August Sunsets (The Vineyard Sunset Series Book 3) by Katie Winters

Author:Katie Winters [Winters, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: women's divorce fiction, womens contemporary fiction, sisters ficiton, Womens Romance Fiction, women's family saga
Publisher: Katie Winters
Published: 2020-08-10T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Lola and Tommy kept their distance from one another for the remainder of the trip, as best as they could, at least, given the fact that they were two people trapped together on a sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Lola busied herself with the article, writing little notes to herself about what she had perceived were the bigger struggles of a solo sailor, along with the fact that Tommy had hardly slept for several days in a row. Although she made a point of not speaking to Tommy, she still prepared meals for him, conscious that he’d upped his manpower in order to direct the sailboat back toward the Vineyard.

Lola wanted to mention the shift in the air to Tommy, the fact that what had been Florida air had gradually eased to their familiar, gorgeous late-summer New England air—an air that seemed looser and freer, with a touch of nostalgia to it. This nostalgia, Lola knew, was all connected to the fact that September was right around the corner. With September came the end of the tourist season, the end of summer, and with that, the island cleared off until next spring, allowing the residents to breathe a collective sigh of relief, reorganize, and prepare for the off-season ahead. Although Lola hadn’t seen an off-season in twenty years, she remembered the sadness and the relief that it normally brought.

When the Vineyard first came into view, Lola’s heart leaped. It was a grey and green rock billowing up on the horizon line, a bit blurry due to the clouds and the surf. Tommy instructed her with sterile words so that she could assist him as they docked. Lola obeyed, asking questions when she needed to, but making sure not to make any eye contact.

As the boat drew closer, Lola spotted a tiny crowd around the dock. With a lurch, she realized that Christine, Zach, and Audrey stood out on the edge of it, holding up a sign that said, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOLA!” Tommy turned his head toward her and grunted.

Finally, he asked, “When was your birthday?”

“Yesterday.”

Right. The worst-possible day ever. The day they had bickered and ended whatever had been brewing between them—that day.

They docked the boat. Audrey hollered, “That’s right, Mom! Look at you! A real sailor!”

“Ha. Don’t make fun of me,” Lola said, hopping off the boat and swallowing her daughter in a massive hug.

“I can’t believe you actually made it,” Christine cried, giving her another hug. “Four full days out to sea! That’s insane.”

“Did she drive you nuts, Tommy?” Zach asked.

Tommy remained on the boat. He strung his fingers through his black hair and seemed at a loss for words. “We had a good trip,” he said finally. “Only one storm. A monster of a storm, but it’s in the past now.”

“Sounds like you have some war stories.” Christine beamed.

“Let me help you get your stuff out of here,” Zach said. “We took one of the bigger vehicles from the Inn and—surprise—we have something planned back at the house.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.