Evercrossed

dream home.?

?What is your dream home?? he asked curiously. ?A small house on the water.

Living room, kitchen, and bedroom, a porch facing east, another facing west, and two fireplaces. How about yours??

?I?d live inland, in a fancy tree house.? Ivy laughed. ?It would have several levels — and be built between two trees,” Guy continued. ?I know a place like that.?

?It would have a rope ladder, of course. And a swing.? Ivy loved the swing that hung under Philip?s tree house, which was near the edge of her family?s property. High on the ridge above the river and train tracks, the view was spectacular.

?And it would be high on a ridge, so I could see over the countryside.? Ivy looked at Guy with surprise. ?What is it?? he asked.

?That?s exactly like my brother?s.? Her mind slipped back to the day that Philip had almost fallen from the tree house?s walkway. Gregory had never admitted to loosening the board, and Ivy, who had lost her faith in angels, had not seen the golden shimmer that Philip had. But she believed now, as Philip did, that Tristan was there for him. Was Tristan here still?

I?ll always be with you, Ivy. She heard the words now as clearly as she had the night of the accident when Tristan kissed her. Ivy knew the old saying — the eyes were the windows of the soul — and sometimes when she looked in Guy?s eyes, it was as if Tristan…

No, she was imagining it. ?Ivy, you?re trembling.? He touched her hands lightly and she tried to make them still in her lap. ?Tell me,” he said.

Ivy shook her head no. Guy was confused enough about his identity, without her telling him that he made her feel as if Tristan was present.

?Sometimes you look so sad,? Guy said. ?I don?t know how to help you.?

Ivy touched his face gently. ?I know how you feel — sometimes you look so lost.?

Sixteen

IT WAS A SERIES OF COINCIDENCES, IVY TOLD HER?self as she turned onto Cockle Shell Road. She had left Guy in his ?homey? place with a new ice chest and leftovers from the early dinner they had purchased in town.

Guy had asked her to stay longer, but she needed time to think. She couldn?t keep her mind from running through the odd moments that linked Guy with Tristan. If she dared to tell Will and Beth what she was starting to believe, she knew what they would say: She was imagining it — it was just the anniversary.

The anniversary! Oh, no! She had completely forgotten about going with Will to get the fire permit. When she and Guy had driven to the takeout place, she hadn?t bothered to check her cell phone and had totally forgotten about dinner in Province?town.

Will?s car was gone from the Seabright?s lot Ivy walked slowly down the path to the cottage. She was thinking about how she would explain when she heard his Toyota pull in. She stopped and waited nervously. When Will approached the house, he walked fast, his head down. ?Will,” she said softly.

He looked up sharply and she could read in his face all the emotions he was feeling: relief, disbelief, and anger.

?Will, I?m so sorry!? She lifted her hand to reach toward him, then quickly dropped it to her side; something — she didn?t know what — stopped her from touching him. ?I?m so sorry,? she repeated. A long silence followed. ?That?s it?? he asked. ?I?ve let you down.? He swore under his breath.

?I?m really sorry, Will. I just… forgot.? ?Do you have amnesia too?? he replied sarcastically. ?Is it contagious?? His eyes bored through her. ?That?s where you?ve been, isn?t it? With him, with Guy.? ?Yes.?

?I can?t believe it! Why do girls do stuff like this — run after guys who seem mysterious and exciting, but have nothing to offer.?

?I?m not running after—? He cut her off. ?I love you, Ivy, but this is killing me.?

She swallowed hard. ?Why are you doing this to me?? he shouted at her.

?I don?t know!? she shouted back. She saw him struggle to control his anger; in some ways, she wished he?d keep shouting.

?You?re acting like you did after Tristan?s death, when Gregory seduced you—?

?What?!?

?And you kept standing up for him,? Will continued, ?when you kept trusting Gregory even though there were a million signs that you shouldn?t.?

?Like you weren?t Gregory?s friend, too?? Ivy challenged him. ?I recognized him for what he was and stayed friends long enough to help you and Tristan.?

Will sucked in his breath. ?Tristan. It always comes back to him, doesn?t it? God, what an idiot I am!? Ivy lowered her head. The night you were in the accident, when I got to the hospital, the paramedic asked me if I was Tristan.?

Ivy winced. ?He said you had been calling for him in the ambulance.”

Ivy turned away. ?Then the doctor, elated with your progress, came to me and said, ?I?ve got good news for you, Tristan.”

Ivy shut her eyes with the pain. Will had kept this to himself, even though it must have hurt him deeply. ?Here?s what I think,? Will said, his voice husky with emotion. ?I don?t think you?re really falling for Guy. I think you feel bad for him and find him a nice distraction.?

Ivy turned back toward Will. He went on quickly. ?With Guy, you can feel for somebody, help somebody, and still be in love with Tristan.?

?Will, I am so sorry—?

?This fling with Guy, it helps you to separate from me,? Will continued; ?The best thing I can do for you and for me is make the final break that you clearly want so much.?? His voice grew angrier. ?H would have been a lot easier on both of us, Ivy, if you?d had the guts to tell me when you knew it was over!?

?But I didn?t know—? He slammed his fist into his palm. ?Give me a break!?

?I knew something was wrong,? Ivy explained. ?I was trying to think things through.? He nodded. ?And why end it when it may turn out that you need me after all??

?No! That?s unfair! I wouldn?t have used you like that.?

?Next time you?re thinking things through, try thinking about how it is for someone other than yourself.? He turned on his heel and headed back to the parking lot. ?Where are you going, Will??

?I don?t know. I don?t care, as long as if s somewhere away from you.?

THE TEARS THAT HAD BEEN FILLING IVY’S EYES DURING the argument did not fall until five minutes after Will had driven away. Ivy walked back to the lot and stood motionless by her car, watching the road as if Will might come back.

?It?s over. Over,” she repeated to herself with disbelief. She noticed an envelope on her car?s front seat Opening it, she found the permit for the bonfire. She climbed inside her car, closed the door, and cried.

Ivy drove for an hour and a half — Route 6 first, needing to drive fast, and when she had stopped crying, the winding, dual?lane 6A. She was tempted to call her mother — but her mother loved Will. Philip loved Will. Beth loved Will. So did she, but maybe not enough.

By the time she returned to the inn, it was nearly dark. Will?s car was back; Kelsey?s was gone and no one was in the cottage. Ivy sat in the living room, trying to work on the puzzle, riffling through the box, pulling out one piece, then another, then putting them back. Restless, she walked outside, glanced at the swing, then strode over to the inn?s back steps, where she felt less likely to be cornered by whoever came home first. If Will hadn?t told the others about their break up, she would have to share the news before work tomorrow.

Behind her, the kitchen door opened, spreading the room?s yellow light on a swath of grass. ?Don?t get up,” Aunt Cindy said, then came out and sat on the steps next to Ivy. ?How are you doing??

?Okay.?

?Pretty tough, huh?? Ivy nodded. ?Yeah. Who told you??

?Beth. Listen, Ivy, I can make sure that you and Will aren?t on the same work team for a week or so, but