Page 49 of Reeves

But it is not a no, either.

TWELVE

Charli

The Gathering:Neighbors collect on porches as the procession passes. Some watch in silence. Some leave their steps and fall in behind.

The Friday morningsun sits low over the water, turning the surface of the Gulf a pale gold. My shoes dangle from one hand as I walk barefoot through the cool sand. The tide slides in and out in a slow rhythm that usually calms my nerves.

Not today.

Mom walks beside me with her gray hair pulled into a loose ponytail. Ahead of us, Benjy moves back and forth between the surf and the dry sand, his plastic bucket swinging from one hand.

I normally treasure these morning walks on the beach before school.

“Look at this one, Mama!”

He runs back toward me and holds up a broken sand dollar like it might be treasure.

“That’s a good one, baby. Put it in your bucket.”

He drops it in and takes off again, stopping to dig a hole near the water before abandoning it two seconds later. I keep track ofwhere he is without thinking about it. My attention stays on him even while my mind keeps circling last night.

“You’re quiet this morning.” Mom glances over at me. “Everything okay at the clinic?”

“The clinic’s fine.”

Benjy crouches near the waterline, studying a tiny hole in the sand with complete focus. His dark hair falls over his forehead. Those green eyes narrow while he tries to figure out whatever has his attention.

My stomach tightens.

“I saw Reeves last night.”

Mom stops walking.

Her face changes immediately, surprise giving way to concern.

“Reeves Stone?”

“We met up in New Orleans after my conference. At The Columns.”

She studies me for a beat, reading the parts I have not said yet.

“Well,” she says slowly, “I guess he finally decided he wants to be part of his son’s life.”

I shake my head.

“He didn’t know about Benjy.”

Mom frowns. “What do you mean he didn’t know?”

“I mean he got the letter, but he never opened it.” The words still sound unreal when I say them out loud. “He said he put it away before he left for Navy training and forgot about it.”

Her mouth parts slightly. She looks out toward Benjy, who is now chasing a gull down the beach, laughing when it hops out of reach.

“Oh, Charli.”

“Yeah.”