The Summer We Changed

two hearts

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By the time morning had come, Jeremiah & Jewel had gotten an early start to their day. The pair had gone out for breakfast, mainly due to the lack of food in the house, before driving alongside the road of the beachfront. Jeremiah's eyes parted from their path, catching glimpses of Jewel's golden face as her hair tangled in the wind. She leaned through the Jeep's open window, letting the sun's rays soak into her skin & melt away her worries. She had missed Cousin's breeze, always blowing away the sticky, hot drama of life. Jeremiah tried to remember the image of her now, a familiar glow coming back into her features, the comfort of Cousin's possibly bringing her back to life, even just for a moment. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she still looked, and tell her a million times more, but he knew better now. He knew his compliments didn't matter to her as much as they used to.
Jere tore his eyes away from her, attempting to shift his focus back to driving. He hated how comfortable she seemingly sat in the silence, his mind left to collect thoughts of her the longer they were together.
"Where are we going again?" Jewel asked a moment later, Jere clearing his throat before speaking.
"Aunt Julia's." Jeremiah admitted, glancing over to watch her eyebrows furrow.
"She's here?" She questioned, not expecting everything to be so rushed.
"She flew in this morning." Jere explained, Jewel moving to straighten her posture.
"She's seriously in that much of a rush to sell?"
"I guess so." He mumbled, biting his cheek as his eyes remained locked onto the road before them.
"Is this a good idea?" She asked, knowing this was a major thing they were about to ask of Julia. She didn't want to see him disappointed, but contrary to her hopes, Jere had a habit of expecting more out of people.
"It never hurts to try." He shrugged, pulling into a small beachside complex.
"This is where she's staying?" Jewel questioned, looking up at the brightly painted walls and blinding white doors. Jere nodded as he pulled the car into a parking spot, both teens moving to get out. Jewel took a deep breath as she surveyed the area, knowing this interaction was only going to go one of two ways. Either they'd manage to convince Julia, or Jewel would be left to rebuild Cousin's Beach only in her memories.
"You okay?" Jere asked, his hand gently grazing her waist as he caught her attention. She nodded in return, following behind him as he led the way toward Julia's door. She could feel the anxiety in her stomach as Jere knocked, both waiting patiently for an answer. When the door opened, an older curly-haired blonde stood in the doorway, bearing a slight resemblance to Susannah. The thought made Jewel shudder, not understanding how Julia could've been so distant from family. The family that Jewel cared so deeply for.
"Can I help you?" She questioned, clearly not having expected visitors in the short time she'd be in Cousin's.
"Aunt Julia, oh my god." Jere spoke ecstatically, moving forward to hug the unfamiliar woman.
"Conrad told me you were here. It's been so long, I just wanted to say hi." He spoke, finally pulling away from his Aunt.
"Jeremiah, and..." Julia clarified, before looking toward Jewel in a state of confusion.
"I'm Jewel, my mom was NAME Barlowe."
"Right, sorry, wow. It's been so long. You...really got my dad's eyes." She replied, turning her attention back to Jere. Jewel recognized that look however, Julia staring at Jere as if long-lost memories had broke through the surface once again.
"Uh, we got these hydrangeas for you from my mom's garden." He told her, showing her the beautifully-blue bouquet.
"I was just wondering if we could have a second to talk?" He asked, attempting to subtly direct their conversation back to the beach house.
"Is this about the house?" Julia questioned, Jewel feeling her stomach sink. Jewel could tell from her tone alone that she had no intentions of accommodating them, even if they were grieving.
"I'm sorry, but I've decided to move ahead with the sale. We're gonna have an open house tomorrow." Julia informed them, unaware of not one but two hearts cracking in that moment.
"You...you have to know how much the house means to us...to me and our families. You spent summers there too, right?" Jewel questioned, watching as Julia once again collected that far-off look in her eyes.
"Yeah." She muttered quietly, not associating the house with memories as pleasant as they were given.
"I just don't really understand how you can get rid of something your sister loved so much." He questioned, growing more upset the further along the conversation progressed.
"It's not personal." Julia assured him, trying to rid herself of any guilt that had festered in her stomach.
"Yeah, I bet." Jeremiah spoke harshly, taking a stab at Julia's lack of family involvement over the years.
"Are you suggesting that I gift the house to you?" Julia questioned, testing Jere to see if he would have the audacity to ask.
"I mean, it is our..." Jere answered, a venom laced in his words that made Jewel spring back into the conversation.
"No, of course not." She interrupted, her hand wrapping around Jeremiah's arm with a gentle tug. She could tell he was disappointed, her exact worry walking into this, but she didn't want him to overstep. One wrong move and they would be waving the house goodbye forever.
"Then I think you and your brother should sort this out with your dad. I'm certain that you have the resources, but I can't put off a sale while I wait for you to get your ducks in a row. I have to be back at work in a week. I barely got the time off as it is." Julia explained, her frustration clearly evident in her tone.
"So that's why you didn't make it to the funeral?" Jeremiah questioned, taking a stab at her absence to her own sister's funeral.
"Something like that." She muttered, her shoulders dropping.
"Mom." A voice called out from behind Julia, the woman turning in the direction.
"Jeremiah?" The teen asked, seeing his familiar face again after so long.
"Skye? I didn't know you were here. This is Jewel, her mom was best friend's with Laurel and my mom." Jere introduced, Jewel giving Skye a small wave.
"I thought you were working on the virtual tour for the open house?" Julia asked, turning toward her daughter.
"Oh, I just finished that so..." Skye answered awkwardly, glancing back at Jere and Jewel once more.
"Okay, let's eat. Thanks for stopping by." Julia spoke, forcing a smile as she moved to close the door.
"Don't forget your flowers." Jere spoke up, attempting to stay on a more peaceful terrain than the battlefield that spread across his mind.
"Thanks." Julia replied, feigning a smile as she took the flowers, before shutting the door on them a moment later, the two standing in defeat at her doorstep. Jeremiah's jaw was tightly clenched, his tall figure moving past Jewel before she could say anything. The two walked back to the car in silence, knowing the denial was a hard blow for all of them.