Oh my, what a time we’ve had here in our little corner of the world lately! I’m so overwhelmed I hardly know where to begin. But good newswoman that I am—I did, after all, run a newspaper for more years than I care to think about—I did get the story.
First, lest I forget in all the excitement to follow, I have it on good authority that Cass Parker’s little reclaimed historic homes are going like hotcakes. Ruby tells me people are coming from all over since that article appeared in the Times about Cass’s nondevelopment development (that’s how she referred to it, and who am I to argue?). I understand there are only two lots left. How amazing to see Cannonball Island reinvigorated and reinvented in such a way. There are some who fear the island’s culture will be lost with all the new people coming in, but I look to St. Dennis as an example of how to grow while maintaining one’s identity. If we here in town can do it, surely the island can as well. Especially with Ruby here to keep an eye on things; and yes, she’ll be watching over the island and her family for a very long time to come, from one side of the veil or another. It’s not mine to say when, but I can say she’ll be with us for a while yet. There are babies waiting in the wings to meet her, and knowing Ruby, she won’t go anywhere until she’s satisfied that all is well with those who are dearest to her.
Speaking of Ruby’s dearest—Owen and Cass are almost ready to move into their new home. Who’d ever have thought that old, run-down place that once belonged to Ruby’s Harold’s father could be restored, but Cass is the idea girl and she got her contractors on board. Suffice it to say, I can’t wait until the open house. Ruby says it’s lovely.
The work on the sunken merchant ship is moving right along. I understand the divers have brought up some interesting items: crocks that were sealed over two hundred years ago were found with tea still inside, barrels still holding fine china, and crates of silver items—candelabras and things of that sort. Once they’ve finished cataloging everything, they’ll remove what they can of the ship. I heard Owen say he wished they could salvage enough to rebuild it on land, but he didn’t think that was going to be possible.
All the work on the ship has kept our friend Jared Chandler around for longer than he’d intended. Oh, of course it isn’t just the ship that’s keeping him around. Ruby tells me there are wedding bells in the near future for her Chrissie and Jared—as if that were a big surprise. Ruby and I knew even before that boy set foot off that ship that he was destined to stay, that the love of his life would be waiting for him here. And of course, she was. That girl came home with a hurt so big, she thought she’d never recover. But Ruby knew she was meant for better than what she’d left behind, and that once she’d learned to believe in herself, the world would open to her and wonderful things would pour in. Which is, of course, exactly what happened.
Ruby also tells me that one of Cass’s little houses was purchased by Jared as a surprise for his bride-to-be. I believe he’d requested the Singer house, but it had been sold. But he found the old Blake homestead to be even more suitable. It’s a stone’s throw over the dune from the general store, for one thing. For another, Chrissie’s kin are buried there, so for her, it’ll be just another way of coming home.
Which, of course, will leave Ruby alone again. Not that she minds, but we both know it’s only a matter of time before another lost soul shows up on her doorstep, looking for home and healing.
She’ll be waiting.
~Grace