Jonah finished building his Lego contraption and announced he was going to bed. She gave him a few minutes, hoping hed be asleep before she entered the room, then put aside her book and rose from the couch.
Good night, sweetheart, her dad said. I know it hasnt been easy for you, but Im glad youre here.
She paused before crossing the room toward him. Leaning over, and for the first time in three years, she kissed him on the cheek.
Good night, Dad.
In the darkened bedroom, Ronnie took a seat on her bed, feeling drained. Though she didnt want to cryshe hated when she criedshe couldnt seem to stop the sudden rush of emotions. She drew a ragged breath.
Go ahead and cry, she heard Jonah whisper.
Great, she thought. Just what she needed.
Im not crying, she said.
You sound like youre crying.
Im not.
Its okay. It doesnt bother me.
Ronnie sniffled, trying to get herself under control, and reached under her pillow for the pajamas shed stashed earlier. Pressing them close to her chest, she stood up to go to the bathroom to change. On her way, she happened to glance out the window. The moon had ascended in the sky, making the sand glow silver, and when she turned in the direction of the turtle nest, she detected a sudden movement in the shadows.
After sniffing the air, the raccoon started toward the nest, protected only by yellow caution tape.
Oh, crap!
She threw down her pajamas and raced out of the bedroom. As she bolted through the living room and kitchen, she vaguely heard her dad shouting, Whats wrong? But she was already out
the door before she could answer. Cresting the dune, she began screaming as she waved her arms.
No! Stop! Go away!!
The raccoon raised its head, then quickly scurried away. It vanished over the dune into the saw grass.
Whats going on? What happened?
Turning, she saw her dad and Jonah standing on the porch.
They didnt put up the cage!
13Will
The doors of Blakelee Brakes had been open only for ten minutes when Will saw her push through the lobby doors and head directly into the service center.
Wiping his hands on a towel, he started toward her.
Hey, he said, smiling. I didnt expect to see you here.
Thanks for nothing! she snapped.
What are you talking about?
I asked you to do one simple thing! Just make a call to have the cage put up! But you couldnt even do that!
Wait whats going on? He blinked.
I told you I saw a raccoon! I told you a raccoon was coming around the nest!
Did something happen to the nest?
Like you even care. What? Did your volleyball game make you forget?
I just want to know if the nest is okay.
She continued to glare at him. Yeah. Its fine. No thanks to you. She turned on her heels and stormed toward the exit.
Wait! he shouted. Hold on!
She ignored him, leaving Will shocked and rooted in place as she pounded through the small lobby and out the front door.
What the hell was that all about?
Over his shoulder, Will realized Scott was staring at him from behind the lift.
Do me a favor, Will called to him.
What do you need?
He fished his keys out of his pocket and started toward the truck hed parked out back.
Cover for me. Ive got to take care of something.
Scott took a quick step forward. Wait! What are you talking about?
Ill be back as soon as I can. If my dad comes in, tell him Ill be right back. You can get things started while Im gone.
Where you going? Scott called.
This time Will didnt answer, and Scott took a step toward him.
Cmon, man! I dont want to do this alone! Weve got a ton of cars to work on.
Will didnt care, and once out of the bay, he jogged toward his truck, knowing where he needed to go.
He found her at the dune an hour later, standing beside the nest, still as angry as shed been when shed shown up at the brake shop.
Seeing him approach, she put her hands on her hips. What do you want?
You didnt let me finish. I did call.
Sure you did.
He inspected the nest. The nest is fine. Whats the big deal?
Yeah, its fine. No thanks to you.
Will felt a ripple of irritation. Whats your problem?
My problem is that I had to sleep outside again last night because the raccoon came back.
The same raccoon I told you about!
You slept outside?
Do you ever listen to anything I say? Yes, I had to sleep outside. Two nights in a row, because you wont do your job! If I hadnt been looking out the window at exactly the right moment, the raccoon would have gotten the eggs. He wasnt more than a couple of feet away from the nest when I finally scared him away. And then I had to stay out here because I knew he was going to come back. Which is why I asked you to call in the first place! And I assumed that even a beach bum like yourself could remember to do your job!
She stared at him, hands on her hips again, as if trying to annihilate him with her death ray vision.
He couldnt resist. One more time, so I have the story straight: You saw a raccoon, then you wanted me to call, then you saw a raccoon again. And you ended up sleeping outside. Is that right?
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Then, whirling away, she made a beeline for her house.
Theyre coming first thing tomorrow! he called out. And just to let you know, I did call.
Twice, in fact. Once right after I put up the tape, and once more after I got off work. How many times do I have to say this before youll listen?
Though she stopped, she still wouldnt face him. He went on, And then this morning, after you left, I went straight to the director of the aquarium and spoke to him in person. He said that this nest will be their first stop in the morning. That they would have come today, but there are eight nests on Holden Beach.
She slowly turned around and studied him, trying to decide whether he was telling the truth.
That doesnt help my turtles tonight, does it?
Your turtles?
Yeah, she said. Her tone was emphatic. My house. My turtles.
And with that, she turned and went back to her house, this time without caring that he was still there.
He liked her; it was as simple as that.
On his way back to work, he still wasnt sure why he liked her, but never once had he left work to chase after Ashley. Every time hed seen her, shed managed to surprise him. He liked the way she said what was on her mind, and he liked how unfazed she was by him. Ironically, hed yet to leave a good impression. First hed spilled soda on her, next shed seen him almost involved in a riot, and then this morning shed believed him to be either lazy or an idiot.
No problem, of course. She wasnt a friend and he didnt really know her but for whatever reason, he cared what she thought about him. And not only did he care, but crazy as it sounded, he wanted her to have a good impression of him. Because he wanted her to like him, too.
It was an odd experience, a new one for him, and the rest of the day at the shopworking through lunch to make up for the time hed missedhe found his thoughts returning to her. He felt that there was something genuine in the way she spoke and acted, something caring and kind beneath the brittle facade. Something that let him know that while hed disappointed her to this point, there was, with her, always a chance for redemption.
Later that night, he found her sitting exactly where he thought she would be, in a beach chair with a book open in her lap, reading by the light of a small lantern.
She looked up as he approached, then went back to her book, acting neither surprised nor pleased.
I figured youd be here, he said. Your house, your turtles, and all.
When she didnt respond, his gaze drifted. It wasnt very late, and shadows were moving behind the curtains of the small house she lived in.
Any sign of the raccoon?
Instead of answering, she flipped a page of her book.
Wait. Let me guess. Youre giving me the cold shoulder, right?
With that, she sighed. Shouldnt you be with your friends, staring at yourselves in the mirror?
He laughed. Thats funny. Ill have to remember that.
Im not being funny. Im being serious.
Oh, because were so good-looking, right?
In response, she went back to her book, but Will could tell she wasnt actually reading. He took a seat beside her.
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, he quoted, pointing to her book. Its the first line in your book. I always thought there was a lot of truth in that. Or maybe thats what my English teacher said. I cant really remember. I read it last semester.
Your parents must be so proud you can read.
They are. They bought me a pony and everything when I did a book report on Cat in the Hat.
Was that before or after you claimed to have read Tolstoy?
Oh, so you are listening. Just making sure. He spread his arms toward the horizon. Its a beautiful night, isnt it? Ive always loved nights like this. Theres something relaxing about waves sounding in the darkness, dont you think? He paused.
She closed her book. Whats with the full-court press?
I like people who like turtles.
So go hang out with your aquarium friends. Oh, wait, you cant. Because theyre saving other turtles, and your other friends are painting their nails and curling their hair, right?
Probably. But I just figured you might want some company.
Im fine, she snapped. Now go.
Its a public beach. I like it here.
So youre going to stay?
I think so.
Then you wont mind if I go inside?
He sat up straighter and brought a hand to his chin. I dont know if thats such a good idea.
I mean, how can you trust that Ill stay out here all night? And with that pesky raccoon
What do you want with me? she demanded.
For starters, how about your name?
She grabbed a towel, spreading it over her legs. Ronnie, she said. Its short for Veronica.
He reclined a little, propping his arms behind him. All right, Ronnie. Whats your story?
Why do you care?
Gimme a break, he said, turning to face her. Im trying, okay?
He wasnt sure what she thought about that, but as she collected her hair into a loose ponytail, she seemed to accept the idea that she wasnt going to be able to easily run him off.
All right. My story: I live in New York with my mom and little brother, but she shipped us here to spend the summer with our dad. And now Im stuck babysitting turtle eggs while a volleyball player slash grease monkey slash aquarium volunteer tries to hit on me.
Im not hitting on you, he protested.
No?
Believe me, youd know if I was hitting on you. You wouldnt be able to stop yourself from succumbing to my charms.
For the first time since hed arrived, he heard her laugh. He took that as a good sign and went on.
Actually, I came here because I felt bad about the cage, and I didnt want you to be out here alone. Like I said earlier, its a public beach and you never know who might come walking up.
Like you?
Its not me you should be worried about. There are bad people everywhere. Even here.
And let me guess. Youd protect me, right?
If it came down to that, Id protect you in a heartbeat.
She didnt respond, but he had the feeling hed surprised her. The tide was coming in, and together they watched the waves flare silver whenever they rolled and washed toward the shore.
Through the windows, the curtains fluttered, as though someone were watching them.
All right, she finally said, breaking the silence. Your turn. Whats your story?
Im a volleyball player slash grease monkey slash aquarium volunteer.
He heard her laugh again, liking its unfettered energy. It felt contagious.
Are you okay if I stay with you for a while?
Its a public beach.
He motioned toward the house. Do you need to tell your dad Im out here?
Im sure he already knows youre here, she said. Last night, he must have checked on me every other minute.
He sounds like a good dad.
She seemed to consider something before shaking her head. So you love volleyball, huh?
It keeps me in shape.
That doesnt really answer the question.
I enjoy it. I dont know if I love it, though.
But you do like crashing into people, right?
That depends on who I crash into. But a few days ago, I guess Id have to say it turned out pretty well.
You think drenching me is a good thing?
If I hadnt soaked you, I might not be here now.
And I could be enjoying a quiet, peaceful night at the beach instead.
I dont know. He smiled. Quiet, peaceful nights are overrated.
I guess Im not going to find out tonight, huh?
He laughed. Where do you go to school?
I dont, she said. I graduated a couple of weeks ago. You?
I just graduated from Laney High School. Its where Michael Jordan went.
Ill bet everyone in your high school says that.
No, he corrected. Not everyone. Just the ones who graduated.
She rolled her eyes. All right. So whats next for you? Are you going to keep working for your dad?