After Nathan had finished doing his service for the town and Ray, the young man dedicated the rest of his summer to helping his father. Nathan was the only kid that knew what was really going on, so he was determined to help out as much as he possibly could. Helping his father get around the house made things as easy as possible so that his old man could work on and finish the new novel. With Nathan's assistance and constant pestering, Peter actually had no trouble making his deadline much to the excitement of his agent and publisher. What made Peter happy was that fans around the world who were eager for the release of the new Frank Slate novel, which his publisher was more than happy to launch just before Christmas. Just getting that damn novel done on time was an accomplishment in itself, and Nathan was so proud of his Dad for doing it... especially considering how much his father was struggling. Nathan still managed to find some time to hang out with Cheryl Adams as well since she also completed her community service around the same time Nathan did. They went on a few more dates that were a bit more formal dates, as they also began to exchange oodles of emails, texts, and did a lot of facetime chats when Nathan moved back to the city with his new family.
The move into the new house wasn't as hectic as Nathan first assumed it might be. He chose to take over the room that was located next to Jacob's as the two of them had gotten along for the most part and were closer in age. While it wasn't the biggest room available to him, Nathan didn't have the heart to take away Dad's den which was actually right next to his bedroom. Nathan also didn't have guts to take away the playroom that his two younger sisters had used happily for years. There were bigger fish to fry than space, so Peter couldn't help but be proud of the mature man Nathan was slowly becoming.
There was more to life and the young man was finally beginning to understand that. Nathan had also chosen that room because he wanted to make an effort to get closer to Jacob. It was a gesture that was not lost as they two of the grew very close over the years and became the best of friends. There wasn't anything one wouldn't do for the other, and it was like they were real brothers. They were able to handle anything together and were each others best men when their day came to become married men but that was many, many years later.
With permission from Peter, there was one person he was allowed to tell everything to, as long as she promised to remain quiet. Nathan had taken Cheryl to the park and told her everything about what Ray had told her along with every other detail he had learned that day at the bridge. Stunned couldn't begin to describe how shocked Cheryl was to hear this update, especially about the great lengths the writer had gone to just to attack Nathan's father and smear him as badly as she could in the public eye. They had heard of the phrase that there was nothing meaner than a woman scorned but this woman was living proof of such a statement. For the rest of that summer, the two of them had become very close, which made their parting at the end of the summer that much more difficult. They promised to keep in touch and never grow apart. Nathan also promised Sonya that he would be a complete gentleman when he was with Cheryl, and he was a man of his word. The only thing that happened between them that summer was their first kiss, which came a week before the summer ended. He was going to miss Cheryl but knew they had what it took to make it through the cold winter ahead.
Peter had been right about his book, and how the fans would respond to it. When the Frank Slate sequel hit bookstores, they couldn't keep them on the shelves and sales went into the millions. The profits this new novel had made were staggering, and while the publisher was screaming for Peter to write another Frank Slate novel, Peter put his foot down and returned to being the snobbish writer that usually he was. This sequel was the exception rather than the norm, and he made if clear that the next novel he was going to pen, and deliver on time, would be a new story with new characters that were just as appealing and inspirational.
It was, however, difficult to ignore how popular this new sequel was. Peter's new novel had written made so much money, he honestly really didn't need to write another novel if he didn't want to. Peter's refusal to speak with the press continued and he never gave a single interview ever again, even when the big networks were asking for him to come out and take questions. To be honest, there were other issues to resolve and tests that Peter was nervous about hearing back from.
Nathan was there in the living room when the day came. The day Peter and Sonya had finally decided to let everyone in on Peter's secret illness. The test results had come in, and they were ready to move on with life regardless of the results. Peter was just happy to have everyone there the day he made the announcement. Sonya and Peter had asked everyone to be there in the room and even Ray had even taken time to fly up there to be there for Peter and Sonya. It had been several weeks since Nathan had confronted his Dad about his battle with cancer, and as promised he had kept it a secret until the test results came back. When Sonya and Peter first told the family that he was diagnosed with cancer, the family took it about as well as expected. The girls were crying, even Jacob was angry and on the verge of tears. Many of them wanted to know how bad it was and how much time they had left with their father, which was the part Nathan was eager to get an update on as well.
Even though Peter and Sonya had kept Nathan in the loop about what was going on, they had made sure he was forced to wait until this moment to learn the results of the test and hear them at the same time the other kids did. They took a deep breath and broke the news: The cancer had shrunk and was receding. The treatments had worked, and Peter's tumor was now small enough to safely operate on. Peter was going to have surgery, and if all went well it would only be a matter of time before the old man made a full recovery. There was hope, and that was all they could ask for. What were faces of sadness and endless tears slowly turned into smiles and people who were in a mood to celebrate. Ray was the only person who knew the results before they were announced, but even Nathan didn't realize he had snuck a bottle of champagne in the room. Ray broke the bottle open and sprayed the whole room with it. The news was good, and Retro Sheriff as Cheryl referred to him as wanted to make sure the news was given the attention and celebration that it deserved. The news of Peter's ailment wasn't as bad for the family to take as it was softened by the better news that the treatment had gone well, and things were getting batter rather than worse.
This was the result what Peter and Sonya had been hoping and praying for and Nathan was more relieved than anyone in the house. The young man had already lost a parent due that year and wasn't ready to bury another. This new opportunity gave Nathan and the rest of the kids more time to spend with the ones they loved.
Weeks after making the announcement, Peter Anderlini went under the knife to remove the cancer from his person. It took several hours, but the surgery was a success, much to the excitement of everyone who was sitting and praying in the waiting rooms downstairs. Nathan wasn't a very religious person, but even he was hedging his bets as he loved his father enough to try anything once. After several months of testing, Peter was eventually declared cancer free for the time being, much to everyone's delight. He was finally out of the woods after years of treatments. Peter was eager to get back to work, only to realize that he had new competition.
Nathan had started to write short stories that year, and enrolled into college and took English literature and creative writing to see if this was something he also wanted to do for a living. Peter was shocked to see Nathan follow in his father's footsteps but never complained about it as the kid had talent. While Nathan's works differed greatly from his fathers, Nathan Anderlini slowly made a name for himself and built a fan base without mentioning who his father was until he had found success on his own. Once it was discovered that this young and budding writer was the son of Peter Anderlini, money was no longer an issue for the rest of his life. Nathan had owed it all to the men that had shown him that way that one fateful summer. The young man had gained more than just a father that summer as he regained a godfather as well. Ray was just as much a part of Nathan's life just as much as he was a part of Peter's going forward, and there was no other way Nathan would have preferred it. They started taking trips together to go fishing every summer when the Anderlini family returned to the summer home. Nathan was always the first to pack up, eager to go back to the house where everything changed for him. It was that house that gave Nathan his second family and a second chance at life. Ten years after Nathan first visited the Summer Home, he made a gesture that took everyone by surprise, even his own father. They were sitting on the porch, sipping tea while their wives were in the house working on supper when Nathan let him in on the surprise.
"Ray sold the Summer Home," Nathan informed his father.
"What?" Peter said, as he couldn't believe it. "He wouldn't!"
"He did," Nathan said, amused by the old man's shock. "To quote a classic movie, the soon to be retired sheriff was made an offer that he couldn't refuse."
"And how do you know that?" Peter inquired, as he suspected something.
"Because I bought it," Nathan said, smiling back. "You're still welcome to come back every summer if you want, but I'm going to stay here full time."
"I see," Peter said, aware of his motives. "I assume Cheryl likes the idea of moving back to her hometown?"
"She does," Nathan confirmed, "But I like it too. This place is where things changed for me, and it's where Cheryl and I want to raise our kids."
"Kids?" Peter said, looking back at him. "Seriously?"
"Four months along," Nathan said, smiling at him. "You read go be a grandpa?"
"Not really," Peter confessed, "But I'll make the best of it."
"Now that this is my home," Nathan continued, "I'm going to build an addition, and make sure there's enough room for anyone who wants to visit every summer. That's one tradition neither of us wants to interfere with."
"I appreciate that," Peter said, "But don't stretch yourself out too thin."
"I couldn't if I tried," Nathan said, chuckling at the thought.
"New series selling that well?" Peter asked.
"You'd be jealous if you saw my numbers," Nathan said, tempted to brag.
"I'm proud of you," Peter said, "I'm sorry if I never said it enough."
"I knew it," Nathan said, not trying to sound cocky. "I knew it."
"I've been trying to buy this place forever!" Peter added, "How the hell did you managed to get Ray to sell it?"
"I didn't," Nathan admitted, "It was all Cheryl, and he relented."
"Fair enough," Peter said, as he understood. Ray had considered himself responsible for the match and cared for them both as if they were his own kids. Selling the house to them was that shocking when thinking about it that way. Ray had enough money now to fish for a long as he wanted to, and Nathan would be there full time to go along every damn time. That had to be an added benefit as well.
Peter and Ray were both there the day Nathan became a father, and he felt like he was truly joining a new club with the two men whom he had always looked up to rather than walked with for many years. It was the first of many kids in his little crew, and Peter couldn't have been happier to play the role of Grandpa. Sonya retired from teaching and did something no one ever expected her to do. She opened a small diner in Ray's town and that gave her and Peter the reason they needed to leave the city and follow Nathan and Cheryl to the small town on a permanent basis. Ray was always and forever her best customer, even though his money was rarely accepted.
When it was all said and done, everyone had deserted the city to make that small down by the coast their permanent residence. Nathan had started something that carried far beyond what started off as a summer retreat, but to remember how things started, he and Cheryl would host a big feast every summer. The whole family would bring their kids and spouses, stay for the week, and catch up and end it all with fireworks and celebration. This tradition continued for quite a while until the day came when Peter Anderlini departed from this mortal coil. The end came for the famous writer close to twenty-five years after his valiant fight against cancer. A quarter century of burrowed time, which was well earned. All of his kids and especially his wife were happy to have two extra decades, but when the end came for Peter that was a summer that was a more low key than usual. Nathan and Jacob took it upon themselves to bury the old man in the backyard, under a tree that he often liked to hang around and read under for the shade. The boys liked the idea of having him near, at the house where Peter often enjoyed spending his summers with those he loved most. The summer home would become his final resting place, where everyone could come and pay their respects whenever they wanted to. Near the beach and the house where everyone came together that fateful summer, the year Nathan's mother passed, and the trouble he brought them over the following months. They never gave up on him, and now it was his turn to carry on the tradition, and the love everyone had for the summer home that would remain in their family for generations to come.
Soon Peter would not be alone under that tree, as they'd all be together forever in death as much as they were in life as well. Nathan was blessed to eventually be buried with the new family he didn't deserve when his time came, and there was no better place he wanted to rest than the same summer home they all loved.
The End