Chapter Fifteen

Blood, sweat, and tears during the next three years transformed the property into the school of Remy’s dreams. The main house was turned into a dormitory for the art students. The other houses were modified into classrooms and studio rooms. The bakery was now a sculptor’s haven, the large stone oven re-purposed as a massive kiln. The mill was kept basically the same, preserved for history’s sake, but Remy had dreams of eventually turning it into a gallery to display her students’ work.

It took Remy nine months to move into the cottage. She worked for months in secret, not letting Maggie or Sebastian peek at her progress. In the beginning she could only see it as Bieito’s house, but with loving care she designed her dream home, determined to do it justice and honor his memory.

When she finally escorted Maggie and Sebastian through the front door, the surprise left them breathless. A seamless mix of modern and vintage, with her own artwork adorning every wall. She had even added on a little alcove room, which was completed just in time for her own little surprise.

****

Now, pacing through the completely restored village, Remy bubbled over with anticipation while Maggie tried to calm her down. Sebastian was about to drop off the first of their students arriving for the summer art program. Remy had to pinch herself that this day was finally here, and that she had made her dream come true. The twelve students were from all over the world, handpicked by Remy for a life-changing experience. The students she had chosen to work with were scholarship students, mostly from poor or dysfunctional families. Most had never been away from their hometown and were about to embark on eight weeks in Spain with the famous artist Remington Day, and she was determined to live up to their expectations.

This was all financed by Remy’s reemergence into the art world, more successful than ever. Now labeled a recluse artist, Remy was astounded to discover that the mystery of her life made her paintings even more in demand. Her style had changed, too, and critics praised her mix of modern style with historical aspects. Oversized canvases were her new trademark.

A van pulled into sight and stopped at the top of the drive. Sebastian hopped out of the driver’s seat and opened the sliding passenger door with an exaggerated sweep. “Bienvenidos! Welcome!” he shouted, looking just as proud to introduce the students to the village as if he owned it. The long drive from the Madrid airport had done nothing to dampen his enthusiasm.

“Thank you, Sebastian,” Remy said, striding forward in what she hoped was a confident way. I hope I look like I know what I’m doing. Maggie hung back while Remy approached the students.

“I hope you all had a good trip,” she said. The eleven teenagers nodded, looking more than a little dazed and jetlagged. “I also hope you’re ready to get some great work done this summer at this retreat! I’m Remy, you already know Sebastian, one of our helpers, and you’ll meet Maggie later. Grab your bags, and we will show you around.”

While the students busied themselves with their luggage, Remy pulled Sebastian aside. “Who are we missing?” she asked.

“The local boy. His mother is going to deliver him any moment.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Remy was relieved not to have lost a student on their opening day. She had been astounded to discover the boy’s talented portfolio in her stack of applications, and even more stunned to find out that his family lived in Ortigueira already.

“Here they come now,” Sebastian said.

An old car rumbled its way down the long drive and parked behind the van. A woman with deep red hair got out from behind the wheel and grabbed a suitcase from the trunk. Remy couldn’t see who still sat in the passenger’s seat, but she assumed it was the woman’s son. When a few minutes had passed and the boy hadn’t gotten out of the car, Remy went to see what was wrong.

“He’s just nervous,” the woman explained in remarkable English, and gave Remy a smile that was so familiar it made her heart stop. When it started pounding again, Remy gathered up the courage to look in the car.

A boy with dark, curly hair stared down at his hands. His mother rapped on the window. “Afonso,” she said. “Tu profesora está aquí.” Your teacher is here.

His chest rose and fell with a sigh, and he gathered himself enough to open the door. “Hola,” he mumbled, looking at the ground. Afonso was only thirteen, the youngest student in Remy’s program by a good two years.

Remy fought hard not to let tears fill her eyes. She cleared her throat and said, “Welcome, Afonso. We are so happy you’re here. I loved your portfolio, especially your ocean paintings. There’s another boy here who makes sculptures inspired by water. I think you two will have a lot to talk about.”

At the mention of his artwork, Afonso lifted his head, allowing Remy to confirm what she already knew in his distinct features. “Say goodbye to your mother,” Remy instructed. “I’ll bring you to the other kids.”

Afonso threw his arms around his mother, dodged her kiss, and ran over to where Sebastian was giving an orientation. His mother waved at his back and turned to Remy. “Take care of my baby,” she said.

“Like he was my own family,” Remy promised. “He’ll do great.” Remy heard her name being called from the cottage. “Excuse me,” she said, and hurried across the village to where Maggie summoned her.

“Look who woke up early from her nap!” Maggie said, her arms full of a squirming toddler.

“Catarina! You didn’t want to miss the excitement today?”

“Mama!” The little girl squealed and reached for Remy. Curly bedhead hair flopped into dark brown eyes that were quick to take in her surroundings. “Beach? Beach?”

Her little water baby, so like the father she would never know. Remy and her daughter took nightly walks to the ocean to watch the sunset together. The path to the beach that had existed in Bieito’s time had long since eroded, and they were forced to stay up on the cliff above the ocean. The sea air did wonders for their souls, but Remy could see that Catarina ached to be down on the water.

“We’ll work out a way to carve a path down to the beach. Maybe we can try sailing,” Remy had told her, grasping a tiny hand in hers. But that would involve leaving the boundaries of the village, something that neither of them seemed to be able to do. Their world scope had shrunk to just these few buildings and the grounds. The cliffs were the farthest they could reach, and even then, Remy and Catarina weren’t able to stay very long before feeling compelled to return.

The ache in Remy’s heart was physically painful if she thought about leaving the village. Remy wasn’t sure if it was due to her own anxiety, but she suspected another force was at work, and suspected she had lost a piece of her free will. Coming back that last time had changed her. Wishing for them both to come back to the village tied them so securely to this place she wondered if she and Catarina could ever leave.

The village would never again be abandoned to time, and it had gone through great lengths to ensure this. It had pulled threads from the present and the past, breaking rules of the universe to bring two people together to create a miracle. Each step of the way had been a delicate balance of action and reaction, until Remy was desperate enough to make her wish. Every wish has a cost. But each night when the sun set, when mother and daughter turned around and walked side by side back to their cottage, Remy felt that the price for her happiness was worth it. A tiny part of her that she wasn’t willing to admit existed asked, Will Catarina think the price was worth it, too? Remy wanted to avoid this question for as long as possible.

“Beach!” the toddler demanded. Right now, this was the sole focus of her daughter’s happiness. A simple request had an answer. The real challenge would come a few years from now, along with a difficult conversation about wants and wishes.

“Not right now, sweetie. The students have just arrived. Would you like to go say hello?”

Child on her hip, Remy gathered the twelve students around her. “The goal of this intensive program is to force you to dig deep and unearth your hidden potential. I am simply here to guide you along this journey, and to teach you how to transfer your emotions onto your chosen artistic medium. Each piece you complete will bring you closer to understanding yourself, and the artist you are destined to become. These pieces will become your summer collection, with a common idea connecting them. The theme of our art projects this summer will be, ‘What do you want most in the world?’”