Page 84 of The Lighthouse on Plum Island
With that, Caroline left four people staring after her as she and her pets left through the front door and headed for the one place where she always found peace—Cobble Cove. As she descended the stairs toward the beach below, the sound of construction caught her attention. She turned to see there was a team working on the boardwalk.
“Really!” Caroline moaned, throwing her hands in the air as Blue Beard squawked his agreement of her sentiment. “Come on, guys, let’s go to the throne. No one will find us there.”
Caroline kicked off her shoes and let the cobbles tickle her feet as she carefully trod along the water’s edge, allowing the cool sand and sea to wet her feet. Sandy and Blue Beard chased the waves and gulls as they touched the shore while Melton kept a safe distance from the water. He didn’t mind swimming, but only on his terms.
As she walked toward the far end of the cove, Beach Plum Cottage came into view. It stood silent and alone as it looked out over the cove. Caroline wondered where Aunt Betty was and made a mental note to ask Jennifer if she’d heard from her aunt. Caroline squinted as something glinted from one of the windows and then disappeared.
“Maybe Aunt Betty is back?” Caroline mumbled, covering her eyes to get a better look. She could’ve sworn she saw the curtains rustle. “I’ll ask Jennifer when I go back home.”
Caroline pushed the incident to the back of her mind when she came across the part of the cove that changed into a shelf of smooth dark rocks that extended to the caves that disappeared beneath the cottage.
She carefully maneuvered around the one large rock until it opened into a flat shelf that was closed on the right side and far enough from the sea that she didn’t get splashed by the sea. At the back of the opening were three grooves with flat rocks that resembled a small bench. In the middle of them was one that looked like a giant’s armchair that they had called the throne.
Caroline made her way to it. She plonked her bag next to the throne, pulled out the beach towel she kept in the bag, and placed it on the seat before she sat on it. Her pets joined her, gathering around her, and settled down to enjoy the peace withher. Caroline closed her eyes and lifted her face to the warm morning sun.
This was what she needed. Peace and quiet to sort her head out. As if on cue, her phone rang. Caroline pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was Jules.
“Hi, honey,” Caroline felt herself relax hearing Jules’s voice.
“Hi, Mom.” Jules’s cheery voice was like a soothing balm on her frayed nerves. “How are you feeling?”
“A lot better.” Caroline wasn’t lying this time. “How was your night at Lila’s?”
“Fun, we watched Uncle Finn and Liam’s old surfing videos,” Jules told her. “They were both quite handsome back in the day,” she teased.
“Hey!” Caroline grinned. “I guess they were.” She lay her head against the rock and closed her eyes, letting the sound of the sea create a meditative vibe. “When are you coming home?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Jules told her. “Uncle Finn wants to talk to you.”
“I’d rather you spoke to me,” Caroline told her.
“Yes, but then you’d try and find an excuse not to let Jules come have some fun with us,” Finn’s voice replaced Jules.
“What are you up to, big brother?” Caroline sighed.
This was the type of drama that she could handle. The everyday drama of living and making sure your kid is doing alright. Because that’s all you had to worry about—getting you all through the day.
“The Fish and Wildlife services have closed the beach due to a suspected bacterial outbreak after some kids found a bunch of dead fish on the shore.”
Finn’s words made Caroline sit up straight as she stared out at the sea. “I’m at the cove.”
“Maybe don’t go in the water and keep the animals out of it,” Finn advised.
“They haven’t gone swimming yet,” Caroline said as she looked at her pets lying by her. “I’ll keep them away.”
“It’s probably nothing, but they must be vigilant, especially when movie stars are throwing a hissy fit about diseased small towns.” Finn’s voice was filled with disgust.
“Tall blonde woman with a purse as big as her ridiculous hat?” Caroline guessed.
“Yes, although she didn’t have a hat,” Finn’s words elicited a giggle from Caroline as she pictured the large hat with talon shreds through it. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, just picture the woman’s hat with Blue Beard shreds through it.” Caroline snorted.
“Oh!” Finn dragged out the word. “That’s the rose bush lady.”
“The who?” Caroline giggled again as an image of Vanessa stuck in the rose hedge came to mind.
“Jennifer was regaling us with the story of the woman’s visit to the lighthouse yesterday,” Finn told her.
