The Summer We Started Over, page 27
“Don’t worry about money. I’ll take care of us.”
“I suppose, but I want to do my share.”
“We’ll sort it out,” Jeff said. He put his arm around Eddie’s shoulders. “We can do it all.”
* * *
—
The house was quiet. Eddie checked that the doors were locked and went upstairs to bed. As she passed by Dove’s room, she heard coughing. She hesitated by the door, wondering what she should do.
“Eddie?”
She opened the door and looked in at Dove. The other woman was sitting up in bed, holding tissues to her mouth.
“Dove. What can I get you?”
“Mommy’s coughing,” Bobby said, and Eddie realized the little boy was still awake, and frightened.
“It’s just a cold,” Dove assured him. “But, Eddie, I wonder if Bobby can sleep with you tonight. I need to take some cough medicine, but I don’t know how soon it will act, and Bobby’s so sleepy.”
“I’d love to have Bobby sleep with me tonight.” Eddie went to the bed and sat down next to Bobby. She was surprised when the child reached out his arms to her and easily moved with her when she pulled him onto her lap. She held him close.
Dove coughed, caught her breath, and said, “I’ve been telling Bobby that you love him as much as I do. And I have this bad cold. Maybe Bobby should sleep with you from now on.”
Sorrow tugged at Eddie’s heart. She managed to say, “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Is that okay with you, Bobby?”
Bobby nodded his head, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. “Okay.”
“Can I get anything for you?” Eddie asked.
“No, thank you,” Dove said. She held up a prescription bottle. “I have what I need right here.”
Eddie said, “Good night, Dove.”
She stood up, cuddling Bobby close to her. His head was heavy and hot. She managed to leave the room and pull Dove’s door shut. She slid into Barrett’s room.
“Sssh,” she said to Bobby. “Barrett’s sleeping.”
She laid the child down on her twin bed and carefully slipped in beside him, snuggling him close. She was surprised at how little room he took. Grateful for the air-conditioning, she pulled a sheet up over her shoulder and tucked it around Bobby. She tried to stay awake, but the sweet sound of his deep breaths, accentuated by an occasional little snore, lulled her into sleep. When she woke, it was morning.
nineteen
Eddie was taking homemade cinnamon buns out of the oven when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Skipping and jumping—that was Bobby. Progressing more slowly—that was Dove.
“Oh wow, cimmamom buns!” Bobby yelled.
Eddie smiled. She was beginning to see why women liked to cook and bake.
“They’re still hot, so you have to wait a minute,” Eddie told the little boy.
Bobby threw himself on the floor and cuddled with Duke, who vigorously licked Bobby’s face.
“Is that okay?” Eddie whispered to Dove.
Dove nodded. “The experts say it’s all okay for little kids. It gives them immunities.”
Eddie made coffee for them all, put out plates and knives, and they sat at the table.
“How do you feel?” Before Dove could speak, Eddie said, “Tell me if you get tired of hearing me ask how you feel.”
“I slept really well,” Dove told her. “I’d like to go out to Miacomet again today, and Eddie, I’d love it if you could come with me.”
“We can absolutely do that.”
“Also…I wish Barrett could come with us.”
“Where are you going?” Barrett entered the room, dressed for her shop in a navy dress with white trim.
“I want to take Bobby out to Miacomet again. He loves the pond and it’s not so crowded as other beaches. I think it will be a good place to talk.”
“I can talk anywhere!” Bobby informed them.
“I’d like to go, too,” Barrett said. “Let me see if I can get Janny to work this morning.”
Janny answered her phone by screaming out, “Are you kidding me?”
“Janny?” Barrett flashed an amused look at Eddie and Dove.
“Who do you think you are, dumping my brother like that? I’m never coming near your pathetic little shop again.”
Barrett held the phone out so the others could hear Janny ranting about how wonderful her brother was and how fortunate Barrett had been to have him even speak to her and she was not spending one more minute in that stupid little shop.
When Janny stopped to catch her breath, Barrett said, “Do you want to pick up your last paycheck?”
Janny burst into full force sobbing. “How can I care about money when you’ve broken my brother’s heart?”
“Janny, I haven’t broken Drew’s heart. Maybe I hurt his pride, but you know he’s going to find another woman, someone of his…” Barrett remembered the word Janny would appreciate. “…caliber.”
“I don’t care. I hate you.” Janny clicked off.
Eddie poured her sister more coffee. “Goodness, Barrett, I had no idea that you and Drew were so involved.”
“We weren’t so involved,” Barrett said. “Whatever, I have to open the shop this morning. I’m sorry to miss out on going to Miacomet with you all. Can we all talk again this evening?”
“Of course,” Dove said.
“Of course!” Bobby echoed.
* * *
—
Eddie, Dove, and Bobby arrived at the beach in the middle of the morning, so only a few families were there. They made their small nest near the freshwater pond. Bobby allowed his mother to smooth sunblock over his pudgy little body. Then he took his red plastic pail and his blue plastic shovel and began to dig holes in the sand. Quickly he was lost in his own little adventure of exploration.
“Bobby seems content with his own company,” Eddie remarked.
Dove agreed. “He can lie on his stomach, studying worms and beetles, or on his back, gazing up at the clouds and naming them.”
“He’s got a little Stearns in him,” Eddie suggested.
“He’s got a lot of Stearns in him.”
Eddie scooped up a handful of sand and watched it trickle through her fingers as she spoke. “I’ve talked to Jeff about Bobby. Jeff is almost finished building his house, and there will be a bedroom for Bobby, if that ever becomes necessary.”
“It’s not if, Eddie. It’s when. I’d like to have a talk about all this with you and Jeff and Bobby. This week, if possible.”
“Well, I’d like to make a doctor’s appointment for you,” Eddie said. “Maybe you’re being overly pessimistic.”
“Eddie, look at me. My kidneys are shutting down. My liver is hardly functioning. I’ll be lucky to last until October.”
“Okay, then,” Eddie responded, almost angrily. “Let’s talk about that. When will you have to go into the hospital? Do you want hospice to come? Do you want to…to say goodbye to Bobby?”
“I’m experiencing signs that my physiological systems are shutting down. Eventually, I won’t be lucid. After that starts, I don’t want Bobby to see me any longer. Not in that state. I’ve talked to him every day about how I’ll leave soon to go on my trip. Before that happens, I want him to spend time with you and Jeff, as much time as possible.”
Sobered by her friend’s honesty, Eddie said, “Okay.”
“And I will see a doctor. I need to make arrangements. Probably this week, if possible,” Dove said.
Eddie grabbed Dove. “Oh, shit! Really?” She was shocked at how thin Dove’s arms were.
They felt like bones without flesh or muscles. She carefully released her.
“Really.” Dove remained matter-of-fact. “We need to see a lawyer, and we need to go to a bank. I need to transfer some money into your account.”
“We don’t need your money,” Eddie protested.
“Children are expensive,” Dove said. “Think of it as a college fund. Stearns created a video game called Tag the Bag. A company named Vegas Video bought it for five hundred thousand dollars. Your brother named me as the recipient of all proceeds, and there are a lot of proceeds. I’m going to sign it over to you and Barrett. I’ve done most of the paperwork. I just need to have it finalized.”
“This hurts my head,” Eddie moaned.
“I know. But I’ve done almost everything.”
Eddie said, “Dove, how can you be so calm about this? If Bobby wasn’t here, I’d be screaming and pulling out my hair.”
Dove smiled. “I did plenty of that when I was first diagnosed. I’ve had months to accept it and I know why this is happening. I had almost a year of serious boozing after my parents lost their house. For two years after Bobby’s birth and Stearns’s death, I lived on Scotch, bourbon, gin, the hard stuff, while my kind aunt and uncle took care of my baby. They can’t continue to do that. They have their own health problems. So yes, I have cried. I regret what I’ve done to my body, but honestly, I’m too tired to cry anymore. I only care about Bobby. I want him to be okay with this. He’s young enough to forget me. I want him to feel completely at home with you and Barrett and Jeff, too.”
“But what can I do?” Eddie implored.
“Exactly what you’re doing,” Dove told her. “In fact, I need to lie down for a while. Keep an eye on Bobby.”
As Dove slept, more people came to the beach, with coolers of food and rubber doughnuts and fluorescent swim noodles and other beach toys. A little girl asked Bobby a question, and soon they were holding hands as they waded into the clear shallow water of the pond.
* * *
—
The next day the air hung around the island like damp gauze. The wind was gone, allowing the humidity to settle and stay. Eddie and Bobby carried more boxes of books to the barn and arranged them on the shelves. Then Bobby sat at the children’s table in the barn while Eddie waited on the occasional visitor.
They were surprised when, around noon, Jeff drove up in his Jeep. Bobby ran out to greet him and insisted on carrying Jeff’s backpack to the barn.
“What’s in here?” Bobby asked as he set the pack on the table. “Can I see?”
“Let me catch my breath,” Jeff said.
Duke came hurrying into the barn, tail wagging, and even the horse swung her head around as far as it would go so that she could watch them.
“What am I?” Jeff asked. “Santa Claus?”
Eddie grinned. “Sometimes.”
Jeff sat on the big cracked leather chair and Bobby squeezed in next to him.
“Okay,” Jeff said. Unfastening his pack, he reached in and pulled out a leathery pig’s ear. Duke danced and whimpered with delight, gently grabbed the snack, and ran off to lie under a tree to gnaw on it.
Jeff took out an apple and handed it to Bobby. “Want to give this to the horse?”
“You’re in a good mood,” Eddie said as they watched Bobby and the horse.
“Max said to take the afternoon off. Brukacher, the silicon tsar, hasn’t paid his bills for the massive amount of work we’ve done building his house. He keeps changing his mind. Now he wants a bowling alley in his basement, but he owes us a pant load for work we’ve already done.”
“So, you dropped in with a bag full of apples and dog bones.”
“Oh, more than that. You’ll see.”
Bobby returned, wiping horse drool onto his shorts. “She licked me!”
“Well, Bobby, I’ve got a couple of things in here for you.” Jeff brought out a packet of Oreos. “Hang on, don’t open them yet. I’ve brought you something else. Something every boy should have.”
Carefully, Jeff lifted out a large, brightly colored box of Legos. He put his hand on Bobby’s shoulder. “Bobby, you’ll be living with Eddie and me now, in a house I’m building, and I’m a builder, and I’m going to teach you to how to build a house. Let’s go over to the table and build something.”
Bobby followed eagerly and they settled to play.
Eddie went to the stand to check her emails. It was all she could do not to throw herself on Jeff, telling him how wonderful he was to spend time with Bobby, to bring Legos to Bobby. She heard Jeff quietly explaining what to do, and she heard Bobby’s giggle when he’d made a tower. Duke lay beneath the tree, gnawing on his treat. The horse stood at the fence, leaning her head over, keeping an eye on the action.
It can happen, Eddie thought. Misfortune, craziness, and madness could happen. But so could kindness, optimism, and courage. On the spur of the moment, she called her sister.
“Hi, Barrett, just checking in. Are you okay?”
Barrett sounded happy. “I am. Paul is going to call later. We’re talking about other small sculptures he could make for the shop.”
“Cool. Tell him I said hello. I’ll talk to you later.”
After a while, Eddie went into the house to make lunch, and brought lemonade and sandwiches out to the porch. Even in the shadow, the heat and humidity of the day was oppressive. Duke slept under the tree, one paw on his pig’s ear. The horse had retreated to a shady spot and stood with her head stuck into the bushes.
“Eddie, can I go inside and watch television?” Bobby asked.
“Sure,” Eddie said. “Take your plate and glass in, please. Put them by the sink.” She watched Bobby make his way into the kitchen. “Jeff, is there anything else you want?”
Jeff looked at the window. He saw Bobby walking out of the kitchen toward the den.
“There’s a lot I want,” he said quietly. He angled his chair around so he could face Eddie. “I want to make a difference in that child’s life. I want you to believe we could have a happy child ourselves. I want you to stay on the island. I want us to be a family. I want to marry you. Soon.”
Eddie’s heart flipped like a kite in the wind. She put her hand on her chest. “I want that, too.”
Jeff looked solemn. “But? Do I hear a ‘but’ tagging along? But you don’t want to leave Dinah? But you aren’t sure you want to have children? But you don’t like the thought of living on the island year-round?”
He looked serious, and worried, as if he expected Eddie to run away again. She flung herself off her chair, landing on her knees on the floor, reaching up to take Jeff’s hands in hers.
“I want to be with you. I don’t want to leave you or the island or Bobby. I want to marry you and I’ll marry you as soon as you want.”
Jeff smiled. “I think I’m the one who should be on my knees. But this way will work, too.” Reaching into his pocket, he took out a small black velvet box and handed it to Eddie.
Inside was a small, perfect, brilliant diamond ring. Jeff took it from her and slid it onto her finger. Time stopped. The world vanished. Tears speckled Eddie’s cheeks. She was here, with Jeff, and the universe was telling her she was exactly where she should be.
Jeff leaned down and kissed her gently. “I love you.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
The back door opened. Bobby popped out. “Can I have those Oreo cookies we left in the barn? Why are you crying, Auntie Eddie? Did you hurt yourself?”
“These are happy tears, Bobby,” Eddie said. She stood up and held her hand out to the little boy. “Look! Look what Jeff gave me!”
Bobby glanced at her ring. “Pretty. Can I have some Oreos?”
Eddie felt like saying, Sweetheart, I’ll give you an Oreo factory! Instead, she said, “Bring the bag here. We’ll give you a few cookies, but not all of them at one time. You’d be sick.”
Before she could finish speaking, Bobby hightailed it to the barn, quickly returning with the cookies. Eddie took the bag, carefully opened it, and gave Bobby a handful. Before the child could get into the house, Duke appeared, as if a bell had rung, sitting up prettily for Bobby, asking for a cookie.
“If the horse shows up wanting a cookie, I’ll know I’m in a dream,” Eddie said.
“Bobby,” Jeff said, “no chocolate for dogs. If you want, you can eat the chocolate sides and give the middle to Duke.”
Bobby looked at his cookies thoughtfully. “The middle is the best part,” he said. And then he broke open the cookie, scooped a large piece of creamy sugar onto his finger, and held it out to Duke, who happily licked it off.
“I like that idea,” Eddie said. “The middle is the best part.”
* * *
—
Later, Jeff’s boss called him to come work on another job, and Bobby fell asleep on the sofa, and in spite of the heat, Eddie felt energized, so she zoomed around the house picking out more books to take to the Book Barn. She closed the door—no one had come to the barn all day. She hurried back into the house to shower and wash her hair. Did anything feel as good as a cool shower on a hot day? She put on a pretty sundress, because she wanted to look good when she and Jeff made their announcement. Bobby woke up and she played hide-and-seek with him, giving him a chance to use some of his little boy energy without going out in the clingy dampness of the day. After a while, she sat down at the kitchen table with him to work on a sticker book.
Only occasionally did she experience a sting of worry, a little bell of alarm reminding her that she was going to have to break Dinah’s heart when she told her she couldn’t return to the city with her, that Dinah would have to find a new assistant.
But Eddie was determined. No amount of money or glamorous travel could lure Eddie away from Jeff this time.
* * *
—
Barrett was glad to close her shop that evening. It had been a difficult day. Her suppliers sent two boxes of the wrong product and Barrett had to email the company for the right product and prepare the return boxes for UPS to pick up. In the afternoon, a gaggle of teenage girls came in, giggling, picking up jewelry and dropping it anywhere, and taking off with two blue bracelets without paying for them, so Barrett had to call the shoplifter hotline for Nantucket’s shops. Eddie had stopped by that afternoon to tell her about her conversation with Dove, leaving Barrett sad but also jealous that it was Eddie who got to spend precious time with Dove, and ashamed of herself for being jealous. Paul had called, but she’d had several customers and said she’d call him back, but she’d never had the chance. People kept coming into her shop, and Janny wasn’t there to help.
