away, tentatively. “Sorry,” he mumbled. He leaned against the railing, his body weight on his arms, and stared down at the water.
Gretchen smoothed the hair out of her face and looked up at him, smiling ruefully.
“Where’s Jason?” Angus asked, giving her a sideways look.
Gretchen put her hands over her face and groaned. “Don’t mention that name.”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard.” He smiled down at the water.
“Word gets around.”
Angus shrugged and turned to face her. “Jason has friends. I heard your waitress friend stood up for you.”
“I guess.”
“What’s her name-Asia, right?”
“Right.”
“Is she here tonight?”
“Somewhere.” Gretchen scanned the crowd, but the white dress had disappeared. “Why-you interested?” She blushed a little the minute the words were out of her mouth, but decided not to dig the hole deeper.
Angus scoffed. “Get serious.”
“She’s so gorgeous, though.”
“More like scary.”
“Really?” Gretchen blinked up at him. She thought about Asia’s green eyes, her long black hair. She
Angus watched her face for a moment. He seemed as if he was about to say something, then seemed to change his mind. “Is Will coming?”
“Allegedly.”
“No evidence?”
“Not so far.” Gretchen looked out at the shore. Beyond the dunes, the mansion was lit up, spewing light almost to the sand. The lights from the pier glowed to the water, leaving the waterline in gray shadow. The sand was dotted with dark shapes-couples who had escaped the hot, sweaty party to make some heat of their own.
“So you’re stuck with me?” Angus asked.
“I guess it’s you or Kirk.” Gretchen looked over toward the skinny boy. He was having an animated conversation with someone-someone invisible. The passion in his face gave Gretchen the creeps.
“Someone needs to do an intervention with that kid.”
“Then what would everyone talk about?” Gretchen asked. “The paper wouldn’t have anything to publish.”
Angus nodded. “Yeah. Still, I feel sorry for him.”
“Why don’t his parents do something?”
“His mother’s always down at the bar with her shady boyfriend, the dealer. His father’s dead. His sister’s the only sane one. But Adelaide’s only twenty. What’s she gonna do?”
They stood there, side by side, looking down at the water. Below them, a ghostly figure moved away from the pier, along the stretch of wet sand. The water raced to meet her bare feet, spilling up around her ankles. Gretchen could tell by her movements as well as her long dark hair that it was Asia. Her white dress seemed to shimmer, like the lights in the water below, as she faded slowly into the darkness. Gretchen sighed, wondering when everything had gotten so complicated.
Will watched her watching the water for a few moments. A wave reached out, embracing her feet with gently hissing bubbles. She sank slightly in the sand before the water sucked back toward the sea. The hem of her white dress was wet, but she didn’t seem to care. She was looking out over the dark horizon.
Will was behind her, sitting on the sand in the semi-darkness. He had been sitting there for at least half an hour. He’d promised Gretchen that he would go to the party, but the nearer he got, the heavier his footsteps became. Will hated yelling small talk over loud music. He hated being shoved up against people he didn’t know. Tim had always been the fun brother-the one who loved people.
Will’s head was full of Tim tonight. Here, at the edge of the water, the memories of their last night together came fast and thick…
“Will, where’s your brother?” his father had asked as he banged in through the back door. “I told him I needed his help with the tractor.”
Will shoved his chair away from the table. “I can do it.”
“Bert, for heaven’s sake, don’t bother with that now.” Will’s mother shot her husband a look from the sink, where she was trimming sugar snap peas. “Will, I need you to finish chopping those tomatoes. And Bert, go wash up-you’re covered in grease. We’re ready to eat in ten minutes.”
“Woman, you boss me around like you’re the queen of England,” Will’s father said playfully.
She flicked a kitchen towel at him. “I’m the queen of the house.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“It’s Your
“Got it.” Will’s dad winked at him and headed down the hall to wash up.
Will took the tomatoes to the stove and added them to the pan, where onions were already browning. The pulpy juice immediately began to bubble and turn orange around the edges in the sweet butter.
“Thanks, Will. Would you go find Tim for me? Let him know that we’re about to eat?”
“Sure.” Will loped upstairs, then climbed the ladder and poked his head up through the floor. “Tim?”
No answer.
Will climbed up to the top. Tim had converted the attic to his room the year before. It had low ceilings and only two tiny windows. But from the windows, there was a beautiful sweeping view. To the left were dunes and beyond that the sea. To the right was the bay. Tim spent hours up there, reading or playing the guitar. It was a cozy space, and Will often joined his brother there for long talks.
Will walked over to the window and looked down over the farmland below. The rows of iris had just begun to explode into ribbons of vibrant colors. Flowers were a lucrative crop, and these sat next to the thick, bushy heirloom tomatoes-just flowers, no fruit yet-and the smaller rows of sage, thyme, and dill. To the left was the bluff, and beyond the rows were the dunes, and then the sea. Will saw two figures down there. One was Tim. The other, with long blond hair lit by the setting sun, was Gretchen.
Will hesitated a moment, watching them. They seemed deep in conversation. He wondered what they were saying. Will knew how Tim felt about Gretchen-everyone knew. And Will could only assume that Gretchen felt the same way. Of course she loved Tim. Will had always feared that he would end up the third wheel instead of the third Musketeer. Maybe this year would be the year…
“Will!” Mrs. Archer called up the stairs. “Tell Tim he has two minutes!”
Will hustled down the stairs and out the door. He cut across the fields between two rows of beans dotted with small white flowers along the vines. But by the time he’d reached the sand, Tim was alone.
He’d been standing at the edge of the water, watching the waves. Just as Asia watched them now.
Will stood looking at her, wondering what to say.
“I know you’re there,” she whispered after a moment, although she didn’t turn to look at him.
“All right,” he said, and she whipped around to face him. Her sandals fell into the retreating water with a splash.
Will hurried to retrieve them, and Asia’s face had somewhat recovered by the time he handed them-crusted with sand-back to her.
“Thank you.” She spoke to the sandals rather than to him.
He looked at her carefully. “You seem surprised to see me.”
Asia looked up at him, but didn’t speak. Will felt a tremble of doubt. He’d been sure that she’d been talking to him, but now he wondered if the words “I know you’re there” could have been meant for someone else.
“You didn’t like the party?” He stood close to her, so close that the top of her head was level with his chin. His body burned with the desire to brush that hair with his lips.
“It was too hot.” She looked up at him. “Too many bodies.”
He felt her voice, like music, through his body. He looked down into her eyes. “Can you explain to me how someone as small as you could intimidate someone as large as Jason Detenber?”
