The Way Home

by Katherine Spencer

  She might need to go that far away just to forget about Mike, she realized now. He seemed so distant and detached today, she didn’t feel safe musing over her plans aloud.

  Was he acting this way because he thought she still cared for Paul? Or did he have a girlfriend now—Cindy or someone else she didn’t even know about? That could have been the reason for this chill as well, she realized. But with Victoria and Emily there, she couldn’t get into that conversation.

  “Well, good seeing you,” Avery said to Mike. She turned to Victoria and Emily, who were finishing the last of their dessert. “I’m glad you enjoyed your lunch. This was on the house. No, my treat—” she insisted, when Victoria seemed about to argue with her. “I have to get back to the kitchen. But come see me again soon. And good luck with school, Emily. I know you’ll do great.”

  Victoria thanked her profusely, and Emily jumped up in her seat and gave Avery a big hug.

  Avery said good-bye to Mike, mostly with her eyes. She brushed past him feeling suddenly sad and empty. Back in the kitchen, she covered her face with her hands and nearly cried.

  It didn’t seem fair. How could she feel so bad about him? As if something had ended between them when it had never really begun?

  * * *

  THE island was filled with visitors the last week of August, everyone trying to squeeze out the last sweet, precious drops of summer.

  The Peregrine felt more hectic than ever, with Avery’s staff quickly dwindling. Jack and Brittany were both heading back to college just when she needed them for the last big push.

  Luckily, Gena had a friend who was an experienced waitress and willing to work through Labor Day. Teresa, bless her heart, hung on to the bitter end, too, though she had to start her regular job for the school district lunch service the very next day after Labor Day.

  With Avery doing double duty as both chef and waitress, they managed to make it through the last big weekend and limp to the finish line, exhausted but victorious.

  “Well, we made it,” Teresa said to Gena and Avery as they locked the doors on Labor Day night. “I know the café will be open a few more weeks, but this feels like the grand finale to me. I have to tell you, ladies, it was a little touch-and-go there.”

  Avery laughed. “You’re telling me. I nearly gave up on this place ten times,” she admitted. “But here we are. I couldn’t have made it without all of you,” she added sincerely.

  And Mike, she added silently. Him most of all.

  The three women shared a hug and a good meal, treating themselves to the best table in the house. They toasted to the Peregrine, to the summer they had shared and the one to come. Avery knew that even though things had not worked out well with Mike, Angel Island had blessed her with some wonderful new friends—Gena and Teresa, Liza and Claire.

  She had made a new life for herself and felt like a different person than the woman who had arrived back in May. A wiser, kinder, more tolerant person, she hoped. And that was a certain type of success you couldn’t measure with good reviews or big dinner crowds, but one that was even more valuable and satisfying.

  * * *

  THE week after Labor Day, Avery was the only guest left at the inn. She hadn’t made any progress finding her own place the last few weeks, mainly because rentals had been scarce and she didn’t have the time to look for one. As fall approached, there were lots of cottages for rent on the island and in the town of Cape Light. But now she wasn’t sure about staying for the winter.

  She finally decided it would be best if she left the island in October. Otherwise she would spend the next eight months hoping to run into Mike or waiting for him to call her. She hadn’t seen him since the day Victoria and Emily stopped by for lunch and, sadly, she did not expect to.

  But she still had no idea where she would go or what she would do. She hoped some force in the universe would decide for her.

  Everything seemed different in September. Even though summer did not officially end until September twenty-first, the beachfront and boardwalk boldly contradicted the calendar. The ferry service from Newburyport followed the same schedule, but the big boats arrived at the dock eerily empty. A handful of beachgoers and cyclists wandered about during the week, and there were a few more visitors on the weekends. But the days were growing cooler and the sun set a little earlier each night.

  When Mrs. McNulty deflated her toy menagerie and told Avery she would send her a postcard from Florida, Avery knew the season was drawing to a close. Even though the Lazy Tuna was still open weekends, she knew Mike was back at school now, back to his other life. She wondered if he even ran the Tuna during this part of the year. Maybe he had a manager watching over things. She wondered if he ever thought about her anymore. The way she still thought about him. Funny how three random kisses—one on her forehead, for goodness’ sake—and a lot of wise-guy jokes could make such a lasting impression.

  The life he led during the school year—his family, all his students, friends, and connections there—probably filled in his thoughts completely. And his heart. Maybe his summer season was put away and forgotten, like the flamboyant shirts he wore on Tiki Night at the Tuna.

  The weeknights were so quiet that Avery was down to a skeleton crew, just herself and one waitress. The night before the first day of fall—Equinox Eve, Avery had privately dubbed it—even Gena called in sick with a cold.

  Only one couple came in to dine. Avery cooked and served them then decided to close early. The first of the fierce storms that hit the island each fall was predicted to move into the area late that night. She knew by now not to take the news lightly.

  As she stepped out the kitchen door to take out the trash, a gust of wind pushed at her body, like a giant hand pressing her back to the doorway. She managed to make it down the alley but could barely lift the Dumpster cover up and get it down again.

  Safely back inside, she recalled the storm in July and how she and Mike had waited it out in her kitchen. Mike wasn’t around to keep her company tonight. Nobody was. She had to get back to the inn, as fast as possible.

  She quickly closed the café, doing what she could to secure the building. It had grown too chilly for outside seating, so she didn’t have to worry about bringing in tables and chairs. The awning was also closed and secure, and long shutters had been installed around the glass doors soon after the last storm. She walked around the building, checking twice to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

  The wind was blowing bits of paper down the street and turning over trash cans on the boardwalk. Dark clouds gathered over the ocean, and the waves were being whipped to a frenzy. Huge whitecaps crashed ominously on the shore.

  She put her head down and ran to her SUV, parked in the space between Sunshine Sundries and the café. Mrs. McNulty’s store was closed up tight. Avery was sure an earthquake would not disturb it. But as she backed out onto the street, she wondered about the Tuna.

  She drove down and took a look. Mike’s restaurant was dark and empty. But the storm shutters were not pulled across the windows yet. Why hadn’t Mike come and secured the building? Maybe he was busy with his children tonight, or hadn’t paid attention to the forecast? Or maybe he had asked someone else to do it and they hadn’t gotten here yet.

  Avery wondered if she should try to close the place up safely. As a favor to him. Would he think she was being too nosy or interfering? He had always explained his help to her as, “Neighbors look out for neighbors around here.”

  As she pondered the question, a trash can flew past her car. It slammed into the Tuna, narrowly missing a window but striking a gutter pipe, which hung down precariously after the basket bounced off.

  That did it. She got out and went over to the building. Using all her might, she began to yank down the heavy wooden flaps that went over the entrance and windows. It wasn’t easy but she managed to get nearly all the flaps down and lat
ched just as a few raindrops began to fall.

  Avery was working on the very last flap, which covered the single kitchen window at the back of the building, when a flash of light within caught her eye.

  She had already heard thunder rumbling in the distance and wondered if what she was seeing was lightning reflected in the glass. She had to hold the edge of the window ledge and get up on tiptoe to get a good look. Then she felt herself go cold with horror.

  There were flames inside. A thick drift of smoke rose to the ceiling. She couldn’t tell where the flames were coming from—maybe one of the cooking burners or an appliance?

  Avery dropped down and nearly fell to her knees. She fumbled for her cell phone and quickly dialed nine-one-one.

  “I need to report a fire, on Ferry Street, Angel Island,” she told the dispatcher. “It’s in the Lazy Tuna restaurant.”

  It was hard to say the words aloud. Everything felt so unreal. As if she were having a horrible nightmare. She had to shout the information twice to be heard over the wind and the crackling phone connection caused by the storm.

  The dispatcher told her a fire crew was on its way and instructed her to get away from the building.

  Avery wished there was something more she could do. Find a hose and start spraying water back here? But she didn’t know where to find a convenient hose, and her fire-fighting skills were pretty pathetic.

  The wind pushed against her body as she ran to her car and climbed inside. She pulled out her phone again and called Mike, hoping he would pick up. Would the fire department call him? She had forgotten to ask. But she needed to make sure he knew, as hard as it would be to tell him this news.

  His phone rang a few times. Finally he answered. He sounded surprised to hear her voice.

  “You have to come down to the Tuna right away, Mike. There’s a fire. I just saw it through the window. I called nine-one-one. The fire department is on the way.”

  “A fire? Are you sure?” he asked quickly.

  “It’s so dark, I couldn’t see much. But there are flames and smoke in the back of the restaurant, in the kitchen,” she told him. “I’m parked on Ferry Street, and I can see a glow in the window now and some smoke . . . Oh, it’s terrible, Mike. I’m so sorry . . .”

  “I’ll be there right away. Just stay away from the building, Avery. Promise me.”

  “All right . . . come quickly.”

  Avery squeezed her eyes closed, unable to watch the Tuna on fire. This just wasn’t right. It was going to break Mike’s heart. It was his heritage, his family history, so many childhood memories. She imagined the beautiful, zany, undersea mural being ruined and she couldn’t help but cry.

  The rain had started to fall, which she hoped would help keep the fire under control. But the wind was strong, too. She knew that wasn’t good.

  When she saw Mike’s truck pull up a few minutes later, she ran out of her car. The fire trucks arrived at about the same time, and firefighters dressed in heavy gear and big hats jumped off and ran to the building.

  Avery met Mike in the middle of the street. The lights from the fire trucks cast a strange glow on the scene.

  He glanced at her, then back at his beloved restaurant. Smoke flowed out of the back windows, which had exploded, and licks of flame slipped up the back wall almost reaching the roof.

  “I can’t believe it,” he said quietly. “How did you even see it start?”

  “The storm was starting. I drove down and saw that no one had pulled down the flaps on the windows here. So I got out to do that and when I reached the kitchen, I saw a light inside that just didn’t look right . . .”

  He turned to her and held both her shoulders. “As long as you’re all right . . . You are, aren’t you?”

  Avery nodded, moved by his concern. He was losing his beloved restaurant and he was worried about her.

  A firefighter walked over and asked them to step back. “This is going to take awhile, folks. I know you’re concerned, but it’s safer if you don’t stand here and watch. Is there someplace around here you can wait?”

  Mike turned to her. “You go back to the inn, Avery. You don’t have to stay here with me.”

  Avery didn’t know what to say. Was he telling her he didn’t want her company? She wasn’t sure but decided all she could do was be honest.

  “I don’t want to leave you here alone, Mike. I’m not going anywhere,” she insisted.

  He looked surprised at her reaction and ready to argue, then something inside him seemed to give way. He nodded quickly and wiped the rain from her cheek with his hand. “All right. If you want to.”

  She reached out her hand and took hold of his. He squeezed back in answer. She didn’t have to say anything more, she realized. The truth was, she couldn’t.

  * * *

  THEY sat in his truck, parked an acceptable distance away, and watched the battle between the firefighters and the fire. The storm had reached its height and the wind roared, pushing the water from the hoses back at the trucks.

  “I hate to watch, but it’s hard not to,” Mike said quietly. “I feel as if I owe it to the Tuna. I can’t just leave it here alone, battling for its life.”

  Avery understood perfectly.

  A short time later, a firefighter came to Mike’s side of the truck. He wore a special medallion on his hat, and Avery realized he was the chief. Mike quickly rolled down the window to speak to him.

  “We have the fire under control, Mr. Rossi. We pretty much contained it in the kitchen. We had to break a hole in the roof to get more water inside. You’ll have damage throughout. But I don’t think you’ll lose the whole building.”

  “Thanks. Thanks a lot,” Mike said.

  He turned to Avery as he rolled the window up again. “A ton of damage, but it’s not totally destroyed. Thank goodness you saw it early. We could be looking at a pile of ashes by now.”

  She shrugged. “That was just luck.”

  “Not really. If you hadn’t come over to pull down the shutters, you wouldn’t have seen it at all,” he pointed out. “Why did you come down here anyway?”

  She shrugged. “I wanted to help you.” She paused. “I think about you . . . a lot.”

  “I think about you. All the time . . . I miss you.” He shook his head. “And I can’t figure out what it is between us, everything always stop and go. I kept feeling that there was really something good going on with you and me, and then it would all just . . . seem to disappear.” He looked at her, puzzled. “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know,” Avery admitted. “Maybe because we never took time to talk? We were always too busy working. We never even went out on that sailing date,” she reminded him.

  “I would have asked you again . . . I didn’t think you wanted to. And what about that Paul guy? He broke your heart. But when he was here, it looked like you wanted to go back with him.”

  “I knew you got the wrong idea about that. I wanted to explain, but you were acting so weird toward me . . . like, you didn’t want to even talk to me anymore.”

  “I was just . . . scared,” he admitted.

  “Me, too.” She sighed. “Just to clear this up: I have no interest at all in Paul. Seeing him again made me realize how lucky I’ve been to meet you.”

  “Really?” Mike asked.

  Avery nodded, unable to find more words.

  They heard a loud crash then, and Mike turned toward the window and winced. “I think that was the back wall.”

  “I feel so bad about the Tuna,” Avery said. “How are you going to tell Emily and Noah? I can tell they love this place.”

  “They do,” Mike said. “It’s been their home away from home. It’s going to be hard to tell them and my mother.” He stared out at the smoking, charred building. “But no one was hurt. I know what a real loss is. The Tuna
is just a building.”

  He turned to her, and Avery reached out and took his hand. It was ice cold. And his dark eyes were filled with sorrow. She wished she could just take him in her arms and make all this unhappiness go away.

  He gave a small, humorous shrug. “Well, if I had to watch the Tuna burn down with anyone, I’m glad it was you.”

  She was touched by his strange compliment. It gave her hope.

  “I’m glad I was here with you. I just wish I’d seen it sooner.”

  “Nothing could have changed it. Some things are meant to be. Like you and me,” he added quietly. “Maybe something good can come out of this disaster, Avery. Maybe I can finally be honest with you about my feelings.”

  She watched him carefully and saw the sorrow give way to determination and something else that she didn’t dare put a name to, afraid it couldn’t possibly be real.

  “I think I’ve loved you since the day we met.” He smiled, remembering. “When that closet fell on you. Right then, I felt it. After I lost my wife, I never thought anyone would get to me that way again, get to my heart. But you surprised me. You weren’t at all what I expected. And yeah, I did get scared and maybe even used an excuse to back away from you . . . But I hope you can forgive me for that. I know now, I love you. With all my heart. And always will.”

  Avery was shocked by his confession. Shocked and speechless. Almost speechless, she realized.

  “You aren’t like anyone I’ve ever known,” she told him. “You . . . woke me up, made me question the way I thought about things. You taught me to have more faith in myself, to keep trying, even when it seemed impossible. And to laugh at myself,” she added. “And appreciate the surprises in life, which can be a million times better than anything I ever wished for. Like falling in love with you.”