Amanda couldn’t hide the shock. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“You’re right. That wasn’t nice.” Maeve covered her mouth. “That was really bad. Thank you. Very thoughtful.” She scooched down on the bed, laying her head on the pillow. “I can’t believe you’ve done all this for me. We’ve known each other such a short time, but it feels like longer, doesn’t it?”
“You feel like forever family to me.” Amanda turned off the lights over the beds, then went back over and opened the drapes. “The lights will be nice to fall asleep to, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” Maeve pulled her covers up under her chin.
“Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s pretty or spooky at night,” Amanda said.
“I guess that’s a matter of perspective, but I still think it’s gorgeous. I wish I’d been able to put some of this moss in my tree in the backyard. It would’ve been so beautifully out of place on that live oak. I would’ve…”
Amanda turned toward Maeve, who had fallen asleep midsentence. She wondered if she was dreaming of the moss in the trees tonight. She hoped experiencing it firsthand had lived up to Maeve’s dreams.
She missed Hailey and Jesse, but she treasured this time with Maeve. She was so glad she’d been able to take this trip with her. It seemed like such a small thing compared to the gifts Maeve had given her. Not just friendship, but the strength to move forward. The trust Maeve placed in her buoyed her faith. Amanda and her children would be better people for having known her.
She thought of that first shell she found with the quote by Havelock Ellis: “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” I’ll miss you so, Maeve. I’ll let you go, but I’m holding tight to these memories forever.
29
Amanda woke to the gurgling coffeepot in the hotel room.
Maeve grabbed a towel, trying to smother the noisy pot. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I was trying to do something nice and have coffee ready, but this is a whole lot noisier than my old drip coffeepot.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m ready for coffee too.”
“Coming right up.” Maeve poured a cup for them both.
Amanda took one of the mugs. “How are you feeling today?”
“I’m still flying high after yesterday. It was a perfect day.” Maeve’s eyes glistened. “It was so beautiful. I dreamed of Spanish moss and starlit nights.”
She’d seen Maeve get up in the middle of the night for medication. She wondered how she really felt. She hoped the trip wasn’t too much for her, but she pushed the worry away, instead concentrating on enjoying another wonderful day together. That was her priority. “I’m going to have to bring Hailey and Jesse back to see this someday when they’re a little older. I’m so glad we got to do this.”
“Me too.”
They both changed out of their nightclothes and packed so they’d be ready before enjoying a second cup of coffee out on the balcony.
A double knock came at their door. “That must be James.” Amanda walked over to the door and opened it. “Good morning.”
“I’m here to collect your luggage.”
“We’ve got everything ready,” she said.
James rolled in the cart and piled their bags on it. “You ladies take your time. We’re in no hurry. I’ll be parked right out front.”
“Thanks, James.” Amanda walked through the room to be sure neither of them had left anything behind. “I think we’re all set.”
“Okay, then let’s get this show on the road.” Maeve clapped her hands together.
“I hate for this trip to end,” Amanda said. She walked over and hugged Maeve. “I’m going to try so hard not to blubber. I keep reminding myself that you’re the lucky one.”
“That’s right. Don’t forget that.”
They checked out of their room and, as promised, James was parked just outside the door. It looked like he took up the space of three cars with the limo. Well, three little ones, anyway.
Maeve giggled. “I feel so important.”
“Like a star traveling incognito. I’ll be your assistant.” Amanda did a suspicious double take, pretending to clear the way for her. “This way, Ms. Maeve. We’ve got the paparazzi at bay.”
“You know how I love the bay,” she teased.
Amanda laughed all the way to the car.
James closed the door behind them. Then, as he pulled away, he raised the partition.
Amanda stretched out. “Want to watch a movie? Or maybe listen to some music? We’ve got a little less than five hours to get there.”
“No movies. I’ll just fall asleep. Music would be nice. Although none of that loud stuff.”
Amanda fiddled with the radio, finally landing on an oldies station. “This will be fun. I love the oldies.” Amanda thought James was worried something was wrong with the car because he kept rolling down the windows as if he were listening for something, but then she realized he might be trying to drown out their bad singing. Not that she cared.
When James stopped for fuel, the two women sat quietly for a while, until Amanda spoke up.
“Maeve, can I ask you something?”
“Anything, dear.”
“I wanted to ask you if you had anything to do with the message in the shell for Kimmy. The one Becky found.”
Maeve inhaled deeply, as if she were getting ready to go underwater. “I didn’t even know she’d stumbled upon it until someone mentioned it in the diner. But no, I didn’t write that for Kimmy.” She sat there staring at Amanda for a long moment. “However, I did write the message in that shell.” She looked away, then back at her hands folded in her lap. “I have no idea how that same shell showed back up again.”
“But you did write the message?”
“Yes, I did. Twenty-five years ago.”
Amanda thought she’d heard wrong at first. “Twenty-five years ago?”
Maeve nodded. “After Jarvis died. That shell was special to me. I still remember so vividly every
