I almost choked. My whole body turned to ice. I could feel every single person on that beach holding their breath. No one talks to my mother like that. NO ONE. Not even Dad.
And would Tessa back down in the face of my mother’s most terrifying look? (And, whoa, she has a few of those up her sleeve.)
Nope. Not Tessa. She tossed her hair and smiled like she wasn’t even a little afraid. “Vivien was having fun,” she said. “She looked happy. What’s so wrong with that?”
I have never seen my mom so mad. She just breathed in like a dragon about to let out fire and I knew she was holding back the granddaddy of all lectures. The kind that would keep me up crying into my pillow later. But she wouldn’t do it in front of everyone. Instead, she just told me to go inside and change.
My stomach dropped. I ran into the house and didn’t even dare to stop.
But I heard it. As I reached the door, Tessa’s voice, light and fearless as ever: “You should try dancing sometime, Mrs. Lawson. It’s fun.”
Tessa Wylie has a death wish.
And I kind of love her for it.
Someday, I’m going to pay her back for defending me.
Viv
Tessa sat on the back deck, cradling a warm mug of coffee in her hands, leaning into the breeze and the calm before the storm. Not a literal storm, thank goodness. No, the April weather had cooperated nicely for the late afternoon wedding fashion event scheduled to start in a few hours.
Downstairs, on the first floor, there were racks of tulle, lace, and satin lined up, with bedrooms and the bathroom assigned for changing. They’d manage the “runway” from that level. Beyond that, along the boardwalk and onto the beach, the rental company was hard at work setting up tents, tables, and chairs. The flowers were delivered, the caterer was on the way, and Akari would arrive right before the models for hours of preparation.
Right now, everything was so under control that Tessa could relax, finally alone with Mom and Kate on the deck.
Jo Ellen sat beside her, holding her own cup of coffee, her eyes soft with nostalgia as she gazed out at the Gulf.
Her mother seemed older than the last time Tessa had seen her, four or five months ago, and it was clear grief had taken a toll on her. There were shadows around her brown eyes and some deeper frown lines.
She always had amazing hair, but her silvery waves sure could use a decent trim. Tessa picked up her mother’s hand and closed it in her own, hating that Mom had age spots and her wedding ring was loose.
“I know, I know. I need a manicure,” Jo Ellen said. “I always did pink for your dad. He liked that, but…” Her voice faded out.
“I’ll go with you and get one tomorrow,” Tessa said. “We can all go. You up for it, Kate?”
She lowered her glasses to give a “get real” look. “I’m a research scientist in a lab. I think the last manicure I had was…” She shook her head. “Not in recent memory. But Emma lives for them, so take her.”
“I doubt she’ll leave that beach,” Tessa said, jutting her chin to the surf where Emma and Matt were testing out boogie boards Eli had bought for their visit. “They didn’t get out of the water the entire time you were gone yesterday, which was an eternity.”
Kate smiled. “Mission accomplished, though. Jonah slayed his interviews.”
Nolie’s squeal of laughter floated up from the beach as she ran with Aunt Pittypat through the surf, never more than ten feet from Emma, who she’d attached to the minute they’d arrived. Little fair-weather friend, Tessa thought with a smile.
Crista and Anthony sat side by side on a blanket, watching their daughter, their heads close in conversation.
Tessa still didn’t know what the outcome of Crista’s pregnancy test had been, or if she had taken one. But she and Anthony seemed like a nice couple, and he’d been over the moon when Nolie had read for him.
“Destin was always magical, especially in the mornings,” Jo Ellen said with a bit of melancholy, pulling Tessa from her thoughts. “One of my favorite things to do here was wake up before anyone else and drink my coffee on the beach.”
“I like evenings,” Kate said, glancing at the water. “Sunset is so beautiful, and I love walking after dinner. I missed it every day in Ithaca.”
Tessa glanced at her mother, finally releasing her hand. “It’s funny how the magic never wore off. Coming back here, almost fifty years old now, it’s still just as special as it was when I was thirteen.”
Jo Ellen sighed, her gaze still locked on the horizon. “I suppose it was the way everything felt…possible here. Like life could be exactly how you wanted it to be, even if just for the summer. There were no pressures, no expectations, just the beach, the house, and all of you running wild, making memories.”
Tessa hesitated, her fingers tracing the rim of her mug. So far, the subject of the Wylies’ falling out with the Lawson family had been easily avoided, especially with Kate and Eli gone for an extended time in Atlanta.
But before Kate had left, Tessa had a few moments alone with her sister.
