Page 113 of Love Notes & Lifelines
“She is,” Stella agrees but watches me wearily.
Neither of us have the energy for this today, but I know they have our best interests at heart.
“So,” Oliver says in his smooth radio host voice. “A sand dance is similar to a barn dance, but at the beach.” He walks her to the kitchen and the wall of windows facing the ocean. “There’s nothing like Carolina barbecue. Don’t go tellin’ me you’re one of those veggie eaters because Ray-Ray brought over a pig he’s been roasting for close to twelve hours.”
Stepping behind Stella, I relax when eighty-year-old Ray-Ray starts barking orders at the younger generations to get his pig in place.
A strange mix of sadness, relief, and love fills me as this all unfolds. These used to be better than Christmas for me. Before my mom passed, she was one of the food pushers, so we were always the first to arrive, and she made it feel like a privilege to be the first to learn about the new families, new babies, or say our condolences before anyone else. It’s one of the only clear memories I have with her outside of the house.
“I thought you’d enjoy this,” Oliver says from my left. My throat is dry, but the grin I’m wearing is so damn right. “Sometimes we have to run away from home to find out that everything we ever needed was here waiting for us.” He pats me on the shoulder and opens the back door. “Join us when you’re ready. Don’t forget the sunscreen on those babies. It may not be summer, but that sun will still go strong for a couple more hours.”
Stella and I stand in place as he walks through the yard to the party unfolding before our eyes on the beach.
“What is this place?” Stella whispers with a hint of awe in her tone.
That’s a great question.
“This place is where hearts are mended,” I say, remembering one of my mother’s favorite sayings.
Stella doesn’t speak, but she places her head on my chest and holds me tight. The fear she’s holding in seeps through tiny tremors released with every breath.
“Thank you, Stella. Thank you for entering the madness with me. Thank you for being on my side.”
“I feel like I should be thanking you,” she whispers. But she couldn’t be more wrong. Because of her, I’ll never want to be alone again.
“Let’s go get the girls ready. It’ll be a long afternoon,” I say with my chin resting on her head. It’s already late afternoon, but these people will keep the party going well into the evening.
She nods and detaches herself from our embrace. “Anyone I should be aware of out there?”
“They’re good people, if not a little wacky. I think that happens when your town goes from a hundred thousand people in the summer down to less than fifteen hundred in the off-season.”
More people walk along the side of the house and wave when they see us in the window.
“How do they know to come?” she asks.
“The grapevine is more powerful than Wi-Fi.”
Her brows wing up.
“I’m serious. This town is better than the musketeers—they never leave a man behind.”
“That’s…going to take some getting used to.”
Ruby chooses that moment to announce that she’s awake, so I take Stella by the hand and, with a final glance over my shoulder, we go get our girls.
“Emmy’s in heaven,”I say, taking a seat in the sand next to Stella. Emmy’s dancing in the center of a circle filled with townspeople I haven’t seen in years. The sun is setting on the horizon, but the party is in full swing.
“She’s very comfortable,” Stella agrees. Ruby sits between her legs, sometimes throwing sand and sometimes eating it. It’s fucking disgusting.
“They did this every week in Cally’s last few months,” Leo says, flopping down beside us.
“They did?” The words hurt like fresh sandpaper on sensitive skin.
“Yup. Tonight is as much for her as it is for you. This town still loves you, Beck. They always have. You’re homegrown, as they say.”
I chuckle, but it’s halfhearted.
“Just remember to lean on us when things get tough. You’ve always tried to do everything yourself, but the girls need this. They need the community. And they need you, so every person here supports you.”
