Keeper of the Light

“That’s where you grew up?”

“Yes, and I know what you’re thinking. Just because I can’t master windsurfing does not make me less than brilliant.”

He smiled to himself, staring up at the clear sky, a dazzling blue he had seen nowhere outside the Outer Banks. “Paul was at the lighthouse meeting at my house last night,” he said.

She sat up, abruptly. The gold chain swung free for a moment and then clung once more to the slope of her breast. “You didn’t say anything, did you?”

“No.” He looked up at her worried face. “I told you I wouldn’t. He said something you might find interesting, though.”

“What? Tell me everything he said. Every word, okay?”

Alec smiled. “He’s a nice guy, Olivia, but he’s not God. I’m sorry, but I neglected to take notes. I didn’t realize I’d be tested on the material.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Are you angry with me?”

“No.” He shaded his eyes to see her more clearly. The bridge of her nose was burned. “Do I sound mad?” Did he? Was he? “He said that whatever was wrong between the two of you was his fault, and that he thought he might have made a mistake when he left you.”

Olivia pressed her fist to her mouth. “He said that?”

“Yes. He seems depressed to me. There’s a…heaviness about him.”

She looked out at the sound. “I can’t believe he said he might have made a mistake. Was that his exact word?”

Alec sighed. “I think so. I’ll tape him next time, Olivia, I promise.”

She lay down again. “It’s just that I was about to give up.”

He told her about the horse. “He got sort of choked up while he was helping me.”

“It sounds as if you spent half the night with him. I’m very jealous.” She suddenly gasped. “Don’t ever tell Paul I’m taking stained glass lessons, Alec. You haven’t mentioned it to him, have you?”

He frowned at her. “What are you so afraid of?”

“It’s too hard to explain,” she said, looking away from him. “Just please don’t tell him.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes, and when she spoke again her voice was subdued. “I’m having an amniocentesis done Thursday,” she said.

He looked over at her. “Are you nervous about it?”

“No. Well.” She shrugged. “I guess you always have to face the possibility that something could be wrong. I just hate having to go through it—not the procedure so much as the waiting for results—without Paul.”

“You know, Olivia, I think one of us should tell him we’re friends. It might open his eyes a little to the fact that you’re not going to just sit around waiting for him forever.”

“Except that I would. Wait around forever, I mean.” She let out a weary-sounding sigh. “What about you, Alec?” she asked. “Do you go out at all?”

“No.” He shut his eyes against the brilliant yellow sunlight. “It’s not time yet, and there really isn’t anyone. There’s one woman who has designs on me, but I’m not interested.”

“Who is she?”

“A neighbor. Nola.” He ran a hand through his hair. It was almost dry. “She’s been a family friend for many years. Annie always said she had her eye on me, which I didn’t believe at the time. I do now, though. She brings us food. She calls to check up on me.”

“And you’re not interested?”

“Not in the least.” He stretched, ready for a change of subject. “Well, listen. I’ve been asked to speak on both a radio show and at a meeting of lighthouse enthusiasts in Norfolk this coming Saturday and I’d love to talk you into taking on one of those jobs. Any chance of that?” He looked over at her. “Do you have Saturday off?”

“I do have it off,” Olivia said, “but now that you’ve told me Paul’s having second thoughts, I think I’d like to try to spend the time with him.”

“Oh, right,” Alec said, disappointed. “You should.” He leaned up on his elbow to face her. “Tell him about this.” He touched her still visible hip bone lightly with his fingertips, wondering if he was out of line. “Tell him about the baby.”

“No.” She sat up, smoothing her hair away from her face with her hands. “It’s got to be me he’s coming back for.”

“Well.” Alec sat up too and reached for his T-shirt. “I think it’s about time you got to see a little more of the Outer Banks. We’ll see how much fun you can tolerate.”

He took her to Jockey’s Ridge. She had seen the enormous sand dunes from the road many times, she said, but it had never occurred to her to actually walk on them. She’d put a pair of shorts on over her bathing suit and Alec lent her a T-shirt. He dug around in the glove compartment of the Bronco until he found a tube of zinc oxide—in neon green—and painted it on her nose. The wind was up and the dunes were practically shifting in front of their eyes as they climbed. They reached the highest peak, out of breath, and sat on the ridge to watch a group of helmeted people learning to hang glide.

Then he took her to the Bodie Lighthouse. They walked around the site, looking up at the black and white horizontally striped tower, while he told her the history of this particular light. He felt some guilt over not taking her to the Kiss River Lighthouse, especially since he was asking her to speak about it. It was too far from where they were, he told himself, although his real reason was clear to him—the Kiss River Lighthouse belonged to him and Annie. He was not at all ready to share it with someone else.