Part 54 (1/2)

”I'm kind of in love with someone else.”

”Oh,” she said, surprised. ”Are you still in love with Drew?”

”I am so in love with Drew that I don't know which way is up, but I am in love with a simple sheriff with a simple life too.”

My mom smiled. ”Life is a f.u.c.ked up mess, Morgan, but it always seems to find a way to work its self out.”

I laughed at her choice of words. I knew I had picked up my foul mouth from her. I just didn't normally say it out loud. It was normally during conversations within in my own mind.

”Tell me about Jason. I like him,” I said. She smiled. I could tell that she loved him.

”Jason is a good man and a good father. I wished that you and Justin would have had that.”

”I think Justin does have that,” I replied.

”Mr. Callaway let me choose anywhere in the world that I wanted to live. He told me to make it count because I was only getting one chance and would be cut off from his wallet. I didn't know where to go or what to do. I'd never even been out of the hills before. A week after our first meeting a man showed up with an envelope.

Do you remember the man that I had left with the day that I told you goodbye?” she asked.

”Yes.” Of course I remembered that. I had nightmares about it.

”Mr. Callaway had done some homework himself, and thought that this place would give me a fresh start, and I would be able to run a business here and be able to take care of myself. I loved the pictures and the thought of living on the beach. The problem was, I knew nothing about bookkeeping, taxes, or how to run a business. He hired Jason to work with me for a few months to get me started. He and I stayed in this huge house alone for three months. I think I fell in love with him the first night. Of course I thought he was way out of my league, and I didn't have a chance,” she added. I could see how she felt that way. I felt that way about Drew. I didn't think he could love a backyard, hillbilly like me.

”Jason and I had so much fun together those first few weeks. I was upfront and honest with him from the beginning. He knew about you and Justin. I swear if he hadn't been there during my many crying sprees I would have fed myself to the sharks.”

”I was so mad when Drew told me that you were married and had a new family. I felt like you forgot us,” I sadly told her how I felt.

”Oh, baby,” she said hugging me tight. ”I have not gone one day without thinking about you both. We even have birthday cake for both of you every year,” she said in my hair.

”You do?” I asked, pulling away to look at her.

”Yes, we do. I know it's silly, but I kind of like being silly. It makes me happy.”

”I'm happy for you, mom,” I said. I was happy for her. This wasn't what I had in mind at all. It wasn't even close. I had planned on coming there for all of ten minutes, giving her a piece of my mind and spinning my tires out of there so fast. I was glad that my plan failed. I was glad that she had Jason and Caroline. I was glad that she was happy.

”Caroline reminds me a lot of me,” I said with a smile.

”She reminds me of you every day,” my mom a.s.sured me. ”She is so smart, sometimes too smart for her own good,” she added with a smile. ”Guess what she loves,” my mom persuaded.

I shrugged my shoulders with a big smile. I was happy. I really was.

”Peanut b.u.t.ter and pickles,” she laughed.

I laughed too. That was my favorite food growing up. ”I haven't had one of those in years,” I said.

”Oh, don't worry. You will, just give it a day or two. How long are you staying?” she asked.

I shrugged again. ”I don't have a deadline. I can leave whenever I want. I was supposed to be using this time to figure out what to do with these two difficult men in my life, but so far, I'm still at square one.”

She smiled. ”I hope it takes you a month,” she squealed, happy that I didn't have to leave right away.

Chapter 23.

”Amanda!” Jason yelled for my mom from the deck. We both turned to see him waving us toward the house.

We walked the beach and to the deck hand in hand.

”Someone must have known you were coming,”

Jason said, holding a brown wrapped package for me.

”Drew knew,” I said, taking the package. I wondered if I should open it in front of them, but it was small, so I figured it was safe, probably diamond earrings or something.

I smiled when I pulled the black sea gla.s.s, dangling from a sterling silver chain. There was one diamond in the middle. I read his hand written note.

”This was the best day of my life. I love you.”

I know I was teary eyed. I couldn't help it. He was doing things that blew my mind lately which made my case even worse. I loved him. That was the bottom line. I loved the twisted b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

”Oh, my G.o.d!” Caroline squealed. ”That is black.

Where did you get that?” she asked, excited.

”On the beach in Maine,” I replied, handing it to her to see.

She looked at it wide eyed and amazed. ”This could have come all the way from Italy.”

I smiled. The girl knew her sea gla.s.s.

”Do you hunt sea gla.s.s?” she asked, excited.

”Yeah, I do. I have nine pieces now,” I told her.

”Do you want to see mine?” she asked, excited.

”I would love to,” I said, letting her take my hand and pull me to her bedroom.

I noticed my mother and Jason's reflection through the gla.s.s as I was being led away. He embraced her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. It made me happy.

A lot of things were making me happy that day.

I noticed my suitcase on the twin size bed in Caroline's room. I was bunking with her. I know it sounds stupid, but I was giddy, thinking about sleeping in the twin size bed across from my little sister. I felt like we were having a slumber party.

Caroline took a shoe box from the shelf in the closet. I looked around her room while she retrieved it.

What I wouldn't have done for a room like that when I was her age. The walls were pink. The two twin beds had matching pink quilts with dolphins. Her walls were covered with pictures of sea creatures and one of Justin Bieber. That one made me smile.