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“It’s a big reason we have the money we do. Not to diminish my parent’s hard work and the life they’ve built for our family, but a hefty sum of our money came from the plane crash settlement and life insurance. Mom and Dad bought this place. My Uncle Cole and Aunt Sam have a summer place in Montauk, and Amber and Olle bought more land near his family’s property in Finland, so they could build a bigger cabin to host us all.”
“Ahhh, he’s Finnish? That explains the way you pronounced his name before.”
“Yeah, they live in Pennsylvania, like I said, but they visit Finland often, and our entire family goes every few years.” Those trips with my cousins are some of my best family memories. Camping in Finland and bathing in the lake. Night swims in Montauk and celebrity hunting.
“So, my rich girl comments hit a nerve, huh?” His shoe nudges my socked foot. “I’m sorry, Nova.”
I don’t need an apology. “Just felt like I should set the record straight. Our money wasn’t dumb luck or inheritance or whatever. It came from a loss my parents will never get over.” I pull my legs into my chest as the temperature drops. “But it also brought them together, and it’s how I came to be, so I can’t resent the crash too much for depriving me of three grandparents. So many people have less. The grandpa I have is pretty amazing and tries his best to make up for their absence. Even with my cousins, he plays surrogate. He moved from California to Vermont to be closer to us after I was born.”
“I like how close you are with your family…”
He trails off, his head tipping back against the seat as he stares at the kaleidoscope sky, and I want to ask what he’s thinking, but I refrain.
After a minute, Devin asks, “How did the crash happen?”
Heaving a sigh, I spare him a glance. “There’s been speculation, but they still have no clear explanation. A fuel tank explosion was most probable. The plane didn’t make it very far off the coast of Long Island.” Every time I talk about the crash, I can’t help imagining their last moments and how terrified they must have been. “They’re who I was praying for at the Grotto.”
The sunset tugs Devin’s stare from me. “I was praying for a childhood friend.”
Is he actually confiding in me? He rubs the chair’s armrest, his jaw working side to side. I don’t want to press my luck, so I don’t prod for more, and I don’t have to.
“He committed suicide at the end of May.” His voice is quiet and bleak, and I don’t breathe for fear of distracting him. “I hadn’t seen him since we were eleven.”
Heavy, his words drop like a boulder on my chest. “I’m so sorry, Dev.”
“His name was Damian. He was Tara’s son. My mom’s friend, the one she wants us to visit.”
Oh. “Is that why you’re hesitant about staying there?”
“I don’t know. There are lots of reasons.” His hand drags across his face. “I’m doing everything he won’t get to.”
“We don’t have to stop there if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“We don’t have to figure it out yet.” He waves me off. “We can decide when we get closer.”
Leaning into him on the armrest, I nod and focus on the vanishing colors.
“How’d you get that scar on your eyebrow?”
Self-conscious, I touch the bald line of my left brow. “Cracked my head on a metal chair while twirling when I was five. I try to cover it with makeup, but it doesn’t always work.”
Devin nudges my arm. “Don’t have to be embarrassed about it. I think it’s pretty badass.”
“Thanks.” I can’t help smiling. “How about you? Do you have any scars?”
He snorts and mutters, “Only emotional ones.” And then, as if he didn’t mean to say that out loud, he clears his throat, swiping a hand across his mouth. “I’ve got a few on my arms and legs from sports injuries. No broken bones, just scrapes and cuts and crap. Sliding into bases and such. I’ve had my share of other injuries, though.”
“Like what?”
“Concussions and sprains. During my freshman year, one day at baseball practice, I forgot my cup at home, and a fly ball socked me right in the nuts. The possibility that I won’t be able to have children someday is real.”
I wish I could say I don’t laugh, but I can’t stop the amusement from bubbling over. “I’m sorry. That must have been so painful.”
A smirk curves his lips. “I thought I was going to die that day.”
My hand muffles my continued laughter. “It’s not funny. I don’t know why I’m laughing.”
“Because the visual is something you’ve probably wanted to do to me once or twice on this trip.”
