Chasing Abby(49)

That’s when I remember something someone once told me when I was a bit scared of the roaring surf at this beach.
“A good friend of mine once told me to pay attention to the rhythm and movement of the water. Once you figure out the pattern, it’s not so scary.”
I hold out my hand to her again and I’m surprised when she takes it. We head for the water, her in her shorts and me in my knee-length skirt. But the moment the water touches her feet, she yelps.
“Oh, my God. Something touched me!”
I chuckle as a piece of seaweed washes ashore next to her foot. “It’s just seaweed. Are you okay?”
She laughs and steps away from the limp sea plant. “I’m fine.”
We take a few more steps, until the water kisses the hem of my skirt. She yelps a few more times when some more seaweed gets tangled on her ankle. And I have to admit that I’m almost glad for the seaweed when she grabs onto my arm with both hands, as if I can protect her from the slimy plants.
With each tiny wave that crashes into our legs, I see her relax a little more. Until finally, she’s gazing at Junior and Caleb, who are about twenty yards farther in, and she smiles. “This is beautiful.”
“This is yours, for as long as you want to stay here.”



Chapter 20 - Chris


RYDER AND I come home to find everyone, except Jimi, sitting in the living room watching TV in their pajamas. They’re all sporting damp hair, which tells me they must have gone to the beach then showered. Claire smiles and jumps off the sofa to greet us at the door. Caleb quickly removes his arm from around Abby and stands up.
“Do you need some help?” he offers, and I try not to look annoyed when I nod.
It makes no sense for me to be upset that Caleb is so important to Abby. It’s not as if he’s taking my little girl away from me. She was never mine, until she showed up at my house yesterday morning. I just can’t shake this feeling that she’s only here temporarily. And if she’s sitting there, curled up on the couch watching TV, it should be my arm around her. Caleb will probably always have her, but this may be my only chance.
Once we get the groceries inside, Claire takes the pillows upstairs to get the freshly laundered linens on Abby’s bed in Jimi’s bedroom. Abby, Caleb, Ryder, and Junior head back to the living room to finish whatever they were watching, but I stop Caleb before he can leave the kitchen.
“We need to talk. Come with me.”
Abby and Ryder look over their shoulders at Caleb as they continue toward the living room, both of them wearing a look of pity for poor Caleb. I watch as Ryder seizes the opportunity to sit next to Abby on the sofa and the sight takes my breath away. I might as well be dreaming. None of this feels real. Well, except for the unfortunate conversation I’m about to have with Caleb.
“Come on,” I beckon him as I head toward the door on our right. The library.
The beach house isn’t big enough for a studio, so I had the acoustic insulation installed inside the walls of the library and this is where we keep the baby grand piano and the guitars. I shut the door behind Caleb as he enters and his eyes are wide as he looks around the room.
Three of the four walls in the library are covered from floor to ceiling in bookshelves, which display Claire’s enormous collection of books. The outside wall has two large bay windows with bench seats for reading nooks. The portion of wall between the two windows is covered in frames displaying gold and platinum albums. Right in front of that wall is the baby grand piano. Off to the left is a mahogany leather sofa; to the right are two leather armchairs. In the corner is a display of five different guitars on stands.
“This is amazing,” Caleb remarks as he’s pulled toward the guitars. “Is that a… Is that a ’68 Stratocaster?”