Ivy turned to her friend. ?I could say the same thing about you.” Beth ran her hand along her gold chain with the amethyst and fingered the stone. Letting out a long breath, Ivy gazed at the sea lapping against the breakwater.
?Ivy, listen to me,? Beth said, her voice pleading rather than angry now.
?Something is very wrong. I can?t shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen.? ?Like what? ?
?I don?t know.? Beth?s voice quivered. ?But you must be careful. This is no time to trust strangers.? Ivy laid her hands gently on her friend?s. ?I know what I?m doing. If s time for you to trust
Following her in, Ivy was surprised to find Will there, sitting on the sofa, working — the puzzle. ?Hey, Will.?
?Hey. Have a good time?? he asked. ?Yeah! The art is awesome,? Ivy replied, hoping to sound upbeat and easy with him. ?You?d love it there.?
Will studied her, as if trying to tell whether things were ?right? between them, then said, ?There?s no way you can see it all in one trip, so maybe you?ll want to go a second time with me. How about it??
?Of course!? Ivy sat in a chair facing the coffee table. ?And this time, with plenty of cash. I saw about ten sets of earrings and an armful of bracelets I liked. I could do all my Christmas shopping there.? She leaned forward and pushed a puzzle piece into place.
?Beth, come sit down,? Will invited. ?I have an idea I wanted to talk over with both of you.”
Beth had reached the kitchen and turned back reluctantly. ?I?ve been thinking about next Sunday,? Will said as Beth perched on the edge of the sofa.
?Tristan’s anniversary and how to honor him. They allow bonfires at the National Seashore. And there?s a beach called Race Point, which seems right for him. What do you think?”
Ivy knowing how hard Will was trying, felt tears rising in her. ?It?s a great idea.”
“I was thinking of picking up the permit Tuesday afternoon at the visitors? center.? Will looked hopefully at Ivy. ?How about that and dinner in Provincetown??
She smiled at him. ?Perfect.? Beth rose silently and returned to the kitchen. Will turned and gazed after her. ?Beth, are you okay??
?Fine,? she called back. Ivy leaned close to Will. ?Something?s really bothering her.? ?I think it?s the anniversary,” Will said, reaching for Ivy?s hand. ?She went through a lot with us. You can?t just erase memories like that. Things will be easier for all of us after the twenty?fifth.?
Ivy looked down at her hand resting in Will?s and nodded silently, wishing she could believe that the way he did.
Ivy jumped at the sound of Guy?s voice. ?You sure are easy to sneak up on,?
Guy observed, emerging from the shrubs surrounding the inn?s parking lot.
?What were you thinking about??
?Music,? she lied — no point in feeding his ego. ?I?m headed to practice.?
?What direction is that?? Guy asked. His clothes were damp and wrinkled, his backpack slung over his shoulder. ?Chatham. I use the piano at a village church.?
?Can I get a ride that far??
She double clicked her key. ?Door?s open. Where?re you going?? she asked, as he stowed his backpack in the rear seat.
“Lighthouse Beach.?
?Have you remembered something??
?No,? he replied. ?I was hoping I might if I saw the place.? Ivy thought about offering to go with him, but she had come to think of Guy as a cat, a creature who comes to others only when he?s ready. Guy was wearing his old shoes again.
As Ivy pulled out of thr lot, she glanced through her rearview mirror at the new shoes, still tied to his pack. ?Did I get the wrong size??
He followed her eyes. ?Yup. But they make a nice souvenir.?
?We can exchange them for a pair that fit,? she said. ?We could, but that?s a lot of trouble. And if you?d like to have them back,? he added with a sly smile,? I have a hunch they?ll fit Will.?
?If you?d come into the store with me,? she replied brusquely, ?I wouldn?t have had to guess your size.? They didn?t speak again till she reached Route 28.
?So… if you practice music during the summer, you must be pretty serious about it,? he said. 1 am.
He twisted himself around in his seat to reach the books. His arm brushed hers, his body hovering close in the small car. For a moment Ivy felt dizzy, overwhelmed by a powerful sense of his presence.
He grabbed a music book and turned forward again in his seat. She was glad he was thumbing through it and didn?t see her biting her lip, trying to focus on the road.
?So, what kind of music do you like?? she asked. ?I mean, other than an off?key version of ?If I Loved You.? He laughed. ?I don?t remember, but my favorite band is Providence. No, wait — that?s the next town over from the hospital.?
She laughed with him. ?Will you play for me?? he asked. The request surprised her. ?I play mostly classical.?
?Don?t worry,? he said with a wry smile. ?I can?t remember what I like.?
A few minutes later she parked the car in the church lot ?I need to get the key from the rectory.? Guy followed her to a small, shingled building that was attached by a covered passageway to the church. Its windows were open and Ivy could hear the doorbell ringing inside. Then Father John?s voice called from behind another building. ?In the back!?
Guy, who was wearing jeans, quickly pulled the cuffs of his sweatshirt down to his wrists. They found the priest in the garden, wearing denim overalls, his hands caked with sandy dirt, his high cheekbones shining with sweat and sun.
Ivy introduced him to Guy. Father John held up both hands apologetically and gave a slight bow. ?My day off,? he explained. ?You?re working awfully hard for that,? Ivy observed. He smiled. ?A labor of love.?
Inside a white picket fence was a large vegetable garden. A trench, partially dug along the outside of the fence, had bags of peat and humus piled next to it.
?I?m putting in roses,? he said, gesturing. ?Of course, we have the Rugosabeach roses — here on the Cape. It?s very foolish of me to be digging holes in the sand and bringing in black soil to grow
Guy went with Ivy as far as the church door, then offered to return the keys.
Fifteen minutes later, when he hadn?t come back to the church. Ivy sighedsudden departures seemed to be Guy?s favorite way of saying good?bye. Having finished her exercises, she pushed Guy out of her mind and focused on the new music assigned by her teacher. She worked hard, and her tentative fingering became more certain. Ivy never got over the wonder of feeling a song grow under her hands.
An hour later, gathering up her music, she heard the church door open. Guy walked toward her, looking pleased with himself. ?I?ve got a job.? ?You do??
His face gleamed with perspiration and there was a smear of dirt down the front of his sweat?shirt He
