Southern Girl
Page 39
“Your mom told me. I’m glad you had your sister to stay with.” Stephanie’s face was filled with such tenderness. She’d obviously never stopped caring or wondering where Jess had gone.
“How’s it been for you?” Jess asked with concern. “Did you make friends?”
“Oh, you know. It was hard at first, but I made one or two.”
Jess felt a pang of jealousy.
“We’re just friends,” Stephanie said, as if reading her mind. She gave her a little shove. “By the way, I heard from one of my cheerleader friends back home, one who wasn’t freaked out about us. Nancy Jennings? You remember her?”
“Not really. All the cheerleaders looked alike to me, except you.”
Her comment made Stephanie laugh, although it was the truth.
“Well,” Stephanie continued, “she told me that Kelly Madison got caught smoking pot in the girls’ bathroom last winter and got expelled.”
Jess burst out laughing. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person!”
“She also told me they’re still talkin’ about what you did at First Baptist,” Stephanie said.
“They must be short on gossip.”
“No, it was legendary.” She looked as though she was remembering it herself. She flashed Jess a smile she’d never forget, one of pride and awe. “I only wish I’d been able to go with you. I’d have loved to be part of something so crazy.”
“You were,” Jess said.
“You talk to your dad?” She asked the question carefully.
“Nah. I doubt he’ll come around either.” Jess took a sip of her drink. “He wouldn’t give a shit that I’m playin’ for LSU. I don’t know, maybe someday he’ll want to see me, wherever I end up, but I don’t think so.”
Stephanie tried to mask her uneasiness. “Mama wants me to come back and live with her in Greens Fork.”
You can’t. Jess’s face gave her away. But she tried to be calm. “What’re you gonna do?”
“I got a partial scholarship to Duke,” Stephanie said, but there was no joy in her voice. “Dad said he’d pay the rest. The thing is, I may have to wait.” She got up and started walking down the boardwalk. Jess followed her toward the ocean.
“Because of your mom?” Jess watched her intently. She knew how responsible she felt for her mother, how protective she’d been of her even when she was at her worst.
Stephanie said nothing. Jess could tell she was torn about what to do. She knew somehow that Stephanie had to sort this out on her own. She laughed, prompting a puzzled look from Stephanie.
“I’m just so glad you’re here. I can’t believe you came.”
They laughed together like the two little kids they had been. They both knew, however, that they couldn’t laugh forever. There were questions that needed to be answered even though neither of them wanted to ask yet. What would happen after their visit here?
When they stopped laughing, they discovered that their steps had taken them to the old red fishing pier known as Motif No. 1.
“Did you know this is the most painted building in the US?” Stephanie said, proud of her knowledge.
“No.”
“I read up on things before I came here.”
“Of course you did.” Jess shook her head, smiling with adoration. “Always the good student.”
They marveled a moment at the rusty red walls and the walkway with a clear view to the sea.
Jess turned and spotted another fishing shack. “I’m gettin’ you a lobster roll.”
“Really?” Stephanie said teasingly. “You must really love me.” The look on her face told Jess that the words had slipped out before she’d thought about it.
“I do,” Jess said, her face completely serious.
The questions Jess didn’t want to ask, the really important ones, pulled at her again. What did this reunion mean anyway? Was it about a new beginning? Or was it about closure?
“When are you goin’ back?” Jess finally asked, not knowing if she was asking her about returning to Nashville or to Greens Fork to take care of her mother. She waited anxiously for the response.
Stephanie looked out at the sea, which was so blue neither of them could tell where the water ended and the sky began.
“I can’t go back,” Stephanie said softly. “Not now.” Jess knew somehow that she wasn’t just talking about a place.
“Me neither.” She took her hand and squeezed it. It was the only way she knew to show her that it was all right to be scared and uncertain of the future, but that she was never going to let her go again.
As they headed toward the seafood shack, they passed a man and a woman who were holding hands just like they were. Jess’s heart started to hammer, fed by a rush of fear and exhilaration. She didn’t let go of Stephanie’s hand, though—even when it became obvious that the other couple had seen them and had recognized that they were both female. She and Stephanie weren’t little kids anymore. They were brave young women. They were being honest now, and while there was risk in that, there was also such freedom.
The sun began to set as they walked across the pier. Just like years ago at the river, they held hands and their shadows merged into one.
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