Chapter 11 #2
Out in front of the Eco-Lodge, Juliet dared a glance back at her daughter’s bedroom. The curtains were aglow, presumably because Danica was behind them, writing in her blog.
During the walk to the docks, Hank and Juliet talked about easy things.
Hank had about a hundred stories from his first sixty days of traveling, and when Juliet asked how he could make it all work, he explained he was a freelance software developer who’d grown tired of living in the same place all the time. “Also, I’m divorced.” He shrugged.
“Who isn’t?” Juliet laughed.
“Most of my friends back home aren’t,” Hank said.
“It made me feel like I’d failed, you know?
Everyone has these long, beautiful relationships with kids and everything.
And my ex-wife left me for the gym teacher at the high school where she teaches English.
” He shuddered, then laughed at himself.
“She thinks Kerouac is for kids. Teenage boys, she said.”
Juliet had heard similar sentiments about Kerouac, but she’d never been much of a reader herself. She wondered what Danica would say about Kerouac, and about Hank, and decided she didn’t want to know. Danica had no idea what it was like to be nearing forty and unloved.
When they reached the docks, the fireworks were just beginning, a symphony of reds and oranges and yellows.
Together, Juliet and Hank sat, their legs hanging over the side of the docks, as, around them, other Bluebell Cove visitors and locals ogled the show.
Occasionally, Hank drew his body closer to hers so Juliet could feel the warmth emanating from his muscular frame.
She wondered how he stayed in such great shape after so many weeks on the road.
When the fireworks were over, it was only nine. Hank suggested they take a small stroll down the boardwalk. Juliet hadn’t eaten, and she felt jittery but grateful. She still loved the way he looked at her—like she was the secret solution to all his life’s problems. Maybe she was!
“And what’s your story, anyway?” he asked as they walked, his hands in his pockets. “You said everyone’s divorced, so I take it that you are too?”
“I am,” she said. “It’s pretty new. It’s sort of why I’m here.” She filled her lungs, wondering how much of her story she was willing to share with this guy. She hadn’t even told Celia and Ivy she was divorced, although she guessed they’d figured it out.
Maybe she could practice telling the truth to this stranger.
Maybe he’d accept it and teach her something about the goodness of the world.
Her eyes filled with tears that she quickly blinked away.
“He had an affair, too,” she explained. “It was around the time I lost my job, and I’ve been sort of a wreck ever since.
But worse than that, my husband, I mean my ex-husband, took a job in Singapore and left us in Manhattan to fend for ourselves.
The alimony and child support is pathetic.
I don’t know why I didn’t argue for more.
And my daughter hates me because she thinks she should be with my husband.
I mean, my ex-husband. But she doesn’t know he doesn’t want her. And I can’t tell her!”
Juliet gasped for air, realizing she’d been speaking too fast, too frantically. When she looked up at Hank, she thought she caught bewilderment on his face. But after a moment of silence, he tapped her shoulder. “Sounds like you have a lot on your mind.”
Juliet told herself to breathe. Hank had asked what her story was, and she’d told him. She’d actually been honest, for once. It felt beautiful, like the sun pouring over a previously rainy day.
“Hey, so. Are you hungry?” Juliet asked finally. Her stomach felt like it was eating itself.
“Starving,” Hank said.
“Maybe we could try there?” Juliet pointed to a restaurant not far away. Its lights were aglow against the night, and an OPEN sign was lit up with reds and yellows.
“Let’s do it.” Hank walked with purpose toward the restaurant, giving Juliet the sense that he always knew where he was going and never second-guessed himself. He held open the door and led her to a booth, where they sat and searched for whoever was working there.
“I bet this place is about to fill up,” Hank said. “Since the fireworks just finished.”
“You’re probably right,” Juliet said. “Tourist places like these are always swarming on major holidays.” But there was something haunted about this restaurant, she thought.
something that gave her pause, that made her think that whoever was here didn’t have an eye for what a guest needed.
Almost all of it, from the flooring to the walls to the windows, needed to be redone.
And it was impossible to say what kind of food it served, as there were no menus and no specials written on the walls.
Music came in through a tiny speaker, but it was scratchy and made it difficult to decipher what was being played.
Juliet had the sudden suspicion that they were in the wrong place. “Maybe we should go somewhere else?”
Hank shrugged. “If you want. I’m going to use the bathroom real quick, and then we can get out of here.” He got up, winked at her, then sauntered to a hallway that led him to the bathroom.
Juliet remained alone, cupping her elbows and watching as the smoke from the fireworks outside dissipated, revealing the black night filled with vibrant stars.
The drone show had been little more than five minutes, allowing the traditional fireworks to reign.
But Juliet understood what Danica meant about the drones.
Tiny robots like that, creating a show, felt almost as disconcerting as fire blasts in the sky.
There was the sound of a swinging door, and Juliet turned, expecting to see Hank coming back for her.
But instead, a man stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room.
He wore chef whites and a thick apron, and he had headphones on, which was maybe why he hadn’t heard them come in before.
Juliet thought, That’s not how you run a business.
He had the air of someone too clueless to figure something like that out. Or too pure.
And then, he said, “Juliet?”
Juliet felt a jolt of adrenaline. It was Theo, Theo Maddox, standing before her. She couldn’t believe it, but her eyes weren’t deceiving her. She got to her feet, unable to do anything but whisper, “Theo? What are you doing here?”
But of course that was a stupid question. Theo was always here.