by Parker Wren
“No, but maybe they can help us in a different way,” he said. “Look, here is the positive: Manuel no longer wants us to go after Henry and any wrongdoing that he could be involved in. From the start, you and I were both convinced he was innocent, right? Well, now we’ve managed to convince Manuel about that—or at least get him off our backs for going after Henry. It’s just too dangerous anyway. But he doesn’t want to lose the mission entirely. So this way, he gets what he wants, and we get what we want, right?”
I scoffed. “Again, I’m supposed to stick around and wait for these people to show up with a gun and see what happens? That sounds like a great fucking plan. If that’s your idea of a negotiation, you are really good at getting played.”
I stormed off onto the beach.
I was going to leave that house on Monday. I had absolutely no reason to stay, besides the desire to spend more time with Grayson, which wasn’t a particularly rational reason. I would come up with a good response to Manuel by then. No one—not Dom, not Manuel—was going to stop me.
CHAPTER 26
Given the dynamic between myself and Dom, we didn’t interact much over the next day. Henry and Brit had returned from the trip, but they seemed in similarly low spirits, so the house remained quiet. When they first came home on Saturday, they gave me big hugs and apologized for what had happened with the break-in. According to Grayson and Dom, they hadn’t mentioned anything to Henry or Brit about what was said by those vile men concerning spying on Henry. Brit showed me the new-and-improved security system, along with a guard that would be on the property at all times. I thanked them but told them that I wasn’t sure how much longer I was staying, and I mentioned it might be my last weekend at Vineyard Haven.
Brit pouted out her lower lip. “Oh, that’s so disappointing to hear, Ariel.” She gave me a hug. “We will miss you.” But I wasn’t sure how genuinely she was. I had expected her to try to convince me to stay, but she didn’t seem that interested in me staying around. I had been in a sour mood, so I could have been projecting my cynicism onto her and assuming the worst.
I knew I was supposed to be pressing Brit for information about her and Henry’s business trip, but I decided that I was no longer working for Manuel anymore. What was the point? It was unlikely that she knew anything valuable anyway.
Henry, on the other hand, worked hard to convince me to stay. He told me how boring it would be without the five of us, how Dom needed me, how much fun we could still have. I told him I appreciated his words and that I would think about it, even though my mind was mostly made up.
Dom was particularly grumpy. I couldn’t blame him. He had been on this assignment for a year, and here I was telling him it was time to give up. I assured him that we did accomplish something—we were hopefully able to provide a decent amount of information pointing to Henry’s innocence—but Dom felt like there was more to the story, and we needed to keep digging.
We argued about it again on Saturday. Any attraction or romantic feelings we had between each other seemed to have melted into the sand. We felt nothing but animosity and frustration with each other.
As we were all making dinner Saturday night—Henry was grilling steaks, I was chopping up sweet potatoes, and Dom was shucking corn—Henry and Brit picked up on the tension between me and Dom. “Shucking that corn a little too aggressively, are we, Dom?” Brit said as Dom forcefully threw another clean stalk into the empty bowl. “Just thorough,” he said. I suspected that Henry and Brit hadn’t seen this side of Dom often. I could see them exchange glances.
While we were eating dinner, Henry made a suggestion: “Why don’t you two go out tonight? If Ariel is leaving soon, it can’t hurt for the two of you to spend just one more night alone on the island.”
I could tell that Henry and Brit were curious about what would happen to us after Martha’s Vineyard, but they had enough social awareness to not ask.
Dom and I hadn’t told Henry and Brit about us “breaking up” yet; Dom and I weren’t even quite yet sure how to navigate that one. Besides me telling Monika (which Dom didn’t know about), we hadn’t made any plans. We could keep up the façade of dating while I was in Virginia and he was in Boston, but what was the point in that? Probably none. We needed to “officially” break up when I left on Monday. We could cite troubles in our relationship being the final straw, following my fear from the break-in.
Partly to get away from prying questions, Dom and I reluctantly followed Brit and Henry’s advice. After dinner, we got into the car, and drove silently to a bar I hadn’t been to before. It seemed to be targeted to locals rather than the usual places that swarm with tourists. But Dom and I liked the low-key atmosphere. It seemed perfect for our sour moods. We went up to the bar and ordered our drinks.
“So what’s the reason we’ll tell people for breaking up?” I asked Dom, choosing my words carefully. “The distance? Geography?”
Dom just shrugged. “People don’t really need a reason. We just tell them that we broke up.”
I nodded. The conversation was too surreal. “When do we tell them?”
“Whenever is good.”
Dom was angry at me, and he wasn’t very good at hiding it.
I saw Dom eyeing a cute blonde in her twenties who was chatting with a group of friends. Part of me felt like it was intentional—that he was being so blatant as a way to hurt me.
“Like when I leave on Monday? Or sooner?” I asked.
Dom’s attention wasn’t on me anymore.
“I don’t care,” he said, taking another sip of his beer.
For the past few weeks, I felt I knew Dom, but in this moment, I didn’t. I was on his bad side now. I remembered the times he smiled at me, like I really meant something to him. The way he would put his arm around me in public. Even if it was just for “pretend,” it still felt real. Now, I couldn’t find that kindness inside him. I didn’t see his friendship. He was furious at me. And because of that, he was a thousand miles away. Part of me wanted to close my eyes from the pure emotional exhaustion of it all.
I needed to do something. The night couldn’t get much worse, so what did I have to lose?
I looked over at the group of girls that Dom had been watching. The one girl in particular—thin with long, perfect, blonde waves—had been smiling at Dom. She was the one that he had been sneaking glances to as well. I tried not to let a pinch of jealously enter my mind before speaking.
“You should go talk with her,” I said, half sarcastic and half serious.
He glanced at me sideways, detecting the bite in my words. “Really? Why? Is this some sort of test?”
I shrugged. “We’re broken up, right? Well, fake broken up, whatever that means.”
I didn’t like the idea of Dom chatting with another girl, but with his mood, my mood, and the fact that I probably wouldn’t see him again for a while after Monday, I decided that, for tonight, I could be his wingman. Maybe that would help us both get over whatever it was we were.
“Okay,” Dom said, not looking at me, and he walked over to the group of girls. To no one’s surprise, after he ordered them a round of drinks, he and the blonde went off to a corner where they started chatting alone.
I was not dressed appropriately for this setting. I had thrown on jeans and a t-shirt, and my head was in a knotty bun, covered by a baseball cap. Brit had given me a sad look before I left the house as if to say, “Oh, poor thing, can’t even dress herself anymore.” But I happily sat at the bar, sipped on my beer, and checked emails on my phone. I tried not to look over in Dom’s direction.
When I finally did, my breath caught a little bit in my throat. Dom and mystery girl were making out. I turned away quickly, feeling my face heat up. I didn’t want to care, but I did. A little bit.
I scanned the bar, seeing if there was anyone interesting I could watch. I needed a distraction. I wanted to leave, but Dom was my ride home. I figured I would hold out a little bit longer and could get a cab if I needed to.
I kept looking aro
und the bar. Things were pretty quiet. I saw a couple sharing dessert in a booth. Another young family was trying to wrangle their children—the parents’ bodies tense from managing a family outing without their kids breaking something valuable, including (but not limited to) the parents’ dignity.
In another booth, I faintly heard two men arguing. I couldn’t see their faces, just the back of their heads. Finally, their voices became louder. They both stood up to leave. One of them looked right over at me. To my shock, the person’s face I was staring at was Grayson’s. I didn’t see the other man; he walked past Grayson in a hurry.
Grayson looked at me, then over to the corner of the bar where Dom was making out with the girl. Then he looked back at me, his mouth agape.
CHAPTER 27
I turned away from Grayson and tried to pull my baseball cap over my head. Of course, he came right over to me.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, somewhat angrily.
“I’m having a drink,” I said defensively. He had no right to be angry. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in New York?”
“Touché,” he said. “I cut my trip early,” he said. And this time, more kindly, with his hand gently on my arm: “Why is Dom kissing some other girl over there?” Then his voice trailed, his words unable to keep pace with his thoughts.
“Did you break up with your girlfriend?” I asked, figuring it was only fair to turn the romantic questioning tables on him.
“Um…” he said, running his fingers through his messy hair. He had bags under his eyes and looked like he hadn’t slept much. Yet, somehow, he was still jarringly handsome. “If you must know, we weren’t technically together, but yes, now it’s ended for good. What is Dom doing?”
I shrugged, turning back towards the bar. I couldn’t make eye contact with Grayson. “I’m letting him kiss another girl.”
There was a silence.
“Why?” he finally asked, incredulous.
“Because we’re not together,” I said, feeling emboldened. “In fact, at best, we’re off and on. Better off as friends. That’s super weird isn’t it? Well. Now you know.” I gulped down my beer.
I could feel Grayson’s eyes on me, trying to make contact with mine. “Ariel, I’m not usually speechless, but this might be a first.”
I tried to change the subject again. This time I turned and looked at him.
“Who is that guy you were talking to at the bar? You were getting angry with him. And why are you home early? Why does nobody know about it?”
Grayson shook his head. “I’m not sure I can tell you right now.”
“Oh, great,” I said sarcastically. “So I’m expected to tell you everything, but you get to have all these secrety secrets.” I raised my eyebrows and waved my fingers in the air for extra dramatic flair.
Grayson gave a small laugh at the absurdity of my gesture. Despite my best efforts, I cracked a smile but was too stubborn to let myself laugh. It was as if Grayson and I could be in the most serious of conversations but were always on the edge of a cliff that lead straight to silliness.
I knew I was being unfair. I was the one with more secrets than him.
There was still a slight smile on Grayson’s face when his phone rang. It immediately turned to a frown when he saw who was calling. “I’ve got to go,” he said. “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow, okay?”
“Fine, Mr. Busy Pants,” was all I could think to say. I watched Grayson leave the bar, his eyes focused on Dom. I could see the tension in his step. He pushed open the front door with a little bit too much force, and the door came flying back into place, a gasp of air smacking me in the face.
CHAPTER 28
“You could have brought that girl home if you wanted,” I spit out the words with my arms folded across my chest as we drove home. Dom was silent. His silence angered me more.
“You know Grayson saw us,” I continued.
“I’m sure you were happy with that,” Dom said, his tone razor sharp. “Maybe you should be going home with him instead.”
I was exasperated.
“Dom, what’s going on with us?” I asked. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry this mission failed. But I’m ready to go home.”
“I think you are giving up on everything too easily,” Dom said, looking out the window. “And it’s not like Manuel is going to let you leave. What’s your excuse, anyway? You can’t just leave if he won’t let you.”
I laughed. “Watch me.”
Dom turned to me this time, his voice pleading. “There are things in the contract. They could come after you for the money they paid you.”
I looked away from him, out of my window. “It’s possible,” I said. “But then, I get a good lawyer, and I highly doubt Manuel wants any of this to go that route.”
Dom shook his head. “Your overconfidence is going to backfire one of these days.”
I shrugged. “I never said it hasn’t.”
We pulled up to the house. It was empty.
“I’m going up to bed,” Dom said. I stayed in the car while he grabbed his things and headed inside, and then I waited long after he left. I wanted Dom to be asleep before I went into our room. I could hear the steady beat of the ocean waves and the engine slowly clicking into slumber.
Were these to be my last days on the Vineyard? Would I ever see these people again? I fell into my hands and tried to push out thoughts of everything, but especially thoughts of Grayson.
The car door suddenly opened. I could smell Grayson’s aftershave before his dark eyes came into focus. I was initially startled, but then I felt relief. I didn’t expect to feel that way, but I welcomed it.
“Ariel,” he said, “I need to tell you some things. Let’s go for a walk, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, almost giddy with exhausted excitement. I never minded walking with the cool, ocean breeze; however, I wasn’t dressed for it at the time, so I grabbed a blanket from the SUV’s trunk.
“Do you want to go up to the harbor?” Grayson asked. “I know it’s a bit of walk, so only if you want.”
I shook my head and sighed. “Look, I’ve got my ‘going out’ shoes on, don’t you see?” I said, raising my sneakers into the air.
“You definitely had high expectations on your night out with Dom,” said Grayson with a smile.
“Are you insulting my fancy dress, Grayson?” I teased, smiling as well. Finally, I said, more somberly, “Well, you know the situation.”
“Is it… done?” Grayson asked gently. “Like, you are finished?”
I nodded. “Grayson, I…”
“What?” he asked eagerly. I knew he was curious about me and Dom. Despite himself, he wanted to know.
I couldn’t give him everything, but I could give him something. “We were… never exclusive. This whole trip, maybe we got serious for a small period of time, but we just aren’t right for each other. We would kind of break up, but then we arrived here in the Vineyard, we thought we could enjoy the moment for what it was.”
“Until you couldn’t,” Grayson said.
We walked along the beach, our bodies close together.
“Exactly,” I said.
Grayson nodded and put his arm around me. I pulled in close to his chest and inhaled his scent, trying to not let my mind wander to how things could be with Grayson—about all the things I still wanted to know about him.
“And what happened with the girl?” I asked. “Why was your trip cut early?”
Grayson looked up to the sky and shook his head. “Man,” he said, “I’m not sure if I should be telling you this.”
I shook my head. “We’re friends, right? And who am I going to tell, anyway? Don’t worry, I won’t tell Brit. I don’t think she likes me much anymore.”
Grayson pulled me in closer to his body. “Why do you think that?”
“Just some things she has said, I can’t quite pick up on it,” I said. “It’s probably in my head, really.”
“Does she snarl at
you?” Grayson asked. He then tried to imitate a snarl with his upper lip raised and eyes wide. He lunged at me and tickled my sides.
I burst out laughing. “No,” I said. “And besides, stop changing the subject!”
“Oh, so you noticed that,” he said, pulling me back beneath his arm as we resumed walking.
“Yes,” I replied. “You think you’re so smooth. But you’re not.”
“Oh, you just wait,” he said teasingly. “You just wait.”
We were walking closer to the docks now. The moon sent shards of light reflecting on the water and sailboats. We could hear the chimes of boats as they rocked gently in the sea against the docks.
We were now holding hands, with the blanket still over our shoulders. I tried not to focus on the inches of his skin that were touching mine, and I tried not to notice when his thumb gently rubbed my hand.
“Okay, here is the story,” he said. “We’ve been together for… well, as long as I can remember. Since we were about twenty-four, I guess. I thought she was the one I was going to marry. About a year ago, I found out she cheated on me.”
I winced. “I’m sorry. That sucks.”
“Yeah,” he continued. “We were broken up for a long time after that. She kept begging me to take her back. I didn’t know what to do because I really saw her as my wife. I tried my best to forgive her. Then we were one of those couples that were together, but not really. I mean, we never committed again, not fully. And maybe over that time, that time of us trying to figure things out, if we could get back to where we were, I realized that I couldn’t. I had to be with someone that I could trust fully. And I think…”
Grayson was quiet for a moment. We had now positioned ourselves on a hill above the docks, overlooking the boats. “I think you start to realize, maybe there could even be someone else out there for me. You know? I understand that she made a mistake. But it devastated me, and I’m not sure I can fully recover. And as soon as I realized there could be a woman out there who would be loyal to me—just as a perfect match as anyone else—what was I doing, sticking around in a miserable situation?”
My heart was beating in my chest. I knew it was irrational, but I wanted to be that girl for Grayson. It was something I would never say out loud, and I pretended I hadn’t even whispered it to myself in my own head.