“When did she get here?” asked Anna.
“I’ve no idea. Mama was expecting her to check on Mrs. James’s house that she decorated, but no one told me anything specific.”
Anna harrumphed. “Let the fun times roll.”
“Linnea! Annabelle!” Pandora waved as she approached, smiling.
Linnea rose to her feet.
“No hugs, no kisses!” Pandora said, stopping ten feet away. “And please don’t ask me to do that elbow thing. It’s so banal. Here’s an air kiss.” She pursed her lips and made a smacking noise.
“When did you get back?”
“Two weeks ago. I went straight into quarantine. I’ve been dreadfully lonely.”
“Why didn’t you call?”
“Oh, what would’ve been the point? I was exhausted and I knew I’d see you when all this virus stuff sorted itself out. It did, and here I am.”
“Are you here for long?”
“Plans unknown. I’m waiting to see what Granny James will do. I’m officially here to inspect the house—she sent me first class and expects a thorough report. Your mother did a marvelous job, by the way. I hardly recognized the house! I’m not embarrassed to walk inside anymore. Rave reviews. I know Granny is going to be blissfully happy. She’s dying to come, of course, but her doctors won’t allow her to travel.”
“Mama worked extremely hard on the house. She’ll be so pleased.”
“Heaven knows the place needed a complete makeover! It could’ve been on one of the telly shows where people come in and transform a horrid little box into a beautiful home. I was on Team Tear-It-Down, I don’t mind telling you. But I confess I was wrong. Your mother is a miracle worker. She always said the house had good bones, whatever that means.” She laughed. “Anyway, I’m there now, happy to be back, and I’m so happy to see you. I’ve got a golf cart. We can whiz back and forth between our houses. Won’t we have fun?”
“Fun’s always a good thing,” Linnea said, smiling. Pandora had an energy and confidence that lifted the spirits. “You remember Annabelle, of course. She goes by Anna now.” She turned to indicate Anna sitting on the sand.
“Oh. Yes. Hi, Anna.” Pandora’s tone was flat.
Anna looked away from the ocean. “Hi, Pandora.”
Linnea inwardly groaned. There had never been any affection between the two women. Pandora turned again to Linnea. “I, uh, I heard Gordon was here too?”
“Oh, yes,” she answered lightly. Pandora’s tone made Linnea wonder if she still had a thing for Gordon. “He’s here. He pulled every string to get here as early as he could. He’s just finishing his quarantine.”
“Oh, goody,” Pandora replied, smiling. “It will be such fun to see him again. A fellow Brit and all that. Did he rent the same house as last year?”
“No, sadly. Everything was rented.”
“Ah, too bad. Where is he staying? I have plenty of room at Granny James’s house. He could stay with me.”
Linnea realized that Pandora was fishing for information. “He’s renting the loft next door at Emmi’s house. You remember that sweet carriage house?”
“Oh.” She pursed her lips in thought.
“You know, Pandora, you should join our pod.”
Pandora tilted her head, perplexed. “What is a pod?”
Anna rose in a huff, brushed the sand off her bottom with quick slaps, then bent to pick up her surfboard. “I’m going to catch a wave.”
chapter eleven
Joining the pod was more than a promise; it was a bond.
June
LINNEA WAS MARKING days off the calendar. They seemed to breeze by like a spring wind, even as the days lengthened. The news reported a steady increase of people contracting the coronavirus, causing everyone to double down on their isolation.
Linnea’s intimate group of family and friends who made up her quarantine bubble, or pod, was growing. It was time to close ranks. Theirs was a small group comprising four households—Cara, David, and Hope; Julia and Palmer; Linnea, Cooper, and Anna; Emmi, Flo, and John. But with the arrival of Gordon and Pandora, they called a meeting and agreed that these last two would be included.
Gordon was in quarantine up in the loft, and Pandora had just finished her two-week stint of isolation. Both agreed they would abide by the rules and hang out exclusively with the members of the pod and no one else. The agreement was rough water to navigate because everyone had to agree to socialize only with each other and not have interactions with other people. Because of Flo and Hope—the oldest and the youngest, and both compromised—they all understood what was at stake. If someone shopped, or went to work, then social distancing, hand-washing, and masks were nonnegotiable. The effort wasn’t for the one individual, but for the good of the group. Joining the pod was more than a promise; it was a bond.
Tonight they were gathering to welcome a new pod in town—a select group of koi fish.
Linnea, Cooper, and Anna headed out together to Emmi’s garden, Luna in tow. When they reached the gate, they were greeted with hearty calls of welcome as Emmi rushed over to unlatch the bolt. Linnea smiled at the festive mood on this balmy night. The stars overhead competed with a rising moon for attention. Emmi had set fairy lights around the slate patio and made batches of strawberry daiquiris that definitely were giving folks a buzz.
“Come in and take a seat!” Emmi called, ushering them to the circle of chairs near the pond, which she showed off with glowing pride.
Linnea thought how John had built his mother a real gift. The kidney-shaped pond dominated a corner of the garden, transforming it to a lush wonderland. It was bordered with rocks of different sizes, giving it a natural feel, and surrounded with plants. The pièce de résistance, however, was the waterfall. It had John’s signature all over it. Not satisfied with a mere trickle of water, John had created a waterfall that spilled joyfully over the rocks.
“John, it’s a masterpiece,” she exclaimed, drawing near.
“You built this?” Cooper asked disbelievingly.
“Yes,” Emmi exclaimed with a mother’s pride. “John can build anything.”
“Will you build one for me?” asked Julia, sidling closer to John. “I need something to jump-start my garden and this might be the very thing.”
“Get in line!” Cara called out, and raised her glass.
Everyone was in high spirits, enjoying fully not only the beautiful pond, but the spirit in which a son created such a gift for his mother.
Hope was enchanted with the fish and hovered around the pond, chasing them. John sat nearby, keeping an eye on her and making sure the fish weren’t overfed by the eager child. She was meticulously dropping tiny pellets into the water, one by one.
The buzz of conversation was suddenly interrupted by a deep, baritone call from near the pond: jug-o-rum, jug-o-rum. Hope froze, arms out, her attention diverted.
“What was that?” she called out.
Cooper laughed and replied, “Either that’s a bullfrog or an alligator.”
“Here’s to the former,” Cara called out.
David chuckled and patted Cara’s knee. “Don’t scare her.” Then to Hope he said, “Don’t worry. It’s not an alligator.”