Page 83 of Harbor Lights
She dropped the phone, dreading a rejection, or worse, no reply. She poured a mug of coffee and took it to her study. Even the unobstructed view of the sea reminded her of Shiv. She needed to get outdoors and look at the sky and the open water. Wild elements she had no control over.
She tipped her coffee into a travel mug, pulled on some waterproof clothing, then headed for the beach, ignoring the freezing drizzle that drove into her face.
She’d marched a full half mile along the golden stretch of beach before she realized she’d left her phone in the house.
“Aaaaahhhh!” The wind whipped away the scream that held so much more than the frustration of forgetting her phone. She dropped onto the wet sand and grabbed a handful. She tried to throw it away, but it stuck to her hand, and she rubbed it against her leg irritably.
Perhaps it was for the best she wasn’t driving herself to distraction checking every five seconds for a response. Maybe she should just spend some time out here with the elements, even if the elements were being particularly hostile.
She stood, ignoring the wet sand caked to her waterproof pants. She didn’t have the energy to care. She forced herself on toward the end of the beach, running things over in her head. What did she want? To be with Shiv. She knew that without a doubt. She wanted to get to know every inch of her, inside and out. To understand the unique code by which she lived her life, what she loved, what she feared. Although Con suspected the latter would be a short list.
But to regain Shiv’s trust—if that was even a possibility—she would have to prove Shiv had her trust. That she wasn’t too afraid of failure to give them a go. Could she say that with certainty?
Perhaps if they talked, if she explained her fears to Shiv, they could find a way forward.
She turned back toward home, the rain and wind that drove her back barely registering as she resolved to talk through their problems. Now she just needed to convince Shiv to allow her to explain her reaction.
She didn’t bother to take off her sopping wet clothing before she rushed into the kitchen to retrieve her phone. She flicked through a stack of notifications until she found the one she needed.
I’ll be working all day on the club house.
Short, but not a refusal to see her. She typed back quickly.
I was planning to be there, too. Can we talk alone afterwards?
She watched the three dots dancing for what felt like a day.
Okay. Come back to the cabin when we’re done.
She smiled as she typed.
Thank you! I’ll be there.
Not exactly a victory, but at least she’d have her chance to explain.
She hung her clothes to dry and returned to her other notifications with a lighter heart. She was surprised to see three missed calls from Majella. She hoped she didn’t want to restart their conversation about her not visiting. But she felt uncomfortable about not calling her back, so she cracked open her new bottle of whiskey and took a seat in her study, resting her feet on the coffee table.
“Connie.” Majella picked up almost before the first ring.
“Hi there. Is everything okay?”
“No.” Majella’s voice cracked. “Aud has told me to move out.”
“What? Why?” While, in Con’s eyes, Audrey had never seemed like the ideal domestic partner, she and Majella seemed to get along just fine. Con hadn’t seen any sign of a rift when she’d been visiting, although Audrey was generally not the warmest of people, so perhaps it was difficult to tell.
“I don’t know.” Majella sobbed. Con couldn’t ever remember seeing her cry and she couldn’t help but feel for her.
“Well, what did she say? Are you at home?”
“No. She moved all of my stuff into the apartment and told me to stay there.”
Con squeezed the bridge of her nose. She’d had enough of an emotional rollercoaster over the last couple of days without Majella adding to it. “She must’ve said something, Ella.” She slipped automatically into the old pet name.
“She said we’d grown apart.” Majella blew her nose loudly. “And there was no point… being together. I don’t understand, Connie. I thought we were happy.” She sobbed again.
“Look, maybe she’s going through something herself, and it’s just a blip. If you give her some time?—”
“But I’m just sitting here, Connie. On my own in this… place,” Majella wailed.
