Rory laughed at her contortions.
“Come on, don’t be shy.” He reached for the tube again, and this time she handed it to him. She leaned forward in her chair as he massaged the lotion into her back and shoulders.
This is a mistake, she thought. How should she handle things with Rory? She didn’t want to lead him on, yet she knew of no other way to be able to spend time so close to Shelly. She knew she was giving him the wrong impression. He thought she was repeatedly driving round trip between Rodanthe and Kill Devil Hills just to see him.
She was relieved when he stopped rubbing her shoulders and was no longer touching her. She was not unaware of his attractiveness, but no man—not Rory, not her husband—could pique her interest these days.
“Thanks,” she said, leaning back in her chair.
She chatted with him about the weather and a little about some attempted conversation he’d had the day before with Zack. Something about sex; she didn’t want to get into that. She hoped he would mention Shelly, trying to wait an appropriate amount of time before delving into her favorite topic herself. Her gaze was on those people walking along the beach, hoping to see the tall, young, blond woman who was capturing her heart.
When a few minutes of silence had passed between them and it was apparent he was not going to mention Shelly, she could stand it no longer.
“Oh, before I forget,” she said, forcing her voice to sound casual, “I have something for Shelly in my car.”
“She’s at work today,” Rory said.
“But I can give it to her, if you like.”
“At work? You mean at the church?” Her heart sank at the realization that she had come all the way down here and Shelly was not even at the Sea Shanty.
“Right. St. Esther’s.” Rory shaded his eyes to look at her.
“What do you have for her?”
“Oh, just an old jar of shells. It’s been collecting dust at my house for ages, and I thought she might be able to put it to good use.”
“I’m sure she will,” Rory said.
“Don’t forget to leave it with me before you go.”
“I might as well drop it off at St. Esther’s myself,” Grace said.
“I
have to go right past there on my way home. “
Now that she knew Shelly was not around, she was anxious to get back on the road. But it would look odd to leave this soon, and besides, Rory still wanted to talk.
“I spoke with one of the neighbors today,” he said.
“A woman who was here when Shelly was found. She was one of those kids who was very shy and quiet and faded into the woodwork, but I think it made her a keen observer of everything that was going on around her.”
“And… so, what did she observe?” Grace held her breath, waiting for his answer.
“Oh, she’s really playing a guessing game about who might have left Shelly on the beach. Same as everyone else. Only…” His voice trailed off.
“Only what?” “She said she always thought it was my sister. My sister, Polly. She had Down’s syndrome and was fifteen at the time Shelly was found. I think Linda’s out of her mind, of course, but… the thought is still grating on me.” “Is there any chance she could be right?” Grace asked.
“No, no way.” Rory shuddered.
“At least I hope there was no way.
Surely my mother would have known. But then. I’m starting to think crazy things. Like what if it had been Polly? And what if my mother knew and kept quiet about it to protect her? My mother was very protective of Polly, and I don’t think that would’ve been totally out of the question. “
Grace felt sorry for him. He was torturing himself with this, and she wanted to rescue him.
“Yes, but if it had been Polly, don’t you think you would have known something was going on with her? You lived in the same house.”
“You’re right,” he said.
“It’s just that Linda planted that seed in my mind and it’s been eating away at me ever since.”
Grace looked down at her pale legs.
“Well, as usual, I’m starting to bum,” she said, although her legs looked just as white as they had when she arrived.
“I’d better head back to Rodanthe.”
“We can go in the cottage for a while,” Rory suggested.
“Or we can go somewhere for a drink or a cup of coffee.”
She turned away from the hope in his eyes.
“No, I can’t,
