The Seashell Promise

Chapter 3

Janey Forsythe stood on the dock, watching the ferry come toward her. Her anticipation climbed as she’d been waiting for weeks for her children to arrive.

Both Rachel and Cole should be on this ferry, as they’d both texted on the family thread that they were. Her heartbeat pounded the same way the rain hit her heavy-duty umbrella, and she wished it wasn’t raining so hard today.

A microburst had just arrived on the island of Nantucket, along with the ferry.

“Do you see them?” she asked Sean, who held the oversized umbrella above them.

“They don’t even have it tied yet.” He chuckled, but Janey pressed her fingertips together, trying to get her thoughts to align across her brainstem. Her therapist had taught her the exercise, and Janey often crossed sides of her body to try to quiet her thoughts.

She felt so much better than she had in months—probably since her mother had died last spring. She hadn’t quite mastered everything at her job at the law firm where she worked, but she had a comfortable role there. It helped that her boyfriend was her boss and very forgiving. Sean had been willing to teach her any technical, lawyerly terms she’d needed to know, and Janey had enjoyed getting to know a lot of the permanent residents on Nantucket.

“Have you thought any more about moving in with me?” he asked now, startling Janey.

She dropped her hands and tucked them into the pockets of her windbreaker. “Of course I’m thinking about it, Sean,” she said. “I don’t think now is the best time to bring it up.”

“Okay,” he said. “It’s just been a few weeks, and I thought of it, because both of your kids live with their partners.”

As if Janey didn’t know. Rachel and Travis had gotten engaged a couple of months ago, and Janey had spent quite a bit of her off-the-clock time talking to her daughter about wedding plans.

Rachel wanted to get married in the tulip gardens at Holland Hollow, one of the largest flower fields and greenhouses in New Jersey. Janey hadn’t been surprised by that in the least, because she’d taken her kids to Holland Hollow every year as they grew up.

She hadn’t been a super-great mom, but she’d tried. Married and divorced twice, and then quite the stretch of being single now. She’d had boyfriends on and off, sometimes more than one at a time.

Those days were behind her, as she’d learned so many things in the past several months. About herself. About others. About how to have a healthy relationship.

Cole and his girlfriend, McKenna, had been together for years. Janey had no idea if they’d talked about marriage or not. They lived in Atlantic City, where Cole worked at a private marina, helping to guide the yachts and boats of the rich and famous into place.

He then detailed the vessels while their owners dined at the luxurious, seaside restaurants, or went to the nearby spas, or simply took their children to the private beach.

Her son made quite a bit of money with the work, and he’d said the tips were unbelievable. Janey knew he made enough to keep him in Atlantic City and at the job for the longest he’d ever kept the same one.

Her son hadn’t excelled in high school, and college had intimidated him to no end. He’d entered the work force as an assistant to a chef, and he’d liked it. But something had happened that he still hadn’t told her about entirely, and he’d left that job after only eight months. Janey had a suspicion that he’d been fired, but he’d never admitted it. Sometimes her son was still a mystery to her.

“There she is,” Janey said, almost darting out into the weather. The ferry station had a covered walkway from the watercraft to the building where one could buy tickets. She and Sean could’ve waited indoors, but she wanted to see her children the moment she could.

“Rachel,” she called, lifting her hand high above her head. Her daughter shielded her face from the driving rain, the path soaking wet as the wind pushed it under the covering.

Behind her, her boyfriend, Travis, towed a rolling suitcase and wore a backpack. Janey’s heart expanded at the sight of them, love thrumming through her with every step they took.

“Mom.” Rachel ran the last few steps to her, and Janey flung her arms around her daughter. She was rail-thin, with long, almost white-blonde hair. She usually wore it in waves that spilled over her shoulders, but today, it had been pulled back into a messy ponytail.

They clung to one another, and Janey only released Rachel in order to hug Travis. “Can you believe your flight was delayed so much that you’re on the same ferry as Cole?”

“We sat forever at the airport,” Travis said, his hug strong and sure.

Janey stepped back, a sting pricking her stomach as the warmth of Sean’s body reminded her that he hadn’t met anyone yet. “Rachel, Travis.” She cleared her throat. “This is my boyfriend, Sean Masterson. He owns the law firm where I work. Sean, my daughter Rachel, and her boyfriend Travis.”

“Fiancé, Mom.” Rachel grinned.

Janey sucked in a breath. “I can’t believe I didn’t get that right.” She shook her head, embarrassment streaming through her. “We’ve been talking about the wedding every day for two months.”

She looked at Travis. “I’m sorry, Travis.”

He chuckled and tugged his suitcase out of the way as people kept streaming by. “It’s fine, Janey. You have a lot going on.”

“Not that much,” she said just as a man called her name. She turned back toward the ferry, spotting her tall, thin son easily.

Her mother-heart had never been so full of joy, and she took a few steps toward Cole. “My goodness,” she said. “You cut your hair.”

“He earns more in tips now,” McKenna said, stepping into Janey at the same time Cole did. The trio embraced, and Janey held them so tight, one under each arm.

She breathed in and out, and said, “Oh, I missed you guys so much.”

“Miss you too, Momma,” Cole said, and McKenna echoed him.

She stepped back and looked at them both with adoration. McKenna had pulled her dark hair back on the sides, and her wide, brown eyes glinted with happiness. She wore a nose ring and false eyelashes, and Janey thought she was simply perfect for her free-spirited son.

“How’s the jewelry-making?” she asked. “Did you sell out at the early holiday fair?”

“I have four pieces left,” McKenna said. “It was unbelievable. I told Cole I’m doing that fair every single year.” She glanced behind her, and Janey returned to Sean’s side.

“Guys, this is Sean Masterson, my boyfriend. Sean, Cole and McKenna.” This time, she didn’t include any qualifiers. She didn’t need to. She’d told Sean all about her kids.

Cole wore a wary look in his eye, and Janey didn’t blame him. She’d put that anxiety in his attitude, and she hated herself for it. She hoped this holiday weekend would be good for all of them, and she hoped to be able to speak to her children one-on-one in order to heal any cracks, crevices, or crannies that existed between them.

Mostly, she needed to make sure she had done everything she could to heal herself, and her therapist had encouraged her to go through a similar program that alcoholics did. She needed to face herself and the things she’d done wrong, then try to make them right.

“Are we ready?” Cole asked after shaking Sean’s hand. “It’s pouring, and I’m freezing.”

“You need to add some body fat to your frame,” Janey said, grinning at him. She turned and laced her fingers through Sean’s, glancing up at him. He wore a smile too, and he never seemed to get ruffled by anything.

The six of them headed for the van Janey had rented when she’d learned they’d be on the same ferry, and everyone loaded their luggage into the back of it.

Cole gave an audible sigh when he got in the back seat, and Janey flipped on the windshield wipers before pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the Point.

“I hope the rain lets up,” Rachel said. “I want to see all the things you’ve told me about.”

“Let’s see what the weather will be,” Sean said, swiping on his phone.

“Looks like rain today and tomorrow,” Cole said from behind her, and Janey glanced in the rearview mirror to see him checking his phone too.

Sean lowered his without saying anything, and the tension in the van skyrocketed, at least for Janey. It suddenly felt like Cole was going to compete with Sean for everything, and Janey wanted to diffuse the situation.

She didn’t know how, and it wouldn’t help anyway. Sean looked out his window, and Janey put a smile on her face. “Did you figure out the cake, Rach?”

“Did you not get the pictures I sent?”

“No,” Janey said, meeting her eye in the mirror before focusing on the road again. Water sluiced off of it, and she too wished it wasn’t raining quite so hard. There was so much to see from downtown Nantucket to the Point, and she wanted to show her kids the magic of this place.

She wanted them to have a fantastic experience here, the way she always had.

“I’ll resend them,” she said.

Janey wouldn’t be able to see them right away, but it didn’t matter. She’d gush over them at the cottage.

“Aunt Tessa made Gramma’s clam chowder for your welcome meal,” she said.

“Is Matt coming?” Cole asked.

Janey shook her head, a twinge of sadness pulling through her. “No,” she said. “He’s been dating this woman, and Aunt Tessa said it’s gotten pretty serious. They’re going to her parents’ for Thanksgiving.”

Cole nodded and looked out his window. Janey and Tessa had gotten their kids together as they grew up, but she hadn’t anticipated Cole to ask about Matt, his only cousin. They hadn’t exactly been best friends, especially for the past several years as they’d graduated and moved out of the house. She’d be sure to tell Tessa, as it would probably make her happy.

Tessa had really been searching for a way to be happy, especially now that her divorce was final. She’d struggled with that more than she’d anticipated, and Janey had assured her that her emotions and reactions were normal. Expected. Worth feeling and experiencing and examining.

Janey swallowed, because these next few days should be filled with festivities and fun. They would be, if she knew Julia and Maddy, who were hosting dinner at The Lighthouse Inn. Tessa also had plenty of food planned, as did Helen, who would be catering brunch on Friday morning from the bakery she owned.

She hadn’t told her children about her half-siblings. They didn’t know that the man they’d called Grampa wasn’t bound to them by blood.

At least Ryan wasn’t coming for the holiday. She had pictures of her with him, and she’d tell her kids before they left on Sunday morning. They would have to decide what to do with the information, the same way she had. The same way Ryan Harper had.

She reminded herself that both Rachel and Cole were adults now, and they had to learn how to deal with adult situations.

She’d just pulled up to the bright blue cottage that bordered the beach when her phone rang. Cole opened his door to get out, and everyone followed him.

Janey reached for her phone and saw Julia’s name on the screen. She hesitated, but her children had busied themselves with their luggage. Even Sean had gotten out to help the kids, and Janey swiped on the call.

“Hey,” she said, keeping her voice low but hoping it came out bright enough too.

“Hey, hi,” Julia said, which was Janey’s first clue that something was amiss. Julia spoke in doubles whenever she was nervous. Janey hadn’t known her long, but they had been spending more and more time together, getting to know one another. Julia had shared quite a few stories of her childhood, and Janey had too.

They’d both had good lives, and Janey hadn’t felt like she’d missed out on something by not knowing that Ryan Harper was her biological father.

“Where are you?” Julia asked.

“I just picked up my kids,” Janey said, watching Rachel make a dash for the steps that would lead to shelter and safety. “We just got to the cottage.”

“Okay, good. They made it okay?”

“Finally,” Janey said. “Rachel and Travis’s flight had some major delays. I had to rent a van since they all came in at the same time.”

“A van is a good idea for the weekend,” Julia said.

Surely she hadn’t called to talk about this. “Yeah,” Janey said. “What’s up, Julia?”

She exhaled, another tell of her nerves. “Okay, I better just spit it out.”

Yes, she better. Janey said nothing, because Julia could derail at any moment, for any reason.

“My mother and father are coming for dinner on Thursday,” she said, her voice even and polished, like a newly laid hardwood floor. “It’s one night. A few hours. I didn’t know how to tell them no.”

Janey’s mind raced. She opened her mouth, but her brain didn’t provide any words to her vocal cords.

“I’m sorry, Janey. You and your kids are still welcome, of course. I spoke to my mother, who asked to come. I couldn’t tell her no. I’ve been texting Dad, and he said we should let you decide how you want it to be handled.”

askedHow she wanted it to be handled? She had no idea what that even meant.

“So…” Julia let the word hang there. “How do you want to handle it? Do you want to tell your kids? Just have me say they’re my parents? I mean, they are my parents…”

areJaney stared out the windshield, the scene in front of her blurry and warped because of the rain. She felt like everything wavered the way it did through the rivulets on the glass, and nothing in the world would ever be solid again.

“Janey?”

“I don’t know,” Janey said. “I’ve got a couple of days, right?” She flinched as Cole slammed the back of the van and hurried toward the cottage too. Janey was now alone, and she thought about what Helen had said about finding new strings to keep her tethered.

She’d really been trying to do that, but it suddenly felt fruitless, like a fight she’d have to endure every single day and she’d never be able to win.

“Sure, yeah,” Julia said, using the doubles again. “Let me know.”

“I will.” Janey lowered the phone and let her half-sister hang up. She stayed in the silent van, two options in front of her.

She could start up the vehicle and drive away. Just go around the whole island and ignore her phone until she knew what to do.

Or, she could go inside and blow up everything by making a couple of announcements.

She took a deep breath, her mind flowing through several scenarios.

Then she got out of the van and headed for the door.