“Right … n-n-now?” Charlie stammered.
“Sure, why not? The kids barely know you, and they’re always asking about their big sister.”
“Stepsister. And why do they want to know me?”
Jimmy laughed. “That’s a good question. I can’t imagine. I think they just like the idea of having a big sister to talk to about, you know, girl stuff. Come on—it’ll be fun.”
Charlie knew it was wrong, but she really didn’t want to go. September, and Nicholas’s inevitable return to New York, loomed ahead, a threatening cloud on the horizon speeding toward her. There was so much to do before Labor Day weekend! As she watched Nicholas swimming toward the dock, her father followed her eyes.
“Are you and Nicholas … you know—”
“No! Dad! We’re just friends.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry. I just thought maybe that’s why you don’t want—”
“Well, that’s not it. Jeez. Hey, Nicholas, come on up here.”
After a summer of swimming and sailing together, Nicholas had gotten over most of his self-consciousness about going shirtless around Charlie, but at that moment he still wished for a T-shirt to magically appear. When that didn’t happen, he had no choice but to climb onto the dock, where he stood dripping, his arms folded across his chest.
After the introductions, Charlie pulled Nicholas aside and hit him with her news. “Dad wants me to come out to the farm with him for a few days.”
Nicholas’s heart sank; he, too, was all too aware of how fast the summer seemed to be zooming by. “A few days? Wow. Well, I guess that could be fun.” He didn’t really think so, but it seemed like the polite thing to say at that moment. “I’ve never seen an ostrich up close.”
“It’s no big deal, believe me,” said Charlie. “They’re like chickens, only bigger. I know I should want to go—he’s my dad and all—but I really don’t want to.”
“It’s only for a few days.”
“Yeah, but what about the movie? We still have a lot of work to do. I’ve never edited a movie before. I have no idea how long it’s going to take. And what if we have to—”
“Stop worrying. It’ll be fine.”
Charlie made a pouty face. “But summer’s almost over. You’ll be going back to New York, and I’ll probably never see you again.”
“That is not going to happen. I’m probably coming back next summer.”
“Probably? So that means you might not.”
“It just means I haven’t even thought about it yet—that’s all.”
“Well, you’d better start. After all the work we did on Imp, and the movie, and … everything else. And you still haven’t gotten a decent hit off me yet,” she teased.
Nicholas winced. It was true; she still struck him out almost every time he faced her. Occasionally, he hit a weak grounder or a short pop-up, but he had yet to really “light one up”—to get a clear, undeniable hit. He knew that the law of averages was on his side, but sometimes he couldn’t help wondering just how long his streak might go on. She was one tough pitcher, no doubt about it.
But there’s more to life than baseball, Nicholas reasoned. And he knew that the way he had handled Goblin in that storm counted for something. He had seen the look of pride in Nick’s eyes when Teddy told him the story of the rescue operation.
“I don’t care if it takes until November, I’m not going back to New York until I knock something out of the infield, Brennan.”
“November? I could keep you here through the winter if I wanted to, Mettleson. And winters are long here in Ohio.”
“So, are you ready to go?” asked Jimmy, standing behind Charlie. “We’ll make a quick stop at your mom’s so you can pack and … shower, maybe.”
“Dad! Are you saying I stink?”
Jimmy pinched his nose shut and grinned at Nicholas.
“No, not at all.”
“I can’t help it. I spent the night in a barn.”
“You can tell me the whole story on the way,” said Jimmy. “After you shower.” He put his arm around Charlie’s shoulders and started to lead her away.
“Um, before you go, can I talk to you—for just one more second?” Nicholas asked.
Charlie broke away from Jimmy’s grip. “Give me a minute, Dad. I’ll meet you at the car—I promise.”
Nicholas waited until Jimmy was a few steps away, and spoke in a low voice. “Listen, Charlie, there’s something I need to tell you. Last night, I found out a few things from Teddy … about what happened with his first boat. I wasn’t sure I should tell you, but if it were the other way around, I would want to know. At least I think I would. You have to promise me you won’t be mad.”
“Nicholas! Just tell me!”
“You may not like it. Although I guess it shouldn’t be a huge surprise.…”
“Nicholas!”
He breathed deeply and told her, in abbreviated form, Teddy’s version of the events of that fateful morning at the marina.
“So, my dad is the villain of the story after all,” Charlie said with a heavy sigh. “Not that I’m surprised. Ever since we saw that old film, I knew it was him. I just don’t understand why he did it, or why he didn’t stick up for your dad. Some friend.”
“Maybe there’s still something we don’t know,” said Nicholas. “You’d better get going. Call me tomorrow, okay?”
“I will. After I talk to my dad.”
* * *
After long, and very welcome, hot showers, Nicholas and the twins called their mom in New York and shared the highlights—but not all the scary details—of their thrilling voyage around the lake. Then, with the exception of Pistol, who was ready for a little “alone time,” the Mettlesons, old and young, piled into Betty for the trip into Deming. Over a celebratory lunch of burgers, chicken nuggets, fries, and Cokes, they toasted Goblin for getting them through the long, stormy night without so much as a scratch.
Three hot fudge sundaes later (Hayley and Hetty shared one), Nick raised his glass one more time. “I want to thank you kids. I’ll be honest, when your dad first talked to me about your coming out for the summer, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know you at all, and with your folks’ divorce and all, well, I didn’t know what to expect. But it’s been one of the best summers ever, and I’m pretty sure you’ve added ten years to my life. So … toast yourselves. To the Mettlesons!”
“TO THE METTLESONS!” the kids screamed.
“Does this mean we can come back next summer?” Hetty asked.
Nick laughed. “We’ll have to talk to your parents about that. I suspect that your mom is getting a little lonely about now. But if it’s okay with them, it’s okay with me.”
“Yay!” shouted Hayley and Hetty.
Nicholas didn’t say a word, but he couldn’t help smiling.
Back at Uncle Nick’s house!
August 9
Dear Dad,
Well, our peaceful trip around the lake turned into kind of a crazy adventure. Now I really understand why they call it Godforsaken Lake! Sailed all night through a wild storm and saw some things I’ll never forget. Funny how many of my questions got answered in one night—and how many new ones I have.
Love,
Nicholas
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
When Charlie called Nicholas the next day, she had nothing to report. She admitted—reluctantly—that she was having fun at her dad’s farm. Her stepsisters, Jenny and Cindy, just five and seven, were cute, and they practically worshiped her.
“What about your stepmom?” Nicholas asked. He knew that Charlie had resisted getting to know her, purely out of stubbornness.
“Linda? She’s actually not so bad,” Charlie confessed. “She’s kind of funny. And she’s nice. She’s a lousy cook, though. No wonder my dad is still so skinny. We had this stuff for dinner; I’m not even sure what it was. Some kind of tuna casserole. Really bad.”
“What about your dad? Did you … talk to him yet?”
“No. He was so happy th
at I came with him, I just couldn’t bear to spoil it for him. Not yet, anyway. Maybe tomorrow.”
But the next day, and the day after that, came and went, and Charlie still hadn’t confronted her dad.
“I’ll do it tomorrow,” Charlie said. “Dad and I are taking the horses for a long ride. We’ll have lots of time to talk, away from the kids. How’s The Seaweed Strangler coming along?”
“Okay. At least I think so. I’m getting the hang of the editing program. I put a few scenes together, and it’s actually starting to look like a movie. The old film is so scratchy and grainy compared to the new stuff that it’s not that hard to believe it’s been sitting out in the rain and sun on an island for a few years.”
“Well, save some of the work for me. You have to teach me how to do it, too.”
“Don’t worry—there’s still a ways to go. The twins are getting excited about it. They say we have to have a big premiere party, like they do in Hollywood. They asked Uncle Nick if he had a red carpet. Like he had one sitting up in the barn waiting for a special occasion. He told them they could paint a long sheet of paper red.”
“That’s a great idea—the party, I mean. We can invite everybody from the neighborhood. Maybe your mom can come out from New York. Too bad your dad’s still in Africa. He’s the one who really ought to see it. It was his idea, after all. Do we have time to finish the movie?”
“Oh, sure. I mean, it’s not going to win an Academy Award or anything, but it will be done. You’re coming back the day after tomorrow, right? I can’t wait … you know, so you can see what I’ve done so far. We can let the twins plan the party; it will make them feel important.”
“Maybe we should have a theme. You know, like food made with seaweed or something.”
“Or … not. How about hot dogs?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Nothing. I just like hot dogs.”
* * *
Charlie, who preferred to ride English rather than Western, sat high in her saddle aboard Patches, a four-year-old Appaloosa, following her dad down a trail that ran along the ostrich pasture. At the far end of the property, they continued on, crossing a creek and a dirt road, then climbing a slight grade to a neighbor’s pasture, where they let themselves in through a wooden gate.
“Are we allowed to go in here?” Charlie asked. “Isn’t this somebody’s property?”
“It’s okay,” said Jimmy. “The owner’s a friend. I let his kids ride across our pastures. There’s a big oak tree up at the top of the hill—it’s a perfect place to stop for a picnic lunch. Come on, I’ll race you.” He gave his horse a little nudge with his heel and cantered up the trail. Charlie, never one to turn away from a contest of any kind, pressed her heels down in the stirrups, leaned out over the horse’s neck, and urged her into a canter. She caught and passed Jimmy easily, opening up into a gallop as their destination came into view.
As Charlie pulled back on the reins to slow Patches to a walk, she couldn’t help marveling at the picturesque scene before her. “Big” didn’t do the oak tree justice; it was enormous, its trunk the size of her bedroom, its branches creating enough shade to protect a small army from the sun. It stood alone at the summit, the winner of a game of king of the hill, after which all the other trees fled in embarrassment.
Her dad brought his horse to a stop beside her a few seconds later and dropped out of his saddle. “Not a bad view, huh?”
“It’s like something out of a movie,” said Charlie.
“Believe it or not, I first found this place when I was just a little bit older than you. This farm used to be a stable where you could rent horses. When we were in high school, your mom and I used to come out here to ride all the time. I think we imagined that we were the only people who knew about it. It was our tree, our special little place.”
For the first time in her life, Charlie felt sorry for her dad. He seemed sad, looking back on that part of his life, knowing that it was gone forever.
Jimmy led the two horses into the shade, where he loosely tied the reins to an iron ring nailed into the trunk of the oak and set his backpack on the ground. After spreading out a fleece blanket, he pulled out two sandwiches, a bag of carrot sticks, and a thermos filled with homemade lemonade. He handed a sandwich to Charlie. “Egg salad okay?”
She raised a single eyebrow. “Ostrich eggs?”
“Ha! No, just ordinary chickens. You’re a funny kid, Charlie. You get that from your mom.”
“Really? I don’t think we’re that much alike.”
“You’re not exactly like her, but sometimes you say something, or get this look on your face, that just … well, it kind of freaks me out, to be honest.”
“You know, it’s funny,” said Charlie. “Mom had the same reaction when she met Nicholas the first time.”
Jimmy chewed his sandwich slowly as his sad smile returned.
“Dad?”
“Mmm.”
“Back when you and Mom were kids, and—”
“You want to know about me and Will, don’t you?”
“Well, I do have some questions.” She told him about Nicholas finding the movie in the tower room, their discovery of the tampered-with steering cables, and the film that was shot the day Teddy’s boat sank. “And in that horrible storm, when Nicholas rescued Teddy, the final pieces of the puzzle came together.”
Jimmy listened silently as the realization that the time had come for him to clear his conscience once and for all sank in.
“The other day, when I saw Teddy standing out there on Nick’s boat, and then you introduced me to Will’s kid, I was actually relieved. I don’t know how—maybe it was the way you looked at me—but I knew you had figured out that I had something to do with Will leaving.”
“But … why?” Charlie asked. “You guys were friends.”
“That’s easy. Love. Jealousy. A combination of those two will make people do all kinds of crazy things. I fell in love with your mom in the third grade. I was just a kid, but she was all I ever thought about. And even though Will was only around in the summers, he was my best friend.
But then …”
“He and Mom.”
“Exactly. Watching the two of them spend more and more time together, the way she looked at him—it just ate away at me. I had to do something to break them apart. So, at fourteen, I sacrificed the best friend I ever had so I could have her to myself. It was the worst thing I ever did, and even though I ended up married to her, and got you as part of the bargain, I have felt guilty every day of my life since. I know that I can never make up for what happened, and it can’t change what’s already happened, but I am sorry—you have to believe that, Charlie.”
Charlie threw her arms around him. “It’s okay, Dad, really. It was all a long time ago. Nicholas and I have already agreed—we’re not going to say anything to Mom or his dad. Like you said, it won’t change anything. And who knows, even though you and Mom didn’t last forever, you two must have been meant to get together. I mean, if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here, right?”
Blinking back tears—the first Charlie had ever seen in his eyes—Jimmy smiled. “Thanks, Charlie. You’re the best.”
“And you know, Dad, you have a great family, and we all love you … and your stupid ostriches.”
He nodded. “How did you get to be so smart, anyway?”
“Simple. I got my brains from Mom,” Charlie said, grinning mischievously. “Now come on—I’ll race you back to the barn.”
* * *
The days following Charlie’s return from her dad’s farm were a blur of activity in and around Nick’s house. Finishing The Seaweed Strangler became the top priority for Nicholas and Charlie, but they were also determined to spend as much time as possible sailing Imp and Goblin before the three Mettleson kids boarded the train to New York. And so, days were spent sailing, biking, swimming, playing baseball, and shooting the final scenes, while evenings were devoted to editing and adding the sound tra
ck and other final details to the movie, and planning the “world premiere” extravaganza that Hetty and Hayley had dreamt up. No one argued about bedtimes; by nine-thirty, they were all exhausted, and when the lights went out, sleep came instantly.
Hayley and Hetty, the official co-hostesses for the movie’s premiere, created and printed invitations using Charlie’s computer, and then addressed, stamped, and mailed them to everyone on the guest list for the party, which had morphed into an end-of-summer barbecue and movie premiere. As the days rushed past, that list somehow grew from a few names to more than thirty as Nick reached out to friends and neighbors, and Charlie invited Little League teammates and a handful of friends from school.
Franny, obviously, would be there, and even volunteered to help Nick with the food. On the way back from the ostrich farm, Charlie had tried to persuade her dad to come, too, but he admitted that, under the circumstances, it would just be too uncomfortable. Instead, he made Charlie promise to bring a copy of the movie the next time she came to stay at the farm.
And then, just two days before the party, Jo Mettleson called to tell Nicholas that she wouldn’t be able to make it, either. She was swamped at work, and even a quick trip to Ohio was out of the question at the moment.
“Besides, you three will be back here in no time at all,” she reminded him.
The twins were very disappointed, but her promise of a surprise that would arrive the day of the party—which kept them busy guessing for several hours that afternoon—seemed to take away some of the sting of disappointment.
“I’ll bet it’s a cake,” said Nicholas, in an attempt to end the debate. “She has that friend who makes those crazy cakes—you know, the ones that look really cool, but don’t taste very good.”
“Do you really think so?” Charlie asked. “We already have dessert. Mom just bought a million blueberries—she knows how much you and Nick love her blueberry pies.”
Summer at Forsaken Lake Page 19