Chapter Nine #3
A few minutes later, the two of them took their plates out to the deck and sat in lounge chairs next to each other. It was fairly quiet, only faint sounds of neighbors or folks on the water drifting toward them on the breeze now and then, and the sounds of their forks against their plates.
“Can I ask you something?” Rowan’s question was soft, almost like her brain didn’t want to give voice to it.
“Always,” Justine said, turning to look at her face.
“What was it like after…” She cleared her throat and swallowed. “After Evie and I split?”
Justine took in a long breath, as if taking a moment to find the right words. “I sometimes forget that you don’t remember.” She wet her lips. “It was hard. Sad. We were all heartbroken for you because—” She seemed to catch herself before she said something she thought maybe she shouldn’t.
“No, it’s okay. Tell me.”
Justine’s gaze shifted so she was gazing out at the water.
“You guys just seemed like the best of us, you know? You were so good together. I know Evie breaking up with you came out of nowhere for you, and this is gonna sound weird, maybe, but it came out of nowhere for us, too. We were all stunned.”
Okay, that was news to Rowan. “Stevie never told me that.”
“I mean, you kind of disappeared from the group after that, and I think she wanted to keep from losing you completely, so she stayed quiet about it.” Justine was clearly trying to sound like she was hypothesizing, but Rowan knew her well enough to know that was exactly what had happened, and she felt a new sense of guilt around her friendship with Stevie.
She’d have to talk with her at some point about it.
“We missed you, you know.” Justine set her plate in her lap and reached a hand over to grasp one of Rowan’s.
“We understood, but we missed you. Summer at the lake wasn’t the same without you, and I’m really, really glad you came this year. I know Lizzie is, too.” She squeezed.
“So am I,” Rowan said.
“And we had no idea Claire was bringing Evie, I swear to you. I never would’ve let you be blindsided like that. It was a surprise to all of us, believe me.”
She did believe her.
“Are you okay?”
Rowan nodded once and moved her focus to the lake. “Yeah, I am. I had…kind of a weird night is all.” She debated for a moment before she told Justine everything that had happened, from the fight between Claire and Evie to Evie going into her room to them sharing the bed all night.
Justine digested all of it for a few minutes, Rowan could almost hear the gears in her brain working through it all. “I honestly don’t know what the deal is with those two,” she finally said. “Liz and I have been talking about it since they got here.”
“I wondered if they’re together now.” The words hurt, but Rowan had reached a point where she felt like she needed to know.
“So have we, but I don’t think they are.”
“No? Why not?”
“I mean, I’ve seen Evie in a relationship, and I’ve seen Claire in one as well, and neither of them act the way they’re acting now when they’re in love.” She glanced quickly at Rowan. “Sorry.”
Rowan shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s just all…weird.”
“Agreed.”
They sat quietly for another moment, each clearly lost in her own thoughts and theories. Eventually, the sound of a softly chugging motor became apparent.
“Is that them?” Rowan asked, pointing at a boat seemingly heading toward their dock.
“Yup.” Justine pushed to her feet. “Better get some more pancakes going.” She reached out for Rowan’s plate but remained standing there, looking down at her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Rowan let out a sigh and then nodded. “I am. Just trying to find my footing is all.” She gave Justine a smile. Her friend had been honest with her, if not totally helpful, and it meant a lot. “I’ll help you with breakfast.”
Not long after that, the boaters trooped into the house, laughter and conversation coming with them like a cloud floating above them.
Evie caught Rowan’s eye and gave her a soft smile but stayed on the other side of the room.
Stevie bumped her way between Rowan and Justine to the sink to wash her hands.
“What did we catch today?” Rowan asked.
“Three trout, a sunfish, two perch, and a fishing net.”
“That thing’s in good shape,” Lizzie piped up. “I bet somebody accidentally dropped it off their boat and was pissed about it.”
“Mine now,” Stevie said with a grin. “God, I’m starving.” She dropped a kiss on Justine’s head as she walked by. “Your pancakes are the best in all the land.”
“High praise,” Justine said with a laugh.
“Truth,” Stevie countered. Meanwhile, Sara had gotten more plates out and was setting the table.
Rowan stood against the counter, having refilled her coffee, and watched her friends buzz around the house, working together like the proverbial well-oiled machine, getting breakfast ready to share.
It warmed something inside her as she replayed Justine’s voice in her head.
I’m really, really glad you came this year.
She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Justine that she was glad, too. She was. She’d missed her crew more than she’d realized. But it hadn’t been easy with Evie there, and maybe that was okay. Maybe this was stuff that needed to be sorted out, who knew?
So, she stood, and she sipped, and she smiled.