Page 21 of Return to Rosewood Beach

Unexpectedly, she felt angry with her father, something she’d never felt before. He’d let them all down by not being the man they’d thought he was. She reminded herself that he hadn’t meant to die and leave their mother with the debt or the trouble, but she still wished she could talk to him and tell him how she was feeling. She still loved him just as much as she always had, but she couldn’t help feeling betrayed and stunned.

Dean shook his head firmly. “We’ll figure this out. We—we can’t let our own feelings get in the way of supporting Mom. We need to be strong for her, and rally around each other.”

“I agree.” Julia wrapped her arms around both her siblings in a group hug. “We’re going to figure this out together. We’ll find some kind of solution.”

“Agreed,” Alexis said, although her heart was fluttering. She took a deep breath. “We’re going to take care of Mom, and make sure that everything turns out all right.”

Unexpectedly, she felt a wave of peace wash over her. She might not feel as though she had any power over the way her marriage was falling apart, but this she knew that they would be able to fix. Together, their family would band together and make sure that everything with the pub’s finances turned out all right.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Julia took a deep breath. Beside her, Hazel reached over and squeezed her hand. Hazel’s wavy dark blonde hair was pulled back into a French twist, and she didn’t quite look like herself. Julia squeezed her hand back. They were seated in the front row of the church, waiting for the funeral to begin. Vivian was still talking to some of their friends and family members near the casket, her eyes glistening with tears but a smile on her face.

Julia let her eyes roam around the room. Soft violin music was playing over the speakers and the tune sounded both nostalgic and sweet. She felt comforted by the presence of so many of their loved ones around them, but she knew that she and her siblings and their mom were all carrying the added weight of knowing about Frank’s secret gambling habit. Her sadness was deeper because of that, and she knew her family felt the same way.

The service began. She and her siblings and Vivian cried and laughed as people shared memories of Frank and spoke about their sorrow over his passing. Music was played, and words were read aloud. Julia felt comforted by having other people sharing in her grief with her.

After the service, they carried the casket out to the graveyard behind the church. That was in many ways the hardest part, but when it was over, Julia felt a sense of relief. The gravestone they’d picked out for Frank was beautiful, and they laid a colorful floral wreath at the base of it.

When the service was finally over, everyone went back inside the church for the reception. There was a long table covered in food, since almost everyone attending the funeral had volunteered a delicious dish to share. The large room adjoining the kitchen was filled with round tables, where people sat and began to eat their food.

Julia made her way along the potluck line slowly. Everything smelled and looked incredible, but she had little interest in eating. She made herself a plate, taking small portions of mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and seven-layer salad. When she reached the end of the line, instead of going to sit down at one of the tables, she looked around the room for her mother.

She caught sight of Vivian standing in a corner with Hazel. They were both holding plates of food as well, but neither of them seemed to be eating. She made her way across the room toward them and gave them both a sideways hugs with her free arm.

“How are you holding up, Mom?” she asked. Her mother looked pale, although she was standing tall and appeared to be calm. Her eyes were dry at the moment, but there were faint tear streaks still visible on her cheeks.

“It’s all so difficult.” Vivian took a deep breath. “I want to feel as though now that the funeral is over, things will get a little easier, but I think it will be the other way around.”

Julia nodded, her heart aching for her mother. “I’m going to stay with you,” she told her, squeezing her shoulder. “I’ll stay here in Rosewood Beach and help you for as long as you need.”

“Oh, no, Julia.” Vivian shook her head. “You don’t need to do that.”

“You’ve got a job to go back to in the city,” Hazel said, a look of surprise in her eyes. “Dean and I are already here in town. We can help Mom out. There’s no reason for you to jeopardize your career.”

Julia felt a sense of panic rising in her. She felt an urgent need to be useful, to do something constructive and be able to help. She knew that her mother and Hazel meant well, but being pushed away, back to New York, was the worst thing that could happen to her at the moment. She wanted to be there with her family, helping to make things right.

“I want to help,” she insisted. She struggled to get the words out. She knew that to her mother and sister, her insistence didn’t make any sense, but she had to say it. She knew that what she needed was to stay there in her hometown and help her family get through their crisis.

Hazel, always observant, cocked her head to one side slightly as if she’d realized that something was up with Julia. “But what about your job? Have they said they can spare you for that long?”

Julia found that she was starting to cry again. She took a deep breath, determined to hold herself together.

“Julia,” her mother asked gently. “Is there something you haven’t told us?”

A couple of the tears spilled out in spite of Julia’s best efforts. “I don’t have a job,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper. “I—I got fired just before I heard about Dad. There’s no career for me to go back to. Nothing’s in jeopardy.”

Vivian and Hazel stared at her in stunned silence. She couldn’t blame them for being shocked, but the fact that they weren’t saying anything made her stomach twist with a feeling of shame all over again.

“So I can stay here.” She swallowed. “I want to stay here.”

“Honey, I’m so sorry.” Vivian reached out and gave her daughter a hug. “You shouldn’t have to be dealing with all of this at once. I’m so sorry.”

“They must have been really stupid people if they fired you.” Hazel’s eyes gazed at her sympathetically.

Julia shook her head. “It’s fine. It’s just a job. Honestly, in a lot of ways the timing worked out well. It allows me to just focus on being here.” She could tell that they felt bad for her and she wanted to brush it all aside so they could talk about something else. She wanted to change the subject as soon as possible, since she was in danger of really starting to cry. The truth was that itwasall too much at once. The double whammy of losing her job and dealing with worrying about her mother and the family business made her feel as though she couldn’t find solid footing in her life. She didn’t know what the future was going to hold, and it all felt overwhelming.

“It will all be okay.” Hazel reached out and gave her a hug, almost as if she could sense Julia’s thoughts. “Everything’s going to work out fine.”

---