Bella stood there a long time, staring at the bed.
She was still standing there after Prentice returned (twice), hands full of her things from the guest bathroom and he put them in her new bathroom.
His last trip, he got close, slid a hand along the small of her back and bent to her ear, “Baby. You need to sort it. Now. We’re going to the beach.”
She stared at him stupidly.
Then she repeated, “The beach?”
“Aye,” he looked at the bed, then at her, “or do you want to leave it until we get home?”
That woke her up and she shook her head wildly.
He grinned, gave her waist a squeeze and left the room.
Bella got busy and sorted the drawers. Then she made the bed. Then she went into the closet and sorted the mess Prentice had made of her hanging clothes.
Most of this time, Fiona giggled.
Bella and Sally packed a lunch and they went to the beach.
At the beach, Sally behaved like she always behaved even though Prentice took the children to the beach often both when Fiona was alive and after she died. In other words, like she’d been living in a cell her entire life and was only going to be let out for that one glorious day.
Bella kept up with her, as well as sat with Jason who’d brought along Fiona’s guitar and Fiona could say (with some pride) that she gave her son more than his hair, he was getting very good with the guitar and, the way he practiced (which was all the time, just like Fiona had) he was going to be great, and taught him some more chords.
At Jason’s insistence, Bella also played while Prentice and the kids watched. She was nervous and it took her time to settle in but, once she did, it was good.
Prentice was impressed and didn’t hide it.
Jason just smiled.
Bella, it was clear to see, was both pleased and embarrassed by the male Camerons’ reactions.
Sally was adamant that she was getting her own guitar and Bella was going to teach her to play it when she got her cast off.
They had lunch. They horsed around. They walked the beach and its cliff path, Prentice and Bella hand-in-hand, Jason going ahead on his own, Sally running back and forth, tiring herself out (Fiona’s daughter would sleep like a log that night, for certain).
They went home and it was all a go, sorting the spent picnic, making dinner, getting ready for school the next day as Sally was returning after her accident.
Bella had no time to think, she was kept busy all day.
Prentice, Fiona thought, was a genius.
Sally crashed within Bella reading two pages of her book.
Jason didn’t long follow.
Prentice was walking down the stairs after checking on the children when it happened.
Fiona was floating by Bella as she tiredly made herself some nighttime herbal tea.
She had her hand curled around the mug, holding the teabag string against the side, when she missed the mug and poured boiling water over her hand. She cried out in pain and set the kettle down with a clatter.
Prentice was there in a trice.
He got close. “Jesus, baby, what’d you do?”
“I poured…” she stopped and cried, “Ouch!”