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Two Years Ago
"Jake. Jake. Jake! Would you ... would you stop it? Jake, I'm serious. Look, stop it, get your hands . . . I'm getting pissed off now. I'm serious, stop it right now. " Zoey Passmore slapped her boyfriend's hand away, a startlingly loud sound that made several passersby turn and stare in amusement.
"Jeez," " Jake said, looking wounded and rubbing the back of his hand.
"It's my ice cream. You ate yours and you've already eaten half of mine. " She held it up as evidence. "I'm down to the waffle. You pig."
"The waffle?"
"You know, the waffle cone. What do you call it?"
"The cone," he said, shrugging his big shoulders and staring at her as if she'd said something utterly idiotic."What? What are you staring at me for?"
"It's, not called the waffle. It's the cone. Ice cream cone. " He shook his head. "Man, you think you know somebody.""Well, I'm a complex, mysterious woman." She licked a big dollop of the chocolate ice cream.
"That's so sexy the way you do that, "Jake said.
"Oh, shut up. " She glanced around self-consciously, wondering if anyone else had heard him. The crowd on the narrow, cobblestoned street was mostly tourists, people in big, bright shorts and golf shirts, old people and couples dragging small children through the souvenir and Judge shops that lined Exchange Steet. Still, here and there were familiar faces, some of Chatham Island's three hundred fulltime residents.
"Sorry," Jake said without any hint of remorse. "I'm just feeling good today."
Zoey softened, letting a smile form on her lips. It had been two monthssince Jake had felt good. "What do you want to do today?"
He leered comically, an expression that seemed out of place on his serious face. "Same thing I want to do every day."
Zoey sighed. Yes, Jake was getting back to normal, for better or worse. "Okay, if you want to go watch sports on tV. . ."
"You know what I meant.
"Yes, but Im ignoring you." She dodged around a stroller and rejoined him, reaching for his hand. "My am you feeling good today, anyway?. "
Instantly his innocent, happy expression changed. His smile grew cold. "Today's the day Lucas goes off to jail."
She felt her own face stiffen. "Are you sure?"
He nodded "Of course I'm sure. I thought we might get lucky and run into him. I'd enjoy seeing him go. just like I'll enjoy thinking of him locked up.
Zoe released her grip on his hand. "You shouldn't talk that way," she said softly.
"Why not? He deserves it. He killed my brother. "
"I just don't think it's right What happened to Wade was terrible, but still, what's happening to Lucas isn't something to be happy about."
"Is to me, " he said darkly.
A cute ten-year-old girl came running up, a tornado of knobby knees and silken brown hair. "Jake!" she yelled
"Hi, Holly " Zoey said.
"Jake, Dad said you're supposed to help him take Mr Geiger's boat out of the water "
"Oh, crap. I forgot. " Jake winced and looked at Zoey apologetically. "I told my dad I'd help out down at the marina today."
"Great, so you just eat my ice cream and take off?. " Zoey asked.
Jake leaned close and kissed her lightly on the mouth. "I knew you'd understand. Sorry But come over tonight, okay?"
"I'll check my calender, " Zoey called after his retreating back.
She wandered on through the crowd, feeling the sunshine of the brief Maine summer on her shoulders. This strange, tragic summer was finally close to an end.
She walked past all the familiar shops, following the gentle downhill slope toward the dock There, in the wider spaces, the crowd was less dense. She could see a line in front of her parents' restaurant and hesitated, unsure what to do. If she went anywhere near the place, she'd get drafted into working. Of course, she could use the money. Sophomore — year was about to start, and she needed to replace her now dorky freshman clothes.
But it was just too nice a day to bus tables.
She ate some more of her ice cream, biting off chunks of waffle. Yes, waffle, she thought defiantly.
The crowd opened up suddenly, and to her surprise she found herself staring at a guy, standing alone, leaning against a pole by the ferry gate. His blond hair tossed and fretted in the breeze. There were people all around, but it seemed as if a force field surrounded him, leaving him utterly separate and apart.
Lucas.
The image leapt at her, a picture of loneliness. He was gazing with sad, despairing eyes at the bright town, seeking to memorize every image, seeking to hold on.
The ferry whistle shrieked and she saw him flinch, a strange and telling action. No islander raised to the sound of that whistle ever reacted. Yet Lucas had flinched as if he'd been stung.
Were his eyes filled with tears? She couldn't be sure from this distance. Was he searching the crowd for a particular face, hoping that someone, anyone, would come to say good-bye?
A false hope. No one on Chatham Island would break the isolation that had been imposed on the boy who'd brought tragedy to the island His father, hard-faced and grim, stood on the bow of the ferry, waiting to escort his son.
Zoey eased closer, moving in dreamlike slowness. Lucas's gaze at last focused on her, his attempt at a smile crumbling, his attempt to hide his tears failing, too.
"Hi, Lucas," she said, lowering her eyes to the ground
"Hey, Zoey, " he said without expression.
She stood there, an arm's length away, not knowing what else to say He said nothing, only brushed surreptitiously at his eyes. She stared at the remnants of her ice cream cone. Then she looked up.
She had never looked into sadder eyes.
She reached out with her free hand and gripped his arm . "Look, take care of yourself, okay?"
