“How blind was I?” Maddie put a hand to her mouth.
“Don’t beat yourself up.” Shelley moved to touch Madison’s arm and when her sister didn’t pull away, her heart filled with hope.
“I was so mean to you when he was the problem all along. You were trying to protect me when you kissed him.”
“It’s over, it’s done.” Shelley slid her arm around Madison’s waist.
“You could have thrown Gia under the bus. You could have told the truth about why you kissed Raoul. Even though it wasn’t true, you believed Gia had slept with him. Why didn’t you tell me then?” Madison asked.
“I couldn’t hurt Gia. She was an innocent in all this. She thought she was with Tad. Besides, I felt responsible. It was my wine.” Shelley pressed her lips together to keep them from quivering.
“So you took all the blame.” Madison’s eyes were shiny with tears. “Oh, Shelley, I am so deeply sorry for the way I acted.”
“And you didn’t sleep with Raoul,” Shelley said to Gia. “You don’t know how happy that makes me. All these years I kept thinking I caused you to sleep with him.”
“You protected me at your own peril.” Gia’s eyes misted.
Finally, after five long years Shelley saw that her sisters realized the sacrifices she’d made for them. Yes, she’d acted impulsively and gone about it all wrong, but she had always had their best interest at heart.
Madison slipped her arm around Gia. Gia dropped the kite to the sand to wrap her arm about Shelley’s waist and the three of them stood there in a connected circle.
Shelley inhaled, taking in the moment of her redemption, fully appreciating how far they’d all come.
Cobalt Soul and Guru Meyer had taught her how to center herself through contemplation and reflection, but it was only by coming home and facing her past that she had found herself.
She didn’t need to go beyond her interior borders to find freedom. Didn’t need restless action or relentless distractions to escape from her emotions. Now, she felt free to be herself inside of her family and she found so much richness to feast on.
Accepting herself had in the long run translated into accepting her sisters, because when she was fully and unreservedly Shelley, her inner joy transcended her outer exploits and spilled out in glorious technicolor, tinting her entire world.
When she allowed her joy to bubble up and didn’t try to contain her essence, life was a delight, and she found that she didn’t need to do a lot except accept that her life was already brimming full to the top with love.
Completely engulfed in this beautiful moment of honest reunion, Shelley realized, on a level most profound, that life was a precious gift and she wasn’t going to waste another second on hurt, anger, guilt, or fear.
Overcome with awe and gratitude, she brought her sisters in closer for a tight group hug.
And there she had it.
Her life lesson in a nutshell. The real source of her joy sprang from constant gratitude. Gratitude for her home, for Moonglow Cove, for her family, for the fierce, abiding love of her sisters.
Two passersby on the beach stopped to watch them, and Shelley recognized the elderly ladies as members of the Quilting Divas, Erma and Viv.
Viv turned to her friend. “Get a load of that, Erm. The Moonglow sisters are back together again, and by George, I can’t help feeling that all is finally right with the world.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Gia
CHAIN STITCHING: Chain stitching refers to the practice of stitching squares or blocks with one continuous length of thread rather than breaking between pieces.
THE BOARDWALK WAS packed, families everywhere, summer in full swing. Colorful flags flapped in the breeze. Kids ran, giggling, playing hide-and-seek behind the benches and planter boxes. Beach music issued from outdoor speakers on the pier. The smell of cooking food wafted on the air—hot dogs, street tacos, funnel cakes. Gia could almost taste the fried dough dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Warm sun beat down, but goose bumps carpeted Gia’s arms as she drew closer to the kiosk she’d once rented, now hallmarked with the sign STRAUS HAND-CARVED ART.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Mike saw her at the same time she saw him. He stood in the doorway of the kiosk, his gaze latched on to hers.
Breathlessly, she ran to him.
He gathered her in his arms and hugged her for a long minute.
They didn’t speak. He locked up, hooked a Closed sign to the door of the kiosk, took her elbow,