An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach #1)(88)

“And I need to get to the art center.” Emma, too, rose, and eased Daisy onto the floor. “Natalie, you should sign up Daisy for the children’s classes. We’ll be starting in another two weeks.”

“If we’re still here, I’ll definitely do that,” Natalie assured her.

Maggie walked her friends to the front door to see them off. They’d arrived together in Emma’s car, but Liddy chose to walk. She wants to go past the bookstore, Maggie thought. It’s too early for it to be open, but she just wants to see it and know it will soon be hers.

She closed the door behind her and went back into the kitchen, where Grace and Natalie were discussing their plans for the day.

“I think I’m going to play with a potential website for Liddy’s bookstore,” Grace was saying. “It might take a while to get the look right, but I can at least set up the platform.”

“I didn’t know you knew how to do that,” Natalie said.

“Oh, sure. I took a class in college, and at the firm we had a really good IT guy. He showed me how to do all sorts of different things.” Grace rolled her eyes. “And we all know what I did with that information.”

“Ah, yes. My sister the blog star.”

“I can almost laugh at that now. Almost,” Grace said.

“Whatever happened to your blog anyway?” Natalie asked.

“The FBI took it as evidence against Amber.”

“Do you miss it?”

Grace shrugged. “Sometimes I wonder how some of the women are doing, but all in all, not so much. I don’t really need it anymore.”

Maggie listened to the exchange as she cleared away the abandoned coffee mugs. Good for you, Grace.

“Mom. I owe you an apology.” Grace touched Maggie’s arm. “I am very, very sorry. The only thing I can say in my own defense—not that there is a defense for the way I spoke to you last night—is just that I was so shocked. I’m still sort of in shock, actually, and to be honest, I still don’t know how I feel. I’m still trying to work my way through the fact you didn’t tell us until you had to. I mean, if Joe hadn’t contacted Natalie, would you have ever told us?”

Maggie answered as best as she could. “I don’t know.”

“Well, regardless of how I feel, I shouldn’t have said the things I said.”

“Yes, you said things I wish you hadn’t. I’m not going to say I wasn’t hurt. I was. But at the same time, I do understand you’d been totally blindsided. I get it.”

“I acted like a total brat. Especially after you were so kind and good and nonjudgmental when I screwed up so badly you had to sell Daddy’s law firm.”

“Don’t carry that guilt for too long, Gracie. I may have sold it eventually, who knows? Your situation merely served as a catalyst to get me off my duff so I could move forward with my life. I doubt I would have taken even one step forward if I’d stayed in Bryn Mawr, in that house.”

“I think you would have found a way. You’re resourceful and smart, Mom.”

“I don’t know. I was in such a rut. The house had too many memories. I think over time I’d probably have adopted about twenty cats and had my groceries delivered so I never had to go out again.” Maggie watched Daisy dig into her dry cereal. “Don’t you want milk or maybe some strawberries with your cereal?”

“I like it like this.” Daisy grabbed a handful of cereal from the bowl and ate it one piece at a time.

“Okay.” Maggie ran her fingers through Daisy’s long blonde hair and smiled. Having her only grandchild with her made her happy. It reminded her that regardless of what had happened in her past, she’d made the right decision to marry Art. It was through him she’d had these two girls—trying and contrary, even occasionally bratty. But she loved them with her whole heart. And through Natalie—thank God Nat was braver than her mother had been and had kept her child!—Maggie had this wonder of a girl to love and watch grow. This was her reward for having survived her life’s storms.

And now life held one more plum: her son was being returned to her. The reunion could very well be painful, but she felt certain it would be worth it.

Bring it on.



Maggie struggled with the email to Joe all day and well into the night. She wrote and rewrote, deleted, and started over more times than she could count. After another sleepless night, she forced herself to sit at her laptop and write what was in her mind and her heart.

Joe:

I’m sure by now you know I am the woman who gave birth to you and terminated my rights to you in favor of your adoptive parents. I never knew their names or where they lived. The only thing I knew about them was that the adoption agency thought they were the best people to raise you and that they wanted you very much. I’m sure you have questions after all these years, and I’d be happy to meet with you.

She struck that last part.

. . . and I’d very much like to meet with you whenever you like.

She paused and considered replacing that with “as soon as possible” but didn’t want to put pressure on him.

Thank you for reaching out to Natalie, and to your father . . .

She added “birth” before “father.”

. . . and eventually to me. All my contact information follows—please feel free to contact me when you feel the time is right.