“And then a week later, we’re becalmed a thousand miles from land, the sun beating down on us, getting on each other’s last nerve because we both smell, and I really can’t believe it.”
“Take that off,” Darla said. “I’m going to make a few adjustments, and then I’m going to bed until tomorrow. You all have fun without me tonight.”
Marissa swept the older woman into a hug. “Thank you so much,” she said. “It’s perfect, and I love it.”
“You’re welcome.”
Alana and Marissa watched her go. “She won’t be happy until it’s perfect by her standards.”
“She could be working as a designer in New York or Chicago,” Alana said. “My mother would kill for that attention to detail in her clothes.” It made her sad to see that kind of talent languishing in Walkers Ford, and only strengthened her commitment to see Cody get the education and opportunity he deserved.
Marissa changed back into her shorts and halter top in the bathroom while Alana dug her swimsuit out of her luggage and pulled on a tank dress as a cover-up. Together they made their way down to the beach. They spread out the towels the hotel provided, then Alana dashed into the water. She sleeked back her hair then returned to the towel.
“You’re not going in?”
“I’ve been in the ocean every day for the last six months,” Marissa said complacently.
One of the things Alana liked so much about Marissa was that she didn’t feel the need to fill the air with chatter. Unlike Freddie and her mother, who contributed a running commentary on everything, Marissa could sit in silence. Alana lay back and let the sun warm her bones. She should feel relieved, ready to go home, rejuvenated, like she’d accomplished something that mattered to her. She’d had her time as a librarian. She was going back to something meaningful on a global scale.
So why did she feel so restless? Because she was leaving behind Cody, who needed her, and Mrs. Battle, who made her laugh and felt like the guide she’d never had?
Or Lucas? She admired him. She liked his company. She loved watching him move. She forgot what she was saying when he walked across a room, loose joints and hard muscles and unshakable confidence.
Whatever she’d started with Lucas two weeks ago wasn’t anywhere close to finished.
“Thanks for coming,” Marissa said. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to, and it means so much to me, because none of this would have happened without you.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Alana demurred automatically. “Adam seemed pretty determined to get you back.”
Marissa rolled over onto her stomach. “If you hadn’t given him the books I ordered, he wouldn’t have known which lever to pull,” she said seriously. “I could have held out against him if he hadn’t known that secret.”
Funny how a person couldn’t see what raged like a forest fire to everyone else. “It was obvious to anyone who watched him walk into Brookhaven that something was going to happen between the two of you,” Alana said.
“Things happen when Adam’s around, but something good? Something life-changing?” She shook her head. “It could have gone either way. It’s entirely possible that if you hadn’t given him those books, I’d still be in Walkers Ford, and he’d be one semester into grad school in Brookings.”
“But you’d be together.”
“Maybe.” Marissa studied the sand. “But like we are now? That’s all you.”
“And Nate, for taking you out on Resolute. And you, for having the courage to follow your dream. And Adam, for whatever he did to set himself free.”
“He did something amazingly brave,” Marissa said almost inaudibly. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do what he did. But you were the catalyst. You set it in motion.”
“I really didn’t—”
“You did.” Marissa’s eyes narrowed. “Are you not okay with that?”
“I’m just not used to thinking of myself as a person who makes an impact,” she admitted.
Marissa’s eyebrows shot up, but before she could respond, they were surrounded by Adam, Lucas, and the rest of the group carrying coolers, lawn chairs, Frisbees and footballs, firewood, and portable speakers for an iPod. Within minutes, a fire burned merrily in a fire pit. A couple of guys traded insults as they took over the cooking, and before long, a half-playful football game was going on in the surf.
Lucas showed up in board shorts and a T-shirt with a faded logo for the Boys and Girls Club of Denver on his chest. Adam called him onto his team.
“Do you know anything about football?” Marissa asked.
“Chicago has a team?” Alana said, a hard lemonade in one hand and a doubtful expression on her face.