Page 9 of Fish Out of Water

It was clear to Jake after his second day with his aunt just how lonely she’d been. He almost felt guilty that she had to be alone for so long after his uncle died.

Almost, because he was here now, and she had him all to herself for however long it took to sell the house.

Saturday was his worst day yet. He’d promised Isabel all week that he would take a look at her car, but every time he went out and opened the hood, it was startling just how little he understood what was going on in there.

Many video tutorials, years-old forum posts, and drawings from the repair manual Isabel had found later, Jake had a vague idea of what he needed to do.

That didn’t make it much easier.

By the time the sun was setting, Jake had ruined his T-shirt and jeans with grease and oil from the car. But it now startedevery time he tried it, and it even sounded okay. Maybe not the best, but okay.

“Fuck this,” he muttered. “I’m calling that a success.” And he went inside, throwing his clothes straight into the trash as soon as he got out of the shower.

He fell into bed that night, too tired to do anything but sleep. If he could keep up this routine, the days would just fly by.

“I think you should go out on the town today,” Isabel said the next morning as they sipped coffee at the dining table. “It’s the weekend, and you’ve hardly seen anything that Eventide has to offer yet.”

“I saw Sandway,” Jake told her.

Isabel laughed. “That’s nothing. You should go to the beach for the afternoon. Get some sand between your toes, and maybe even go for a swim. Did you bring swim trunks?”

Jake shook his head.

“You can buy some while you’re here then.” Isabel took a sip of her coffee. “I can’t remember, did you visit the park here when you last visited?”

“When I was ten?”

“Yes.”

“I… don’t remember.” Jake shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Well, it’s beautiful. Most of the beach is actually part of the park, but there’s also a nice wooded area, and some little picnic tables to sit at, and…”

Isabel kept talking, but her voice faded away from Jake as he stirred his spoon around and around in his cup, creating a little whirlpool of milky coffee.

“You might even be able to make some friends once you get out a bit and get used to the town.”

Jake looked up. “Friends?”

“You know, people you can spend time with.”

“Yeah, I know what friends are. I’m not gonna be here for that long, though. I don’t think making friends is a good idea.”

“You’re going to be awfully lonely then.” Isabel cupped her coffee mug in her hands as she studied her nephew. “It doesn’t hurt to get to know people a little. You don’t have to make friends for life. Just meet some new folks that you can talk to if you ever feel like having some younger company.”

Jake knew what was being left unsaid:If you ever feel like you need to get away from me. He didn’t finish Isabel’s thought for her. That would be cruel. But he didn’t disagree with her implication either. A quiet little house with his widowed aunt for his only company could hardly be considered fun.

“I’m not sure a park is the best place to go for that, though,” Jake finally said, setting his spoon down on his napkin.

“No, I suppose you’re right. But there must be something out there that you would enjoy.”

“I’ll head out later and see what I can find to do. You don’t happen to know of any gay bars nearby, do you?”

Isabel chuckled, shaking her head. “No, Jakey, I don’t. Youcouldtry Grayland, though. That’s the city where they hold the local pride parade every year. It’s about an hour’s drive from here, but if you really want to go, it might be worth it.”

“God, that’s grim. I’ll look into it.” Jake downed the rest of his coffee and stood up, ready to walk away before he paused. “Hey, do you know anything about a Robert Eaton?”

“Junior? Of course I do. Why?”