AJ laughed, glad when Kelli joined in for a couple of seconds. “It is easier to say no to Robin or Alice, isn’t it?”
“I have a hard time saying no to anyone,” Kelli said. “But I did it with Julian. I told him no while he was lying in our bed with his girlfriend. I said no, AJ.”
“I’m proud of you, Kel. You know I’d be there tomorrow night if I could, right?”
“Of course you would,” Kelli said. “I know that, AJ.”
“I love you, Kel.”
“There’s more,” she said, and she went on to detail an encounter with her half-brother in front of a Chinese restaurant on Sanctuary Island.
AJ sat there in a state of shock, trying to make what she knew about Zach line up with what Kelli was saying. “I don’t even…this is wild.”
“I’ve got to get some answers about him,” Kelli said. “I need to talk to my mom, and I need to register Parker for school.” She exhaled, and AJ could hear her spiraling.
“One day at a time,” AJ said. “You’ve got time for all of that.”
“I need a job,” she said. “I need a ton of stuff for my house. It’s furnished, but I don’t want to sleep on someone else’s sheets.” She sniffled, and AJ wished she was there so she could hug her best friend.
They’d spent so many nights together, looking up at the stars and talking about their families, their grades, or their hopes for things. Never once had AJ said she wanted to get married, but now it seemed to be the only thing she thought about.
Kelli had always wanted to be a mother, but she’d had trouble getting pregnant, and she just had the one son.
“I feel like my life is falling apart,” Kelli said.
“At least you had something put together that could fall apart,” AJ said.
“Tell me about Peterson,” Kelli said.
AJ didn’t want to lie to her, nor did she want to admit that Peterson was a goldfish. She said, “I’m too tired tonight. Another time.”
“Okay,” Kelli said.
“Love you, Kel. Don’t let this define you.”
“You always tell me that,” Kelli said. “I’m grateful and glad, but I don’t know what defines me. If the experiences I have don’t define me, what does?”
“I have no idea,” AJ said. “I just don’t want you to let his decision change who you are.”
“I don’t have a clue who I am.”
“You’re Kelli Thompson,” AJ said. “And I’m AJ Proctor, and…” She waited for Kelli to start, and then she joined in with, “No one can tell us what to do.”
AJ smiled, because she could see herself and Kelli, riding their bikes as fast as they could down the steepest hill on Bell Island, shouting those words to the world. AJ had felt completely free during those times, with the wind in her face and her thoughts racing so fast that she didn’t have to dwell on any one of them.
“Text me tomorrow,” AJ said. “Let the others pamper you. Don’t be embarrassed. This doesn’t say anything about you.”
“Doesn’t it?” Kelli asked. “I think it says I’m such a bad wife that Julian needs two women to keep him satisfied.”
“No,” AJ said. “Not at all. It’s nothing like that. It’s just a sexual preference.”
“Feels like I’m not good enough,” Kelli said. She drew in a deep breath. “I’m so tired. I love you, AJ. I’ll text you tomorrow.”
“Love you, Kel.” The call ended, and AJ put her phone on the desk and stared at the wall. She wanted to go to New Jersey now, hunt down Julian, and ask him if he knew what he was giving up.
Kelli was such an amazing woman. She’d overcome so much in her life already, and AJ had no doubt she could weather this storm too. In June, when they’d all gathered for the summer sand pact, Kelli had really come alive. She’d been so different from the time they’d spent together for Joel’s funeral, and she was starting to act more like the person she’d been in high school.
AJ clicked to brighten her laptop again, and instead of going back to work, she started searching for airplane tickets from Denver to Five Island Cove. She couldn’t go, but she could dream.
She felt like she’d been doing that a lot lately. Dreaming for a chance to get on-air. Dreaming to meet that perfect man that would sweep her off her feet. Always dreaming, that was AJ, and she wished they’d start to replace the nightmare that was her reality.
Chapter Nine
Robin thanked the RideShare driver and got out of the car, her calves already cramping in these wedged sandals. She was far too old to wear shoes like this, but she’d wanted to wear them at least twice before she made a final determination on them.
Mandie and Jamie had both said they looked amazing, and Robin agreed. The problem was, looking amazing wasn’t worth the price of constantly aching feet or spasming muscles for the next week.
She loved to run in the morning, but by the time she’d get home, Robin doubted that she’d even be able to walk.
She entered Coddington’s, her chest already tight. Eloise had managed to get Kelli to agree to meet them for a dinnervention, and that alone was a miracle. It was also why Robin had suggested that Eloise talk to Kelli.
She’d shown up at Alice’s, so that suggested Kelli trusted Alice. The airport was on Diamond, though, and Robin had plenty of guest rooms too. In fact, Kelli had stayed with her when she’d come for Joel’s funeral.
Yet, Kelli hadn’t come to Robin.
She’d been telling herself it was nothing for two days. Alice had an enormous house on Rocky Ridge, and Robin’s husband would be home on Saturday. Kelli had probably wanted to intrude as little as possible.
Although…
Robin pushed the thoughts away. She hated the second-guessing. She hated that she was still unsure of her place in the group, and she reminded herself she didn’t need a place. She was perfectly secure in her marriage and her place as Duke’s wife, her kid’s mom, and the best wedding planner in the cove.
Her stomach swooped at the thought of her upcoming wedding. The Burke’s were a high-profile family out of Nantucket, and Robin wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible for the wedding. She wanted that for all of her clients, of course, but Lily Burke had the ability to bring a lot of business to Robin, and while Duke had made twice as much money this summer while in Alaska, Robin always wanted to build her business.
“How many?” a woman asked, and Robin hadn’t even realized it was her turn. She quickly scanned the lobby and didn’t see anyone she was meeting.
“Uh, four,” she said. “But they might already be here.”
The woman looked down at her podium, which was covered with colored squares of paper, sheaves of notes, and buzzers. Robin wanted to wash her hands just looking at all of the things that could carry germs.
“Hailey?” she asked.
“No,” Robin said. “It’s probably under Eloise.”
“I don’t have an Eloise.”
“Alice?”
The woman looked up. “I have a Hailey.”
“Okay,” Robin said. “Then four.”
The woman handed her a buzzer and said, “Fifteen or twenty minutes.”
Robin took the buzzer and got out of the way for the next patron. She felt like she was in the way, something she’d been feeling more and more lately. Kristen had told her that was simply what happened as children got older. Robin wasn’t as relevant as she’d once been. Her kids didn’t need her as much, though they needed her more in some ways.
She didn’t have to drive them all over the island or go with them on the ferries to the neighboring islands. But she expended at least ten times that amount of energy worrying about them. Was Mandie really where she said she’d be? What if she got into a situation on Rocky Ridge she couldn’t get out of? The ferry ride to the northernmost island took forty minutes, and that was from shore to shore.
“There she is.”
Robin turned at the sound of Alice’s voice, and she faced all three of her friends as they came in togeth
er.
“Hey, friend,” Alice said with a smile. She folded Robin into a hug that didn’t hurt as much as it had even two months ago. Alice wasn’t all bones anymore, and Robin thought she looked better than she had in years.
“Eloise,” Robin said, grinning at her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Eloise smiled back and hugged Robin. “I’m glad too, funnily enough.”
“How’s life at your mother’s?”
“It’s…different,” Eloise said. She side-stepped, and Robin faced Kelli. The woman wore a look of pure fear on her face, which she smoothed away in the next moment.
“Hey, Robin.” Kelli flashed a brief smile and hugged Robin too. She took a deep breath and faced the fray that was the restaurant. “How long?”
“She said fifteen or twenty minutes,” Robin said.
“It’s never that long,” Alice said.
“I hope not,” Eloise said. “I can’t stand here for very long. I worked myself hard at the inn today.”
“I want to hear all about the inn,” Robin said, shifting her purse on her shoulder.
“There’s not much to tell right now,” Eloise said. “I’m basically throwing away everything I touch.” She heaved a great sigh, and Robin believed the exhaustion she heard in the noise.
She’d been up to the Cliffside Inn with Eloise in June, and it had been one big mess. She almost thought it would be easier and take less time to knock the whole thing down and start over. It wouldn’t be nearly as cheap though, and though Eloise had bought the inn a long time ago, Robin assumed she still had a budget.
“And I’m taking tomorrow and Thursday off,” she said, glancing around. Her eyes skirted away from Robin’s as she added, “To go school shopping with Aaron and the girls.”
“Aaron’s going back to school?” Alice asked.
Robin rolled her eyes, and when Eloise did too, Robin couldn’t contain her giggle. Alice had an interesting sense of humor, that was for sure. Robin was just glad to hear her attempting to joke at all, as she hadn’t been in a place to do that for a while now.
“That’s a big deal,” Robin said. “I don’t want to pry, but—”
“Yes, you do,” Eloise said with a smile. She swatted playfully at Robin’s shoulder. “No, there’s been no talk of a wedding.”
“Dang it,” Robin said. “I really want to put you on my schedule, and I’m terrified I’ll book someone else, and you’ll hire someone else.” It really was a real fear she had too.
“I’m not going to do that,” Eloise said. “I’ll set the date with you, not Aaron.”
Kelli smiled—finally—and Robin wondered how hard they’d have to pry that evening to get the truth from her. Eloise had specifically used the word “dinnervention” in her text, so everyone knew what was happening tonight.
“Remember, some of us haven’t been planning our weddings since we were eight.” Eloise giggled. “Besides, I’ve been married before. So has he. We don’t want anything big.” Her eyes widened. “I mean, at least I don’t. We haven’t…really talked about it.”
“I’m surprised by that,” Alice said. “The man knows you gave up your whole career to move here, right?”
“Yes,” Eloise said quickly, already on the defensive. “It’s…he’s very busy.”
“El,” Robin said, and her friend’s eyes came back to hers. “Two things, and then I swear I will not say another word about you and Aaron for…a week.”
“Wow, a whole week?” Eloise asked dryly. She folded her arms, her dark eyes sparkling with an emotion halfway between annoyance and laughter.
Robin grinned at her. “Probably eight days, because we’ll get together next Wednesday for lunch.” She looked around at everyone. “All of us, okay?”
“I love the Wednesday lunch,” Alice said. “And the twins will be at school, so I’m definitely in.”
“Kelli?”
“Maybe,” Kelli said, looking away. “I don’t really know what will be happening in eight days.”
“She has a good point,” Eloise said. “I should be available. I’m just trying to get the caretaker’s suite as livable as possible, as fast as possible.”
“Robin,” the hostess called, and Robin looked down at her buzzer. It hadn’t gone off. She honestly wasn’t sure why she’d been holding it all this time. She stepped over to the hostess, the other ladies in her wake.
“Right here,” she said, handing the buzzer back. “That didn’t go off.”
“Yeah, about half of them are broken.” The woman just took it back and put it in the same stack she’d taken it from. “This way.”
She led them through the crowded seafood joint to a table crammed in the back corner. Robin didn’t mind, because then she wouldn’t be bumped a bunch of times as other people got up and left or new people came in and took seats.
“I can’t wait for school to start,” Alice grumbled as she took the seat next to Robin. “Then maybe some of these people will leave the cove.” She glared around at the packed and busy restaurant.
Robin looked at her, realizations manifesting themselves in her mind.
“Alice,” Eloise said, drawing out the name into more than two syllables. “Did you hear what you just said?”
Alice froze, her eyes widening. “Oh, no,” she moaned. “I just sounded like my mother.”
“No,” Robin said, working hard to hold back the giggle. “You sounded like my mother.”
Alice swung her attention to Robin, clear horror in her eyes. Robin couldn’t help laughing then, because it had been Alice and not her who’d said that.
She knew she could have just as easily. It also reminded her that even if she didn’t want to be like her mother at all—even if Alice didn’t—it was almost impossible to escape that possibility.
They ordered drinks, and Robin folded her arms on the checkered tablecloth. “All right, Kelli. Let’s get this dinnervention started.”
“Wait,” Eloise said. “I need to call AJ. She wanted to be here.” She tapped and got the call open, and Robin smiled at AJ on the video chat.
She waved to everyone and said, “I’m going to be on mute,” she said. “I’m still at work.” She put her finger to her lips, her eyes sparkling, and Robin really wanted to ask her about Peterson too.
AJ seemed so different than she’d been only two months ago. She probably wasn’t drinking at all, and she actually looked younger and more relaxed, so the new job must be going well. AJ didn’t say much about it. She mainly sent texts about New York City and pictures of the architecture there.
Robin loved every picture, and when Duke got home on Saturday, she was going first welcome him home with his favorite meal. They’d spend time together as a family. She’d make love to him, and then the next thing on her list was to ask him to take her to New York City.
She’d never been away from Five Island Cove, as her parents didn’t have an inclination to travel, and the family business kept them chained to the islands. Once her parents had divorced, there was even less opportunity to leave the cove, and she alone had stayed after high school. She’d met Duke, and he fished the seas around the islands, and there was no reason for her to go anywhere.
“Okay,” Eloise said. “You’re up, Kel.”
They had to pause once while they put in their orders, but otherwise Kelli talked and talked. And talked. By the time she stopped, Robin had eaten her soft-shell crabs and chips. Her stomach felt just as hollow as before though, because of Kelli’s story.
Kelli finally picked up her lobster roll and took a bite.
“That’s unbelievable,” Alice said. She met Robin’s eye, and Robin saw rage in Alice’s expression. She wasn’t sure if she was more angry or more disgusted.
“You know,” Eloise said. “The Hillstone’s have that sort of alternative relationship in their marriage. It’s not that uncommon.”
“Sure,” Alice said. “I’m sure there were tons of swingers in the Hamptons too. I saw the lawn ornaments. What I’
m saying is, it’s unbelievable for Julian to think Kelli would be interested in that lifestyle.”
Robin nodded, because Alice had hit that one on the nose.
“That’s what I thought,” AJ said, and Eloise jumped.
“Oh, my goodness, AJ,” she said, picking up the phone. “I forgot you were there.”
“Yeah, I’ve been looking at the ceiling for half an hour. Thanks, Eloise.” She laughed, and everyone at the table did too.
Once that settled, Robin couldn’t help looking at Kelli. She reached across the table to her and covered her hand with hers. “Tell us what you need, Kelli. Someone to help babysit while you get moved into your new place? Someone to help you register Parker for school? What do you need for the rental? Towels? Soap?”
“I have a ton of laundry detergent pods,” Alice said. “I ordered one container, but the girl who did the grocery delivery thought it was a seven, and they wouldn’t take them back.”
“They wouldn’t take them back?” Robin looked at Alice. “That’s insane. Those are expensive.”
“I guess they’ve been having kids buy them and open them, take a few out, and then return them.” Alice shook her head. “Whatever. I literally have enough to do laundry for the next decade.”
“Everything I own is coming from Boston,” Eloise said. “Literally, a whole brownstone full of furniture, appliances, toiletries. I’m living with my mother. So.” She shrugged, and the message was clear. She wasn’t going to be using any of that stuff.
“I have a ton of sheets we’re not using,” Robin said. “And my mother just cleaned out her basement, and she had some of my old toys down there. Like, from thirty-five years ago.”
Kelli looked around the table, and while she’d been steady and strong through a quick recap of what had happened with Zach last night, and then the reason she’d left New Jersey and come back to Five Island Cove, now her lower jaw trembled.
“Oh, don’t cry,” Eloise said, reaching over and putting her arm around Kelli. “You’ll make me cry.”
“You guys are amazing,” Kelli whispered, and yet Robin could still hear it in the crowded restaurant. She could feel Kelli’s gratitude way down deep in her soul. “I love you all so much.” She nodded and quickly wiped her face. “I’m not going to cry. I’m not.”
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