“Are you heading somewhere with this observation?” Liz asked her, though it would probably have been wiser to let it pass.
“Just saying,” Susie said, her eyes sparkling with barely contained laughter. “Anyway, it gives us the perfect chance to have a book club meeting at my place.”
“Has anyone actually read a book lately?” Liz inquired, amused as always that they still insisted on calling it a book club.
Susie shrugged. “Probably not, but we’re well-intentioned. Shanna’s always reading something. She can give us the condensed version and we can move on to other topics.”
Liz laughed. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”
“Oh, she’ll hate it, but facts are facts. In summer especially, none of us has a second to actually read a book.” She regarded Liz hopefully. “Are you in?”
“I’m in,” Liz said. “But only if you can assure me that Aidan and I won’t become the main topic of conversation.”
“No promises,” Susie said blithely. “The two of you are awfully fascinating, but I’ll do what I can.”
Short of avoiding her friends for the foreseeable future, Liz figured that was the best she could hope for. “What time?”
“Seven. I’m going to make a huge salad and a big bowl of fresh fruit. That’s my contribution to healthy. The rest of you can bring the decadent stuff.”
“I call dibs on bringing ice cream,” Liz said. These days it was a wonder she hadn’t become the sole support of Ben & Jerry’s. She had a hunch that Aidan’s approach to handling stress by playing an energetic game of basketball with the guys was probably a whole lot healthier. Too bad the women didn’t seem similarly inclined.
* * *
With the cool breeze blowing off the bay a refreshing change from the day’s earlier heat and humidity, Liz and the O’Brien women had gathered on Susie’s porch with its amazing view of the water.
“I swear, I don’t know how you ever get anything done, much less make yourself leave the house with a view like this,” Liz told Susie as she sipped a glass of sweet tea.
Susie glanced up and looked around as if it was all new to her. “It is pretty incredible, isn’t it? I’m afraid there are too many days when I take it for granted. When I was so sick and Mack was having this house built, all I did was pray that I’d live long enough to move into it with him. The day he carried me across the threshold here was one of the happiest of my life. I was so afraid things would go badly with my treatments that I spent every minute I could right here, in this very chair, soaking it all in.”
She looked around, tears in her eyes. “And now I take it for granted. How awful is that?”
“That’s the way life is, sweetie,” Bree said, moving her own chair closer and giving Susie’s hand a squeeze. “We don’t dwell in the past. We keep looking ahead. Sometimes that means we forget all those promises we made to God when times were tough.”
Susie sighed. “It shouldn’t be that way, though. I have so much. I have my health back. I have this beautiful home. I have the man of my dreams, and yet I want more.”
Heather and Shanna immediately exchanged a guilty look. Susie caught it.
“Stop that! Being pregnant is a wonderful thing and I am so, so happy for both of you,” Susie told them, but the sadness in her eyes suggested something else.
Liz understood that dream in a way none of the others could. She’d gone into teaching because of her love for children and their curious minds and clever imaginations. She’d been so sure she and Josh were ready for that step. Learning otherwise on that terrible night of the accident had devastated her.
Sure, unlike Susie, physically she was still able to have children, but since she couldn’t envision a time when she’d allow a man back into her life, it seemed children were off the table, as well. So, to some degree, she could relate to Susie’s longing for something that seemed so far out of reach.
“You and Mack are hoping to adopt, right?” she asked.
Susie nodded. “But it’s a long process, a lot longer than I ever imagined. I was delusional, I guess. I thought we’d fill out all those forms, go through a ton of interviews and a baby would miraculously appear a few weeks or months later.” She made a face. “Not so much.”
“Don’t you dare give up,” Jess told her. The owner of the inn had taken a rare night off to join them. Usually once the summer season was in full gear, she didn’t allow herself many breaks.
“Of course I won’t give up,” Susie said. “But trying not to be discouraged is a little beyond me.” She forced a smile. “Enough of that. Mack’s probably sick of listening to me. I’m sick of listening to me, for that matter. I don’t want to drive you all away, too.”
“You couldn’t do that if you tried,” Heather said. “You’re stuck with us, especially since you have the great view and the excellent snacks. I say we bring on the ice cream.”
Liz stood up, as eager as the rest of them for a change in topic. “I brought three kinds, along with enough toppings to stock an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor. I’m thinking sundaes. How about the rest of you?”
Shanna moved with surprising agility for a woman in her eighth month of pregnancy. Heather was up just as quickly.
Five minutes later, the granite countertop of the island in Susie’s kitchen held a spread of everything from hot fudge sauce and peanuts to melted caramel, sprinkles and whipped cream. Double dips of ice cream had been doled out, accompanied by teasing remarks and plenty of laughter.
When they were finally back on the porch with the desserts, sighs of contentment could be heard all around.
“Shouldn’t we be
