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To pack for their trip, Cole and Alyssa set aside an afternoon to shop for groceries and tend to Cole’s sailboat, which needed to be cleaned for such a big journey. Throughout that day, as the sun beat down upon them and Cole’s radio played the top hits of another decade, Aria and Cole swept, scrubbed, and assembled the sleeping area, where they would sleep after they docked in various harbors as they journeyed south. At one point, when the heat lifted into the low eighties, Cole removed his shirt and wrapped a handkerchief around his head, and Aria thought she might swoon off the boat.
Aria was sure she’d never been in love with someone the way she was now in love with Cole. Because she was a Baldwin, she’d gone to all of the most prestigious boarding schools growing up, which had allowed her father to brag about his prestige through his children’s status and education. Aria had detested almost everyone at every boarding school to the point that she’d been crippled with loneliness and often acted out. Still, she’d kept her grades up and graduated in the top ten of her class, which hadn’t mattered to her father. He’d only cared about the name of the boarding school.
Aria was now twenty-four years old, nearly twenty-five, and falling in love like this felt strange. It felt calm, peaceful, and wonderful, like a tide slowly coming over her. Previous “crushes” had been very different, like lightning bolts that had struck her, dropping her to the pavement.
Aria slept over at Cole’s place on the night before they left. They ate pizza and watched bad television, making fun of the characters as they made silly decisions. Aria donned one of Cole’s t-shirts and slept on the couch, her heart bubbling with expectation. And when she awoke and made coffee, they sat together in a sunbeam and chatted about their next days together.
Aria was slightly apprehensive about the boat ride. It was true that the night back in October in the Caribbean had been a nightmare for her, something that had rocked her psyche. But as Cole expertly glided the sailboat away from the coast, Aria lifted her eyes to the horizon and felt the Atlantic winds across her face, and she dreamed about a version of herself that was brave enough to live beyond her fears.
That first night, they latched their boat to a very slow and empty harbor, a six-hour sail away from Martha’s Vineyard. There, they got out and stretched their legs, wandering through a cute little town and grabbing some Italian food. Cole ordered spaghetti, and Aria ordered lasagna, which was mercifully quite cheap given the non-touristy nature of the town. They also ordered a bottle of wine. Aria couldn’t help but think that nearly everyone else at the restaurant, all of whom were locals, probably assumed they were a couple.Didn’t they look like it?
As Cole raised a forkful of spaghetti to his lips, he locked eyes with her and asked, “Why do you think your mom never told you that she went to Savannah College?”
Aria sighed and set down her fork. “My mother and I have never told each other anything.”
“Why do you think that is?”
Aria raised her eyebrows. “I think she’s afraid of what she’ll say when she tries to tell the truth.”
“I feel like you’re a pretty honest person,” Cole said. “It’s strange that you’re so different than your mother.”
Aria felt this was terribly ironic, given the fact that she could never tell Cole what was on her mind.
“I don’t know if I’m that honest,” Aria said simply.
“Have you ever lied to me?” Cole asked, his eyes glinting.
Aria stuck her tongue into the inside of her cheek. “What a question,” she teased after a moment.Was he flirting with her?
“I mean,” Cole began, leaning slightly over the table, “you are a woman of mystery.”
Aria laughed and sipped her wine, overwhelmed by his attention. “I don’t know about that.”
“Come on, Aria. You appeared out of nowhere on the island in the middle of a dark and stormy night,” Cole said. “And now, you’ve been part of Martha’s Vineyard life for six months?”
“Seven.”
“And I still have no idea what you think of it. Of your life there. Or why you left your life in Savannah behind,” Cole finished.
Aria took another drink of wine, thinking she could have probably drunk the entire bottle just to get out of this conversation. After a small pause, Aria managed to say, “You met my family. We’re a confusing bunch. I never really felt like I belonged to them. Actually, I never felt like I belonged anywhere.”
Cole nodded as though he understood, but how could he? His parents had always loved him. He’d always been accepted.
“Any idea who could have sent you this newspaper clip?” Cole asked.
Aria shook her head.
“Could it be your mother? Trying to send you a message?”
“It wasn’t her handwriting,” Aria insisted. “And my mother is way too secretive for something like this. I don’t know! I honestly don’t.”
Cole smiled. “Then it’s a good thing we’re getting to the bottom of it together. I feel like we’re spies or something.”
Aria blushed and stared down at her lasagna, hardly capable of believing any of this was real. “I’m nervous about being back in Savannah.”
Cole tilted his head. “Why?”
“Nobody liked me there. I felt so strange.”
