The Beach House (52 page)

The sun cooperated, coming out midmorning to dry the earth, the house and all the sheets and pillows she’d hung on a makeshift clothesline between two palms. She pulled the wool carpets off the floor and hung them over the porch railings, then scrubbed the filth off the heart pine floors, but it would take quite a lot of time for them to not feel squishy as she walked across them. She didn’t do much to clear mud from below the house after she spotted a water moccasin slink out from under the car. There was a dead dog at the end of the road and a cat meowed piteously on a neighbor’s porch. She brought it some canned tuna to eat, careful to keep her distance, but sure enough, the sweet-looking calico followed her home.

She was sweeping wrack off the porch when she heard car wheels skid to a halt in the gravel in the back of the house, the slam of a car door and a man’s voice urgently calling her name.

“Cara! Caretta Rutledge!”

She recognized Brett’s voice and her own leaped from her throat. “Here!”

He came tearing around the corner, took the stairs two at a time. Before she could sputter a hello he swept her into his arms, kissing her soundly. She went limp with surprise, clutching one of his shoulders with one hand, the broom handle with the other as she tilted on one foot. He kissed her until she dropped the broom and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed her until she kissed him back just as hard.

When he pulled away his expression was fierce. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. Last night I called your motel and they told me you hadn’t checked in. You weren’t to be found at any motel or shelter in a fifty-mile radius. I know because I called or went to every damn one of them!”

His face was haggard with fatigue and covered with dark stubble. His tawny hair was tousled and his clothes lived in. He looked as if he hadn’t slept a wink. Cara smiled, realizing she probably looked just the same.

“I couldn’t reach you,” she replied simply. “I couldn’t get in touch with anyone.” Then, in a soft voice she added, “I was scared.”

“You should have been. You risked your life.” His voice lowered and she saw worry, relief and something else she was afraid to put a name to in his eyes as he hungrily studied each feature of her face. “You risked my life, too. Don’t you know that yet? Damn this craziness. Cara, we don’t have to get married. I’ll move to Chicago. I don’t care. That’s just geography. But last night was the longest night of my life, wondering if you were okay, if I’d see you again or hold you in my arms again. I love you, Cara. I don’t want to live without you.”

“I love you, too,” she blurted out.

His big arms held her close and at last she felt she could let go. She felt safe in his arms, secure against any danger that might come howling at her threshold.

When he pulled back, he was smiling. “I’ve brought someone to see you.”

“Flo?”

“Wait here.”

He released her and went back down the stairs and around the corner. She heard again the slam of a car door, then the crunching of gravel and the soft murmur of voices. She bent to pick up the broom. After leaning it against the wall, she slapped the sand from her hands and lifted her head in time to see Toy round the corner. In her arms she carried an infant.

Cara blamed it on her fatigue, the stress of the hurricane and the worry about her mother. She’d been as strong and stalwart as she could be for hours—weeks, months, really. Whatever her excuse, she brought her hands to her face and began to sob. Great, heaving sobs that were embarrassing in front of people she wanted to be strong for. But she couldn’t stop herself.

Toy and Brett came around her, murmuring words of affection and comfort. She felt arms around her shoulders, and through the blur of tears, she saw Toy’s smiling face and the peaceful face of a sleeping, beautiful baby.

Then a horn honked in the driveway.

The baby startled and commenced wailing. Cara sniffed and burst out laughing. She wiped her face with her palms as a grin stretched from ear to ear at seeing Flo and Miranda trudge up the stairs. They swooped down on Toy and the baby with squeals of joy and surprise. A minute later, Lovie appeared on the porch, tottering and weak but her eyes were as bright as a sparrow’s at all the commotion. When Toy saw her she hurried with the baby to rush into Lovie’s outstretched arms. The baby continued squawking at all the noise and fuss but the women only laughed and exclaimed how utterly adorable she was.

“Come everybody, sit down,” Cara said, ushering them toward the porch chairs. “Y’ all must be exhausted. We’ll have to sit on the porch, I’m afraid. The inside is all soggy and dank. Come, Toy, here’s a rocker for you, Little Mama.” Then, taking hold of Lovie’s arm, she guided her to the rocker beside Toy. “I guess that makes you Big Mama, now,” she said with a laugh that masked her worry at seeing her mother more frail than Miranda. Brett hustled to pull out chairs for Miranda and Flo.

“Just a few minutes to chat, then the two mamas have to get back to bed,” Cara announced.

“Absolutely,” Flo replied, picking up the cue. “We need to open up our house, too. It doesn’t look too bad from the outside. A few shingles are gone.”

“I’ll help you ladies,” Brett offered. “We don’t want any injuries after the storm.”

“Oh, Brett,” Lovie said mournfully. “The pergola…”

“I saw,” he replied. “I can always build another. You and Cara are safe. And Flo and Miranda. And Toy and the baby. Hey, we’re all fine. That’s all that matters.”

“Amen to that,” Flo agreed. “I about had a heart attack last night when you two didn’t show up at the motel.”

“And the nest?” asked Miranda. “Is it all right?”

They all chuckled at the older woman’s one-track mind.

“It’s safe and sound,” Lovie replied gently, reaching out to pat Miranda’s hand. Then she looked at Cara anxiously. “We’ve got to get the eggs back into the sand. As soon as possible.”

“Back into the sand?” Flo asked, brows raised.

“Don’t ask,” Cara replied, holding up her hand. Then to Lovie, “I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to worry.”

“We’ll get them in today,” Brett added.

“Oh, no,” Lovie said to Brett with a warning tone. “You can’t get involved.”

“Worried that will make me an accomplice?”

Cara replied with amusement, “Now we’ll be Bonnie and Clyde.”

He snorted and shook his head, acknowledging the private joke between them. “You do remember what happened to them, don’t you?”

“I’m quite serious, Brett,” Lovie said.

“So am I, Miss Lovie.”

“On that note, let me get something for us all to drink,” Cara said, turning to leave for the kitchen.

When Brett followed Cara into the kitchen to help, she tugged him closer.

“Okay, now tell me everything. Where did you find Toy?” she whispered heatedly.

“At a hospital. I exhausted the shelters first, then someone told me that if she was having a baby, they’d likely send her to a hospital even with a hurricane warning. So I started combing the hospitals. I found her on the third try. By that time she’d already had the baby.”

“Poor thing. And all alone.”

“She wasn’t alone. She was with Darryl. Apparently he stayed with her till she delivered. That was decent of him, at least.”

“Oh, please. So, what’s become of him? Is he still lurking?”

“Toy didn’t say much, but I gather he went to California this morning after all. Something about an important gig his band had lined up.”

“Yeah, right. Him and a thousand other bands. At least he’s gone. We won’t have to worry about him coming around here anymore.”

“For the time being, anyway. They tend to come back, sooner or later.”

“He didn’t hurt her, did he?”

“No. Oddly enough, it might have been the other way around. He wanted her to go with him, but without the baby. Toy refused. She wouldn’t leave her baby behind.”

“Really? Good for her. Poor girl, I’m sure that was a tough decision.”

He tugged his earlobe. “I don’t know. She didn’t seem too heartbroken when I found her. She was eating a big breakfast and had this ear-to-ear grin on her face.”

Cara chuckled, envisioning it. “You know, I’d thought for a while that she was going to leave the baby with me. There were little hints, odd questions and looks sprinkled over the summer. When I put them all together, I wondered.”

“Would you have wanted the baby?”

She saw that he was anxious and knew he’d take her reply very seriously. “In an odd way, yes. I fancied what it would be like being a mother. I didn’t think I would ever be one and the thought that a child—not just any child but
this
child that I’d helped care for—would be given to my care was very tempting. But, of course, I’m delighted that Toy has decided to keep her baby. It was the best decision for her and for the child. But it won’t be easy for her to handle. Her whole life has changed.”

“I wonder how she’ll manage.”

“She won’t have to worry about that for a while. Right now all she has to do is take care of that baby. This is her home. Down the road I’ll help her make the best decision. I won’t let her down.”

“I never thought you would.”

She looked at him, grateful that he always saw the best in her. From out on the porch she heard Flo yell, “Do you need any help in there?” She was reluctant to go. She wanted to lean against him and talk about the thousand and one thoughts that had coursed through her mind as she’d sat in the crawl space and watched the black water rise.

“I’d better get these drinks out there,” he said, grabbing several bottles in his hands.

“Yes. They’re waiting for us.” Then she lifted her hands to his sides and leaned forward to kiss him softly on the lips.

He looked down at her with a perplexed smile. “What’s that for?”

“For the Here. And Now.”

His gaze kindled and he lowered his lips to hers for another, longer, lingering kiss that was gentle yet ardent and full of promise. When he pulled away, a soft sigh escaped her lips.

“We’d better go while we still can,” he said, but his eyes revealed he’d been shaken every bit as much by the kiss as she had.

She gathered the plastic cups and followed him out to the porch where they sat among the ruins and toasted the new mother and her baby with bottled water and juice.

“Have you given that precious darling a name yet?” Flo asked Toy.

Everyone stopped talking and turned toward Toy with interest.

Toy’s face brightened, and despite the mess that surrounded them, she carefully set her plastic glass on the coaster on the table. Then she looked at Lovie with shining eyes.

“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to name her Olivia.”

Lovie’s face bloomed into a radiant smile.

“What did she say?” asked Flo. “Olivia? Oh, how wonderful. It’s perfect.”

Cara smiled her approval and gratitude at Toy.

“Here, you can hold her,” Toy said. She gingerly settled the sleeping baby into Lovie’s thin arms, slowly removing her hands until she was sure that Lovie had a firm grasp. Still, Toy hovered over them both like a worried hen.

Miranda nodded grandly. “Little Lovie,” she said in her serious manner, giving her approval of the name and securing her nickname forever.

Everyone observed the sight of the two Olivias with smiles. It felt right, like maybe life did have a way of coming full circle after all.

Lovie had rested fitfully, able to sleep for only a few hours before violent hacking coughs woke her. She was weak and exhausted by the struggle, so it stunned Cara when Lovie insisted that she oversee the return of the turtle eggs to the beach.

“I must,” she said softly.

“Mama, I can do it. You’ve trained me well.”

“It’s not an ordinary move,” she argued. “Everything must be done perfectly and it’s my responsibility.”

“But the coughing…You’re exhausted.”

“Caretta,” she said, and though her voice was little more than a harsh whisper, Cara heard the firmness underlying the use of her full name. “I
want
to do this.” Then her face softened and she said earnestly, “Do you understand?”

Her mother’s face was pale yet her eyes burned with intent. Cara nodded, then looked to Brett for support. They exchanged a pained look.

They ventured out along the sandy, inclined path to the beach. Brett half carried Lovie, while Cara carried the red bucket. Broken tree limbs, palm fronds and bits of trash littered the path and they walked at an agonizingly slow pace, not only for Lovie’s sake but also so the eggs would not be jarred. When they finally reached the beach they stood in the soft sand in a collective silence, stunned by how badly the dunes had been battered and the beach reconfigured by the power of the storm. The tide was going out. The glistening wet sand of Breach Inlet stretched farther out than Cara had ever seen it before.

“I wonder how the other nests fared?” she asked in a worried tone.

“They probably won’t make it,” Lovie answered matter-of-factly. “This nest most likely won’t, either. Nature can be harsh. But we tried our best, didn’t we?”

“That we did.”

Lovie walked slowly along the beach in search of the best possible location for the nest. Her long rose-colored robe fluttered in the evening breeze, and with her mincing, hunched-over steps, Cara thought she looked like a petite Japanese geisha. Lovie stood for a long while in front of a small, washed-out dune.

Cara came to her side. “Mama?”

“My dune is gone,” Lovie said sadly, her lower lip trembling.

Cara surveyed the property that lay in front of their beach house. The high dune that had once been a place of refuge for her mother and Russell had been severely flattened. She put her arm around her mother’s shoulders. There was so little left of her. She was being whittled away as surely as her dune.

“You don’t need the dune anymore. Remember what you told me? The magic is what you carry with you in your heart.”

Lovie turned to look at her daughter and Cara saw hope shining in her eyes.

“You’re right. How silly of me to have forgotten.”

Cara held back her hair and looked across the windswept, reconfigured shoreline searching for a safe haven for the eggs. “I dunno. Where do you think we should put the nest?”