Zoey bolted upright in bed.Could Mr. Witherell’s remark have anything to do with what Mark was looking for in the attic? Was he searching for proof of his father’s paternity?
Down the hall, a door creaked. Zoey froze, her skin prickling. But it was only Moby, making his rounds. Her reaction to the eerie noise reminded her that she was letting her imagination run wild about Mr. Witherell being Marcus Jr.’s father. It was understandable why Gabi would believe the rumor; she was a gullible teenager who wanted Zoey to inherit their aunt’s home. And it was equally understandable why Marcus would fear that kind of gossip; he was a money-grubber who imagined his inheritance was at stake. But Zoey knew the possibility that Mr. Witherell was Marcus Jr.’s father was infinitesimal at best. And as she’d told her niece, there was no way she was going to bring up the topic with him or with Ivy, anyway.So I might as well put the idea out of my mind, she thought, before falling back against the pillow and going to sleep at last.
* * *
“Guess what?” Zoey excitedly asked Gabi the following Friday. She had just finished running a three-mile loop around Benjamin’s Manor, ending at Rose Beach where she met her niece after school. It had become her daily afternoon ritual, since that’s when Ivy was napping.
“My dad called?”
Ack. Why don’t I think before I speak?“No, sorry. Nothing as exciting as that.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sure he’ll call as soon as he can. Kathleen told me the center discourages the patients from—” She interrupted herself mid-sentence, unsure whether ‘patients’ was the right word. “I don’t know what they call the people who are in a recovery program, do you?”
“Drunks.” Gabi’s tone was decidedly sarcastic. Since she’d arrived on Dune Island, she’d said very little about her father, causing Zoey to suspect she was angry at him. The edge in her niece’s voice now confirmed her suspicions. Zoey didn’t blame her, but she wasn’t going to refer to Scott that way herself.
“Kathleen said your dad isn’t allowed to make phone calls for couple of weeks.”
“Why? Did she take awayhisphone, too?”
“No. It’s one of the rules at the cen—” Zoey started to say until she realized Gabi was being sarcastic again. That wasn’t like her. Had she had another argument with Kathleen? Was there a problem at school? “Is something bothering you?”
Gabi shook her head. “What were you going to tell me?”
Zoey’s excitement had flagged, but she said, “This morning I got a call about a librarian position I applied for. I have an interview in Providence a week from Monday.”
“Providence?”
“Yeah, but if I get the job, it doesn’t start until late August. So you don’t have to worry about moving and enrolling in a new school again.”
Finally, a smile on Gabi’s face. “Good, because I think I’m going to join the band.”
“Hey, that’s great!” Zoey had been hoping she’d start playing her flute again but she didn’t want to nag her so she hadn’t said anything.
“Yeah, but we’ll have practice after school and I’m not sure how long it lasts, so… I’m probably not going to be able to meet you here any more.”
“That’s fine. You never want to go in swimming anyway,” Zoey teased. Most people considered the water and weather still too cold for swimming, but she didn’t. Every day she’d suggest they zip home, change their clothes, and then return to the beach to take a dip. And every day, Gabi refused.
“You sure you’re okay with that? I mean, with me not coming home right after school?”
Would Kathleen and Scott have objected?Gabi was so motivated to excel academically that Zoey didn’t see any reason not to let her manage her own schedule.“Of course I’m fine with it. I know you’ll keep up with your school work. Just call us if you’re going to be late for supper or you need a ride.” Zoey stopped walking and held up her index finger. “Hey, I have an idea! If this is going to be your last free afternoon for a while, why don’t we zip home and change and then come back here for a dip?”
“That’s original,” Gabi said drolly. “I’ll give you two guesses what my answer is.”
“But it’s so refreshing. Feel.” Zoey bent beside the nearby tidal pool and tossed a scoop of water at her niece, lightly spraying the side of her head, arm and leg.
“Aunt Zoey—quit it!” Gabi kicked water back at Zoey, splattering her with wet sand, too. When Zoey retaliated, Gabi shrieked, “No, don’t! I’ve got my laptop in my book bag. It’ll get ruined.”
Brushing the sand off her T-shirt, Zoey said, “I might as well go in now. It’s easier just to rinse off.”
“You’re wearing a suit under your clothes?”
“Yes, mybirthdaysuit.”
“Aunt Zoey, you wouldn’t!”
Actually, she would have. And shehad,on various occasions. But not at a public beach and not when the tide was so far out that she’d have to run naked for a hundred yards before she could fully immerse herself. “No, I won’t. But I’ve got a sports bra on. With my underwear, it’ll look like I’m wearing a two-piece suit.”
