Chapter Fifty-Five
“Looks like your monsoon’s on its way,” Talia tells Kelly, pointing at the sky.
The bright, hot morning sunshine has given way to muggy gray. Bruise-colored storm clouds are pushing past the mountains in the northwest.
“It’s fine with me,” Kelly says with a stretch and a yawn. “I’ve had enough beach to last me till next summer.”
Ben, too, seems to have noticed the changing weather. He and Caleb are finally making their way to shore.
“Mom, did you see me turn two somersaults in a row?”
“I did. Very impressive.” She wraps her son in a beach towel. “Your lips are blue, and your fingers are prunes, kiddo.”
“I’m starving. Did you bring Goldfish?”
“I’m sorry, sweetie, I didn’t think of it.”
“But Granny Nat always brought them to the beach!”
“Your mom brought goldfish to the beach?” Kelly asks Talia.
She laughs. “Not live ones. The crackers.”
“Goldfish crackers? Huh. Are they made out of goldfish?”
Caleb finds that hilarious.
“The kid’s a great audience,” Kelly tells Talia. “This isn’t even my best material.”
Ben finds that hilarious.
Kelly points at him. “Also a great audience. Why don’t we go to lunch at the Landing? I don’t think they have crackers made out of goldfish, but they have real ones in a huge aquarium, and minnows and catfish and tetras too.”
“Do you think they have french fries?” Caleb asks.
“In the aquarium? I don’t think french fries are great swimmers.”
That earns her another big laugh from Caleb.
“Yes, of course they have french fries. Great ones. And ketchup. And your mom used to work there.”
“Really, Mom?”
Talia nods. “So did Granny Nat.”
“And it’s right over there, so we can walk, see?” Kelly points at the gray-shingled structure by the pier. “But we’ll have to put all the beach stuff in your car, Ben, because thanks to our friend Midge, I had to move mine to East Bumf—”
“Kelly!” Talia says.
“—fonia. East Bumfonia,” Kelly repeats with a wink at Talia.
She shakes her head and takes her phone out of her bag. “I’ll text Hayley and see if she wants to come.”
Ben pulls his pink polo shirt over his head. “How is she going to come? We’re walking over, and she’s not here.”
“If she wants to, we can go pick her up.”
“By we, you mean me.”
“I can do it,” Kelly offers.
“Thanks, but as far as I’m concerned, if she didn’t want to come to the beach, she’s going to have to miss out on lunch at the Landing.”
Talia ignores him. She sends her text and holds her phone in her hand as they start packing up.
All around them, others are doing the same. A resigned melancholy has settled over the crowd, as summer seems to have drawn to a premature close amid the washout weekend forecast.
Talia checks her phone yet again as Ben dumps the melted ice out of the cooler. “Well?” he asks.
“I bet she hasn’t seen my text. She might be in the shower, or taking a bubble bath . . . She was really excited about the bathtub, remember? I should probably call her.”
“No, you shouldn’t. You know how she is with that phone. There’s not a chance in hell that she missed a text, even if she’s soaking in a tub. She’s just ignoring you.”
“Maybe, but . . .” Talia looks at Kelly. “Maybe we should go straight back to Haven Cliff.”
“Whatever you want, Tal’.”
“But I really want to see where you and Granny used to work, Mom. And I really, really want to see the giant fish tank,” Caleb says as she fastens the Velcro straps on his little sport sandals. “And really, really, really, I want to eat a lot of french fries, with a real lot of ketchup.”
“So do I. We’re going to lunch,” Ben says firmly, juggling the folding chairs and cooler as they join the mass exodus toward the parking lot.
“Tal’?” Kelly asks. “Is it really unusual for her to ignore her phone for this long?”
“It is, but she’s probably still angry with me.”
“I’m sure that’s it, but—”
Talia’s ringing phone cuts her off.
“Ah, there she is! See?” She answers it without checking the screen. “Hayley?”
There’s a pause. “Talia? It’s me, Camille.”
“Camille! Hi!”
Kelly wags her finger at Talia.
She mouths, I thought it was Hayley.
“I hate to bother you with a phone call on vacation, but I tried texting a few times and didn’t hear back, so . . .”
“You did? Sorry, I’ve had sketchy service here,” Talia tells Camille, slowing her pace and falling behind the others. “In fact, I might lose you any second, so if I disappear . . .”
“I’ll be quick. I just thought you should be looped in on something Chloe and Maddie told me.”
“Maddie?” she asks, drawing a blank.
“Maddie Miller. She’s a good friend of the girls’.”
“Oh, right,” Talia agrees, though the name isn’t familiar. Rather, it’s too familiar. There are several Maddies in Hayley’s class.
“Anyway, Maddie’s here with Chloe for the weekend, and I overheard the girls talking . . .”
Uh-oh. Talia would prefer hearing about Camille’s divorce to whatever drama is unfolding among the girls. Remembering Kelly’s comment about being twelve, she braces herself for whatever is coming.
Sneaking around, making out with guys, smoking cigarettes in the gazebo . . .
But it isn’t any of those things.
Uncertain she heard it right, Talia says, “Wait . . . she what?”
“She submitted her DNA to one of those online genealogy websites,” Camille repeats. “Since she’s underage . . . I mean, if it were my daughter, I’d want to know.”
“But why would she do something like that?” Talia asks.
“Apparently, she’s trying to find her grandfather. The girls think it would be your father, maybe?”
Talia stops walking, phone pressed to her ear as Camille talks on.
“I’ll admit I was a little confused, because I know Ben’s dad passed away when the girls were in elementary school, and I thought I remembered that your father died when they were in pre-K.”
“That was my stepfather.”
“Ah! So she’s looking for your biological father?”
“Apparently.” She clears her throat. “Camille, I appreciate your sharing this. But I, um . . . I’m at the beach, and the call is probably about to drop, so . . . thank you. Talk soon.”
She hangs up and immediately dials Hayley.
The line rings . . . rings . . . rings . . .
Voicemail.
She tries again.
Same result.
She opens her texts. Hayley still hasn’t responded.
Talia sends a new message: Call me right now. It’s important!