Dear Olivia,

You cannot possibly know how happy I am today. I write this from the loft in my mother's house where I will sleep tonight.

This is not the cottage where I grew up, but it feels familiar. Mi mamá says that my brother Carlos used to sleep here before he went off to college. I am happy that mi hermano has achieved his dream of going to law school.

Let me tell you about my mother, Livi. She is just as beautiful as I remember her, and hasn't aged a single day. She has long black hair that she wears in a braid and a face like mine. When I arrived on her doorstep, she looked me over and said I looked familiar. Had we met?

Livia, I couldn't help it. I collapsed into sobs. You said it best when I talked to you yesterday. The two of us have just become fountains of tears these days, haven't we? I have cried more this week than the past five years combined.

But when I began to cry, so did my mother. She said my name and pulled me into her arms, rocking me back and forth. I have missed her so much, Livi. She brought me into the house and sat me down on the couch. We talked for hours.

She introduced me to my half sister, Cande. She is twelve years old and just as pretty as our mother. Her father was a merchant who died several years ago in a shipwreck while sailing from Cuba to Ireland. Cande had a myriad of questions for me, but mamá told her that I needed to rest. I will answer her questions tomorrow when I have the energy.

But Livia, there is even more exciting news. Mi madre says that my father left Carlos the funds to go to college, and he left me the funds to build a ship.

And you will not believe this, Livi: I have an uncle who builds ships. His name is Juan Carlos, and my mother says he has been working on a ship for me ever since Cande was born. The man is on the edge of senile, and everyone told him I would not come back, but he knew. I will go to visit him tomorrow, after I talk to mi hermana.

I miss you very much, mi amor. I cannot wait to see you in person to tell you about my family. I hope you are being safe in Brazil.

      See you soon, mi querida,

                     -Robin

XXX

Caelum pulled into the beach parking lot, pausing to take in the view of the ocean. Ah, summer. It was beautiful. No papers to grade, no parents calling about how Little Jimmy deserved a better grade, no staff meetings in which the rug would be pulled out from under his feet yet again. No, summer was for relaxing with his son and his wife and that was all.

Maybe Heather still woke at five thirty for work, but this was only because she loved her job. Caelum didn't mind. It was rare enough that he got Ollie all to himself. He decided to savor it.

Getting out of the car, he lifted his son out of his car seat. Ollie squinted around, his cheeks puffing into a smile. Cae picked him up, swinging him onto his back. The little boy giggled as he piggybacked across the street to Ship In A Bottle.

When he pushed the door open, there were about six customers milling around. Caelum knew that two out of three shoppers would only walk around, touch everything, look at the price tags and leave. But the other one might buy something.

Sammy stood at the register, tapping his fingers on the counter. He smiled at Cae and gave Ollie a fistbump. "The boss's back there," he said, jerking his head toward the backroom. "With them kids she's watching."

Cae frowned at him. "What kids?"

"I dunno, man," Sammy shrugged. "She says they're some friend's kids or somethin. She don't tell me nothing."

Nodding with the frown still on his face, he gave Sammy a slap on the back and went for the door. He was a good kid, creative and good with the customers. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it never occurred to him that he could use his blade to hurt someone. He just adored Heather, who adored him right back. She said he was like a little kid trying to impress his older sister.

He heard talking the moment he opened the door. Ollie leaned closed to his ear and asked, "Is that Mommy?"

Cae shook his head, shutting the door behind him. He set Ollie down on the floor. The little boy grunted in disapproval, trudging along behind his father with a lazy groan. Normally, Caelum would have smiled at this. Oh, walking. Such a struggle. But right now, he was a little confused, so he looked straight ahead as he walked through Heather's studio, not pausing to look at her new creations or make sure Ollie wasn't touching anything.

When he opened the door to the lounge, the talking stopped.

Heather, two kids he'd never seen before and a vaguely familiar looking man turned their eyes toward him, frozen. Ollie curled himself around his leg, burying his face in Caelum's pant leg. He got shy around strangers. Cae had to admit, he was feeling a little weird himself. The way they were all looking at him, it was like he was an outsider who just walked in on a cult meeting.

There was a boy and a girl, seated together on the armchair. The boy was thin and pale with a posture and expression that said, why am I here? The girl perched on the arm of the chair looked up at him with bashful doe eyes, shrinking back as if she could disappear into the cushions. The man sitting beside Heather, Caelum recognized him. He was a fairly regular customer, one of the weird ones who bought spyglasses and eyepatches and things that made it seem as though he was something out of Treasure Island.

His wife was the first to recover. She cleared her throat, jumping to her feet. "Caelum!" She exclaimed, pasting a smile to her face. "I wasn't expecting you until later."

He nodded, still scrutinizing the group in front of him. "We uh, decided to leave a little early," was all he could think to say.

She pried Ollie away from his leg, propping him up on her hip. He wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and blinked shyly at the people. "Alright," Heather said, glancing back at the other three. "Well, you remember Robin, right? I introduced you two a while back." Cae nodded, having only a vague recollection of this introduction. "And . . . you know Mrs. Pushkin next door? This is her nephew Peter and her niece Amelia."

The two kids offered small waves and smiles which Cae reciprocated. They didn't look anything like dumpy old Pushkin, but he didn't argue. Besides, who could tell, under those melty layers of makeup?

"And this is my husband and my son," she said to the rest of them. "Cae and Oliver."

The boy, Peter, smiled a little when he heard Ollie's name. "Oliver, huh?" He said. His voice was passive, a little raspy. "Cool name."

Ollie gave Peter a rare smile and retreated back into the folds of Heather's shirt. She sat him down on the couch and patted the middle cushion, motioning for Cae to sit down. He did.

"So," he said, determined not to let the room dissolve into awkward silence. "Are you guys siblings?"

The boy and the girl glanced at each other, both opening their mouths to answer and then closing them. After a second, Amelia said, "We're cousins."

"Oh. Your aunt's an interesting lady, huh?"

Peter nodded, glancing at Heather then back at Cae. "She's really something else."

Caelum still couldn't figure out what Robin was doing there. He could feel the man looking at him from the other side of the couch. Heather sat on the arm next to Ollie, twirling his ringlets of hair around her finger as he leaned his face on her hip.

He was beginning to think they weren't really cousins. Peter and Amelia looked almost nothing alike. And the way they sat together was less familial, more good friends. He glanced back at Robin. "What's going on?"

Heather sighed, glaring at the kids. "Nothing, Caelum."

Robin finally spoke. "You may as well tell him, Heather."

He tried not to look confused. What in hell were they talking about? Heather gave Ollie one last pat on the head and then took Cae's hand. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He nodded, standing up. Followed her into the studio.

When she closed the door, it took all of his self control not to bombard her with questions. Who are those kids? Why is that guy here? What are you hiding? Why do you look so nervous? Should I be nervous?

Heather sat down on her desk. Cae took a seat on her work chair, pushing it forward so that her boots rested on his thighs. She took his hands in hers, sighing deeply. "I don't know how to explain this, Cae."

He brought her knuckles to his lips, watching her frown deepen. "You can tell me anything," Cae promised. "I won't be mad."

Heather drew her lips together, almost laughing. "In that case," she said, "I used to be a pirate."