Claire’s mind was a million miles away as they had breakfast on Monday with Eileen. Surely, Dutton wouldn’t really come to the island. But what if he did? It was such a small place. Aida or Marlow could easily bump into him somewhere downtown.
Should she tell them in advance?
She cringed at starting that conversation. Aida would probably leave and go back to California. Telling them would only ruin their summer needlessly if Dutton didn’t end up coming. And if he did, it was only for one week. Maybe there was a chance they wouldn’t have to know. Seaclusion had its own private beach, so they hadn’t been to any of the public beaches. Dutton didn’t play tennis and was unlikely to go to the racquet club—another place they frequented. She’d just have to make sure they were never out on the streets visiting the shops and cafés at the same time he was.
Could she pull that off? See him on the side and try to determine if he was sincere? If she really wanted to reconcile with him? What if she decided she was finished with him for good? If she told Aida and Marlow that he was coming, she’d destroy her relationship with them, even though she might not get back together with him.
Bottom line, she wasn’t willing to take that chance. She didn’t want to lose Aida and Marlow. She was going to keep her mouth shut and hope that he changed his mind—or that if he did come, she could keep him separate from her friends.
“Claire?”
Startled, Claire looked up to see Rosemary holding a pitcher of fresh-squeezed orange juice. “Yes?”
She lifted the pitcher. “Would you like some more?”
“Um, no. Sorry.” Her laugh sounded uncomfortable even to her own ears. “I was...daydreaming.”
Aida and Marlow exchanged a questioning glance, which certainly did nothing to put Claire at ease. “So...what are we doing today?” she asked, wearing a big smile in an attempt to alleviate some of their suspicion.
Eileen put down her napkin. “Whatever you do, I hope you’ll be back in time for dinner.”
“Why?” Marlow asked. “Is there something special going on?”
“Rosemary is making meat loaf and hush puppies,” Eileen replied. “It’s one of her boys’ favorite meals, and I’ve invited Walker and Reese to join us.”
Aida lit up immediately. She hadn’t stopped talking about Reese. But Marlow seemed a bit more tentative. Or maybe she was only curious. “Is this for my birthday?”
“No, although we’ll be sure to celebrate that. I asked them to come tonight because I have something of your father’s to give each of them. He tried to be such a good role model to those boys, and I think they were fond of him, too.”
“They definitely were,” Rosemary concurred with a grateful smile.
“I’m not going to make a big deal of it,” Eileen clarified. “But I started to sort through some of Tiller’s things when I couldn’t sleep last night and decided that Walker and Reese should have a small token to remember him by.”
“That’s really thoughtful of you,” Rosemary said.
“I hope it’ll be meaningful to them,” Eileen responded, obviously pleased with Rosemary’s reaction. Sometimes Claire got the impression that their relationship was carefully choreographed and had to be in order for them to fulfill their separate roles and get along at the same time.
Marlow put down her fork. “Walker doesn’t have to work?”
“He’ll be off by then,” Rosemary volunteered. “For the most part, he works mornings—seven to three—although he’s always on call if there’s an emergency or his officers can’t handle some problem on their own.”
“Hopefully there’ll be no emergencies tonight, because he promised me he’d be here,” Eileen said. “I just talked to him before breakfast.”
“Being chief of police comes with a lot of responsibility,” Marlow said, but Claire sensed that was some kind of smoke screen, a neutral remark to hide what she was really thinking and feeling.
“Can you be here at six?” her mother asked.
“Of course,” Marlow replied. “We’re going to play some tennis, then rest on the beach. We’ll be around.”
Her mother seemed pleased that everyone was cooperating. “Perfect,” she said as if that was that, but as soon as Marlow got up to go to the bathroom, Eileen lowered her voice and leaned closer to Claire and Aida.
“I do want to give Reese and Walker a little keepsake, but tonight will be mainly for Marlow’s birthday, and they both know that,” she whispered. “If I waited until the actual day, she’d guess it was for her, so this was the only way to make it a surprise. Don’t tell her, but try not to be late, okay?”
Aida readily agreed. “Sounds like fun. Is there anything we can bring or help with?”
Eileen waved them off. “No. You just keep her busy and distracted. Rosemary will handle dinner, and I’ll handle everything that happens after.”
“Will there be people other than Walker and Reese joining us?” Claire asked.
“Oh, yes. I’ve invited quite a few friends she knows here on the island.”
“So it’s a full-out party,” Aida said.
“It is,” Eileen confirmed. “After what we’ve been through the past couple of years with COVID, I think we can use one.”
Claire was about to take the last bite of her spinach omelet when her phone went off. She was terrified to even glance down at it for fear it was Dutton. But it was the racquet club.
“Excuse me,” she said and stepped away from the table as she hit the talk button.
“Is this Claire Fernandez?”
Claire didn’t recognize the voice. It wasn’t the manager of the club, who’d interviewed her. This was a woman. “Yes...”
“This is Darcy Reed at Teach Spa and Racquet Club. Phil asked me to give you a call. He’d like to have you come in and lead me through a yoga class so we can see how you’d interact with our club members.”
“Yes, of course,” she said, excited to have heard back so soon. If she could land this job, she’d not only have a little money coming in, she’d have an excuse to be out on her own, which could be integral to keeping Dutton’s presence on the island a secret—if he ended up coming. “When would you like me to do that?”
“Tomorrow morning at...let’s say, eight?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great. If all goes well, we’ll set up a schedule for classes.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you,” Claire said and let her breath go in relief as she disconnected.
Aida looked up as she returned to the table. “What is it?”
Claire didn’t try to hide how she was feeling. “I have a chance of landing that job at the racquet club.”
“That was the manager?” Marlow asked, having returned to the table.
“No, a woman named Darcy. I’m giving her a yoga class tomorrow. If she likes it, they’re going to hire me.”
“That’s wonderful!” Eileen exclaimed.
“She’s going to love everything about you,” Marlow predicted.
“Who wouldn’t?” Aida said. “You’re so good with people in general and your students in particular.”
Claire felt her smile widen even more. She loved being on the island. She loved Marlow and Aida, too.
She just hoped she wasn’t leaving the door open for Dutton to ruin her life a second time.
Walker wished he could arrive late or simply put in an appearance and then claim he’d been called away by work. As much as he’d enjoyed having sex with Marlow and would love that to continue, he knew he was playing with fire. She’d burn him eventually, and she’d probably do it without thinking twice.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t handle the evening quite as casually as he’d like to. Eileen had made a point of asking him to dinner before the party started, and he couldn’t make his mother look bad by being late. He showed up freshly shaved and dressed in a golf shirt and shorts, clothes he considered a step above the beach bum tanks and cutoffs he typically donned when he was off work.
Before he knocked, he checked his phone, halfway hoping that Neal Goff, the officer actively patrolling the island right now, needed him for something. Then he could flash his phone to prove he had an issue and take off.
But everything on the island seemed to be going smoothly. He hadn’t heard from Neal, and short of an emergency, he wasn’t likely to. Neal was his best officer.
His mother answered his knock. “Come on in.”
The food smelled delicious. Maybe it was worth letting Marlow destroy what was left of his heart if there was a homemade meal in it, he thought wryly. No one could cook as well as his mother.
Aida and Claire greeted him next—both with a hug, so Marlow had to follow suit. As she slipped into his arms, he could feel the curves of her body underneath the thin dress and couldn’t help picturing her as she’d been in his bed last night, completely nude, with her hair tumbling over his pillows.
“Glad you could make it,” she murmured, avoiding eye contact as she pulled away.
He tried not to stare at her, but he’d always thought she was gorgeous, and she looked especially good in the strappy, white knee-length dress she was wearing now. “Smells great in here.” He was speaking about Marlow as much as the food, but he purposely didn’t make that clear.
“You know your mom. Best cook ever,” Marlow said as she moved away from him and took a seat on the far side of the table, next to Reese, who was more rumpled than usual.
Reese had probably just rolled out of bed, Walker thought. Monday was his day off, and he certainly didn’t allow himself much sleep on the weekends. He had a lot of catching up to do.
Eileen presided at the head of the table. “I’m so glad you could make it,” she told him.
He hadn’t had a choice—not really—but he thanked her for inviting him before going to the kitchen to help his mother bring out the food.
“I’ve got this,” Rosemary said when she noticed him trailing her. “Go enjoy yourself. You get to be part of the company tonight.”
“This’ll only take a minute,” he said and insisted she load him up.
When they returned to the dining room, Eileen gestured at one of the empty seats at the table. “Rosemary, bring in a plate for yourself. I’d like you to join us, as well.”
His mother hesitated as though she wasn’t entirely comfortable with that. She was used to eating with Eileen when it was just the two of them, but Walker could tell it was different when she felt she should be serving.
“I should’ve had you set the table for seven to begin with,” Eileen added.
Rosemary acknowledged her words with a nod. “I’ll grab my setting in a second. Let me pour the champagne first.”
“We’re having champagne?” Marlow asked.
“Yes. This is going to be a celebration of Tiller’s life,” Eileen explained as Rosemary went to get the bottle.
While his mother was gone, Walker got her place setting for her.
“Thank you,” she said, noticing the moment she returned. She was so grateful whenever he did something nice for her that he felt guilty he didn’t do more.
“No problem.” He sat down as she poured. Then they all picked up their glasses for a toast.
“To Tiller,” Eileen said. “He did so much for all of us. May he rest in peace, and may we remember the example he set for us and strive to be as honorable as he was.”
“To Tiller,” they echoed and clinked glasses.
Walker had just finished taking a sip when Eileen singled him out. “Walker, Tiller was impressed by how well you look out for your mother. I have to say I’ve always been impressed by it, too.”
Walker hated being the center of attention, especially for something like this. “She’s my mother,” he said. “I should look out for her.”
“Well, not every son does. So that makes you exceptional. I thought you might like to have Tiller’s watch as a keepsake.”
Walker couldn’t believe it when Eileen handed him the Rolex he’d seen on Tiller’s wrist since he could remember. “This is too nice of a gift,” he said. He didn’t know much about luxury brands, but he would guess it might be worth as much as five thousand dollars.
“I’d rather give it to you than sell it, as long as you’d be happy to own it and will think of him now and then because of it,” Eileen said.
“Of course I will,” he said. “But...are you sure you want me to have it?”
“I’m positive,” she replied. “He has a couple of nieces, but they live in Colorado, and we’ve never been close to their husbands. I feel it should go to you.”
“I appreciate you thinking of me, but—” Walker looked at Marlow “—I don’t want to take it if...if you want it.”
“No, there are plenty of other keepsakes for me,” she said, but he could tell she was as surprised as he was by the gesture. Reese’s eyes had gone wide, too.
“Okay, then,” he said to Eileen. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you both,” he added, including Marlow.
Eileen smiled, and he could tell she was gratified when he slipped it on his wrist.
“I have something for you, too,” she told Reese. “Tiller always talked about how talented you are. He loved watching you play tennis.”
“I wouldn’t be able to play nearly as well without him,” Reese admitted.
“Which is why I’m giving you one of his racquets—and this.” She handed him a ring with a large square ruby.
“Wow!” Reese exclaimed. “You’re giving me his ring?”
“One of them,” she clarified. “I bought this for him for Christmas twenty-something years ago. My brother owned a jewelry store at the time and gave me a great deal on it.”
Walker didn’t recognize the ring. From what he could remember, Tiller had only worn his wedding ring, but it was a nice gift, and one Eileen had probably chosen because it was more or less equal in value to the watch.
“It’s awesome.” Reese slid it on his ring finger, but it was too big, so he moved it to his index finger.
“We’ll have to get it sized,” Eileen said.
Aida lifted herself up to see it better. “It looks good on you,” she said, and Claire concurred.
“I’m finding it’s easier to go through his things if I have somewhere to put them—someone to share them with. That makes me happy,” Eileen said. “That’s how I’m going to do it from now on. I’m not going to get rid of something just to get rid of it. I’m going to spread his belongings around to the people he loved.”
There were tears in Marlow’s eyes, which she tried to hide by taking another drink of her champagne, but Walker was so attuned to her that he definitely noticed. He hoped it was only because she missed her father, and that she wasn’t upset by what her mother had done.
“Now let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Eileen said.
After the meal, Eileen led them down to the beach, where people had been quietly assembling for Marlow’s surprise party, and he believed Marlow was genuinely shocked to find a DJ there, ready to play music, lights hanging over a large area for dancing, and tables filled with bite-size desserts and huge floral centerpieces.
“Surprise!” everyone yelled as soon as they saw her.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said to her mother.
Eileen laughed as they embraced. “Happy birthday, my love.”
“Thank you!” she said. “I can’t believe this! You hid it so well.”
“You’re too smart. I knew I had to be clever,” she teased, and then the music started and Marlow was whisked away by guest after guest, all wanting to wish her a happy birthday.
Marlow danced and laughed and socialized with people she hadn’t seen for years—members of the club she’d played tennis with growing up, friends of her parents, several neighbors. She’d truly been surprised by the party, and she was enjoying herself. But she found herself searching for Walker whenever she lost sight of him, which was something she’d never done before. Even when she was dancing with Reese, she couldn’t stop herself from looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of Walker. She listened for his laugh, made note of the people he talked to and hoped he’d ask her to dance.
He didn’t, though. He was popular in his own right—it didn’t hurt that he was the chief of police—and seemed to be busy talking to someone all the time.
As the party began to wind down, she grabbed one of the shawls her mother had put out on the banister and headed down the beach just so she wouldn’t have to see him paying attention to everyone but her.
She was sitting on the dock, her feet dangling in the water, when she heard the creak of footsteps and glanced up to see him carrying two beers. “Don’t come talk to me now,” she grumbled. “You’ve ignored me all night.”
“You haven’t lacked for attention,” he said with a chuckle.
“It’s my birthday party. And you haven’t even asked me to dance.”
“Since when have you cared what I do?” He handed her the extra beer as he sat beside her.
“I don’t,” she said, but that was a lie.
He took a long pull on his beer. “Do you mind about the watch?”
She’d been surprised by what her mother had done at dinner, but she didn’t mind. She actually thought it was a sweet gesture and hoped it made Walker and Reese feel important. “No. She wants you to have it. So do I.”
“And the ring?”
She drew the shawl closer against the breeze coming in off the ocean. “The ring doesn’t mean anything to me. My father hardly ever wore it.”
“But the watch does? I can give it back...”
“No, keep it. I mean it, Walker.” She wasn’t upset about the watch, but she didn’t want to tell him what was really bothering her. It would reveal too much.
“I gave you your chance,” he said with a shrug.
Leaning back on her hands, she let her breath go on a long sigh. “You’re never going to forgive me, are you?”
“Forgive you for what?” he asked, looking askance at her.
“You know what.”
He swallowed another mouthful of beer. “I forgive you. I just don’t trust you.”
In other words, he didn’t think she was a good person. Her inability to change that stung. She wished she didn’t care what he thought, but she did, especially after the past few days.
“Okay,” she finally said. “I understand. I’ll leave you alone from now on. I’ll put your clothes in the hole of the gumbo-limbo tree. You can do the same with mine whenever...whenever you get the chance.”
She stood up and hurried back to her party—only the closer she came, the less she felt like seeing anyone. Skirting around the lights and the revelry, she stepped into the trees, where she couldn’t be seen as she made her way to the guesthouse.