Page 4 of The Summer Save

She reached her sun-kissed arm across the space between our beds and rested her hand on my knee. “How are you feeling about this?”

My eyes glossed with tears, and the waterworks I’d been holding back since I pulled out of my driveway rolled down my cheeks. “Terrified,” I admitted. “What if he doesn’t show?”

She moved to sit next to me. “We’ll figure it out together. Meredith and Anne Marie, friends who became summer sisters, and then lifelong sisters.”

My head fell to her shoulder. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Okay. I’m here when you do. Until then, I’m your source of distraction and entertainment. Junk food, wine, and movies are tonight’s offerings.”

“And tomorrow’s?”

“Shopping, a matinee, dinner, and an evening show.”

“Plus a phone call to Amber before dinner. I promised I’d call before she left on her honeymoon. They leave super early in the morning the following day.”

“Where are they going?”

“Bhutan.”

Her confused look matched mine when Amber and Wyatt told us their plan. “Where?”

“It’s in the Himalayas. They wanted something unique and not overly touristy. It was important to Amber not to have Wyatt recognized and followed around. You know she hates the attention that comes with our name, but now she’s married to one of the league’s star goalies. At first, she just wanted to rent a small cabin somewhere secluded. But Wyatt wanted a real vacation. He’s only traveled with hockey teams and really saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go somewhere just the two of them and see a place they may never get a chance to again. He did a lot of research and worked with a travel agent to plan a two-week honeymoon that my daughter is never going to forget.”

Meredith held her phone out toward me. She had done what I did and searched for photos of Bhutan on her phone. “Amber’s going to love this. He did good.”

“He sure did. He even told Jonas and the Caribou coaching staff that he would only attend the mandatory parts of the summer camp. His focus in the off-season is on his family. As the GM, I know Jonas hated that. He wants his rising stars at everything. But as her father, he loved it.” We sat in silence for a few moments before I added, “I’m a little more than a tiny bit jealous of my daughter. I remember a time when Jonas focused on family over the summer. And when he planned things for us. But for the life of me, I can’t remember the last time he did.”

Meredith knew I not only didn’t expect a response but didn’t want one. That’s what happens when you’ve been at each other’s side through everything, both good and bad, for close to five decades. You know what the other wants without saying it. Instead of responding with words, she handed me my wine glass from the nightstand and turned on my favorite movie.

After I went to the store to stock the kitchen with everything we’d need for our first week, I set up the swing and hammock on the patio. Then I exchanged my sandals for running shoes and headed out on a run to clear my head. I cranked up the music in my wireless headphones and took off down the path I knew would eventually lead me to the road closest to the beach. Usually, I used my runs to catch up on podcasts or audiobooks, but today, I needed to get lost in the music of my three favorite bands—Pink Floyd, Theory of a Deadman, and Pearl Jam.

When the run to the beach, followed by a twenty-minute shower, letting the hot water pound against my back, wasn’t enough to stop the nagging in my mind, I headed into town. I was unsure of my destination until I parked in front of Churn Baby Churn—the very spot where I saw Anne Marie for the first time. She was working behind the counter of the old-fashioned ice cream shop, wearing the ridiculous pink and white striped apron over her 50s-inspired dress. I had never found work uniforms hot until that mint green dress. I’d walked past the shop multiple times since getting to Seaside two weeks earlier and never stopped. Having never been much of an ice cream fan, I had no interest. But as soon as I saw the gorgeous blonde with bright green eyes, I knew I had to meet her.

Still not being a huge fan of sweets, I skipped the ice cream and went to the coffee shop instead. Much like how Churn Baby Churn still had its nostalgic mint and pink striped décor, Seaside Brew still had its small-town coffee café charm. I doubted it was the same owner and likely not the same name as 35 years ago, but the coffee still tasted fantastic, the employees were friendly, and the service was quick. The first time I’d walked through the doors was on my first date with Annie, back when I still called her Anne Marie, and she almost jumped out of her skin when I took her hand in mine. At the time, I’d only ever had coffee two ways—black or with a few sugar packets. Adding warm milk to coffee along with flavored syrups wasn’t the norm. It was still new and trendy. I ordered my usual black coffee, but she made me change the order to a single espresso shot with steamed milk. I’d been drinking it daily since.

Once I had my coffee, I grabbed a spot at the bench by the window, picked a book off the ‘Take a Book, Leave a Book’ shelf, and made a mental note to grab a few books at the bookstore to add to it. There was no way I was going to donate anything from a shelf at the house. I’m not sure who would smother me with a pillow in my sleep first, my wife or my daughter. They were both lifelong bookworms who had acquired an incredible collection over the years. I read the first two chapters of a psychological thriller by a local author while I enjoyed my coffee. Then I cleared my space and headed right to the bookstore. I wanted to be sure to buy books while I was thinking about it.

I knew Booked by the Beach well. Sophie, the owner, had helped me with gifts multiple times over the years. As soon as I walked in the door, she greeted me. “Jonah, now this is a surprise. Usually, we don’t see you until the 4th of July celebration. I haven’t seen Anne Marie and Amber yet, so I didn’t think your family was in town yet.”

I chatted with her as I explored the tables filled with book-themed gifts. “Amber leaves for her honeymoon tomorrow. She’ll be here at the end of the summer after Wyatt heads to training camp. Annie’s in Ashland with Meredith for a few days. For the first time, I’m the one in town opening the house.” I ran my fingers along the tote bags and chuckled at some of the puns. “I want to donate ten books to the lending library in the coffee shop. Can you put together a variety for me? I figure you’d know what would be best.”

“They actually keep a wish list, so I can pull from that.”

A book wish list sounded like a great idea. Something like that would make shopping for Annie and Amber a lot easier. “Where was this wish list when I was shopping for Christmas and Valentine’s Day?”

“Right here, actually. Anne Marie and Amber both have lists. Wyatt actually ordered Amber’s wedding gift from me back in September and had me ship it. He cleared her list, and I wrapped each book as a blind date since she always has trouble deciding what to read next.”

I set two pairs of earrings, three bookmarks, and two totes on the counter. “I’m the first to admit I didn’t want her to end up marrying an athlete. I thought she needed to marry someone with a normal schedule. Someone who could be home more. But he continues to surprise me with how dedicated he is to her.”

“I met him briefly when he was here last summer. He wasn’t at all what I expected, in the best possible way. We’ve seen a lot of rising star athletes over the years because of the summer camp. No offense to the present company, but the majority are cocky assholes.”

I shook my head. “None taken and I agree. I was that guy about 35 years ago, but I hope I’m not anymore. Now, as for this wish list. Can I see my wife’s? I’m looking for a grand gesture, and something tells me the wish list is a good place to start this apology.”

After a few taps in the computer, she handed me a two-sided printout. “It’s organized by genre label to match where you’ll find it in the store and then alphabetically by author. Anything with an asterisk is currently out of stock, but we can order. How big of an apology are you looking for?”

I started at the top of the list and grabbed books off the shelves, adding them to a canvas tote. “The biggest one ever, Sophie. Something that shows her I’ve been listening and paying attention. Most importantly, the type that proves she is still my priority.”

She drummed her fingers against the counter. “Clearing her list isn’t going to be enough.”

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