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“Okay. Good. Great. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have fun at the party.”
“Thanks. Bye, Will.”
* * *
Bill's partywasn't as bad as Elizabeth imagined it would be, but by three thirty, she was ready to leave.
Charlotte would have stayed all day, as Bill had introduced his cousin George to her, and Charlotte had immediately taken a liking to him. He was handsome and outgoing, and Charlotte flirted shamelessly with him the entire time they were there. There were plenty of people for Elizabeth to talk to, but she occasionally found herself thinking of William—Will—and the time she’d spent with him at Charles’s cookout.
Thankfully, she’d managed to avoid Bill’s attention for most of the afternoon. He’d asked them to stay longer, as he planned on having a bonfire, but Elizabeth bowed out, pleading a headache.
Charlotte was pleased to be leaving with George's number, and she’d given him hers as well. Apparently he was a photographer, working on an assignment for a magazine, and would be staying with Bill for most of the summer.
“I told him you did some photography on the side and had your own darkroom. He said he'd love to see it.”
“What type of assignment is he working on?”
“Some special edition thing. Something touristy. I told him to let me know if he needed a tour guide.” Charlotte waggled her eyebrows.
Elizabeth laughed. “He seems nice. And he’s pretty handsome.”
“Pretty handsome? He’s hot! Though compared to your Mr. Darcy—who you stole right out from under my nose, by the way—I guessnice-lookingis fair enough.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I did notstealhim, and he’s notmyMr. Darcy.”
Charlotte pursed her lips. “Whatever you say.”
Charlotte asked Elizabeth if she had any plans for the Monday holiday, and they decided to go for a run in the morning. Elizabeth knew Charlotte would be enthusiastic, to say the least, if she found out Elizabeth was having dinner with Will, so she decided to keep it to herself.
She was happy to have the rest of the day to relax, and pulled out her laptop to review a few things for the upcoming week. When it was nearing five thirty, she decided to call it quits and turned off her laptop. She opted to skip dinner—Bill had fed his guests well—and changed into a pair of old sweatpants and a sweatshirt and went outside to sit on the deck.
The flow of traffic past the beach was heavier than normal, it being a holiday weekend and the official start of the tourist season on the Cape. It didn't bother her much; the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach drowned out the noise of the cars, and the rhythm of the tide was like music to her ears. It never failed to soothe her, and she settled back into her chair and sighed, feeling content as she looked across the sound to Martha’s Vineyard and then toward Nobska Light.
She’d been sitting for about fifteen minutes when she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming up the stairs to the deck. She sat up and looked in that direction, and was shocked at who appeared.
“Will! Hi! This is a surprise.”
“Hi. Um, I probably should have called. I saw your Jeep out front, so I thought I'd stop in. You know, just to say hi.” His eyes lingered on hers. “So…hi.”
She smiled. “I'm glad you stopped. Pull up a chair. I was just relaxing, enjoying the quiet. What are you doing in my neck of the woods?”
He lowered himself into the chair next to hers. “Oh, you know, just…checking out Falmouth. Exploring. How was the party today?”
“It was fine. Lots of people from work, but it's always nice to see them socially. Can I get you a beer or something? Do you have to rush off?”
“I really just wanted to say hi. I don't want to interrupt anything you might be doing.”
She opened her arms and gestured at the ocean. “These are my plans. Sitting here, watching the waves.”
“Okay. Well…I have a craving for ice cream. Would you like to get one? You must know of a good place around here.”
“You want to go out for ice cream?”
He nodded. “Where do you recommend?”
“There are a few places in town. They're all good.”
“You must have a favorite, though.”
