22. Caleb
TWENTY-TWO
Caleb
I groaned. I didn’t want to talk to Josie now, but her foot was between the beer and me.
“I know who she is,” she hissed at me.
I threw my hands in the air. “And who are you referring to?”
She tsked, shaking her head. “That girl that almost kept you from going to the Coast Guard Academy. It’s her, isn’t it? Margot Delaney who inherited the Blue Heron from Walt.”
I ran my hand over the top of my head. “So what if it is her?”
Josie folded her arms over her chest. “I saw exactly what happened the last time she was here. What it did to you.”
“And? You’re going to tell me to not talk to her?”
Josie muttered. “No, you asshole. I like her. I think you should find out what happened. She’s been through a lot. Maybe this is the Universe putting you back together.”
“I do not believe in the Universe,” I stated.
“Well, you should because she’s sending you a clear signal. Margot is back on Marshoak for a reason. Maybe that reason is you.”
“Can I get my beer and talk to her now that you’ve done a palm reading?”
She grumbled. “I didn’t even touch your palm, Caleb.” She stepped back, giving me access to the cooler again.
I grabbed two icy bottles and let the lid fall into place. “Thanks.”
“Just remember what I said.” She bumped me with the side of her hip.
“There’s no reason for me to think she’s going to stay. Not after last time. Not this time.”
“Then give her a reason to, Caleb. Tell her what I’ve always known.”
I towered over Josie. “And what’s that?”
“That you’ve been in love with her since the first time you saw her.”
I didn’t have a comeback for that one. There was nothing I could say to wipe the smug know-it-all look off my next-door neighbor’s face. Josie had grown up side-by-side with me. Every grade. Every teacher. Every homework assignment. Every birthday party. She was like a sister to me. Only, maybe more annoying. I didn’t have a sister, so I wasn’t sure about that part.
She wasn’t wrong. She had been there that summer. She saw exactly what happened when Margot Delaney left Marshoak Island.
SEVEN YEARS AGO
I stood in the alley behind By the Page with a cigarette pressed to my lips. I inhaled and leaned against the brick exterior. A flock of seagulls glided overhead.
“Put that shit out, man. If Mom sees you smoking behind her shop, she will literally kill you.” Jacob came out of nowhere.
“Mom’s not here,” I answered. “I’m unloading some boxes for her and then I have to take off.”
He nodded. “Shit, if she’s not here then give me one.”
I glared at him but opened the pack anyway.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. I hadn’t seen my older brother much all summer. I knew it was because I spent as much time as I could with Margot. He worked odd jobs when he wasn’t on base.
We stayed busy.
He shrugged. “I’m off the next two days. I had to get out of the barracks.” He blew an almost perfect ring of smoke near the dumpster. “Might go up to Raleigh.”
I nodded. “Could be fun I guess.”
“Want to go?”
I stared at him. He never asked me to go anywhere with him. I blinked. “I can’t.”
“Why not? That girl?”
I cleared my throat, stamping the cigarette out in a nearby puddle. “She has a name.”
“Yeah, well no one has met her.”
“You will,” I added. “I’m headed over to see her now. But not tonight.”
He laughed. “I’ve tried to warn you about summer girls. What are you thinking? You’re leaving anyway.”
The knot formed tight and hard in my stomach. That was the problem. I had stopped thinking. When I was with Margot there was nothing but her and me. The rest of the world seemed to spin out of view. I wasn’t a romantic. I wasn’t even an optimist. I wanted time to stop. I wanted summer to stop.
“You don’t get it.” I waved my hand in the air. I needed to head to the Blue Heron.
“Enlighten me,” he pleaded.
“Maybe another time. Margot’s waiting. Have fun in Raleigh. Watch out for the city girls. I heard they don’t stick around either.”
I turned and headed for my truck. I didn’t need to hear any more shit from my brother. As I drove around the island to the far side where the Blue Heron was located, I thought about what I would say to Margot. I wanted to tell her there was a way to stay together even while I was in the academy. I’d never done long-distance before, but I had a plan. More than anything I wanted her. I was willing to put myself out there and let her know the truth. I had fallen in love. Hard.
The gravel crunched under the truck tires. I parked near the cottage and jogged up the stairs. I knocked on the screen door, expecting Helena to answer. I stepped back when Walt appeared in the doorway.
“Caleb.”
“Hey, Walt. I’m here to pick up Margot.”
He shook his head. There was something different in his eyes. Was that a tear? “She’s not here.”
I looked behind me. Helena’s car was gone.
“Are they in town?” I asked.
“No.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, fiddling with the lighter between my fingers. “Okay, then where is she?”
“Caleb, they’re gone.”
The frustration built. “Where. Did. They. Go?” I knew I was being a jackass, but Walt wasn’t making it any easier.
“Home,” he answered quietly.
My jaw locked in place. There was no way Walt was telling me the truth. No fucking way.
“Uhh. That’s not possible, Walt. Margot and I have plans tonight. She’s not leaving Marshoak for another two weeks.”
“Helena took her back to Virginia. They’re gone. That’s all I know.” He started to close the door, but I shoved my foot in the gap to stop it from closing on me.
“Why? What happened?” I kept my voice low and steady, despite every urge in my body to rip the screen off its hinges and toss it into the marshland.
“Doesn’t matter. They’re gone.”
“It matters to me,” I growled.
“Call Margot yourself. She can tell you whatever she wants.” He yanked hard on the door and I slid my foot away. It closed firmly in place.
“I’ll do that,” I muttered, jumping from the stoop.
I pulled out my phone and called Margot. I stared at the phone when it went to voicemail.
“Hey, it’s me. I’m at the Blue Heron and your uncle just told me you and your mom took off. Call me so I know you’re okay. Call me back. I need to talk to you.”
I walked back to my truck and sat behind the wheel. My shoulders were hunched over and I felt how tight my chest was.
I didn’t know I wouldn’t hear from her again.