Rory listened in on Shelly and Zack to the best of his ability.
“Which one?” Shelly asked Zack.
“Kara,” Zack said.
“She is so cute,” Shelly said.
“Yeah,” Zack said.
“Did you have a girlfriend in California?” Shelly asked.
Rory leaned a little closer to his son, curious to hear his answer.
“A couple,” Zack said. He looked at Rory, letting him know he was on to his snooping, then turned his back on his father and continued talking with Shelly in private. There were more giggles and, on Zack’s part, some outright laughter. Rory smiled to himself, grateful to Shelly. She knew exactly what she was doing, he thought. She’d seen Zack’s discomfort and made the effort to bring him out of his shell.
Their food was served, and halfway through the meal, Shelly asked Zack, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Have you gone to watch the hang gliders yet?”
“Yeah,” Zack said, “and my dad and I are going to take a hang-gliding lesson soon.” He glanced at Rory.
“Right?” he asked.
“Right,” Rory said, pleased to have a chance to draw Shelly and Zack’s private chat into the conversation of the adults.
“We watched one of the classes. It didn’t look that dangerous.”
“Well,” Ellen said to Rory, “I hope your will is up-to- date.”
“Oh,” Shelly said, “I think it would be wonderful. I always wanted to do it, but I was afraid to, because I might have a seizure. But Father Sean hang-glides all the time.”
“Father Sean?” Zack asked.
“Is that a priest?”
“Yup,” Shelly said. “A priest who hang-glides?” Zack asked in amazement.
“I hope Father Macy’s piloting skills are better than his preaching skills,” Ellen said.
The insult seemed to go over Shelly’s head.
“He’s been gliding ever since I can remember,” she said.
“And he even won a contest a few years ago. Right, Daria?” She looked at her sister for confirmation.
“That’s right,” Daria said.
“He won the summer competition. It’s held every year. The next one’s in a few weeks, and I bet he’ll be in it again.”
“If it wasn’t for Father Sean,” Shelly said, “I wouldn’t be sitting here with you all today.”
Ellen laughed.
“No,” she said.
“You’d probably be sitting with a nice, normal family somewhere. Maybe even a wealthy family. Look what you missed out on.”
“Ellen,” Ted said in a voice too small for his size.
“Shelly has a perfectly fine family.”
“Why wouldn’t you be sitting here?” Zack asked Shelly. “What did Father Sean or Macy or whoever he is have to do with it?”
“Sean Macy—the priest—helped my parents adopt Shelly when she was an infant,” Daria explained.
“So we all have a special place in our hearts for him.” “Dad said Daria found you on the beach when you were a baby,” Zack said to Shelly.
“Yes, but I don’t remember it.”
Rory’s mind drifted for a moment. Maybe he should have a talk with Sean Macy, since he’d been involved in Shelly’s adoption. He wouldn’t know anything about Shelly’s parentage, of course, but still, it would be interesting to hear his memories of that time. And the priest certainly sounded human and approachable.
Grace reached for her water glass, and Rory noticed that her fingers were trembling.
He leaned close to her, whispering, “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” she whispered back, then suddenly looked across the table at Shelly.
“Do you see what I have on?” she asked, touching her fingers to her throat, and Rory leaned forward to see.
Grace was wearing a shell necklace, probably one of Shelly’s, and he was surprised. She had said nothing to him about it.
“I made that,” Shelly said.
“Yes, I bought it at the Shell Seeker, that little store in South Nag’s Head,” Grace said.
“How did you ever make it? It’s so delicate.”
