uby felt as if someone were pounding a drum inside her head. Though she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. She'd tried turning the light on, hoping Caroline would wake up, but no such luck. Her sister had obviously lapsed into a tequila coma.

After their evening of margaritas and tears, she and Caro had finally stumbled up to bed. They'd lain in the darkness for hours, talking, laughing; sometimes they'd even cried. They'd said all the things they'd gathered up in the years between then and now, but finally, Caroline had fallen asleep.

Ruby closed her eyes and pictured Mom as she'd been a few hours earlier... sitting on the dirty rag rug like a kindergartner; with her casted leg sprawled out to the side, a half-finished margarita beside her thigh. In profile, with the firelight haloing her face, she'd looked like an angel carved from the purest ivory.

She had been talking quietly to Caroline.

They'd held hands, Mom and Caro, and whispered about marriage, about how it wasn't what you expected. Their two voices had blended into a music that Ruby couldn't quite comprehend. At first, she'd felt left out, a child eavesdropping at her parents' closed bedroom door.

She had been right there, sitting beside them, and yet she'd felt isolated and alone. Unconnected. Never in her life had Ruby felt such an intense sense of her own shortcomings.

She'd been unable to join in the conversation because she'd never made a commitment to another human being; she'd never tried to love someone through good times and bad. In fact, she'd purposely chosen men she couldn't love. In that way, her heart had always seemed safe. And always, it had been empty.

She'd had the realization before, but this time it struck deep.

Caroline and Mom had been talking about love and loss, and most of all, commitment; about how love was more than an emotion. In the end, Mom had said, sometimes love was a choice. Like the tide, it could ebb and flow, and there were slack-tide times when a woman had nothing to believe in except a memory, nothing to cling to except the choice she'd made a long time ago.

Mom had looked at Caroline and said softly, "I let the bad times overwhelm me, and I ran. It wasn't until I'd gone too far to turn back that I remembered how much I loved your father; and by then it was too late. For all these years, I've been left wondering, "What if?"

What if?

Ruby closed her eyes. The darkness pressed in on her. She heard the whispering of the sea through the open window.

Do you believe in second chances?

Dean's question came back to her, filled her longing.

"I do," she said out loud, hoping that tomorrow, when they went sailing, she would find the courage to say the same words to Dean.

Before tonight, it would have seemed impossible to expose her heart so openly, so boldly. To admit she wanted to love and be loved tonight, life seemed different.

As if anything were possible.

The next morning, Nora woke feeling refreshed and almost young again. She thanked God that she'd sipped a single margarita all night.

She pushed back the coverlet and limped into the bathroom. When she was finished with her mom. routine, she dressed quickly in a pair of khaki walk shorts and a white linen shirt.

In the living room, she saw the relics of last night blowout three glasses, each with at least an inch of slime green liquid in the bottom; an ashtray filled the cigarettes Caroline had furtively smoked; a pile of discarded record albums.

For the first time this summer, the house looked lived in. This was a mess made by Nora and daughters, and she'd waited a lifetime to see it.

She put a pot of coffee on, then limped upstairs. The bedroom door was closed. She pushed it open. Caroline and Ruby were still sleeping.

In sleep, they looked young and vulnerable, the sight of them, she remembered her own nights in this room, nights she'd slept in this bed with her husband, more often than not with two small, warm bodies tucked in between them.

And now those babies were women full grown, sleeping together in the bed that had once held their parents. Caroline slept curled in a ball, her body pressed close to the mattress's edge. Ruby, on the other hand, lay spread-eagle, her arms and legs flung out above the bedding.

Nora walked to the bed. Slowly, she reached down and caressed Ruby's pink, sleep-lined cheek. Her skinwas soft, so so....

Wake up, sleepyheads."

Ruby groaned and blinked awake, smacking her lips together as if she could still taste the last margarita. "Hi, Mom."

Caro blinked awake beside her; stretching her arms. She saw Nora and tried to sit up. Halfway there, she groaned and flopped backward. "Oh, my God, my head is swollen."

Ruby didn't look a whole lot better; but at least she could sit upright. "Obviously E.D. here should have done a little alcohol training before last night." She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples.

"Do we have any aspirin?"

"Aspirin?" Caroline moaned. "That's an over-the counter medication. I have prescription-level pain." She scooted slowly to a seated position, and slumped against Ruby. "I'm never listening to you again. Oh, shit, I'm gonna puke."

Ruby slipped an arm around her sister. "Aim at Mom. She looks way too happy this morning."

Ruby's laughter rang out, and Nora felt a sharp tug of nostalgia. My girls, she thought. Suddenly it seemed like only yesterday they'd begged for Disco Barbies for Christmas.

Nora clapped her hands. "Get a move on, girls.

We're going sailing today with Dean and Eric remember; Ruby? Lottie has dinner planned for us around seven."

Caroline turned green. "Sailing?" She rolled out of Ruby's arms and dropped onto the floor; landing on all fours. She crouched there a minute, breathing shallowly, then she crawled toward the bathroom. At the door; she grabbed onto the knob and hauled herself upright. She turned and gave Ruby a pained smile. "First in the shower!"

"`Shit." Ruby sagged forward, buried her face in her hands. "Don't use all the hot water."

Nora smiled. "It's like old times around here."

Ruby angled a look at her; gave her a pathetical sloppy smile. "I don't remember tequila in grade school or all of us dancing to "Footloose," singing at the top of our lungs, but-yeah."

“’You and Me Against the World," "Nora said, her smile fading at the suddenness of the memory. was our song.

"I remember."

Nora wanted to move toward her, but she remained still. Last night, Caro had come back to Nora completely, but even in the midst of their laughter-a sob-fest, Ruby had held herself back. "Well, I'm going to start breakfast and pack us a light lunch. Dean's supposed to bring the boat around eleven." She waited for Ruby to say something, but when the si lence stretched out, Nora turned and headed downstairs, thumping down each step.

She was halfway down when she heard a car drive up. A quick glance at her watch told her it was nine thirty. Not dawn, certainly, but pretty early for the local islanders to be visiting.

Nora tried to hurry down the stairs, but with her cast, it was difficult. She felt like Quasimodo hurrying down the bell tower.

She made it into the kitchen just as a rattling knock struck the front door. She finger-combed her hair and opened the door.

Standing on her porch was one of the best-looking young men she'd ever seen. He had the kind of beauty that made old women long for youth. Though she hadn't seen him since the wedding, she'd recognize her son-in-law anywhere.

“Hi Jeremy," she said, smiling.

He looked surprised. "Nora?"

I guess it's a shock to realize you have a mother-in-law." She took a step backward, motioning for him to come inside.

He smiled tiredly. "Given my other shocks in the past twenty-four hours, that's nothing."

Nora nodded, unsure of how to respond. "Caroline is upstairs. She's not feeling real well."

He looked instantly concerned. "Is something wrong? Is that why she left?"

"Tequila. That's what's wrong."

He relaxed, even grinned. "So, you met Ed."

"It wasn't a pretty sight. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"That would be great. I missed the final ferry last night, so I slept in my car on the dock. My body feels like it's been canned."

Nora went into the kitchen and poured him a cup of coffee. "Cream? Sugar?"

"Yeah, thanks."

She returned with the coffee, and handed him a cup.

"Thanks." He glanced toward the stairs. "Is she awake?"

The look he gave Nora was so utterly helpless that she said, "I'll get her. You wait here."

"I'm here."

Nora and Jere both spun around. Caroline stood in the living room. She was wearing the same silk and linen clothes from last night, only now they were wrinkled beyond recognition. Her hair was a tangled mess. Flecks of caked mascara turned her eyes into twin bruises. "Hi, Jere," she said softly."I heard your voice."

Ruby came stumbling down the stairs and rammed into her sister. "Sorry, Caro, I-" She saw Jeremy and stopped. Her laughter dwindled into an uncomfortable silence.

Jere walked over to Caroline. "Care?"

The tenderness in his voice told Nora all she needed to know. There might be trouble between Caro and Jere-maybe big trouble-but underneath all that there was love, and with love, they had a chance.

"You shouldn't have come," Caro said, crossing her arms. She took a step backward, and Nora knew her daughter was afraid of getting too close to this man she loved so deeply.

"No," he said softly, "you shouldn't have left. Not without talking to me first. Can you imagine how-" His voice cracked. "how I felt when I got your letter?"

"I thought-"

"Your letter, Caro. All these years and you leave me a letter that says you'll be back when you feel like it?"

Caro looked up at him. "I thought you'd be glad I left, and I couldn't stand to see that."

"You thought." He sighed, ran a hand through his hair. "Come home," he whispered. "Mom's watching the kids for the rest of the weekend." Caroline smiled. "She'll be bleeding from her ears before tomorrow morning."

"That's her problem. We need some time alone."

"Okay." Caroline turned and went upstairs. She came down a minute later with her overnight bag. She enfolded Ruby in a fierce hug, whispering something that Nora couldn't hear; and then both girls laughed.

Finally, Caroline walked across the kitchen to Nora. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"Oh, honey, I've waited a lifetime for last night."

Caroline's eyes were bright. "I won't miss you anymore.

"No way. You can't get rid of me now. I love you, Caro."

"And I love you, Mom." Nora pulled her daughter into her arms and held her tightly, then slowly released her.

Jeremy took the overnight bag from his wife, then held on to her hand. Together; they left the house.

Ruby and Nora followed them as far as the porch, watching as the gray Mercedes followed the white Range Rover out of the driveway.

"She's gone," Ruby said.

"She'll be back." Nora stared out at the beautiful blue sky and choppy green sea. It was going to be a great day for sailing; no clouds, a little breeze shivering through the trees, sunlight on the water.

Ruby sidled up to Nora, stood so close their shoulders were touching. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Nora turned. "For what?"

Ruby looked different somehow. Serious. "For all the presents I sent back and all the years I stayed away. But mostly I'm sorry for being so damned unforgiving."

Nora wasn't sure how it happened-who moved first-but suddenly they were clinging to each other; laughing and crying at the same time.

At exactly eleven, a boat horn blared. A loud ah-oo gab, ah-oo-gah. The Wind Lass pulled up to the dock.

Ruby glanced down at the water; watching Dean tie the boat down. "They're here." There was a strand of worry in her voice.

Nora understood. "Are you afraid to see Dean?"

Ruby nodded.

Nora laid a hand against Ruby's cheek. "You could travel the world and you wouldn't find a better man than Dean Sloan."

"He's not the problem. I am."

"Your whole life has been tangled up with Dean. When someone pinched him, you got a welt in the same place. He's a part of you, Ruby, like it or not. Being afraid of him is like being afraid of your own arm. Just let go. Have fun. Let yourself remember the good times, not only the bad."

Ruby looked up at her. "I want that, Mom. I want it so much

The sailboat honked its horn again.

"Grab the picnic basket," Nora said, pointing to the pile of supplies on the kitchen table.

Within minutes, they were headed down the path to the beach. Nora moved as fast as her crutches would allow.

The sailboat was tied down. Dean was on the bow, holding the two ropes that held the boat against the dock. "Welcome aboard."

Nora handed her crutches to Ruby and stepped carefully onto the boat, trying to ensure that her cast didn't leave a mark on the teak decking. When her balance was steady, she took her crutches and tossed them onto the settee belowdecks. Limping awkwardly, she sidled around the giant silver wheel and sat down beside Eric. A pillow rested behind his stocking capped head and a thick woolen Navajo blanket covered his body. Although he was smiling, he looked terribly pale and weak. The shadows were purple beneath his eyes. His lips were chapped and colorless.

Nora was shocked by his appearance. He looked so much worse than the last time she'd seen him. It wasn't Eric; this gaunt, too-fragile man was a whittled down version of him, perhaps, but when she looked into his huge, sad eyes, she saw the spirit that cancer couldn't touch. With exquisite gentleness, she curled an arm around him and drew him close.

He rested his head against her shoulder; shivering a little. "You feel good," he murmured.

Dean started the engine. Ruby untied the boat and jumped aboard; they motored out of the bay, and when they passed the tip of the island, Dean rigged the mainsail.

The boat immediately heeled starboard and caught a gust of wind, slicing through the water.

Eric pressed his face into the wind, smiling brightly.

Nora tilted her head against his and stared out atthe lush, green islands. Ruby was up on the bow of the boat, standing in the wind. Nora didn't have to see her daughter's face to know that she was grinning.

Dean hurried below decks. When he came back up, Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" blared through the speakers.

On the bow, Ruby moved her hips to the beat. Nora imagined that she was singing-off key-at the top of her lungs.

There was a pause between songs, and the silence seemed endless and perfect, a moment trapped in a time that was somehow both then and now: Dean at the wheel, Eric and Nora sitting on the aft deck, Ruby poised at the bow, always eager to see where they were going.

Nora felt the hot sun on her cheeks and heard the loose flapping of the ties against the mast.

"I'm glad you're here," Eric said. She smiled at him. "Where else could I be?

You and Dean and Ruby... you're the best parts of my life. I'll always remember my dark-haired boy. Every time I turned around, you were there, grinning up at me, saying, "What are we gonna do next, Miz Bridge?" It seems like only yesterday you were sitting at my kitchen table with your banged-up elbows on the pink placemat. God, the time goes so fast...

"Too fast." Eric's gaze was steady.

Nora's throat closed up, but she refused to let him see her cry. Gently, she touched his face.

Eric turned away; she could tell that he was collecting himself again, distancing himself from the truth they'd dared to touch upon.

He looked at Ruby, standing on the bow, then at Dean. They were the full boat-length apart, each trying not to get caught staring at the other. "You think they'll figure it out?"

"I hope so. They need each other."

"Take care of him for me," Eric said in a throaty voice, wiping his eyes with the edge of the blanket. "I thought I'd always be there for him... my baby brother."

You will be."

Eric laughed and wiped his eyes. "God, we're out sailing and we look like we just watched Brian's Song."

Nora laughed and wiped her eyes.

A swift breeze rose suddenly, filling the canvas sail with a tharumping noise. The boat keeled over and cut through the sun lit, glistening water.

Dean looked down at his brother. "Do you want to take the wheel?"

Eric's face lit up. "Oh, yeah."

Dean slipped an arm around his brother's frail body and helped him hobble toward the big, silver wheel. Eric took hold; Dean stood behind and beside him, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder, to keep her steady.

Wind-tears streaked across Eric's temples, his thinning hair flapped against the sides of his face, his T-shirt billowed against his sunken chest.

"Orcas!" Ruby said suddenly, pointing starboard.

At first, Nora didn't see anything. She stood up and tented a hand across her eyes.

She saw the first black fin rise slowly, slowly from the water. Then there were six of them moving through the sea like the upended teeth of comb, impossibly close together

"I'm the queen of the world." Eric yelled, throwing his arms out. He laughed out loud, and for the first time in weeks, it was his laughter, not the weak, down version that cancer had left him with.

Nora knew that when she looked back on and the ugliness of the past few weeks an seemed overwhelming, she would picture him standing tall, squinting into the sun, laughing.

And she would remember her boy. Her Eric.