found the love letters and poems, oh, those poems Billy wrote to me,” Mother says.
“In the Valentine’s box in your closet,” I say.
Mother nods and smiles.
“How did you know I found them?”
Mother laughs. “Mother magic,” she says. “I know you tried on my wedding gown, too. You used to leave candy wrappers, always a telltale sign that my sweet daughter was around.”
“Cherry cordials,” I say. “They used to be my favorite.”
“Oh, I know!” Mother says. “You and those cherry pits.”
We laugh, remembering how a certain incident involving cherry cordials and me and a famous soap opera star’s wedding gown got my mother into a hornet’s nest of trouble and nearly ruined her career as a wedding planner.
I look at my mother. She smiles at me. I think of how much we have been through together. I start to cry. My mother hugs me.
“I love you, Willa,” she whispers in my ear.
“I love you, too, Mom.”
My mother holds me close, rocking us back and forth, and in our silence we fill a book with so many unspoken words.
CHAPTER 21
Mum’s Advice
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
— Edna St. Vincent Millay
When I wake Friday morning, I feel good about the talk with Mother last night, but nonetheless my heart is heavy.
There is something important I need to do today and I am dreading it.
To crush someone’s dream … someone’s greatest hope … seems the cruelest task I’ve ever had to face. I don’t know that I can go through with it.
July 7. JFK’s birthday. Too early to call. I leave him a happy birthday text message and promise I’ll call him later. I hope his card gets there today. I hope that girl Lorna gets a bad case of halitosis and can’t makethe surprise party tonight after all and it’s just a couple of guy friends who show up.
Willa,
Reason starts in.
“I know, I know, I know.”
After I finish working the breakfast shift, I pack a lunch and bike out to South Cape Beach. That’s where the sand castle competition will be tomorrow. I’m sure I won’t run into Will here. I need some time to think first.
Sulamina Mum’s nephew, Rob, is coming out of the lifeguard headquarters with a clipboard and a megaphone, beach towel around his neck.
“Willa,” he says, “hey.”
I walk with him down to his station. I tell him what Mother told me about my birthfather last night.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he says. He reaches out to touch my arm, his brown eyes full of sincere compassion. He reminds me so much of Mum, I start to cry. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Tina and Ruby.
“Hey, hey,” Rob says, hugging me, “don’t cry.”
I squint through my tears. Tina and Ruby have stopped dead in their tracks.
Oh, my gosh, how funny.
They think Rob likes me.
“I’m okay,” I say to Rob, flinging back my hair, looking into his eyes with a great big smile. “You made me think of Mum, how much I miss her.”
Rob uses a corner of his beach towel to dry a tear from my face.
I can almost feel the jealous stares.
This is fun.
Rob notices Tina and Ruby. Tina has a notebook and pen in her hands. Ruby has her camera. Two budding bestselling authors aiming to write another chapter featuring a handsome Cape Cod lifeguard.
“Oh, no,” Rob says, turning his back to them. “Here they come again.”
“Again?”
“Yeah, they were here yesterday trying to get me to be in this book they’re making. I said no.”
“Why?” I say. “You sure belong in it.”
“What if I want to run for president someday? That’s all I’d need, for the press to dig up that I was in a ‘cutest Cape lifeguards’ book. Not the sort of thing I want to be known for.”
I laugh. “I wouldn’t worry. They’ll probably never get it published.”
“Oh, no,” Rob says. “They’ll do it. Those girls are
on it.
They’re not playing.” He shakes his head like he’s
“In the Valentine’s box in your closet,” I say.
Mother nods and smiles.
“How did you know I found them?”
Mother laughs. “Mother magic,” she says. “I know you tried on my wedding gown, too. You used to leave candy wrappers, always a telltale sign that my sweet daughter was around.”
“Cherry cordials,” I say. “They used to be my favorite.”
“Oh, I know!” Mother says. “You and those cherry pits.”
We laugh, remembering how a certain incident involving cherry cordials and me and a famous soap opera star’s wedding gown got my mother into a hornet’s nest of trouble and nearly ruined her career as a wedding planner.
I look at my mother. She smiles at me. I think of how much we have been through together. I start to cry. My mother hugs me.
“I love you, Willa,” she whispers in my ear.
“I love you, too, Mom.”
My mother holds me close, rocking us back and forth, and in our silence we fill a book with so many unspoken words.
CHAPTER 21
Mum’s Advice
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
— Edna St. Vincent Millay
When I wake Friday morning, I feel good about the talk with Mother last night, but nonetheless my heart is heavy.
There is something important I need to do today and I am dreading it.
To crush someone’s dream … someone’s greatest hope … seems the cruelest task I’ve ever had to face. I don’t know that I can go through with it.
July 7. JFK’s birthday. Too early to call. I leave him a happy birthday text message and promise I’ll call him later. I hope his card gets there today. I hope that girl Lorna gets a bad case of halitosis and can’t makethe surprise party tonight after all and it’s just a couple of guy friends who show up.
Willa,
Reason starts in.
“I know, I know, I know.”
After I finish working the breakfast shift, I pack a lunch and bike out to South Cape Beach. That’s where the sand castle competition will be tomorrow. I’m sure I won’t run into Will here. I need some time to think first.
Sulamina Mum’s nephew, Rob, is coming out of the lifeguard headquarters with a clipboard and a megaphone, beach towel around his neck.
“Willa,” he says, “hey.”
I walk with him down to his station. I tell him what Mother told me about my birthfather last night.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he says. He reaches out to touch my arm, his brown eyes full of sincere compassion. He reminds me so much of Mum, I start to cry. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Tina and Ruby.
“Hey, hey,” Rob says, hugging me, “don’t cry.”
I squint through my tears. Tina and Ruby have stopped dead in their tracks.
Oh, my gosh, how funny.
They think Rob likes me.
“I’m okay,” I say to Rob, flinging back my hair, looking into his eyes with a great big smile. “You made me think of Mum, how much I miss her.”
Rob uses a corner of his beach towel to dry a tear from my face.
I can almost feel the jealous stares.
This is fun.
Rob notices Tina and Ruby. Tina has a notebook and pen in her hands. Ruby has her camera. Two budding bestselling authors aiming to write another chapter featuring a handsome Cape Cod lifeguard.
“Oh, no,” Rob says, turning his back to them. “Here they come again.”
“Again?”
“Yeah, they were here yesterday trying to get me to be in this book they’re making. I said no.”
“Why?” I say. “You sure belong in it.”
“What if I want to run for president someday? That’s all I’d need, for the press to dig up that I was in a ‘cutest Cape lifeguards’ book. Not the sort of thing I want to be known for.”
I laugh. “I wouldn’t worry. They’ll probably never get it published.”
“Oh, no,” Rob says. “They’ll do it. Those girls are
on it.
They’re not playing.” He shakes his head like he’s
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