When Brandy returned with the water, Ginger rose and took her to one side. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately? It seems our friend has some information for you.”
“Sure.” Brandy furrowed her brow with concern. “I have a small office in the back.” She led the way.
Ginger clasped Holly’s hand. “Marina and Kai, you two should get started with your stylists. They’re on a schedule.” With Holly beside her, she followed Brandy.
Brandy opened the door and showed them into the small room. She leaned on the edge of a desk that held a computer, stacks of paperwork, and professional magazines dedicated to haircare and wellness.
“You seem shaken,” Brandy said, inclining her head. “Should we call a doctor for you?”
Holly shook her head. She seemed to struggle to find her words.
“Then what’s this all about?” Brandy asked.
Ginger put her arm around the younger woman. “Holly is a very special, talented young woman that anyone would be lucky to have in their family. Being naturally curious, Holly took a DNA test.”
“Wait a minute.” Brandy’s lips parted, and her entire demeanor shifted as she leaned forward. “Are youthatHolly? My sister?”
“I-I think so,” Holly replied, looking shocked at Brandy’s knowledge. “I mean, I’m pretty sure, if you trust DNA.” She drew in her lower lip, looking hopeful.
Brandy let out a little cry and clasped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, my goodness, it’s really you.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “You look just like our mom. I’ve always wondered where you were and if you were okay. You were just a baby when everything happened.”
Brandy held her arms wide, and Holly fell into her embrace. Both women cried with joy.
“Who would have thought?” Ginger said happily, choking with emotion as well.
Watching these two lovely young women reunite, she sent up a silent prayer of appreciation. Unwittingly, she had also played a part, she realized. What if she hadn’t asked Holly to stay with her? None of this might have happened.
Listening to them, Ginger pieced together the story as it tumbled out. They had different fathers who both disappeared, and their mother had a severe nervous breakdown. Unable to care for her young daughters, she relinquished control of them. The sisters were split apart, with both going into foster care.
“Eventually, I was adopted,” Brandy said. “You were barely a year old, so you wouldn’t have known I existed, but I remembered you. I tried to find you once, but they said you’d left foster care with no forwarding address. Since we had different last names, it was like people forgot we were related.”
“I always felt like I belonged somewhere else,” Holly said.
“You belong with me now,” Brandy said. “Where are you living?”
Holly explained that she lived with different friends and traveled the market circuit for arts and crafts. “I can hardly believe I found you in Summer Beach. I thought you were in Los Angeles. I was on my way there when my car broke down.”
“This is where we lived as a family,” Brandy said. “That’s why I returned to Summer Beach. I thought if you ever looked for me, you might start here. Besides, it’s such a sweet town with the kindest people. Like Ginger.”
“So I have been here before,” Holly said in awe, turning to Ginger. “How could I have remembered?”
“The mind and memory are more powerful than we know,” Ginger said, embracing the two young women. “What a wonderful second chance life has given you.”
“This is the best Christmas gift I could have imagined,” Brandy said. “Now, I want to pamper my sister. You’re going to have the works today—whatever you want.” She clasped Holly’shands. “Stay with me, too. I have a guest bedroom that can be yours for as long as you want. Forever, I hope. We have so much to talk about.”
Ginger nodded at Holly. “I’ve loved having you in my home. But this is the season for catching up with family.”
As she watched the two women walk arm in arm from the office, Ginger marveled at the synchronicity of life.
And who knew? Maybe Ethan and Holly were meant to meet this Christmas as well. Ginger smiled and closed the door behind her.
This was the way of things in Summer Beach. New faces arrived to open new chapters of life, while others left for adventures. Life here was like the ebb and flow of the ocean, ever changing, always in motion.
Ginger could hardly wait to see Oliver this evening to tell him what had happened.
10
Ginger tucked her hand through the crook of Oliver’s arm as they walked along Main Street, admiring the holiday decorations.
