughter. She saw Joe look around, then look behind until he saw her. Then he dropped back and fell in step with her.

“This was the best, Maggie. I don’t know how to thank you . . .” He draped an arm over her shoulders.

“Please.” She shook her head. “I want to thank you for . . .” Her words caught in her throat. “You’ve no idea what you’ve given me. I will never forget this day.”

“This is just the beginning, Maggie. We’re not going away. We’re here as long as you want us.”