It rained all weekend, a blowy, drenching downpour that buffeted the roof and windows and stripped the remaining leaves from the maple tree in the front yard. Initially, Caitlin welcomed the excuse to stay tucked away in the cottage. Her interaction with Claire had left her feeling even more anxious about bumping into residents who might recognize her.
It had been both painful and appalling to hear her casual, misinformed rendition of how “that Nicole girl’s” death had affected Caitlin and her family.If Lily hadn’t interrupted theconversation, I might have broken down in tears, she thought.And no matter how sympathetic she pretends to be, I’m sure Claire would’ve loved sharing the juicy little tidbit that I’m still a mess after all…
Which Caitlin supposed was true, in a way, but it still wasn’t anyone else’s business, and she’d do whatever was necessary to avoid another public conversation about it. So she was content to spend Saturday morning making cranberry-pumpkin scones, the afternoon cleaning, and the evening curling up with her e-reader.
On Sunday she began feeling antsy, especially because none of the friends she called in New Mexico answered their phones. And by Monday morning she was so eager to speak to someone face-to-face that if Melanie had shown up on her doorstep, Caitlin would’ve welcomed her in and listened with rapt attention while she overshared details about her relationship with Jonathan.
However, it was actually Shane who knocked on the kitchen door. When he flashed his friendly smile, she nearly forgot how temperamental he’d been the last time she’d seen him. “Hi, Caitlin. How are you doing?”
“Fine, thanks. How about you?” she asked without inviting him in.
“I’m good.” He tilted his head and questioned, “You sure everything’s okay? You haven’t stopped by to check out my progress for a while.”
Feeling a little foolish that it was so obvious she’d been avoiding him, Caitlin said, “Now that you’ve done the framework, I figured it would be more fun to wait till the rest of the remodel is finished before I see it.” It wasn’t a complete lie; Caitlindidappreciate an element of suspense, but that wasn’t the main reason she hadn’t dropped in on Shane.
“That’s understandable,” he said. “But I’ve missed chatting with you. I, um, I’ve wanted to apologize for how loud and obnoxious I was the other week. I didn’t mean to drive you from your home.”
“No problem. Drilling and hammering are part of the equation. It’s not as if I expect things to be quiet when you’re remodeling.”
“I wasn’t referring to the drills and hammers. I meant my big mouth,” he said sheepishly. “I really went off about whoever TP-ed the windmill and your roof.”
Touched by how candid he was being, Caitlin gently admitted, “Yeah, I was a little surprised by how upset you were about it, considering it was only a silly prank.”
“I know. I overreacted and I’m sorry. See, the thing is… when I was in high school, I made some poor choices. They started out small, and relatively harmless, kind of like the trick someone played on you. But my first trespass was a slippery slope, and after that, I kept crossing lines I shouldn’t have crossed. Nothing illegal or violent, but I did things that were reckless and irresponsible, without any regard for other people—or for myself, for that matter. Eventually, I got caught, which was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Otherwise, who knows what else I might’ve ended up doing.”
He shook his head and jammed his hands into his pocket before continuing. “Anyway, when I saw what someone had done to your property, I wished I could’ve caught them in the act and lit into them, so maybe it would prevent them from going down a path like the one I went down.”
Relieved to learn the real reason Shane had seemed so sanctimonious about the windmill mischief, Caitlin gave him a saucy half-smile. “So what you’re saying is all that ranting was your way of expressing concern for their future?”
“Nah. All that ranting was because I lost my temper,” he said self-deprecatingly. “But beneath my anger, yeah, I do feel concerned for them.”
“The stupid little punks,” kidded Caitlin, quoting Shane.
“I really said that, didn’t I?” He grimaced.
“Yes, but it completely makes sense now. Thank you for explaining what was going on in your head.” Caitlin still wondered what Shane had done in high school, but she didn’t press him for details. He already seemed embarrassed enough and it wasn’t any of her business anyway.
“You’re welcome. Like I said, I’m sorry if my outburst made you uncomfortable—especially after we had such a great time together at the party.”
“Itwasfun, wasn’t it?” exclaimed Caitlin, glad to hear he’d felt the same way. She excitedly told him about her second visit to the cranberry farm, and about meeting Lily.
“You’re really getting around the island for someone who doesn’t have a bike or car,” he remarked.
She shrugged. “I like to walk whenever I can and the public transportation system here isn’t bad, considering how small the island is. So if I’m going beyond Lucy’s Ham, I just catch the bus. It’s kind of liberating not to have a car.”
“You might not feel that way when the cold weather sets in,” he warned. “Any time you want a lift, just say the word.”
“Thanks,” she said. “So, what have you been up to this past week… other than working here, I mean.”
“Nothing too exciting. Usually, I spend Monday or Thursday night catching a football game at Ahab’s.”
“Is he a friend of yours?”
Shane chuckled. “No, Ahab’s is a pub off Main Street in Benjamin’s Manor. In my opinion, they serve the best clam chowder on the island. No kidding, I could eat it morning, noon, and night.”
“I’ve never heard of Ahab’s. When I used to visit Dune Island, my aunt and uncle always took me to the Clam Shack, right up the road.”
“Yeah, their chowder’s delicious, too. So is Captain Clarke’s. But Ahab’s has them both beat, and unlike the Shack, it’s open year-round. I also like going there because it’s quieter during the week than most sports bars, and I can watch the game with other people, but sort of on my own, if you get what I mean.”
