“Do you … maybe want to walk down to the beach?”she asked, gesturing to the trail at the bottom of the sloped yard.
“Sure.”
I took her empty glass from her, and I had just hit the lock button on the door when gravel crunched under tires and a champagne-colored sedan pulled in, parking behind my truck.
“Fuck,” Naomi said under her breath.
“What?”
“That’s Jolene Dandy.”
My gut hit my feet.“The Island Mouth?”
“Yep.”
Two car doors slammed, and an older woman of average height and a slim build with gray and black hair and coppery-brown eyes flashed us an enormous, almost triumphant grin as she came toward us.Another woman of similar age met her around the grill, and the two approached.
“Naomi,” Jolene said, her voice far too high-pitched and sing-song for anybody’s liking.I was sure dogs were barking in distress somewhere.“What are you doing here?”
“I could say the same thing to you, Jolene,” Naomi said, her voice even, if not a little hostile.
“Well, as an Island Elder and head of the Island Welcome Wagon, Karen and I thought it best to pay Principal Paul an official visit and meet his daughter.”She glanced around me, toward the front door.“Where is the little tyke?”
Tyke?
“She’s off with Honor, Sam, and Laurel,” Naomi said.
“Didn’t I just see you at Heaven’s Leap?”I asked her.Did the woman follow me home?
Jolene’s eyes widened.“Oh, did you?”
“Yeah.You waved at me.Did you turn around and follow me home?”
“W-well … n-no,” she sputtered.She shrugged her boney shoulders and flapped her hands like a penguin trying to fly.“Well … how else did you expect us to find out where you lived?You’ve been so secretive since moving here.This island doesn’t keep secrets.We’re a community of honest people.”
“Secrets aren’t necessarily lies, Jolene,” Naomi said.“Some people prefer not to have their dirty laundry aired to the masses.And maybe Lennox wasn’t ready for his daughter to meet everyone.Some people require gentler transitions into things.”
Jolene waved her hand to dismiss Naomi, and that instantly sent the hair on the back of my neck straight up.“Oh, pishposh.She’s a child.She needs to meet people.She needs to get to know the island.Where is she?With the others?”
“Back off, Jolene,” Naomi gritted through her teeth.“When Lennox and his daughter are ready for her to meet the rest of the island, she will.For now, leave it alone.Do not force a child to do something they don’t want to do.Particularly meet a bunch of strangers.”
Pride rushed through me at Naomi defending my daughter.But she wasn’t just sticking up for Mabel, she was sticking up for me too.I was sure our conversation was still fresh in her mind and she wanted to drive an axe through Kyla’s chest.Lord knows I still did.
Jolene made a noise of disapproval in her throat and tugged her pink and blue floral blouse taught.“Parents today are too soft with their children.They let them get away with everything.Let themdictateeverything.”
Naomi opened her mouth, but I gripped her wrist to stop her.Of course, the nosy woman in the baby-blue pleated capris zeroed in on my hand and Naomi’s wrist.
“Well, you ladies do work fast, don’t you?”she said gleefully.“Principal Paul hasn’t been here a week.No wonder you were so defensive of him the other day at the bakery.”
What happened the other day at the bakery?
Naomi gasped.“Excuse me?”
Tightening my grip on Naomi’s wrist, I cleared my throat and dryly asked Jolene, “Do you have like a welcome basket or something?As part of the Welcome Wagon?Or did you just come by to be nosy?”
Karen’s eyes widened in surprise, and Jolene made a gargled noise of surprise.“Pardon me?”
“Well, you came to my house—followed me, actually—and insulted my parenting.And insulted my friend here.I’m just wondering when you’re going to let my guest and me be on our way?”
