Abby thought of Aiden and the way he’d said they’d both been hiding behind work.
When we had you and Didi, I learned that I could love each of you as deeply as I loved Cait. But I’m not strong like you girls are. I was a troubled kid, and while I found my way with your father, when we lost him, I lost myself. I drank to numb the pain of missing him, and you girls paid the price for my weakness.
To say I’m sorry for what I put you through would be a gross understatement, but I’m going to say it, because I am sorry for letting you down, for making you grow up far sooner than you should have, and for all the emotional scars I left you with.
Abby swiped at her tears.
You girls are the light of my life, and I’m so very proud of you. Despite my mistakes, you’ve grown into bright, independent adults, which is why I chose not to tell you I had so little time left when I found out how sick I was. I’d given you enough heartaches. I know you, Abby, and you would have wanted to come home and take care of me, to make sure I knew you loved me. I couldn’t do that to you, but rest assured, I know you love me despite my flaws. That’s your greatest gift, seeing the heart and soul of a person rather than only seeing what others see. I hope you never lose that ability. You remind me so much of your father. I hope one day you’ll work a little less and allow yourself time to find someone as wonderful as he was. Someone who appreciates and supports your strength to stand up for yourself and who’s not afraid to challenge you, because you need that, too. You don’t do well with pushovers.
Abby moved the letter out of the path of her tears.
You know who you are, Abby. Don’t ever doubt that. I hope you will continue to dream, to be stubborn, and to follow your heart wherever it may lead because a strong, determined woman like you can’t get lost the way I did. Your light is simply too bright. It will always guide you down the right path.
Live on, sweet girl, and don’t waste your energy looking back. Chase your dreams and make them all come true. Daddy and I will be cheering you on from above.
All my love,
Mom
Abby looked up at the sky through a blur of tears and said, “Thank you. I needed this.”
The front door flew open, and Cait walked out looking beautiful in the sundress. “Abby? Whose boat is that? We have to leave in twenty minutes.”
Shoot! Abby scrambled out of the boat and ran toward the house in her bare feet and sleeping shorts. “It was my dad’s boat. Brant brought it over.”
“You’re not even showered yet?” When Abby got to the porch, Cait said, “Oh no, you’re crying. Are you okay? Is it Aiden? What can I do?”
“It’s . . . everything, but I’ll be fine,” Abby said quickly.
Cait looked at the letter. “You read your letter?”
“Yes. You should read yours.”
“It made you cry. I think I’ll wait on that. You sure you’re okay?”
“I will be. No more looking back. It’s time to chase our dreams.”
Cait nudged her through the front door and said, “Okay, but first I’m chasing your ass upstairs. You need to get ready, because one of my dreams is seeing Wells Silver’s face when they announce the Bistro as the winner!”
There was standing room only at Majestic Park, where Patrick Osten, the mayor of Silver Island, was preparing to step up to the podium. A banner reading BEST OF THE ISLAND RESTAURANT COMPETITION hung across the back of the amphitheater, and red and white balloons bobbed from strings tied to the railing of the steps leading up to the stage. Abby stood with Cait, fidgeting with the plunging neckline on her peach maxi dress as they waited for the contestants to be called up for the announcement. Cait was equally nervous. She’d been tugging at the hem of her dress since they left the house.
They were both overwhelmed by the number of people who had already wished them luck today. Abby hadn’t even known half of them. As much as she wanted to win the competition, even if they lost, it was enough knowing so many people were cheering on the Bistro and welcoming her and Cait into the community with open arms.
“Why are we so nervous?” Abby asked. “We already did the hard work.”
“I have some more to do,” Cait said.
“What do you mean?”
Worry riddled Cait’s brow. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I love working with Tank and everyone at Wicked Ink, but I also really love being here with you and working at the Bistro together. Would you mind if I tried to do both, but got involved here in a bigger way? I can handle the accounting and inventory, maybe hostessing?”
“Are you kidding? I would love it if you could be here more often.”
Cait exhaled loudly, putting her hand over her heart. “That’s great.”
“How could you even think I wouldn’t want that?”
“I didn’t really, but I was nervous about it. I don’t want to step on your toes or for you to feel like you have to let me do more.”
“Trample on my toes, sister. The Bistro is yours as much as it’s mine and Deirdra’s. Now I’m excited! Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I don’t have it all figured out, but I could work here more over the summer and with Tank over the winter. Or possibly start doing tattoos and piercings here and also work more at the Bistro, and then work with Tank a couple of days a month. I don’t know the best way to schedule my time, but we can talk about it, and I’ll definitely figure something out.”
“This is going to be fabulous.” Abby hugged her.
“There they are!” Shelley waved, pushing through the crowd with Lenore and Faye Steele, Shelley’s ex-sister-in-law.
“Can you believe how many people turned out for the announcement?” Shelley exclaimed. “Abby, you remember Faye.”
“Of course!” Abby threw her arms around Faye, whom she would recognize anywhere. Faye was a voluptuous woman, like Shelley, with thick, layered blond hair, apple cheeks, and big brown eyes. When Abby was younger, she’d had a crush on Faye’s oldest son, Reggie. “I haven’t seen you in so long.”
“I know, darlin’, and that’s my fault,” Faye said. “I haven’t been out to visit in a while, but Shelley has filled me in on everything that’s been going on with you, including a new beau and a new sister. Those green eyes tell me you’re Cait, right?”
“Yes. Cait, this is Faye, Shelley’s ex-sister-in-law, and this is Lenore, Shelley’s mother.”
“Faye was married to my husband Steve’s brother Jeffrey.” Shelley shielded her mouth and said, “But we don’t talk about him.”
“He’s an ass,” Lenore said.
Cait smiled at that. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“Faye, how long are you in town?” Abby asked.
“Forever,” Faye said. “Shelley and Lenore have convinced me to move here.”
“That’s wonderful,” Abby exclaimed.
“It only took us a decade,” Shelley said. “Faye has spent the last several years working as a cook at a fancy restaurant in Trusty, Colorado. She needs a job, and you gals need a cook. I thought you might want to talk.”
“We have someone who might be able to fill in here and there, but we definitely need a full-time cook,” Abby said. “They’re going to start the announcement soon, but I’d love to get your number.”