A Life of Joy (16 page)

Lindsay located her bag and tried in vain to ignore the curious stares while walking with Frank to his Suburban parked in the back of the lot.

During the ride to his house, Frank prattled on about the humid weather. Lindsay gazed out the window, oblivious to what he was saying. Instead, she took in the scenery, feeling
as if she’d been transported back to a former life. Yet, it didn’t exactly feel like her former life. She didn’t look the same or feel like the same person she was four years ago.

“I really appreciate you coming here to help Trisha out,” Frank said as he steered onto Sandbridge Road. “I’ve been working long hours these days. We’ve got a big condo project going up down on the Outer Banks in Duck. Construction is finally moving again. We were dead for a long time.” He glanced over at her, his brown eyes full of concern. “You okay, Lindsay?”

She forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

The truth was, she was drowning in memories of the thousands of times she’d driven out to Sandbridge Beach with her parents and Jessica to visit Frank and Trisha. They’d been her parents’ best friends since before Jessica and Lindsay were born. Since Frank and Trisha never had children of their own, they attended every birthday celebration, school function, and holiday gathering that Lindsay could remember. They were more like an aunt and uncle than family friends.

“Must seem strange to be back here, huh?” Frank asked while motoring through the twists and turns of the winding Sandbridge Road. “You’re used to the countryside now and not as much traffic as we have here.”

She cracked open the window, breathing in the humid ocean air. “It’s sort of surreal. It’s home, but it’s not home. I can’t explain it.”

The SUV negotiated onto Sandfiddler Road, and Lindsay took in the view of the ocean. She’d almost forgotten how much she loved to watch the waves crash onto the beach and feel the warm sand between her toes.

“Trisha is excited to see you,” Frank said. “She said it’s been too long since we came to visit you last summer.”

Lindsay nodded while studying the beachfront homes whizzing by. “It has been too long.”

Frank steered into the driveway of the three-story wooden
home facing the oceanfront and Lindsay’s stomach fluttered. The last time she’d been in this house was four years ago when Jessica had run away and Lindsay, Jake, and Rebecca had rushed to Virginia to make sure she was okay. The house still looked the same with its two-car garage on the bottom floor and two stories of living space above.

Slowing to a stop in front of the garage door, Frank poked the button on the controller attached to the visor above his head, and the garage door lifted. “Here we are.”

Lindsay gathered her tote bag and purse and then climbed from the truck. She met Frank by the garage entrance and followed him into the house and up the stairs to the main level. Glancing around, she found the house looked the same. A large, open family room flowed into a spacious kitchen. Past the kitchen were a laundry room and two bedrooms. Upstairs were two more bedrooms and another den area.

Trisha was lounging in the recliner with her eyes closed while the television played a movie softly across the room. She was pale, her brown hair looking darker than usual against her ivory skin.

Frank crossed the room and stopped at the recliner. Leaning down, he kissed Trisha’s forehead. “Hey, sleepy head. Lindsay’s here.”

Opening her dark brown eyes, Trisha glanced over at Lindsay, and a smile exploded across her tired face. “Lindsay!” she said, her voice gravelly. “How are you?”

Frank smiled at her. “I’m going to take Lindsay’s bag to her room and check my voicemail. You two catch up.” He then disappeared through the kitchen toward the master bedroom.

Trisha motioned for Lindsay to come over. “Get over here. Let me get a good look at you, sweetie. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Aunt Trisha.” Lindsay dropped her tote bag and purse and crossed the room. She cupped Trisha’s hands in hers. “How are you feeling?”

Trisha smiled. “Oh, I’m okay. Groggy.” Reaching up, she
touched the ribbon hanging from Lindsay’s prayer covering. “You’re such a beautiful young lady. You’ve grown up since we saw you last year.” She shook her head and gave a little laugh. “We never expected this to happen. Thank you so much for coming to help us out. I feel like such a fool for falling like I did, but like the doctor said, it could’ve been much worse.”

“I’m happy to come and help you, Aunt Trisha.” Lindsay lowered herself into the chair beside her. “I’m glad that it wasn’t worse. That deck is really high from what I remember.” She folded her hands in her lap and smiled. “So, how are you feeling? How did your surgery go?”

“Oh, it went fine.” Trisha motioned toward her cast. “I have to wear this thing for eight weeks. Can’t wait until I get it off.”

“How does your leg feel?”

“It throbs.” She lifted a glass that looked as if it was filled with iced tea. She took a sip and then placed it back on the table. “I’m so glad you’re here. You’re all grown up. I can’t believe you’re eighteen and Jessica is going to be turning twenty next month. Where has the time gone, Lindsay-girl?”

Lindsay smoothed her hands across the skirt of her purple frock and fought the lump in her throat. The only people who called her “Lindsay-girl” were her parents and Trisha and Frank. Hearing the nickname caused something deep in her soul to melt. “Yeah, time passes quickly. My little cousins are getting so big. It seems like yesterday they were just born.”

“We have to visit more often,” Trisha said with a yawn.

“I agree,” Lindsay said. “Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?” She glanced toward the kitchen and wondered if she could throw something together for Trisha to eat. “I could make you some breakfast. Have you eaten?”

“I’m fine, but you should make yourself something. When was the last time you ate?”

“Last night.” Lindsay covered her mouth to shield a yawn
as the exhaustion of the trip suddenly drowned her. “I don’t remember what time it was when I ate.”

Trisha gave her a stern expression. “You should make yourself a snack and then go take a nap. You look wiped out.”

Lindsay wagged a finger at her. “You look like you need a nap too.”

“I think you both need a nap.” Frank stood grinning in the doorway. “Lindsay, I put your bag in your room. How about I make you something to eat and then you go rest for a while?”

Lindsay got to her feet. “I can make myself something to eat. I don’t expect you to wait on me.”

“Okay.” He crossed the room and came to a stop behind Trisha. “But I want you both to rest. No more talking until noon.”

Trisha grinned up at him. “Yes, sir.”

He touched her nose. “You’re very smart to listen to your husband.” Leaning down, he kissed her forehead and then touched her shoulder. “Do you need anything? You haven’t eaten much.”

“I’m fine.” Trisha glanced at Lindsay and held out her hand, taking Lindsay’s in it. “Thank you again for coming. I’m so glad you’re here, Lindsay-girl.” She squeezed Lindsay’s hand.

“Me too,” Lindsay whispered. “It’s good to see you again.” After kissing Trisha’s cheek, she headed into the kitchen and made two pieces of cinnamon toast, which she ate at the table while flipping through the paper.

Once she was finished eating, she cleaned up the kitchen and then headed to the guest bedroom. Moving through the den area, she found Trisha asleep in the recliner. She smiled, hoping Trisha was getting the rest she needed and having pleasant dreams.

Lindsay stepped into the guest room and felt as if she’d been taken back in time to four years ago, when she and Rebecca had stayed in the room when they came looking for Jessica after she’d run away. The room looked exactly the same with its
peach walls, white wicker furniture, and lighthouse and beach paintings. The colorful decor was a stark contrast to the plain white walls in Rebecca’s simple home.

She found her duffel bag on the bed and unpacked, hanging her frocks and aprons in the closet and placing her pajamas and underclothes in the wicker dresser. She pulled out a cookbook that she’d borrowed from Rebecca and placed it on the dresser. She opened the side pocket of her bag and found her favorite photo of her parents and Jessica, taken during their last family vacation at Disney World, and placed it on her nightstand next to a digital alarm clock.

She moved to the window and pushed back the shade, taking in the beautiful scene of the waves crashing on the golden sand. When she was a child, Lindsay loved to come to this house and spend hours on the beach, building sand castles and body surfing in the salty water. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered those long hot days on the beach with Jessica, their parents, and the McCabes. Somehow it felt like another lifetime, and maybe it was since her life had changed so drastically after her parents died.

Lindsay yawned, and a wave of exhaustion crashed down on her. She glanced at the queen-sized bed and felt the urge to take a nap. She carefully removed her prayer covering and placed it on the dresser next to her comb and brush before she climbed onto the plush comforter displaying a beach scene and snuggled down into the pillow. Her mind raced with thoughts of her family back in Lancaster. She wondered how Rebecca was feeling. Her thoughts moved to the cadence of the waves crashing outside her window, and soon she fell asleep.

Lindsay’s eyes flew open and she glanced around the room, unsure of where she was for a moment. Memories of the past twenty-four hours flooded her, much like the surf pounding the beach below. Sitting up, she stretched and then turned to
the digital clock, which read 5:30. With a gasp, she popped out of bed, grabbed her cookbook, and rushed toward the kitchen. She passed through the den and found Trisha lounging in the recliner, staring at an evening news commentator talking about a robbery at a convenience store in Norfolk.

“Hey, Lindsay-girl,” Trisha said with a weak smile. “Did you nap well?”

“Ya,”
Lindsay said. She shook her head. “I mean, yes, I did sleep well. Thank you.”

Trisha’s eyes moved to the cookbook in Lindsay’s hands. “What do you have there?”

Lindsay held it up. “This is one of my aunt Rebecca’s favorite cookbooks. I thought I could pick out something nice for you and Frank, depending on what you have in the kitchen.”

Trisha gave an expression that was a mixture of surprise and amusement. “You were planning on cooking tonight?”

Lindsay nodded. “Of course I was. I didn’t expect you to cook in your condition.”

“I obviously can’t cook, but Frank went out to get us a pizza from your favorite place.” Trisha gestured toward the sofa next to her. “Have a seat. We haven’t had much time to talk yet.”

Lindsay lowered herself onto the sofa and placed the book on the coffee table. “You didn’t need to spend the money on pizza. I love to cook. Aunt Rebecca and my other aunts have taught me how to make some delicious meals, and eating out really is a waste of your hard-earned money. I’d be happy to cook every night.”

Trisha’s expression turned to surprise. “It isn’t necessary for you to cook every night, Lindsay. We’re used to getting takeout every now and again.”

Lindsay nodded, but she didn’t feel right letting Frank and Trisha spend the money at a restaurant when she could cook something healthier and less expensive at home. She wasn’t
used to eating out much anymore, even though her parents also enjoyed eating out frequently.

“I’ll plan to cook tomorrow,” Lindsay finally said. “But I’ll have to see what you have in the kitchen first.”

“You do that.” Trisha yawned, cupping her hand to her mouth. “These painkillers are taking a lot out of me, and I can’t seem to get comfortable.” Biting her lip, she gingerly shifted her weight in the chair, wincing as she moved her injured leg.

Lindsay stood. “Do you need anything? A drink maybe? Or do you need help getting to the bathroom?”

Trisha shook her head. “Will you please sit down? I’m fine. Tell me what’s been going on with you.”

Lindsay dropped back onto the sofa. “What did you want to know?”

“How are things in Pennsylvania?” Trisha asked.

“Things are really good. Emma just started talking,” Lindsay said. “Rebecca just found out that she’s expecting another baby in January, so we’re really excited.” She reached up and touched her head. She bit back a gasp when she found it uncovered. She started to stand and then stopped. She knew Trisha wouldn’t understand why it was so important to her to wear it.

“Something wrong?” Trisha asked.

“I forgot to put my covering back on after my nap. I should go grab it or get a kerchief to wear.”

Trisha raised her eyebrows. “You can’t take it off in the house?”

“I’m not supposed to.”

“Oh, well, you don’t need to worry about it here, but if you’re uncomfortable, you can go get it.” Trisha smiled.

“It feels strange and almost uncomfortable not to wear it,” Lindsay said. “But I’ll be okay.” She’d become accustomed to keeping her head covered at all times. Therefore, it felt as if something was missing to not wear her covering.

“Do you have summer clothes to wear while you’re here?”

Trisha asked. “I’m sure you remember that it gets really hot and humid here. We’d all melt without central air conditioning.”