Aside from the sound of Jonah fidgeting and muttering by the window.
She tried to ignore him. She scooted herself down, perched her feet on the end table, and forced herself to concentrate on the words. For a minute or so, she was able to block out everything around her and was on the verge of slipping back into the story when she heard Jonahs little voice again.
How long do you think hes going to sit out there? Jonah mumbled.
She slammed the book shut. Fine! she cried, thinking again that her brother knew precisely what buttons to push to drive her crazy. I get it! Ill go!
A strong breeze was blowing, carrying with it the scent of salt and pine, as Ronnie stepped off the porch and headed toward Will. If he heard the door close, he gave no indication; instead, he seemed content to toss tiny seashells at the spider crabs that were scurrying to their holes.
A layer of marine haze screened out the stars, making the night seem colder and darker than before. Ronnie crossed her arms, trying to keep the chill away. Will, she noticed, was in the same pair of shorts and T-shirt hed worn all day. She wondered whether he was cold, then forced the thought away. It wasnt important, she reminded herself as he turned toward her. In the dark, she couldnt read his expression, but as she stared at him, she realized that she was less angry at him than exasperated by his persistence.
Youve got my brother completely wigged out, Ronnie stated in what she hoped was an authoritative voice. You should go.
What time is it?
Its after ten.
It took you long enough to get out here.
I shouldnt have had to come out here at all. I told you to leave earlier. She glared at him.
His mouth tensed into a flat line. I want to know what happened, he said.
Nothing happened.
Then tell me what Ashley said to you.
She didnt say anything.
I saw the two of you talking! he accused.
This was why she hadnt wanted to come out here in the first place; this was what shed wanted to avoid. Will
Why did you run off after talking to her? And why did it take you four hours to come outside to finally talk to me?
She shook her head, refusing to admit how burned she felt. Its not important.
In other words, she told you something, didnt she? What did she say? That we were still seeing each other? Because were not. Its over between us.
It took a moment for Ronnie to realize what he meant. She was your girlfriend?
Yeah, he answered. For two years.
When Ronnie said nothing, he stood up and took a step closer to her. What exactly did she say to you?
But Ronnie barely heard his voice. Instead, she thought back to the first time shed seen Ashley, the first time shed seen Will. Ashley, with her perfect bikini-clad figure, staring at Will
Vaguely, she heard Will going on. What? Youre not even going to talk to me? You make me sit out here for hours and you wont even dignify my question with a simple answer?
But Ronnie barely heard it. Instead, she remembered the way Ashley had looked that day on the sidelines. Posing prettily, clapping wanting Will to notice her?
Why? Because Ashley was trying to win him back? And she feared Ronnie might get in the way?
With that, things began to click in place. But before she could think of what to say, Will shook his head.
I thought you were different. I just thought He stared at her, his face a mixture of anger and disappointment, before suddenly turning away and heading for the beach. Hell, I dont know what I thought, he tossed over his shoulder.
She took a step forward and was about to call after him when she noticed a flicker of light down the beach near the waters edge. The light rose and fell, as if someone were tossing a
Fireball, she realized.
She felt her breath catch in her throat, knowing Marcus was there, and took an involuntary step backward. She had a sudden image of him sneaking toward the nest while she slept outside.
She wondered how close he might have come. Why wouldnt he leave her alone? Was he stalking her?
Shed seen stories on the news and heard about things like this. Though she liked to think she would know what to do and could handle herself in almost any situation, this was different.
Because Marcus was different.
Because Marcus scared her.
Will was already a couple of houses down the beach, his figure vanishing in the night. She thought about calling him back and telling him everything, but the last thing she wanted was to stay outside any longer than she had to. Nor did she want Marcus to connect her to Will. In any case, there was no her and Will. Not anymore, anyway. Now it was just her.
And Marcus.
Panicking, she took another step back, then forced herself to stop. If he knew she was scared, it might make things worse. Instead, she forced herself into the circle of the porch light and deliberately turned to stare in Marcuss direction.
She couldnt see himonly the flicker of light as it bobbed up and down. Marcus, she knew, wanted her to be scared, which set something off inside her. Continuing to stare at him, she put her hands on her hips and raised her chin defiantly in his direction. Her blood pounded in her chest, but she held her position even as the fireball settled in his hand. A moment later, the light went out and she knew Marcus had closed his fist over it, announcing his approach.
Still, she refused to move. She wasnt certain what shed do if he suddenly appeared only a few yards away, but as the seconds became one minute and then another, she knew hed decided
it was best to stay away. Tired of waiting and satisfied that shed conveyed her message, she turned and headed back inside.
It was only as she leaned against the door after closing it that she realized her hands were shaking.
15Marcus
I want to get something to eat at the diner before it closes, Blaze pleaded.
Then go, Marcus said. Im not hungry.
Blaze and Marcus were at Bowers Point, along with Teddy and Lance, whod picked up two of the ugliest girls Marcus had ever seen and were in the process of getting them drunk.
Marcus had been annoyed to find them here in the first place, and then Blaze had been hounding him for the past hour, asking where hed been all day.
He got the feeling she knew it had something to do with Ronnie, because Blaze wasnt stupid. Blaze had known all along that Marcus was interested in her, which explained why shed planted those CDs in Ronnies bag. It was the perfect solution to get Ronnie to keep her distance which meant that Marcus wouldnt have a chance to see Ronnie either.
That pissed him off. And then to find her here, whining about being hungry and hanging all over him and pestering him with questions
I dont want to go alone, she whined again.
Didnt you hear me? he snarled. Do you ever listen to a single thing I say? I said Im not hungry.
Im not saying you have to eat anything, Blaze mumbled, subdued.
Would you just shut up about it?
That stopped her. At least for a few minutes, anyway. He could tell by the way she was pouting that she wanted him to apologize for something. Yeah, well, it wasnt going to happen.
Turning toward the water, he lit his fireball, angry at the fact that she was still here. Angry that Teddy and Lance were here, when he wanted some peace and quiet. Angry at the fact that Blaze had run Ronnie off and especially angry that he was angry about any of it. It wasnt like him, and he hated the way it made him feel. He wanted to hit something or someone, and when he glanced at Blaze and saw her pouting, she was tops on the list. He turned away, wishing he could drink his beer and turn up the music and just think in private for a while. Without all these people crowding him.
Besides, he wasnt really angry at Blaze. Hell, when hed first heard what shed done, hed been kind of pleased about it, thinking it might smooth the road between him and Ronnie. You scratch my back, I scratch yours, that kind of thing. But when hed suggested it to Ronnie, shed reacted like he had some kind of disease, like shed rather die than come near him. But he wasnt the type to give up, and he figured shed eventually come to realize it was her only way out of this mess. So hed gone to her house for a little visit, hoping for a chance to talk. Hed decided he would tone down the act and instead listen sympathetically when she talked about the awful thing that Blaze did. They might have gone for a walk and maybe ended up under the pier, and then whatever happened, happened. Right?
But when he got to her house, Will was there. Of all people, Will, just sitting there on that dune, waiting to talk to her. And Ronnie eventually did come outside and talk with him.
Actually, they seemed to argue, but by the way they were acting, there was plainly something between them, which pissed him off, too. Because it meant they knew each other. Because it meant they were probably an item.
Which meant hed been reading her all wrong.
And then? Oh, that was the kicker. After Will left, Ronnie realized that she had two visitors, not just one. When she noticed him watching her, he knew one of two things was going to happen. Either shed come out and talk to him in the hopes of getting Blaze to tell the truth, or shed act all scared like she had earlier and run inside. He liked the fact that he could scare her.
He could use it to his advantage.
But she did neither of those things. Instead, she stared in his direction as if to say, Bring it on. She stood on the porch, her body language signaling angry defiance, until finally she went back into the house.
No one did that to him. Especially girls. Who in the hell did she think she was? Tight little body or not, he didnt like it. He didnt like it at all.
Blaze interrupted his thoughts. Are you sure you dont want to come?
Marcus turned toward her, feeling the sudden urge to clear his mind, to cool off. He knew just what he needed and who would give it to him.
Come here, he said. He forced a smile. Sit next to me. I dont want you to go just yet.
16Steve
Steve looked up as Ronnie came back inside. Though she flashed a smile, trying to assure him that nothing was wrong, he couldnt help noticing her expression as she grabbed her book and made for her bedroom.
Something was definitely wrong.
He just wasnt sure what. He couldnt tell whether she was sad or angry or scared, and while he debated the idea of trying to talk to her, he was pretty certain that whatever was going on, she wanted to handle it alone. He supposed that was normal. He may not have spent much time recently with her, but hed taught teenagers for years, and he knew that it was when your kids wanted to talk to youwhen they had something important to saythat your stomach should clench with worry.
Hey, Dad, Jonah said.
While Ronnie had been outside, hed forbidden Jonah from watching through the window.
It seemed like the right thing to do, and Jonah had sensed it was best not to argue. Hed found SpongeBob on one of the channels and had been watching happily for the last fifteen minutes.
Yes?
Jonah stood up, his expression serious. What has one eye, speaks French, and loves cookies before bedtime?
Steve considered the question. I have no idea.
Jonah reached up and covered one eye with his hand. Moi.
Steve laughed as he rose from the couch, putting down his Bible. The kid made him laugh a lot. Come on. I have some Oreos in the kitchen. They headed that way.
I think Ronnie and Will had a fight, Jonah said, pulling up his pajamas.
Is that his name?
Dont worry. I checked him out.
Ah, Steve said. Why do you think they had a fight?
I could hear them. Will sounded mad.
Steve frowned at him. I thought you were watching cartoons.
I was. But I could still hear them, Jonah said matter-of-factly.
You shouldnt listen in on other peoples conversations, Steve chided.
But sometimes theyre interesting.
Its still wrong.
Mom tries to listen in on Ronnie when shes talking on the phone. And she sneaks Ronnies phone when shes in the shower and checks her text messages.
She does? Steve tried not to sound too surprised.
Yeah. How else would she keep track of her?
I dont know maybe they could talk, he suggested.
Yeah, right, Jonah snorted. Even Will cant talk to her without arguing. She drives people crazy.
When Steve was twelve, he had few friends. Between attending school and practicing the piano, he had little free time, and the person he most often found himself talking to was Pastor Harris.
By that point in his life, the piano had become an obsession, and Steve would often practice for four to six hours a day, lost in his own world of melody and composition. By that point, hed won numerous local and state competitions. His mother had attended only the first one, and his father never made it to any. Instead, he would often find himself in the front seat of the car with Pastor Harris as they traveled to Raleigh or Charlotte or Atlanta or Washington, D.C. They spent long hours talking, and though Pastor Harris was a religious man and worked the blessings of Christ into most conversations, it always sounded as natural as someone from Chicago commenting on the endless futility of the Cubs during the pennant race.
Pastor Harris was a kind man who led a harried life. He took his calling seriously, and on most evenings he would tend to his flock, either at the hospital or at a funeral home or at the homes of congregation members he had come to consider friends. He performed weddings and baptisms on the weekends, he had fellowship on Wednesday nights, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he worked with the choir. But every evening in the hour before dusk and no matter what the weather, he reserved for himself an hour to walk the beach alone. When he returned, Steve often found himself thinking that the hour of solitude had been just what the pastor needed.