The discovery of beauty from a child’s eyes overwhelmed Maeve. She turned and looked at the treasures she’d collected. Her life’s work.
“This is my sunroom,” Maeve explained. “I like to come in here and relax while enjoying all the special things I’ve found.”
Hailey’s blond brows set in a straight line. “This isn’t a sunroom. This is a shell room. Look at ’em all.” She pointed her finger, air-tracing her way around each window. Taking it all in, and in no hurry at all. “They are everywhere.” The last statement was barely above a whisper.
“Yes, they most certainly are.” Maeve smiled at this little one. “Maybe more than my fair share.”
“It’s sparkly in here.” Hailey blinked, then started toward the window that Maeve treasured the most. The one full of her most precious pieces of sea glass. “Look at these. They are like Christmas lights.” She reached out and touched the outside of a tall apothecary jar filled with pieces of sea glass in shades of red, and she placed her finger over a brilliant orange piece. “Wow! That’s the prettiest one.”
“You have excellent taste. That’s my most treasured piece.”
Her eyes lifted.
“You can touch it. It’s okay.”
“Can I hold it?”
“Sure.” Maeve walked closer and watched Hailey dip her hand into the jar to reach the dazzling nugget. She knelt down next to her. “It’s the rarest color of all sea glass. My second favorite is this one.” In a separate glass canning jar, Maeve picked up a cobalt-blue piece. “Look, it’s the exact color of your eyes.”
Hailey’s eyes opened wide, and she pressed her face next to Maeve’s hand as she held the sea glass, offering her the chance to compare the two. “I love this room.”
“I do too. It’s my happy place.” The overstuffed white chair in the middle looked lonely now, but she’d never been lonely in this room. There was one other chair—a smaller one that she’d put a slipcover over—and then her momma’s old Queen Anne ladies’ writing desk.
For the first time, she pictured herself in this room differently: not alone but rather with Hailey and Jesse at her feet. It would be so much more colorful with their light in the room. Like shimmering curtains of sun with their energy and innocence in here.
Hailey leaned forward and whispered, “I can keep a secret. You’re my new best friend.” Hailey zipped her lips and threw away the key.
“You are my most special friend.” Maeve took her by the hand and went back to the kitchen to gather lunch and take it outside.
Amanda and Jesse sang, “Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream.”
Maeve carried the tray of sandwiches and drinks. Hailey opened the door, and the two of them joined in for the finale. “Life is but a dream.”
“To dreams,” Maeve said.
They ate lunch, and the afternoon offered a few puffy clouds that were a welcome relief on the scorching day. The conversation was easy, and the laughter made Maeve feel ten years younger. Thank goodness I lived long enough to experience this.
They finished eating and then Hailey got up. “Me and Jesse will take all the dishes to the kitchen.” She collected plates, and Jesse gathered what he could. “We know how.”
“Well, thank you.” Maeve sat back in her chair, letting the two fuss around her. “That’s quite wonderful. I feel like a queen for a day.”
“Queen mermaid,” Jesse said.
“That’s our secret.” As the two youngsters walked through the door toward the kitchen, Maeve sat there enjoying their delight. “Oh, Amanda. Remember when we were talking before and you said you had no gifts?”
“Yes. And I still don’t have any.” She took a sip of water and set her glass down with a bump.
“I beg your pardon. You, my dear, are a gift. Seriously, just the pure joy of being in your presence is a gift.”
Amanda sputtered. “Oh right.”
“No, I’m being serious. There’s a sincere and gentle nature about you. Your honesty comes through, and it’s…refreshing. Yes, you’re refreshing.” She understood exactly what Paul had seen in her the first time he and Amanda had met.
“Refreshing? Like a lemon-lime soda?”
“Ah, with effervescent bubbles. No, wait. Hailey and Jesse would be the effervescent bubbles.” She reached over and took Amanda’s hand into her own and gave it a squeeze. “I’m not trying to flatter you, and this isn’t just some old lady spewing random thoughts.”
Amanda sat back, looking a little uncomfortable.
“Listen to me. You bring light with you. You’re bringing this old lady joy right now, and trust me, people who come into your path feel it too. I saw it when you were at the diner. The waitress. Tug. And even your friend Paul. I saw it in him. You think it has to be more, but what we get is enough. It’s always enough. You just need to be yourself and listen to those brief whispers. Don’t hesitate. Things are changing for you.”
“Oh goodie.” Amanda clearly thought she was joking.
“I’m serious. You wait. There is good change on your path. I feel it.” Maeve sat forward. “I saw you help that woman on the beach that day. The one with the husband who’d left with his cooler while she had to get everything else. That made a difference to her. It wasn’t a craft or art or singing; it was you being you. You bolstered her when she needed help. You didn’t think twice about taking action.”
“Of course not. She needed a hand.”
“The awe you inspire in your children as you share nature’s bounty with them, at the ocean or anywhere—that’s a gift. You have gifts you don’t even recognize yet.”
Amanda’s laughter slowed to a thoughtful smile. “Thank you, Maeve. I hope you’re right, but I will say this. Your friendship, you being on my path, has already touched my life in a very
