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“What’s up?” she asked Andrea as soon as she was in hearing range.
“We’re going down to Double Bluff Beach. Do you wanna come? Oh, hi, Chef,” her sister rushed out. Daniel flashed a smile in greeting.
“At this hour?” Jo asked skeptically, looking down at her watch.
“Oh, come on, Jo. Lighten up a bit. It’s just after nine p.m. It’s just for a bit of fun and relaxation,” Andrea implored her sister. “It’s going to be fun,” she pushed at the sign of Jo’s reluctance. “Plus, Cora’s boyfriend”—she emphasized with air quotes— “is on his way here to join us.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Jo laughed at her sister’s antics. “Okay, fine. I’m in,” she agreed more out of curiosity to see the dynamics between her sister and the contractor she had started dating than it was to be out in the night air reminiscing on old high school memories. “But please don’t do that eye thing again,” she warned her sister.
“Yay!” Andrea squealed in joy.
Taking the phone from her ear, Cora came to stand before her sisters. “Jamie said he’d be here in the next ten minutes,” she announced.
Jo could see that her sister was becoming enamored with the man if the slight breathiness of her voice or the deepening redness of her cheeks that had nothing to do with the somewhat chilly night were anything to go by. She was happy for her. After everything Joel had done to her, she deserved to be happy.
Her mind flashed back to a bit of news that had completely rocked her off-center and made her question what was true and what was a mirage of perfectly packed lies.
“Are you okay?” Andrea bumped her shoulder as she looked at her worriedly.
Jo quickly plastered on a smile. “Yes, of course. I just got sidetracked for a minute,” she answered.
At this, Andrea gave her an understanding smile before putting an arm around her shoulder and bringing her close to her side. Jo warmed over at the action, grateful that her sister always knew how to make her feel better even without the use of words. It had always been like that between them, and even after leaving Oak Harbor to start their separate lives, she had always been able to call upon Andrea to help push her through her rough patches.
“I’m glad you’re here,” her sister whispered against her hair, bringing a small smile to her face. Jo reached over to pat the hand on her upper arm in gratitude.
Just then, Kerry stepped back into the circle. “I invited Dee to come with us, but she was like, no, it’s okay. Go spend time with people your age.I don’t mind.Like what is that?” she asked in an offended tone, drawing laughs from those who had heard her rant. “Why are you all laughing? A twenty-five-year-old just called the lot of you old, geriatric,” she continued dramatically.
“Oh, lighten up, Kerry. It’s not like we’re running in the same circles as these millennials,” Jack tried to reason with her.
“Yeah, well, wait until yours start calling you old man, and then tell me how it feels,” she rebutted.
Jo couldn’t help the laugh that left her lips at how melodramatic Kerry was being. She truly hadn’t changed.
Just then, a very tall man, she guessed he had to be the same height as Daniel, came toward their group. He had glistening black hair with a touch of gray at his temples and a peppered goatee that framed his oval face. The T-shirt he wore displayed the broad expanse of a hard chest, and the short sleeves exposed his muscled arms. He walked with purpose until he stood right behind Cora, who had been talking to Malachi, another one of their high school mates. He lightly tapped her shoulder, and Cora turned her head to look at him. Jo witnessed the moment her sister’s mannerisms changed. A deep rosy flush covered her cheeks, and a bashful smile graced her lips as she excused herself from the conversation she was having to turn fully to the man. She noticed when Jamie reached out his hand to lightly brush his fingers against her forearm. If she could get closer without being intrusive, Jo was certain she would have seen the tiny goose bumps trailing down her arm.
“Cute, right?” her sister asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“They are,” she agreed.
Shortly after Jamie’s arrival, everyone piled into their own vehicles, and they all made their way over to Double Bluff Beach off Route 525. Cora had chosen to drive with Jamie, which left Andrea and Jo in her Jeep.
The group followed the darkened path, slightly illuminated by the moonlight above. Jo could hear the splash of waves against the shore in the distance. Soon enough, her sandal-clad feet scrunched against the sandy shore as she followed the group.
When they were a good distance along the beach, the men gathered driftwood, piling them up to make a bonfire. Jo readily took a seat on one of the tree stumps that had been organized in a circle around the fire. She eagerly held her hands out in front of the flames, enjoying the heat that traveled up her arms.
She watched, mesmerized as the yellow flames swayed at the beckoning of the wind as sparks of fire separated themselves to shoot up into the dark sky like small flamboyant fireflies.
She suddenly felt someone sit beside her on the log. Looking over, she was met with the smiling face of Daniel. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Jo gave him a small grin.
“I thought you’d like one,” he offered her an unopened can of beer which she gladly took from him.
“Thanks.”
The two sat in comfortable silence while the others drank and chatted animatedly around the fire or were splashing about in the warm ocean. She looked across the fire to see her sister snuggled up to Jamie, who had his arm around her shoulder as she rested her back against his chest.
“So, how long have you been back in Whidbey, Oak Harbor to be specific?” she turned to ask Daniel.
