The Charm Bracelet (27 page)

Jake lifted Arden off the ground and twirled her around in the air, until they were one star in their own universe.

 

Thirty-seven

Lolly pulled an old thermos with a red tartan plaid design from the basket sitting on the quilt and poured some steaming liquid into the lid.

“Want a sip?” she asked Lauren.

“Oh, Grandma, this smells so good,” Lauren said, lifting the lid to her nose, steam rising. “What flavor of coffee is this?”

“Infused.” Lolly laughed. “It has a little—how shall I put this?—‘kick' to it, if you get my drift. Don't tell your mother. It was your grandfather's secret recipe.”

Lauren acted as if she were locking her lips in secrecy and then took a sip. “Mmm, this is good. You think of everything, Grandma.”

As soon as the words were out, Lauren wished she could take them back.

“Not quite everything anymore,” Lolly said, trying to make a joke out of it.

Lolly patted her granddaughter's leg and looked out onto the horizon. The wind ruffled the scarf that secured her red wig, long tendrils flipping to and fro in the breeze like streamers on a kid's bicycle handle.

“I do remember something you told me the other night at the Rendezvous, however, when I was telling you about the loon charm and you said you'd never been in love,” Lolly started. “You said you wanted to control life a bit too much, like your mom.”

Lolly took the thermos lid from Lauren and sipped. “Are you telling me the whole truth? Is there another reason you're not dating anyone?”

“Men are dogs, Grandma,” Lauren said without thinking.

“That's not a good thing?” Lolly asked. “Aren't dogs sweet?”

Lauren laughed and shook her grandmother's leg. “You'd think so, right? But I mean dogs as in … well, you know … they tend to wander.”

“Oh!” Lolly said, finally understanding. “Dogs!”

Lauren stopped laughing and turned serious.

“If I'm being totally honest, it's just that I'm really scared to put myself out there, Grandma,” Lauren said. “I'm a little gun shy after Mom and Dad's divorce. I mean, they have hurt each other so much. And, Lexie's boyfriends have all cheated on her. I want so much to find true love, but I don't want my heart to get trampled.”

Lolly scooched over on the quilt and put her arm around her granddaughter. “Oh, my dear sweet, sensitive girl. Your heart is going to get trampled a little bit, whether you put it out there or choose to lock it away.”

Lolly ruffled Lauren's hair and continued. “If you put yourself out there, you're going to get hurt at some point. Yes, your boyfriend or husband could leave you. He might stray. He could die way too young like your grandfather. And, at some point, you will both probably say things to one another you immediately want to take back. But, if you remain alone, your heart will ache for all that you never experienced. Love is filled with great beauty
and
great pain. But there is no beauty to life if you don't put your heart at risk. The ability to love is one of the greatest gifts we're given. It's the reason we're here.”

Lolly stopped and pointed up at the sky. “Think of when you paint … say, like a scene of shooting stars in the sky. You lose yourself in that work, don't you? You experience the sheer beauty of what you're seeing and feeling. It's the same way in love. You must never lose who you are, but you also must be willing to lose yourself entirely in the depth of the relationship. Does that make sense?”

Lauren leaned into her grandmother. Even though Lolly's body was fragile, Lauren could feel her strength. “It does, Grandma. The relationship you and Grampa had is my role model. I want that.”

“And you will,” Lolly said. “So will Arden. I think she may have already found it, in fact.”

“I do, too,” Lauren agreed. “And I
will
find love. I
know
I will, especially having two strong women role models like you and Mom. What I've learned is that the best way to find love is to have your own inner light shine through first.”

“So true,” Lolly said. “The world is a mirror. You attract what you reflect.”

Lauren stopped and pulled her grandmother closer. “I've learned that sometimes family can also be a great love in a person's life, especially when she needs a guiding light to help her find her way in the world.”

“I love you, my dear,” Lolly said.

“Me too, Grandma,” Lauren said, before shouting, “Look!”

In the distance, a shooting star flew across the horizon.

“A guiding light, indeed,” Lolly said.

 

Thirty-eight

“Did you see the shooting star?” Lauren asked excitedly when Arden and Jake returned.

“It was beautiful,” Arden agreed, taking a seat next to her daughter, Jake plopping next to Arden.

“Symbolic,” Lolly added.

“I think that might be all we see tonight, though,” Arden said. “It's getting late.”

“Hold on to your horses,” Lolly said, grabbing Lauren's phone and tapping it to check the time. “It's only twelve-thirty. And we've got each other for company and lots of coffee to stay warm.”

Arden laughed. “Is that your
special
coffee, Mom? I know your secret ingredient. We won't care what time it is after we drink it.”

“In that case, I'll take a cup!” Jake said, his deep voice rippling with laughter.

“Attaboy,” Lolly said, handing him the thermos.

Lauren shivered, and Lolly pulled a blanket over the group's laps, and the four sat in silence, the muffled waves singing to them.

I can feel the whole world out there waiting for me to change it, even though I can't see it right now,
Lauren thought, staring out over the dark lake.
Love makes it possible to believe you can change the world.

“Did you just see that?” Arden asked, turning her head left, then right.

In the distance, a curtain of glowing light began to dance in the sky, as if a lava lamp had been poured onto the horizon.

“You're right, Mom,” Arden said, her voice rising in excitement. “It's happening!”

The glow slowly got bigger, richer, brighter, until all the heavens were filled with ghostly, colorful lights. Purples, pinks, greens radiated from every corner of the sky, alive, dancing, unveiling their mystery for all the world to see.

Lauren grabbed her phone and began to take pictures with her camera, oohing and aahing like it was the Fourth of July.

Lolly secretly turned her head to watch the reactions of her family. The lights played off their faces, whirled in their eyes, twinkled off Arden's glasses, wonder etched on their faces like it was Christmas morning.

The amazing beauty of life and family,
Lolly thought, smiling
, if only we take the time to see it and cherish it.

Arden caught her mother looking at her, and she grabbed Lolly's hand and squeezed it before following her gaze back out to the lights.

“Native Americans believed that the lights were the spirits of their people,” Lolly said softly. “I believe that. Right now, we can clearly see all of our family who came before us and shared the same earth, water, light, and air.”

Lolly stopped, the lights dancing off her face.

Lake Michigan reflected the Northern Lights, too, the waters dancing in delight. In the distance, the Manitou Islands seemed alive in the glow, and Arden's heart overflowed thinking of the story her mother had shared earlier in the week.

Arden squeezed her mother's hand again, and Lolly's bracelet jangled as her daughter cradled her hand.

“These lights are like my charms,” Lolly said. “They remind us of our past and how blessed we are by the precious moments in our lives.”

How long will all of this last?
Arden thought, looking at her mom and then again at the lights
.

And, then, as quickly as it had started, the sky grew dim and the show was over.

“Is that what love feels like?” Lauren asked, her eyes still wide with wonder.

“If you're lucky,” Arden and Jake said in unison.

“And we are,” Lolly said, as the four gathered their stuff and headed home.

 

part ten

The Mustard Seed Charm

To a Life Filled with Faith

 

Thirty-nine

Lauren jumped awake, her mind whirling like the Northern Lights, unable to sleep.

I feel as if my life is at a crossroads. I feel like all of our lives are at a crossroads,
ran through her mind.

It was still dark, and she leaned over to read the alarm clock by her bed.

5:47
.

She laid back down and shut her eyes, but her mind would not cooperate. She was still energized by what she had seen and experienced just a few hours earlier.

Lauren yawned, stretched, and went in search of coffee. As she was waiting for the pot to brew, she leaned against the counter in the kitchen, watching the lake come to life.

That's when she saw it in the dusky dawn light: An easel, canvas, and paints were set up on the dock.

Grandma!

Lauren nearly shouted in excitement, and had to cover her own mouth to quiet herself. When the coffee was ready, she walked outside, looked out over the lake, and sipped from her cup, the sky and her senses coming alive.

She bowed her head to say a small prayer before dipping the tip of her brush into the paints, the sky quickly brightening over Lost Land.

She looked at the clear Michigan sky over Lost Land Lake and blew her bangs out of her eyes with a great sigh.

This isn't just beautiful. It's ethereal,
she realized.
The Northern Lights and now a heavenly sunrise.

The morning light shimmered through the trees and gave the lake an otherworldly hue. Everything in this Michigan world seemed to have a soft shimmer to it, as though God had hung gauze over the sky and softly scattered glitter on all his creations.

A little more gold? White? Blue?
she considered.

This simple, little lake was filled with so much beauty.

It's the light, my grandmother always told me. It's the magical light,
Lauren thought.

Scoops sat along the forty-fifth parallel north, a circle of latitude often called the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole.

Some of the world's most stunning vistas rested along this line, and they were considered by many to be not only spiritual spots but also places of incomparable beauty. At this latitude, the sun stayed in the summer sky in these parts of northern Michigan for nearly eighteen hours. Artists believed the angle of the sun and the magical light it produced made the world glow. Artists traveled from around the world to paint here for decades, and local galleries housed in former barns now dotted the lakeshore. Art collectors in smart spectacles, linen pants, and silk scarves came to Scoops from across the country every summer, snatching up works both by famed and yet-to-be-discovered talent.

Farmers and vintners had followed the artists in recent years. Vineyards and wineries sat along rolling hillsides overlooking the bay, producing exquisite chardonnays and Rieslings, while produce farms and farmers' markets sold the freshest cherries, blueberries, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes, beans, and peaches. Farm-to-table restaurants had replaced dingy diners and smoky bars, and from Memorial Day through Labor Day, diners needed to—
gasp!
—make reservations.

Lauren studied the simple scene in front of her: The lake at dawn. The dock jutting forth over the quiet waters, reeds rustling on the banks, swans waking, smoke from stone fireplaces in log cabins mixing with the morning light.

And that sky! That sky!
She exhaled.

“It's the light,” Lolly said.

Lauren jumped.

“I know, Grandma. You taught me that.”

“Need a refill? We were up so late, but it was worth it, wasn't it?”

Lolly was standing in a fluffy pink robe, already in wig and full makeup, holding the pot of coffee. Lauren nodded yes to both questions.

“Didn't mean to startle you,” she said.

“I was just so deep in thought,” Lauren said. “I lost track.”

“Passion!” Lolly winked, filling her granddaughter's Scoops mug.

A pang of guilt filled Lauren, and she nervously stole a glance toward the window of the bedroom where her mother still slept.

“No need for guilt,” Lolly said, filling her own mug and setting the coffeepot on top of a sun-faded dock. She tilted her face toward the emerging sun, and it, too, was cast in an otherworldly light. “You've known what you were born to do since you were a little girl. You just fought it. We all do. You just needed faith. And a little push.”

Lauren grinned at her grandmother and winked. “And a little ‘Hope,' right, Grandma? That's how the ice cream charm led you to find your job at Dolly's, isn't it?”