The Sweetest Summer(23)
“I’ve just been thinking about how I spent all those years and all my energy trying to keep the Society together, the Safe Haven in Flynn hands, and Haven Cove undeveloped. I realize I’ve been kind of obsessed with my duties. And now I’m getting older. The Safe Haven is being used for the greater good and everyone’s so happy with how things worked out . . . well, there’s nothing left to fight for.”
“So . . . you’re saying you miss the battle?”
“Ha. Yes, I suppose. But I think the time has come for me to stop putting all my energy and time into other people—what they do or do not do—and concentrate on myself. I’d like to slow down, learn to relax, focus on my health.”
He hugged her. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. I’m sure the woman elected as the next Society president will do a great job. She will have you to advise her, right?”
They walked together in quiet for a moment, the dogs loping nearby. Clancy and Mona took in the view from the intersection of Idlewilde and Shoreline Road, one of the highest points on the island. Down below, the lights of the Ferris wheel sparkled, several varieties of live music competed for airtime, and laughter rose up the hill. Clancy knew that the police radio mounted on his left shoulder was bound to come alive any second, but he was grateful for the break.
Suddenly, he frowned. Something his mother had said bothered him. It echoed inside his head, but he couldn’t quite name it.
“Something wrong, Clancy?”
The Mermaid Society . . . Rowan . . . the Safe Haven . . . that was it! The Safe Haven attic! Mona raised an eyebrow. “Care to share?”
The photo of the girl.
“Son?”
“It’s nothing. I was thinking that I should get anything of mine out of the attic before Rowan tosses it on the garbage barge. Didn’t you store some of my kid stuff up there?”
“Yes. Your school work, refrigerator art, and trophies for track events and the like.” She tipped her head with curiosity and grinned. “Since when have you been the sentimental type?”
“Ma,” he said, gently patting her back. “It’s more practical than sentimental. If Rowan and Ash are going to live at the Safe Haven, then it’s only right for me to get my junk out of their way and take it to my cottage. I do have my own home, you know.”
She didn’t seem satisfied with his answer. “All right. So nothing else is bothering you?”
Clancy shook his head. “It’s just festival week. You know how it is.”
His mother stopped and faced him. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
Uh-oh.
“Someday you’ll find her, and she will be exactly right for you. Everything you’ve been through will have been worth it.”
“Hold up.” Clancy laughed at how quickly she’d forgotten her promise to stay out of other people’s business. “First off, I’m not looking for a woman, exactly right or completely wrong or anywhere in between. And I have no idea how your brain went in that direction, since we were talking about me getting my crap out of the attic.”
She shrugged.
“The woman of my dreams isn’t inside a mildewy cardboard box shoved under the rafters.”
Mona chuckled. “I’m simply telling you that I’m here and I love you. If you ever want to talk about anything and everything or nothing at all, you know where to find me.”
Clancy stopped walking. “You and the mermaid brigade do not have permission to mess with my personal life. No magic spells or true loves or anything. You’re clear on this, right?”