Breakwater Bay (37 page)

“Mike’s,” they said simultaneously and made a dash for Carlyn’s car.

The pub was a small establishment in the basement of a white clapboard Federal house circa 1774, a local hangout with a jukebox of 1950s music and Irish folk songs. The burgers were big and the wine was drinkable, and they were favorites with the owner, Michael McGee.

“What can I get for you ladies?” he asked as soon as they had shaken off the worst of the rain and he’d shown them to a booth.

They ordered the usual, big fat juicy bacon burgers, crisp sweet potato fries, and creamy homemade coleslaw.

“How on earth did you get Alden to come back and do the renderings?” Carlyn asked as soon as Mike left with their order.

“I just asked him.” Meri screwed up her face. “Though I think he might have been on a date or something.”

“Really? What makes you think that? Strange noises?”

“Mood music.”

“Hmm. Either in someone’s bedroom or a hotel elevator.”

Meri snorted.

“Wow,” Carlyn said dreamily, only half in jest, Meri suspected. “The secret life of the TDH.”

“You can’t call him that when he’s present,” Meri said.

“Of course not, but speaking of handsome men”—she paused as Mike put down two glasses of red wine—“what do you hear from Peter?”

“Not much. He’s loving L.A. and very busy assisting his uncle who it appears is divorce lawyer to the stars.”

Carlyn grimaced. “Sounds like a reality show.”

“But not mine. Reality that is.”

“Uh-oh. Do I detect trouble in paradise?”

Mike placed two plates of food in front of them. “Dig in, ladies.”

Carlyn picked up her burger, and juices dripped onto the plate. “Well?”

“No. He has an interview with Yale in a couple of weeks. At least we’ll get a chance to talk. I feel like we’ve both been so busy that . . .” She trailed off.

Carlyn looked over her towering burger. “What?”

Meri just shrugged. What could she say? Absence wasn’t making her heart grow fonder. She was hoping that Peter wouldn’t decide to stay in L.A., but if he did . . . “I don’t know.”

Carlyn put down her burger. “Are you sure you’re not having second thoughts?”

“Maybe.” Meri toyed with a sweet potato fry. “I don’t know.”

“Can I just ask you something? And don’t get mad.”

“Sure. I guess.”

“Are you certain that you want to marry Peter, even if he stays back east?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, it’s just that . . . remember the day Alden came to see you at the site?”

“Yeah.”

“It seemed to me, well, you two seemed, I don’t know, simpatico. And the way he looked at you, it was the way I wish some guy would look at me, a guy who wasn’t just after a quick fling or a weekend affair.”

Meri stilled. “I don’t think he feels that way. He never acted like anything but a big brother, a friend.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. If you ask me . . .” She picked up her wine, but put it down, splayed out both hands and sang, “He’ll come running . . .” She stopped, frowned. “Actually he is . . . running.”

“Because he’s always got my back.” Meri frowned.

“That’s what I mean. I may be wrong. He doesn’t look at you the way Peter looks at you. It’s not . . . hell, I don’t know; it’s just different, there’s something that is just simpatico between you.”

“I think it’s because we grew up together. And then there’s his promise to Riley. It’s always there between us.”

“Ha. You didn’t even know about that until a couple of weeks ago. And, besides, no one lives like that anymore.”

“Alden does. He illustrates fairy tales, for crying out loud.”
And monsters,
she added to herself.

“Maybe, but for my money, he’s very much flesh and blood. Hot blood.”

Meri stared at her friend, but she wasn’t really looking at her. She was trying to understand the sudden burst of possessiveness she was feeling. She didn’t own Alden, but she’d taken him for granted for so long, she couldn’t seem to stop.

He was loyal. Hell, what was she thinking? Dogs were loyal; Alden was so much more than that. And she’d repaid him by using him, again, to help get their project funding. Even after he’d told her he wanted to move on.

“Anyway, he’s selling Corrigan House and moving to Manhattan.”

“Whoa. Why?”

Meri shrugged.

“That sort of puts a damper on things.”

“Tell me about it.”

They finished with coffees and split a dish of apple crumble, then with leftovers packed to go, Meri and Carlyn braved the elements to get back to Carlyn’s car. The rain was still coming down and they huddled beneath one umbrella attempting to avoid puddles and failing miserably.

Carlyn beeped the locks and they made a dash to get inside.

“It’s more like April monsoons than showers,” Carlyn said, when she’d shaken out her umbrella and tossed it to the back.

“Think we better check on the house to make sure we haven’t sprung a leak somewhere?”

“I’d feel better if we did.” Carlyn turned the wipers on full and pulled out into the empty street. “You know, in a few more months we won’t be able to find a parking place within blocks of here.”

“The price we pay for having our own table during the rest of the year.”

Carlyn sighed. “I wonder what the hamburgers are like in L.A.?”

The lights were on at Gilbert House, and Doug’s car was still in the parking lot. Carlyn dropped Meri off at her car. “I think I’ll run in and see if everything is okay. See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Meri said. “Call me if there’s a problem. I’ll come back and bail.”

“Will do.”

Meri started to get out of the car. She hesitated and looked over at Carlyn. “Just so you know . . . you’re the best friend ever.”

“Aw,” Carlyn crooned, and Meri jumped out into the rain.

I
t took nearly fifteen minutes to find a parking place on her block, and since Meri couldn’t find an umbrella in any of the usual pockets of her car, she pulled up the hood of her water-resistant—but not waterproof—jacket and ran.

She was drenched by the time she reached her apartment building. Keys in hand, she dashed the last few feet to the door. But before she got there, a figure stepped from the shadows.

Meri let out a squeak, automatically flipping her keys so that the largest pointed outward.

“Meri?”

Meri dropped her keys. “Good Lord. Nora, what are you doing here?”

A
lden reached Grand Central Terminal with several minutes to spare. He stopped under the schedule display. His train had arrived, but he still had a couple of minutes to try to reach Nora one last time before boarding.

Her phone was still turned off. For how long? Three days? Two weeks? A month? What if there was an emergency?

Nora was as rebellious as the next teenager, but nothing out of the norm as far as Alden could tell. But she was no dummy and could see that she was being used as a pawn between Alden and her mother. And it was time for Alden to stand up for her.

Because living with Mark and Jennifer was not in her best interest. He didn’t know about Lucas.

He’d finally called his son that morning to see what was up and learned that Jennifer had taken Nora’s phone away as punishment for her behavior when they’d picked her up. Lucas was usually a quiet boy, didn’t complain. He liked things harmonious.

Nora hadn’t been at home when Alden called.

“Look, I haven’t said anything to Mark and Jennifer, but if you both want to spend more time with me, or even move here, you know I’d love you to. If you’re not happy.

“I know that Nora isn’t. I’m going to petition to have Nora live here with me, if that’s what she really wants. At least for the rest of the school year and summer. So tell her just to hang loose and call me when she can.”

“Okay.”

“What about you? Are you happy? Do you want to come back to live with me? Don’t worry about hurting my feelings if you don’t want to.”

“I’m okay. Things don’t bother me like they do Nora.” There was silence for a moment, and Alden waited for what was coming next.

“I’d rather finish up here until the end of the semester. We’re working on a great project in lab. Mom doesn’t bother me much. It’s just her and Nora, plus she’s kind of whacked being pregnant again.”

“That’s fine. You know all you have to do is call me. I’ll come get you.”

“Thanks. Actually, Dad, there is something . . .”

Alden waited.

“When we were up in Boston, I met this guy who was staying at our hotel.”

“What kind of guy?”

“He was about my age. He and his parents were on their way to visit this high school. And get this. It specializes in the sciences.”

“Sounds interesting,” Alden said.

“It really does. I mean, it seriously specializes in science. I thought maybe this summer we could check it out? I mean, it might be too expensive, but could we just go see?”

“Sure, but what about summer camp?”

“Lame; I’d rather be home with you.”

Home.
Hell. What had he been thinking. “So tell me about this school.”

He could hear the enthusiasm in his son’s voice. Something he hadn’t heard in a long time. Something he intended hearing for a long time to come. Whatever it took.

“Sounds like a plan. Would you have to board?”

“Yeah. It’s not exactly a commute from New Haven or even Little Compton.”

“And you’d be all right with that?”

“Yeah. Besides, I thought I could come to your house on the weekends . . . if that’s okay.”

“More than okay.”

“So we could go see it?”

“Absolutely.”

Alden heard a car honk in the background.

“I gotta go. Love you, Dad.”

“Love you, too. Call me and let me know how your project is going.”

“Okay, Dad, thanks.”

Now as he waited for his train, Alden was tempted to call his son again, but he didn’t want either of his children to think he was going behind Mark’s and Jennifer’s backs.

He wasn’t about to start anything with Jennifer. He looked up at the clock—still a few minutes. He called Mark.

He picked up immediately. “Alden?”

“Mark. I’ve been thinking and I wanted to talk to you first about having Nora finish the school year with me. I thought it would be better if Nora was with her mother, but I was wrong, obviously. Lucas seems fine but I want Nora back. Lucas, too, if he wants that. I’ll take you to court if necessary.”

“That won’t be necessary, Alden. Jennifer is overwhelmed. She’s taking it out on Nora. I think you’re absolutely right. I’ll ask Lucas what he wants to do, unless you want to talk to him yourself.”

“We’ve talked a bit, but I’ll touch base with him again later; now how do you want to arrange this?” The tinny announcement of Alden’s train departure blared through the station.

“Just tell Nora I’m sorry things have gotten so out of hand and I’ll send her some clothes and things and you guys can pick up the rest later.”

“Why don’t you tell her yourself? I’m sure she’d feel better knowing someone there was sympathetic.”

“You’re right. Put her on.”

A cold sliver of fear shot up Alden’s spine. “What do you mean, put her on?”

“Isn’t Nora with you?”

“God no, I’m in Manhattan.” Alden began walking toward the stairs to the train. “Where is she?”

“Oh Lord. She ran away; I thought that was why you were calling.”

“No, what the hell? How long?”

The phone connection began to drop out.

“She didn’t come home on the bus. When I called the school, they said she hadn’t been there since lunch. There’s some money missing out of Jennifer’s purse. She was pretty upset.”

“Is Lucas with her?”

“What? I can’t hear you?”

“Is Lucas there, or is he with Nora?”

Alden began running down the stairs and another announcement drowned out Mark’s answer. Then the call was dropped.

For a second he considered running back upstairs and calling again, but he would miss the train and he was pretty sure she would go home, and not to Manhattan. Had he even mentioned where he was staying?

So he found a seat and waited impatiently for the train to leave the station.

What had Mark said? She’d taken some money. Hopefully enough to take a train to Providence. Then what? A bus to Newport or—God, she wouldn’t try to hitchhike home, would she?

Finally the doors shut and the train jerked forward. It seemed to take hours until the train finally slid aboveground.

All around him people reached for their cell phones and Alden did, too.

“Sorry, I was in the tunnel,” he said when Mark answered on the first ring. “Where is Lucas?”

“He’s right here; I’ll put him on.”

“Did you find her?” Lucas asked.

“Not yet. But I’m on the train back home. Did she tell you anything about what she was doing?”

“No. I swear, I didn’t know anything about it. You’ve gotta find her.”

“I will. Make sure Mark calls me if she comes back. I have to hang up now. I’m going to call Therese and Meri and tell them to watch out for her.”

The first thing he did was call his hotel to tell them if his daughter showed up to keep her there.

It began raining, the heavy drops making slashing marks across the windows. Alden had been wrestling with the idea of renting a car when the train changed over at New Haven and driving the rest of the way. But rain invariably led to traffic jams and accidents. It could take hours to get home.

Nora might already be there, if she got there at all. He couldn’t help but imagine all the horrible things that could happen to a teenage girl out in the world alone.

And here he was stuck on the train.

M
eri bustled the shivering girl into her apartment and straight to the bathroom. “You get out of those wet clothes. I’ll see if I have something for you to wear.”

“I have clothes in my backpack.”

“Then put them on. Or take a hot shower if you want. I’m calling your father.”

“Wait.”

Meri stopped at the door, her cell phone in her hand as another rainy night not so long ago rose in her mind. The night she had showed up at Alden’s door and he’d thrust her in the shower and left dry clothes on his bed.