“No. Nothing like that.” He hesitated before explaining that Aidan’s situation at home with his stepfather had contributed to the teenager failing some of his classes at school and getting into some major arguments with his friends. Nick felt like his son needed counseling and more support than he knew how to give him, so he’d encouraged Aidan to go to a type of treatment center for children of alcoholics. “The program wasn’t covered by insurance so I had to pay out-of-pocket. I’d do it again in a heartbeat because it was a huge help to him, but it was also super expensive.”
Touched that he’d confided in her, Zoey shared a little about Gabi’s situation, too. And she asked Nick to tell her more about his family, his home and growing up on Dune Island. He said he had two sisters and his parents were married for forty-three years before his mother passed away. His father died two years after that.
“My house is small. It’s in Rockfield and we don’t have a water view but it’s one of only three houses on the street, so it’s nice and secluded.” Standing behind her, he took Zoey by the shoulders and angled her so she was facing southeast. “It’s right over there beyond those trees. It’s got a basketball hoop—the net is torn. See it?”
He was joking; Rockfield was too far away for her to distinguish any properties in particular except a church and the library. Zoey couldn’t concentrate anyway; all she could think about was how much she wanted to lean back against his chest and have him embrace her until themoonset. But he dropped his hand and pivoted toward the bay again, so she did, too.
The beacon from Sea Gull Lighthouse was more noticeable now that the sun was down and when it flashed in their direction, Nick remarked, “When I was young, I used to think one of the best jobs on Dune Island was to be the lighthouse keeper.”
“Because of the view?”
“Because of my sisters—they drove me nuts.” He grinned, his bright teeth still distinguishable in the waning light. “Like I said, we lived in a small house, so being a keeper seemed like an ideal arrangement. I figured I’d get to live aloneandhave the best bird’s-eye view of the harbor and beaches in Benjamin’s Manor. But now that I’ve been up here, I realize I was wrong—your aunt’s house has the best view.”
Thinking of Mr. Witherell, Zoey replied, “I imagine living in the lighthouse would get awfully lonely after a while.”
“Yeah. Once I got older, I wondered how Mr. Witherell managed to do it for all those years, especially without a wife or children for company. But maybe he became a keeper because he preferred living alone.”
“Maybe.”Or maybe he had no choice in the matter.
“Seems like a shame, though.”
Zoey swung around to look at him, wondering what else he’d heard about Mr. Witherell. Was he going to bring up the rumor about her aunt Sylvia? “What was a shame?”
“He had access to one of the most romantic views on the island, but he didn’t have anyone to share it with.”
Zoey relaxed, directing her gaze toward the bay again. “You want to hear something really romantic? My great-uncle Marcus proposed to my great-aunt Sylvia up here.”
“That’s cool.”
“Yeah. All sorts of romantic things have happened on this widow’s walk.” Laughing, she told him about how Jessica once sneaked up there with a boy, a lifeguard she’d been flirting with all vacation, to make out with him during his lunch break. She’d thought it was the perfect location since Zoey and her parents were at the beach and her aunts were napping. But their father had decided he’d gotten enough sun for the day, so he walked home. As he was tramping up the hill, he happened to glance toward the widow’s walk.
“Jess was pretty young—she’d never kissed anyone before—and the boy was at least three years older, so my father… well, let’s just say voices really travel from up here.” Zoey smiled, thinking about how her sister later told her that kissing the boy was worth every minute of being grounded.
“Did you ever sneak up here to kiss any boys when you were a teenager?”
“Me? No way.”
“Ah. You learned from your big sister’s mistake, right?”
“No, I just never had the chance. Jess was always more popular than I was when we were growing up. She looked just like Gabi. The boys loved her.”
Nick nudged her arm. “You’re not so bad yourself, you know.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“No, listen.” Once again he gently took her by the shoulders, twisting her around to face him. Zoey could feel the warmth of his palms and fingertips through the fabric of her blouse. “If I had known you then, I definitely would have wanted to kiss you. Maybe not on a rooftop in broad daylight with your dad nearby, but yeah. I would have considered myself lucky.”
My father’s not here now and there’s hardly any daylight left…she thought, heady with longing. Tilting her chin upward, she peered at him from beneath her lashes. “Me, too,” she murmured.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Nick shifted his weight and Zoey let her lids fall closed as he began to caress her shoulder—but no, he was withdrawing his hand. He was moving away.
“The kids will be back soon, if they’re not back already,” he said. “We should go in now.”
“Yes, we should,” she agreed, since the since the moment, like the sky, had completely lost its luster.
Chapter Nine
During the next several days, Zoey puzzled over what happened on the widow’s walk between Nick and her. Rather, whatdidn’thappen between them. Although it was possible that it was merely wishful thinking on her part, she was almost positive he’d been about to kiss her. Then why didn’t he?Maybe he wanted to, but he changed his mind because he was afraid Gabi and Aidan might see us. Or because we both had spicy sausage breath,she guessed. Her aunt had said he didn’t have a girlfriend, but maybe he’d started seeing someone else since then—could that have been it?
