Toddler in Tow (Single Wide Female & Family #3) Page 6

  “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “I am too. But like people say, you can never truly lose someone. They remain in your heart—in your memories. I just really wanted her here with me today.”

  “I’m so grateful that you shared such a special memory with me. I wish I could have met her.”

  “She was a big fan of yours. She always liked how honest you are about things—that you don’t try to hide behind some illusion or meet some standards. I like that too.”

  “Thank you. I do try to keep things as honest as possible, but it can be hard sometimes. No one ever wants to admit that they’ve made a mistake or put themselves into an awkward position. But those mistakes and awkward positions can lead to some of the most amazing experiences.”

  “I knew it!” someone called from a few feet from behind me.

  Chapter 17

  I turned around to see Linda headed straight for me.

  “I knew it last night but I didn’t dare to say it! Wow, I can’t believe it’s really you.”

  “Here I am.” I grinned. “And thank you so much for the tip on the campsite. We found a perfect place.”

  “If you want to share a campfire, we’re doing one tonight. Here’s the address.” She jotted it down on a piece of paper for me and handed it over. “Hope to see you there. I have to catch up with my son and husband.”

  As she walked away Mary Ellen offered a wistful smile. “I miss those busy days. They seem so difficult when you’re in them, but once your kids are grown and on their own, it’s hard not to miss them. Enjoy this time, Samantha.” She hugged me, then headed off with the rest of the group.

  My heart softened at her words. It was so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities that sometimes I forgot how important it was to value each moment I had with Abby.

  After a quick meal at a small restaurant we explored the woods some more around the campsite. When the sun began to set, I glanced at my watch.

  “Should we go to Linda’s campsite? I bet Abby would really enjoy that.”

  “Sure. It looks like we wouldn’t even have to drive. We can walk over.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Max, it’s already pretty dark.”

  “We have flashlights.”

  “Still, don’t you think that’s a little dangerous?”

  “We’re roughing it, remember?” He winked at me.

  “Okay, I guess I’m up for the adventure.”

  I grabbed some flashlights, a blanket for Abby, and some treats to bring with us. Then we began to head to over to the other campsite.

  At first the path was pretty well lit as our campsite was large, with many other people there. The further we traveled down the path, the sparser the lights and people became. The wind rustled through the leaves in the trees against a dark sky. I shivered and held tight to Abby’s hand.

  “Are you okay, Sammy?” Max shined his flashlight over at me.

  “It’s a bit spooky, don’t you think?”

  “Oooo, I’m a ghost!” Abby waved her hands around and tugged mine right along as well. “Boo! Boo! Boo!” She jumped up and down every time she said it.

  “Shh—Abby, some people are trying to have a peaceful night.”

  “Spooky, Mommy.” She giggled and jumped again.

  “There’s nothing too scary in the woods. Trust me. If there were any forest creatures they’re long gone thanks to our little ghost here.” Max ruffled Abby’s hair, then smiled at me. “It’s an adventure, remember?”

  I smacked at my skin as a bug landed on it. “It’s an adventure alright—a bug-filled, spooky adventure.”

  “Spooky!” Abby giggled and tugged on my hand. “Ghost!” She pointed to the trees beside us.

  I was prepared to tell her that there was no such thing as ghosts, until I saw the glow she was pointing at. It was too faint to belong to a flashlight, but too strong to be a trick of the moon. There were no buildings or vehicles around it. It just appeared to hover and glow. I imagined a ghost might hover and glow just like that.

  “Max!” I gave him a shove. “Go, go.” I scooped Abby up and hurried forward.

  “What is it?” Max frowned.

  “She’s right, there’s something out there.”

  “I’m sure it’s just a lantern or something.”

  “In midair?” I stared at him.

  “Maybe. If they hung it on a branch or something.”

  “Why in the world would anyone hang a lantern in the middle of the woods?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s go take a look.”

  “Absolutely not!” I gasped.

  “Sammy, relax. It’s not a ghost.”

  “Let’s just get to the campfire before we miss it, alright?”

  “Okay, fine.” He sighed and snapped a picture of the glow with his phone.

  As we continued on I tried to put the eerie experience out of my mind.

  When we arrived at the campground there were quite a few people seated around a campfire. Linda introduced us to everyone and welcomed us to join their fun. A few campfire songs and s’mores later, I’d forgotten all about the ghost—until Max decided to bring it up.

  “On our way here we saw something creepy. Anyone know what this is about?” He held out his phone with the picture on it.

  “Oh, that?” Linda shrugged. “It’s a lantern. We put it there because that part of the path is really dark.”

  Max looked over at me and I didn’t need a flashlight to see the “I told you so” in his eyes.

  I gritted my teeth and did my best to pretend I didn’t see it. At least now I knew we weren’t being stalked by a ghost.

  An hour or so later Abby sprawled out on a blanket by our feet, and the tone of the people around the campfire shifted from merry to subdued. Some retreated to their tents while others exchanged stories.

  I listened to the stories with great interest. It was always interesting to me to discover other people’s experiences and live them through their memories. Max wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my arms to be sure I was warm enough.

  As the fire crackled I leaned close to Max and closed my eyes. I wanted to burn each of these moments into my memory. Abby would never be three again, curled around my foot on a blanket in the middle of the woods with chocolate-smeared cheeks. Max and I would never be on this particular book tour again. These were our moments to share, and I wanted to treasure them.

  When I felt his lips graze my temple a rush of gratitude carried through me. If I allowed myself to admit it, I had the best life ever, at least for me. Maybe there were bumps in the road but never enough to derail me, and with Max’s arms around me, I knew we could handle any disaster.

  Chapter 18

  I opened my eyes to see Linda gathering the remnants of our snacks. I stood up to help. As we worked side by side, I looked over at her.

  “Thank you so much for inviting us, Linda. It’s been a beautiful evening.”

  “This is what I enjoy the most. Just being together, without all of the distractions that life can use to separate us.”

  “I agree. To think I was hesitant to camp, but I’m so glad that we’ve done this. If we’d stayed on campus we would have missed so much.”

  “When my son was little I became so cautious of everything. I didn’t want him to get hurt, or lost, or be uncomfortable. But when I realized how much we were missing out on as a family, I learned to be brave again. I think sometimes children need adventure more than they need safety. Of course we don’t want to put them in dangerous situations, but if we protect them from everything, they’ll never have a chance to truly experience life.”

  “It’s so hard not to want to protect her from everything.”

  “You’ll find children are tougher than you think. It can cause more harm than good when we shield them from their curiosity. Well, that’s my opinion, anyway.”

  “That’s great advice. Thank you, Linda.”

  “I’m looking forward to your book signing tonight. I’m gl
ad that you decided to come to Maine.”

  “I’ll see you then.” I smiled at her, then gathered our things.

  Max wrapped Abby in the blanket and rested her on his shoulder as we walked back along the path. This time the eerie light didn’t frighten me, but the memory of Abby jumping up and down as she shouted boo made me smile. In the moment, all I’d thought about was her being too loud—and other campers getting upset—but now that I looked back on it, I realized it was just another experience for her and nothing terrible had come from it.

  When we reached our cabin, Max settled Abby into her bed, then joined me in ours. He curled his body around mine and sniffed my hair and the back of my neck.

  “You smell like s’mores.”

  “Good?” I laughed.

  “Very good.” He nibbled at my neck. “Mm.”

  “I love you, Max.”

  “I love you too, Sammy.”

  Early the next morning Abby was awake and energetic. Max and I were a bit exhausted from our late night, but once we had some breakfast we perked up too.

  “We have until five, what do you think we should do today?” Max met my eyes.

  “I’d like to go to a lighthouse—maybe the one that that guy I told you about takes care of?”

  “Okay, that sounds like fun. Want to visit Basil, Abby?”

  “Yes!” She grinned.

  The lighthouse wasn’t too far from our campsite, but far enough that we passed some breathtaking scenery along the way.

  Abby seemed so much more relaxed than I ever remembered her being in the morning. She sang songs with us, didn’t get upset when the traffic was heavy, and even pointed out some birds and trees she liked.

  I wondered if some of the irritability she’d been experiencing was because she’d been feeling pressured in our daily schedule—or maybe she’d just been feeling bored. I thought back to a time in my life when I had to be places at certain times and remembered how much it had bothered me. It didn’t matter what I was doing, I just didn’t like to feel so pinned down to a certain time and place. Maybe Abby took after me more than I realized.

  A few minutes later I was torn from my thoughts by Abby’s squeal of delight.

  “There it is, there it is!” Abby squealed and pointed through the window at the lighthouse. “I can see it!”

  “We can see it too, sweetie. Doesn’t it look beautiful?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “I can’t wait to get to the top.” Max grinned.

  “It’s so high!” Abby wiggled in her car seat. “Can we jump off?”

  “No!” Max and I both shouted as he turned into the parking lot.

  “No jumping off.” I looked in the rear-view mirror at her. “It’s way too high. That would be very dangerous.”

  “Aw.” Abby pouted.

  As soon as we were out of the car her mood brightened. Max and I swung her between our hands as we walked toward the lighthouse.

  Basil opened the door as we approached. “Well, well, I remember you two.” He smiled.

  “Can we see your lighthouse?”

  “Yes, you can.” He nodded to Max. “Pleasure to meet you, I’m Basil.”

  “Max. Thanks for inviting us.”

  “I’ll give you a private tour. But first I have to show Abby this.” He took her hand.

  My little girl, who rarely warmed up to anyone so quickly, let him hold her hand without the slightest hesitation. It told me a lot about who he was, as I trusted Abby’s instincts.

  Max and I followed him as he directed Abby around the side of the lighthouse. He reached a tree and picked Abby up. “Look just there.” He pointed to a branch.

  Abby leaned forward and peered at the branch. “Birdies!” She grinned. “Babies!”

  “That’s right.” He smiled and gestured for us to come closer. “They just hatched a few days ago. They’re cedar waxwings—pretty common around here, but I thought Abby might like to see them.”

  “They’re so cute!” Abby giggled.

  “They are cute.”

  I snapped a picture and marveled at the tiny creatures. I’d never seen a baby bird in person before, not one so young.

  “Where’s their mommy?” Abby peered at the nest again.

  “Oh, she’s out gathering food for them.”

  “They’re all alone?” She sniffed.

  “No, not alone—we’re here.” Basil set her back down. “Ready to check out the lighthouse?”

  “Yes!” Abby jumped up and down.

  Chapter 19

  We followed Basil up a winding set of stairs to the observation deck. I kept Abby’s hand in mine as we walked around and took in the views.

  Basil told us some history about the lighthouse, then shrugged. “To be honest, I just love it. I come out here and gaze at the view. I’ve been many places in my life, but this is the most beautiful by far”

  “It’s gorgeous.” Max nodded as he leaned against the railing.

  Basil showed us the light and explained to Abby how it was used to guide boaters.

  “Like the ghost!” Abby giggled.

  “Ghost?” Basil raised an eyebrow.

  “There was a lantern in the woods that Abby and Sammy thought might be a ghost.” Max grinned. “But it was just a lantern.”

  “Alright, alright, Max. I was mistaken. But yes, Abby, it is like that. The lantern was left there to guide us.”

  “Oh, I believe there are forces out there that we can’t see or touch that guide us along our way. I never doubt that.” Basil patted Abby’s head.

  After a tour of the downstairs and a brief stop in the gift shop we left in search of some lunch.

  Abby got her first taste of lobster—which was followed by a prompt shout of how yucky she thought it was—and Max savored every bite of his.

  I left the two of them to finish their meals and headed for the restroom.

  Along the way I stopped beside a lobster tank to peek inside. The lobsters stared at me as if I were the creature in the cage. I laughed as one wiggled closer to the glass. When I leaned in to see it, I rested my hand on the top of the tank. As I did, the bracelet I wore slipped off and dropped right into the tank with the lobsters.

  “Oh no!” I glanced around to see if anyone had witnessed my mistake. With no one else around, I peered into the tank. All of the lobsters looked pretty calm. I could see my bracelet. I decided to reach in to try to grab it. The moment I stuck my hand in the tank, however, those calm lobsters converged on me.

  “Eek!” I tried to pull my bracelet out but it was stuck on a rock inside the tank.

  “Just what are you doing?” A waiter walked up to me in a huff. “It is not self-serve, you know!”

  “I’m sorry, I dropped my bracelet and—”

  “Get your hand out of there!”

  Reluctantly I pulled my hand out. “Is there any way I can get my bracelet back?”

  “Don’t worry, you’re not the first person this has happened to. We have a tool for that.” He pulled out a claw attached to a long pole. Within seconds, he’d returned the bracelet to me.

  “Thank you.”

  “You should know better than to stick your hand into a tank full of lobsters. Every finger counts.” He winked at me, then walked away.

  I tucked my bracelet into my purse to clean later and laughed at his last comment. It was pretty foolish of me to reach inside.

  When I reached the bathroom and sat down to do my business, I felt something strange on my arm. I didn’t really think about it too much until it started wiggling. When I lifted my arm to look I let out a shriek. Attached to my sleeve on the underside of my arm was a small lobster. It must have clung on when I reached for my bracelet. I tried to tug it off of my sleeve but it wouldn’t let go and kept wiggling.

  “No! No! No!” I jumped to my feet, managed to get my pants up, and exited the stall in time to see several staff members rush inside. Apparently I’d screamed louder than I realized.

  One of the waitresses
managed to get the lobster off my sleeve, but when it wiggled in her hand she shrieked and dropped it.

  I stepped out of the bathroom to find Max and Abby just outside. The lobster scuttled after me.

  Abby pointed at it and laughed. “Cute!”

  “No, it’s not cute!” I dodged its claw and ducked behind Max.

  The lobster followed right after me.

  “I’m all about you making new friends, Sammy, but this is a bit much.” Max laughed.

  “It’s not funny, Max!”

  “It’s very funny, actually.”

  I tried to hide behind him again and the lobster clamped on to the cuff of his pants. “Ugh! Get it off!” He kicked his foot and the lobster went flying through the air. It plopped right back into the tank.

  The staff and onlookers gathered around us all applauded.

  My cheeks burned. I didn’t think I could ever eat lobster again.

  “Mommy, can we keep it?” Abby pleaded.

  “No, sorry, honey. Lobsters aren’t pets.”

  “Aw.” Abby sighed and dropped her head against Max’s shoulder.

  For once I had no desire to give her what she wanted. If I never saw another lobster again, I would be happy.

  Chapter 20

  After a quick stop at the campsite to change, we headed for the book signing at the college. This time it was in the courtyard. The weather was beautiful and Max kept Abby occupied by kicking a ball around with her. There were some familiar faces from the day before, but many new faces as well. I did my best to meet each person and remember them.

  After the line dwindled I stood up behind the table and began to speak to the people gathered around it.

  “I just wanted to say thank you for your support. It means so much to me. I hope going forward I can continue to craft fiction that you will enjoy.”

  “It’s not just the fiction.” One of the women in the front of the crowd spoke up. “You’re an inspiration, Samantha.”