Page 90 of Fish Out of Water

Alex nodded, though whether she was satisfied with his non-answer wasn’t clear. She moved on anyway, allowing Jake to breathe freely again. “What about restaurants? You mentioned that there’s one in town?”

“Sea Bites. It’s decent, but you won’t have to worry about food while you’re here. Trust me, Aunt Isabel’s been in the kitchen all day, and she didn’t show signs of letting up when I left to pick you up.”

“She really doesn’t need to do all that.”

“Tell her, not me.” Jake chuckled. “She likes it, though. It gives her purpose again now that Uncle Mark is gone. Honestly, Alex, I think it’s the memories that put her off the place more than anything. If she didn’t have to face those every day, she might actually stay.”

“And you?”

“And me what?”

“Would you stay now that you’ve gotten a taste of the coastal life?”

Jake turned off the highway and onto the road that led to sleepy little Eventide. “No. I don’t think so. There’s nothing here for me.”

A brief image of Robbie, the photo of him on the dating app, flashed in Jake’s mind. He’d only seen it a couple of times; he didn’t know why it stuck in his memory so easily. That photo wasn’t the same Robbie he’d gotten to know. It was an artificial copy, a perfect facsimile of the man Robbie tried to present himself as: smart, attractive, and free of all that messy baggage that had gotten Jake trapped.

“What are you thinking about?” Alex asked suddenly.

“Nothing,” Jake answered just as quickly.

Alex didn’t press. She spent the rest of the ride telling Jake as many stories from the past few months as she could remember, filling the car with enough noise to drown out any thoughts Jake might have had if they were allowed the silence required to grow roots.

They pulled up to Isabel’s house and got out, and while Jake busied himself with porting his sister’s bag and the remainder of the snacks inside, Alex flashed him a quick smile.

“You’re good, right?” she asked.

“Great,” Jake said. “Go say hi to your aunt.”

It was hard to stay in a bad mood when there was so much joy swirling in the air around him. He grabbed Alex’s bag from the backseat and hoisted it up, ready to drag it inside to his room.

Isabel had offered to give up her room for one night, but once Jake tossed his pillows and blanket onto the couch, she let him be. It wasn’t going to be comfortable, but it was a small sacrifice to make. He pushed open the front door, giving it a gentle kick behind him to close it, and nearly dropped the bag.

“Robbie.”

“Hi, Jake.” Robbie smiled. It was a polite smile, the same kind he’d given Jake in Sandway the first time they met. Its impersonality sent a chill down Jake’s spine. “Where’s your car?”

“It was such a nice day, I decided to walk.”

“You didn’t tell me Robbie would behere,” Alex said. “This is so exciting.”

Jake realized he was scowling, and he forced his lips back into a neutral expression. “Yeah, it’s great.”

“I thought you would enjoy it if I invited Robbie,” Isabel said. “And Alex certainly doesn’t mind, do you, dear?”

“Of course not.” She turned to Robbie. “I’m really looking forward to visiting your bookstore. Although Jake told me it’s closing down soon?”

“I’m afraid so,” Robbie said. His words were calm and practiced, but he kept stealing glances back at Jake.

Jake didn’t know what to do. He wanted to ask Robbie what the hell was up with them. Was it over? Were they done? Was Robbie as angry with him as he was with Robbie? He desperately wanted answers, but not in front of his sister.

Dinner was a raucous affair. Robbie and Alex got along swimmingly, and although Robbie still had a shadow cast over him, only Jake seemed cognizant of it. Though judging by a single look Isabel shot Jake when she set the cake down on the table, she might have known something was up too.

“Yeah, I feel bad, but Jake is sleeping out on the couch while I’m here,” he heard Alex saying.

“Damn, that’s rough.” Robbie sounded less and less interested in every bit of conversation that involved Jake as the night wore on.

“He’ll survive.” Alex laughed.