Beach Rental(53)
All was quiet on the street and in front of the house. The noisy hum from earlier was gone and traces of the smell of hickory and barbecue lingered like a sleepy memory. Juli walked around the outside of the house, not going to the door. As she rounded the corner, she saw some guests remained. A group of maybe twenty or so, sat around in lawn chairs talking low with the occasional louder voice and short laughter.
Juli stood on the outside looking in, but with contentment. Some of the chairs were empty and the scene was so relaxed, that even though she didn’t recognize anyone in particular, she was confident if she walked up and took a seat, no one would do or say anything to make her feel like she didn’t belong.
After she had returned to her life without Ben, this would be one of the scenes in time she would always remember.
“Hi.”
“Luke.” He’d come up behind her. “He’s fine. Ben’s fine.”
He nodded. “I took the boat home and cleaned up some. Drove back over. You’re alright?”
“Yes. The dunking was an accident. I told Ben and he took a trip down memory lane. Apparently, you guys used to make a habit of unplanned group swims.”
“Hah.” His eyes seemed to look back into the past, far from flashing amber lights.
“I came back to get my shoes.”
“And the barbecue, don’t forget. Anna put some aside for you.”
“I’m sure it was delicious.”
“No one can do barbecue like Tarheels.”
“No one.” Juli took a step back and as she turned away, said, “Thanks, Luke.”
“For what?”
She shrugged and smiled. “Just thanks.” She waved as she walked away. “And I won’t forget the barbecue.” Under her breath, she added, “Or the swim.”
****
Ben went to church every Sunday morning. Most Sundays he took himself, but this time, after his spell on Saturday, Juli was concerned about him driving unnecessarily. Not that she’d tell him. He’d say he was a grown man who knew enough to pull over if he felt ill. But there was also the matter of the medication he was taking. It was bound to slow his reaction, maybe even impact his judgment in an emergency. It wasn’t worth the risk. Not for the sake of determined independence.
Juli tidied up the kitchen waiting for Ben to bring up the subject. He always did. And a couple of times she’d gone with him. Church was fine. Mostly.
“Juli?”
Here came the invite. “Yes?”
“I think I’ll head upstairs now.”
She waited for him to finish speaking, but apparently he already had. He laid his book on the coffee table and stood. He paused on his way to the stairs to kiss her cheek.
“Ben?”
“Yes?”
“Are you planning to go to church tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I’d go along with you.” Juli wiped at the counter, keeping her eyes focused on what she was doing.
“Well, that will be nice.”
She let him get to the foot of the stairs. “Ben?”
He looked back at her with a faint smile on his face. “Yes?”
“Why didn’t you ask me to go? You always do.”
“I didn’t think you’d say yes.”
“Well, how can I say yes if you don’t ask?”
“Would you go to church with me in the morning?”
She stared at him. “Sure. Be happy to.”
****
On Monday, Maia said, “I’m glad you didn’t forget. I meant to remind you at the cookout, but you vanished after the, uh, mishap.” She put the package she was carrying into the trunk and reached for the one Juli was holding.
“You’re trying too hard to kill the dimples and not succeeding. Don’t laugh. You aren’t the one that got dunked.”
Maia giggled anyway as she closed the trunk lid. “I know it’s not funny.” She put her arm around Juli who was stepping away. “I’m sorry.” She covered her face with her hand. When she removed it, she was in control again.
“Seriously, I’m not laughing at you, but I’ll never forget the look on Jake’s face as he went over the edge.” Maia went to the driver’s side. “You’re comfortable with leaving Ben for the afternoon?”
Juli paused, her fingers gripping the door handle. She looked at her car parked nearby, behind the gallery, then slipped into the car seat. “He was well this morning. I got my phone replaced, so he can call or text me.”
“Oh, no. Your phone went into the sound with you?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I appreciate you coming with me. I don’t usually deliver purchases to clients, but this one is a little different. I’ve been working with her so closely and she’s a great customer. Now that I have Brendan, I can take a little field trip from time to time.” A short distance down Front Street they turned onto Liveoak and then to Rt. 70.