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He watched as a single droplet of water meandered down her neck, and he kissed it away with a playful growl. “Refreshingandtempting.”
She laughed and pushed away from him, swimming back toward shore. He quickly caught up, chasing her onto the beach, and tackled her to the blanket. He hovered over her, taking in the pink of her cheeks and the shine in her eyes, and pouted dramatically.
“The next five days are going to be the longest of my life.”
She stroked his chest. “I think you’ll survive. You'll be having fun with your cousin and won't have time to think about me.Andyou’ll be busy.”
He huffed. “My cousin's idea of fun is not the same as mine. And I’ll be busy, but I'll miss you.”
“I'll miss you too. But before you know it, Friday will be here, and you'll be on your way home.”
“Yeah, I know.” He kissed her then sat next to her, his eyes focused on the ocean. “Do you want to hear about my conversation with Georgiana?”
“Only if you want to talk about it.”
“I do.” He paused. “I have to remember that she's an adult now, not a little girl. And as much as I'd like to believe differently, I can't protect her from everything. She made me realize that living in those feelings of guilt and anger is preventing us from moving on. It's preventingmefrom moving on. And yesterday, I slipped right back into them. I don’t want to do that anymore.” He paused. “She told me that at one point, she blamed herself. She thought the whole thing was her fault. I just about died when I heard that. She doesn't feel that way now, but to think she struggled with that... It kills me.”
She sat up next to him and entwined her fingers with his. “Sadly, I think it’s normal for a victim to feel that way at first.”
“That’s exactly what she said. I just…I hate that I was so absorbed in my own feelings that I didn't see her struggle.”
“You're human, Will. What happened to her affects you too. You're allowed to have feelings about it.”
He sighed. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For understanding. I still feel badly about yesterday.”
“We can take that drive down Cape anytime.”
“I know. I just wish I could have a do-over. I promise I'll make it up to you.”
She smiled. “I'll hold you to that.”
“But I also want to thank you for being a friend to Georgie. She’s really started to come out of her shell since the two of you have grown closer.”
“Maybe she just needed a girlfriend, another woman to talk to. Sometimes that makes all the difference. Jane is my very best friend in the world, and there’s nothing she doesn't know about me or what I’ve been through.”
He looked at her curiously. “What do you mean, what you've been through?”
“Oh, just…everything. You know, just…just life stuff.”
He waited to see if she would explain further, but let it go when she didn’t. He’d made it clear to her yesterday—by snapping at her, unfortunately—that he knew there were things she hadn't yet talked to him about. Today was not the day for that conversation—not with him leaving tomorrow. But they would have to talk soon; they couldn't move forward if she continued to hold back.
“I guess Charles is that person for me,” he said. “He's been an incredible friend. And when his parents died within a year of each other, I was there for him. He's a good man. Tell Jane he's a keeper.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I'm pretty sure she knows that already.”
Later, after a dinner of lobsters and steamers, they relaxed on Elizabeth’s deck, feeling full and happy. He stretched out on a lounge chair, and Elizabeth settled herself between his legs and leaned back against him, resting her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and stared at the island across the sound.
“When are you taking me to Martha's Vineyard, anyway? You promised me a personal tour.”
“Whenever you want to go. I can't believe you've never been. I went all the time when I was young. My mother was born and raised there, and we always went over to visit my grandparents. My grandfather died when I was young, but my grandmother lived into her nineties. I loved spending time with them.”
“Did you keep going to the island after they passed?”
“For a little while. My mother and my uncle still had the house. We’d go and stay, or I’d go with my friends for a girls’ weekend, that type of thing. But taking care of the property got to be too much, so they sold it.”
