The day began like all the other days since he’d arrived in Maine a week ago; the alarm’s buzzing at 5:30, shower, shave, breakfast. The drive to the university. He opened his office sharply at 7:00 for his students, but it was rare that any of them visited at that hour. Instead, he used the time to make final preparations for his lectures that day. In the middle of reviewing his notes, a robin perched on a branch outside his window and began to warble, distracting him. His mind went back to a similar morning last year, just after he and Natalie had married. It was a Sunday and they’d slept late, snuggled together in bed talking of their plans as a robin serenaded them. He wondered what she was doing now, probably feeding the girls breakfast and suddenly his heart ached. He missed the morning chaos the twins created. His breakfasts were far too quiet now.

The first class was Elementary Algebra and frankly, it disheartened him. A large class, nearly sixty students, but most showed no interest in the subject. It was merely a requirement they must complete, a stepping stone in order to move on to their desired course of study. But, there were a few students who showed promise. Two, Joanna Bennett and Joshua Whittaker, showed particular progress and he encouraged them to join his summer cruise on the Surprise II. Thrilled that Joanna signed up, he was disappointed that Joshua could not. The boy had other commitments, but promised to take the cruise the following summer.

The algebra lecture that morning was uneventful, a review in preparation for their final exam next week. Once the students shuffled out of the classroom, Jack gathered his things and hurried to his next lecture; Celestial Navigation, his favorite class and the reason he was an instructor at the university. It was smaller than the previous class, only thirty students, but all were interested and eager to learn what Jack had to offer.

In all, forty students had signed up for the summer cruise and with fifteen experienced sailors, including himself, the crew totaled fifty-five, far less than on a Royal Navy frigate in the middle of a war, but plenty for a leisurely summer cruise. After finishing his last lecture and catching a quick lunch with Professor Griffin from the Maritime Historical Society, he headed out to the naval yard to check on the Surprise II. She was in the middle of her refitting and she was wonderful to behold. While much the same in appearance as the original Surprise, the Surprise II was faster and smoother thanks to innovations in her design made by Jack and Mr. Quigby, construction supervisor of the naval yard.

Happy with the progress on the ship, he stopped to greet Mr. Quigby. The supervisor had blueprints spread across the large table in his office, prints for another replica ship and he wanted Jack’s opinion of the plans. Jack studied them, admiring the fine design and made a few suggestions here and there. Mr. Quigby noted them all and made a few notes of his own. After a brief discussion, the supervisor was called away and Jack left for his meeting with Kevin at the construction site for the house.

Driving to the site, he reminisced about his wedding … the ship with ribbons and flags flying from her rigging, the guests milling about the deck, the sunshine, the music, and Natalie. How beautiful she looked, how radiant, how happy. He remembered her on the ship that summer with the wind blowing in her hair, her face tanned and freckled with the sun, her belly growing with his twins.

And he wondered again what his family was doing at that moment … probably taking their afternoon walk through the gardens. Chelsea gurgling happily at the birds, the flowers, charming all passersby who came near. Catherine taking everything in with her wide blue eyes. Natalie talking and singing to the two of them, maybe stopping for a rest at the gazebo and telling them a story, just as he would have done had he been there. And again, his heart ached just a little.

“Hey, Jack,” Kevin shouted from a second story window as he pulled up to the house. He was amazed to see the design that he, Natalie and Kevin dreamed up become a solid reality. Walls, windows, doors, roof … it was rapidly becoming a home, one his family could grow in. It had everything they wanted, large open living spaces, plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms, an office, a darkroom and studio, outdoor spaces. The view of the sea. Kevin met him in the front foyer and they strolled through the house. He appreciated the quality and care that Kevin put into the design and construction of the home. All the right touches were there and he was sure Natalie would be happy with the final result.

He stayed quite a while that afternoon with Kevin at the house, talking with the electricians and plumbers and approving the final landscape design. By Kevin’s reckoning, the house should be completed by the end of August, just as he would be returning from the summer sail. Conceivably, he, Natalie and the girls could be moved out of the Inn and settled into their new home by the end of September. Definitely an event to await with anticipation.

That evening, he returned to his little cottage not far from the naval yard. After eating a quick supper, he phoned Natalie, telling her of the progress of the house. She told him about the twins contracting the chicken pox. He wanted to immediately call Stephen, but she assured him that he need not call. The twins were already under a doctor’s care and would be just fine once the illness had run its course. They moved on to other things, the routine day-to-day activities that make up the goings-on at the Inn and in Maine. They talked of their summer to be spent apart and how much they missed each other already, and how far away September seemed. They talked of their love for each other and said their goodbyes, each wishing they didn’t need to be so far apart.