Anna || HS

CHAPTER 51

~July 2015 to October 2015~

~July 2015~

Anna POV:

Mom was spending the summer in South Carolina. It's  been her summertime location since I ended up in New York, and then Los Angeles, being there for Gram. I think being there also kept her feeling close to dad, and the dream he had for all of us.

The cottage, that I still technically own, always had such an overwhelming feeling of home. All the moments that had been lived inside of those walls made it the one place in the world that I felt myself grounded and settled. Which is probably why I found myself there for a week over the fourth of July.

Ryan and Asher sat me down the Thursday before I left for the cottage and dropped a bomb on me. They are opening a location in London, and they want me to head the office up with Sloan. At twenty-one, this is unheard of. I know it's a huge opportunity. I know it would a wise career move. I know it would be an adventure, but I'm just not sure that it should be my next adventure.

"Anna!" my Gram yells as I pull my rental car into the driveway, frantically waving her hands in the air in excitement.

I greet my sweet, now a little shorter, Gram with a big hug. Her hugs were always the best. She holds on until she feels you letting go. She is like Harry that way. They are never the first to end the hug, and it feels so warm and full of love.

"I am so happy to have you here for the week. Your mom is in town picking up a few groceries, but I was about to catch the sunset. Let's get you a glass of wine, and find some chairs for the show," Gram tells me, grabbing the bag from next to me on the porch.

"Your mom told me about Jason."

I nod. "Yeah." That was all I could get out. I watched her pour the red wine into a tall glass for me, handing it over before grabbing her own.

"So, my dear, are we doing a cheers because we are glad it is over with that boy, or because we are sad it ended and tears mix well with wine?"

"Why don't we cheers to both," I say as our glasses clink together and we go through the open doors to the back porch. The waves are gently crashing on the shore, the beautiful symphony perfectly matching the shades of pink and orange dancing across the sky. A saltwater mist fills the air and my body relaxes as I inhale the familiar scent.

"I missed you. I missed this."

"Well, this place isn't the same without you here, either," Gram says, pulling my hand towards hers, and interlocking it with hers to rest on top of the arm rest on her Adirondack chair. She smiles a sweet smile, and we sit, watching the sky turn to a deep purplish- navy, with the moon growing brighter by the minute.

I feel a blanket wrap around my shoulders from behind, and my moms warm hand squeezes my shoulder. "You made it," she beams, leaning down to wrap her arms around me, still seated in my chair.

"Gram and I were just watching the day end. Grab some wine and join us."

Mom goes to grab herself a glass of wine, returning with the rest of the bottle and my favorite chocolate cake from the bakery in town. It's not W. Mandeville, but it is damn close.

The three of us talk, drink and watch the stars come out to dot the sky. By the time I go to bed, my heart is full and happy.

The next day I wake up, having gotten the best sleep I can remember since, well since the last time I was here. At breakfast I talk to mom and Gram about London. Being the women they are, they listen and let me spew all of the thoughts I am having on the subject before either of them add their two cents.