Breakwater Bay: A Novel Page 16

  “Or before,” Gran added. “There was something about that woman; they were like oil and water. Good riddance, I say.”

  Meri smiled. Gran always dismissed Jennifer with a “good riddance,” and Meri was inclined to agree with her. Especially after seeing Nora so adamant about not going back. Not whiny or pouty at all, but determined. Should be interesting.

  Sunday morning broke sunny, cool with a hint of breeze. A good day for sailing, Meri thought, a little disappointed that she wasn’t going, too. But Alden was right. Even if she put a bag over her hand, it was stupid to take chances when there was so much work to do. Besides, she had something else she wanted to do before their Sunday dinner.

  “I’d like to see my mother’s grave. Both of them,” Meri told Gran over breakfast.

  Gran nodded and forked a waffle onto Meri’s plate, which was already holding several slices of thick bacon and scrambled eggs.

  “I’ll drive you after breakfast.”

  Meri thought she was perfectly capable of driving herself, but maybe not, and she wouldn’t spurn Gran’s offer, not when things were so tenuous.

  But were they? Hadn’t they already settled back to normal? With Gran feeding her and sitting around the kitchen table just talking, it was like nothing had changed, and yet . . .

  Maybe they hadn’t changed for anyone else. But they had for Meri. She ached for that poor girl who was her mother. Frightened and alone. At least she’d stumbled on the most loving house she could hope for—with the most loving, protective women in the world.

  Meri longed to know her real story. What or whom she was running from. And why. And she might try to find out at some point. But she wouldn’t share this goal with her family. It would be like a slap in the face.

  One thing she did know was that she was going to get a close-up look at her grandparents. Laura hadn’t exactly given them away. And there were several Rochforts in Newport and the surrounding areas. But by the way she described them, Meri knew which ones she and Gran had visited.

  And ironically, they were big historical foundation supporters. She’d probably been to untold fund-raisers and benefits with them. Not with them, she reminded herself. They mingled in the patron circle. Meri was one of the invited artisans who lent validity to the restoration being benefited.

  She wasn’t a restorer for nothing. She knew the necessity of research, and her grandparents should have a chance to tell their side of the story if they wanted it. She knew about them; maybe it would be better to leave it at that.

  And yet, another part of her, maybe the less compassionate part, wanted the Rochforts to know of her existence, to see what they’d missed. And even a smaller part wanted to see just what kind of parents would leave their daughter to be buried by strangers.

  But that was for a later time. Now she was just curious to see the graves of Riley and little Rose; Meri hadn’t noticed them when they buried her mother Laura. She hadn’t seen much of anything that day. She would leave flowers just to acknowledge them, all three of them. They were all a part of her.

  “Can I use your shower before we go? It will be easier than climbing into the tub upstairs.”

  “Of course, but you’ll have to keep your hand dry.”

  Meri sighed. “I know. It’s a pain in the . . . neck.”

  When Meri had blundered through her shower and dressed in clean clothes, Gran had finished washing the dishes and changed into nicer clothes.

  Should we take flowers?” Meri asked as they drove along. Spring was definitely everywhere, the grasses covering the ground with a blanket of brilliant yellow green. The trees were budding, and she could see bits of yellow, white, and purple peeking from the fields.

  “I doubt if we’ll find anywhere to buy flowers without going farther afield than the church. But wait and see what I’ve planted, and then we can drive into Portsmouth if you want more.”

  Gran found a place on the street, and they walked arm in arm toward the Calder plot. It was an old cemetery, surrounded by trees that were just beginning to turn green. Family plots were grouped more or less together across the well-kept grass, the older, rain-stained markers nestled haphazardly among the newer cleaner ones.

  Meri looked across to where the Calder plot sat amid a blanket of daffodils. “Oh, Gran, it’s beautiful. When did you plant them?”

  “Last fall. Alden helped me. I was afraid the squirrels might get them, but they did okay.”

  They stopped at the center marker where Gerald Stillman Calder, the oldest member of the Calder family was buried. And next to him, his wife, Anthea. Meri’s grandfather and Gran’s husband, Cyrus Stillman Calder, was buried to their right.

  Next to him was an empty space, and Meri knew that it was waiting for her grandmother; she hoped that it would still be waiting a very long time to come.

  Meri’s mother, Laura, was next to Gran, and next to her, baby Rose. The smaller marker was a poignant reminder of what her mother had lost. Meri looked at it for a long time, not wanting to rush past the baby whose place she’d taken, and not sure she was ready to face Riley Rochfort, buried among strangers.

  She felt Gran take her elbow and they moved together to look down at the grave, a simple granite cross with Riley Calder carved in simple letters, and the date of her death. Meri exhaled a long breath. She felt odd. A remote, general compassion for the girl, but no sense of family.

  She would bring flowers the next time she came out. The daffodils would be gone by then.

  “That’s so sad,” Meri said. “To be lost and frightened. I’m glad she found you and Mom.” Meri laughed a little, though it was through tears. “I’m really glad she found you.” She looked over the sea of daffodils. “Is there room here for me?”

  “Of course, but you don’t need to think about that for a long, long time to come.”

  Meri hoped that was true for both of them, but you never knew. Her mother already lay there and baby Rose and Riley.

  “Dan bought some space from the Johnstons, next to us. There are only a couple of them left so they didn’t really need the extra room. So not to worry, there will be plenty of room for him and whoever else wants to rest here.”

  “I want to be buried here.”

  “Fine but when you have a husband, you might want to be buried in his family plot. And why are we talking about graves when we should be discussing pot roast and whether you think Nora would prefer biscuits or dinner rolls?”

  The discussion was over and they began walking back toward the car discussing dinner preparations. But before they drove away, Meri took a last look where the Calder plot stood out from all the others surrounded by daffodils. It wouldn’t matter if she finally did marry Peter or someone else. Or if she ended up not marrying anyone.

  She would return here to the Calders.

  As soon as they arrived home, Gran shooed her out of the kitchen. “There is plenty to do later. Take a little rest.”

  But Meri didn’t feel like resting. She wanted to be useful, back at work. Sitting around being waited on was driving her crazy, and she was afraid it might start showing.

  “I think I’ll walk down to the beach and sit for a while.”

  “Good. But take a blanket and a warmer coat. The wind is still sharp off the sea.”

  So wearing a heavy jacket that belonged to Gran and carrying a beach blanket, Meri struck off over the dunes.

  Gran was right. It was a lot colder by the water. But she managed to find a place on the patch of sandy beach that was in the sun and also sheltered from the worst of the wind. She spread out the blanket as best she could and sat down.

  It was low tide and the sand stretched almost to the rocks of the breakwater and the narrow strip of land that connected it to the shore. To the far left she could see open sea.

  Most of the time the water here was calm, the waves gentle, thanks to the buffer of the breakwater. And when the tide was out, they’d spent many a time happily crawling over the rocks in search of tide pools, and crabs, an
d all sorts of wonderful things that sometimes were caught in the crevices. But in a storm at high tide, the waves battered the barrier, and the rocks became treacherous.

  Is that what had happened to Riley Rochfort? She hadn’t really intended to kill herself and her baby. She’d come out here to wait for Katy to be finished at the farm, so she could ask for her help.

  The diary had said the storm came in quickly. Storms often did, not even leaving enough time for you to gather up your things and race to Corrigan House, which was closest. How could Riley know that she would be caught on the slippery rocks? And except for Alden, she might have fallen unintentionally to her death.

  And mine, thought Meri. The truck driver said Riley hadn’t seen him. It was just a horrible senseless turn of fate. Because of parents who wouldn’t even take her back in death.

  And Meri ached for that poor young girl, though strangely enough not as her mother, but as a girl much like Nora, only lost and frightened.

  Meri shivered. The sun had gone behind a cloud and the beach became uncomfortable, but she wasn’t ready to leave. She lay down facing the sea and wrapped the blanket around her.

  The even rhythm of the waves, the shush, shush of water as it rushed up the shore and receded, all combined to calm her, slow her breath until it ran in tandem to the waves. She closed her eyes and just listened.

  Sometime later, she heard the crunch of feet on the pebbles; she yawned, stretched. She must have drifted off and Gran had sent Alden or Nora to bring her home. She started to sit up when the sun was blocked by a shadow.

  Meri squinted up at it. “Did Gran send you to get me?”

  “She said you were down here by yourself. Do you think that’s smart considering your injury?”

  “Peter?” She blinked a few times until her eyes could see him as more than a silhouette. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you, of course.”

  She laughed. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you, that’s all. Sit down.” She patted the blanket beside her.

  He looked at the blanket and looked down at his trousers and sports jacket. Then he knelt down, brushed sand off the blanket, and cautiously sat down.

  “You should have brought a chair down. You’ve probably got sand in your bandage.”

  She looked at her bandage and saw grains of coarse sand stuck on the gauze. “It’s about to come off anyway. Wait a minute. Aren’t you supposed to be at your parents’ house?”

  “I came back early so I could take you back to town.”

  “That was sweet. But we’re having guests for dinner. I was going back afterward.” Actually she hadn’t even thought about how she was going to get back. Alden would probably take her.

  “Your grandmother told me, and she invited me to stay.”

  “You don’t sound too happy. She’s a great cook.” Actually Meri wasn’t too happy either. Alden and Peter at the same dinner table couldn’t be anything but tense. She didn’t get why her father and Alden were so against him. Well, not against him, exactly; maybe they would have felt that way about any man she was serious about. Maybe having dinner together would give Alden a chance to get to know him better.

  “Unless you think you can get out of it. I’d like to get back to town.”

  “I can’t. Sorry. I wish you’d called first.”

  “I did, but you didn’t answer.”

  Because her phone was upstairs by her bed. “Well, I’m glad you came anyway. Do you mind staying? Alden’s daughter just arrived for a visit and Gran invited her and Alden for dinner. I’m kind of like her big sister, and it would be rude to leave.”

  He leaned over her, bracing his weight on his hand. “I guess not, but I want you all for myself. Last bite of dessert and we’re out of here.” He kissed her. Like he meant it, pushing her back onto the sand until his body covered hers.

  He pulled away long enough to say, “Too bad it’s so damn cold. Or I wouldn’t mind staying here for the rest of the afternoon.”

  He kissed her again, braced on one elbow while the other hand slipped beneath her sweater.

  She laughed and pushed his hand away. “Great idea but it’s almost time for dinner. Help me up.”

  Chapter 15

  We’d better take the car,” Nora said. “Meri said she wanted to go back to Newport tonight. I told her you wouldn’t mind driving her. You wouldn’t, would you?”

  “Of course not.” Alden tossed her jacket to her. “Let’s go.”

  “And you really don’t mind if I stay overnight in Newport on Thursday? We’ll be back on Saturday.”

  “I think it sounds like fun.”

  “You won’t miss me?”

  He opened the car door for her. “Of course I will. I always miss you. I’ll live.”

  “If you’d rather I didn’t go . . .”

  “Go. Have fun. It’s four days away; you may be sick of being stuck in the country for that long.” He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. A strange mood had come over Nora since they’d come home from sailing.

  They’d laughed and worked together out on the water, too busy to talk much, but he was sure she’d had a good time. But as soon as they started for home, she’d grown quiet, pensive almost.

  Was she missing her other family? Her other family. He tamped down the anger that could still blindside him at unsuspecting moments. Not because his marriage hadn’t worked out. That had been pretty obvious from the beginning, if only he’d been looking. But that Jennifer gave him two kids and then took them away. No. That he’d let her take them.

  And now Lucas was like a stranger to him. He’d grown from boy to adolescent and Alden had missed it all.

  “Daddikins?”

  “Yeah?”

  The car hit a pothole as he turned onto the car path that joined his house to the Calders and both houses to the county road. “Sorry about that.” He hadn’t been paying attention. He really should come down and fill it in. Hell, he could call someone to come repave the whole damn thing, though a little manual labor would be good for his soul. “What were you going to say?”

  “I was thinking . . .”

  Alden waited, but she didn’t say more.

  A minute later they came to Calder Farm. He stopped in the drive and turned to his daughter, but she jumped out of the car. He got out after her.

  “Whoa, who’s that with Meri?” Nora asked.

  Alden looked toward the dunes and saw Meri walking toward them, hand in hand with . . . “That’s Peter Foley. Meri’s . . .” He hesitated. Boyfriend? Significant other? Fiancé? “Friend.”

  Meri dropped Peter’s hand and waved.

  Alden and Nora waited for them to reach the house. Alden and Peter shook hands, and Nora introduced herself with the first bit of enthusiasm she’d shown since the morning’s sail.

  “Peter surprised me with a visit,” Meri explained.

  “Thought she might want a ride back to town,” Peter said. He smiled at Nora.

  Okay, so he was charming. Alden didn’t trust charming. And neither did Dan Hollis. Alden had to admit, though, Peter had never done anything to trigger their distrust. Maybe it was just jealousy, not wanting to lose Meri from the family fold.

  Peter was a man going places and he would take Meri with him. But he didn’t have an artistic bone in his body. Probably thought Meri would be just as happy decorating their McMansion as restoring a historic building.

  They walked toward the house together. Peter held the door and Meri and Nora entered together, Alden following close enough to hear Nora whisper to Meri, “Hot, hot, hot.”

  They both giggled. Alden felt about ninety.

  If Meri hoped that having Gran, Alden, and Peter together over for dinner would bring them closer together, she gave up hope when Peter announced that he was going to L.A. for an internship.

  “It’s a great opportunity, even though it means being away from Meri for the summer.” He paused to smile at her.

  That at least kept him fr
om seeing her grandmother’s tightened lips and Alden’s raised eyebrows. Nora just looked from person to person, aware that something was going on, but out of the loop.

  Meri sighed. Smiled. “It’s only three months, and I’m really busy with Gilbert House.” She helped herself to another roll even though there was already one on her plate.

  “So then will you be coming back to Newport for law school?” Gran asked politely.

  Meri could tell she didn’t approve of the news. They’d all been expecting Peter to propose this summer.

  “That’s the plan. This roast is delicious.”

  After that, Meri just marked the time until dinner was over. Things had certainly taken a turn for the strange. Hopefully she was the only one who noticed.

  Gran, of course, was meticulously polite and interested in Peter’s every word. Alden was excruciatingly civil, only it came off, at least to Meri, as cold and condescending. Though maybe she only picked up on that because she knew him so well.

  Nora was hyperattentive, trying to look like a poised adult while hanging on Peter’s every word. By the time dessert came, Meri felt like she was watching a one-act play starring her postponed fiancé.

  She watched Peter, too. There was nothing not to like. He was smart, kind, good-looking, and on a career track that would bring security to his family. There was definitely chemistry between them.

  She loved him, although it hadn’t happened at first sight. She’d thought he was kind of arrogant and too self-assured. But she’d gone out with him and they hit it off. And their relationship had grown into something stronger. Not a great passion, but everyone knew how those turned out; just look at Heathcliff and Cathy.

  Peter pressed his knee against hers under the table. He was ready to leave. And it was getting late.

  She pushed her chair back. “I’ll help you with the dishes, Gran, then we’d better get back.”

  Nora glanced quickly from her to Alden.

  Meri knew Nora had meant to discuss her plan to stay with Alden at the end of the holiday, but it would have to wait. “You’re coming on Thursday?” Meri asked.