Lie to Me (an OddRocket title) (25 page)

"So, Cassie." Mariah leaned on the counter top, her ring glinting in the sunlight. "I think you should wear hot pink."

"Okay." I sat at the counter, coloring in one of the Jekyll placemats. That's how slow it was. I'd taken to coloring, anything to keep from looking people in the eye.

"Pink is the new black." She snapped her gum. "Or is black the new white?" Mariah laughed and paged through her magazine. "I'm just joking. You can wear whatever you want. After all, you are my only bridesmaid. By the way, you're getting a little too skinny. You need to eat."

"I'm fine." I kept watching the door.

"You're not doing some stupid diet that's going around the Internet or something, are you?"

"No. I'm just not very hungry."

Mariah bit her lip and looked sorry that she'd asked. "You've got a lot on your mind, sweetie, don't you?"

"I guess." The worst part about not hearing from RD was the
not knowing
. Had Rachel figured something out? Had she really looked into my eyes and seen the things we'd done?"Have you heard from your ex?" Mariah asked.

I felt like someone had poured ice cubes down my back. "What?"

"Sherlock Rock Star. Isn't his band playing at the big Jekyll party tonight?"

"I don't know." I'd forgotten about the party and Priya had given up asking me if I was going to go. The front door swung open and the chimes rang as the Smoking Ladies walked inside. Of course, I looked up, hoping, wishing, wanting it to be him.

"I don't know. I'm not going." My relationship with Nick felt like it had happened in another lifetime.

"Sit wherever you'd like, ladies," Mariah said, knowing they'd take the booth by the window. "Well, if you go to that party, I don't want to hear about any of you guys sailing out to Jekyll, all right? It's a stupid tradition. You know there weren't any pirates here, anyway. It's ridiculous."

"Nobody's hanging out with pirates," I said.

"It's not a joke, Cassie." Even while lecturing me, she glanced down at her ring. She couldn't help herself. "A girl drowned last year."

"Don't worry. Parties are for the 'not grounded.'" I took two menus to the Smoking Ladies. I knew they only wanted coffee, but they could at least look at a menu. They weren't allowed to smoke at the table, but one by one they would take turns and sit on the porch outside until they'd gone through a whole pack. They all smelled faintly of ashes.

"We'd like two coffees, extra cream." The Smoking Lady who always wore a crocheted lime-green poncho snapped her fingers.

I carried the coffee carafe to the table and left it there. Outside, a bank of blue-gray clouds settled on the horizon and a thin drizzle dusted the grass with drops of fine rain. The weather was changing again.

"It's winter, then summer, then winter," Mariah said, leaning on the counter. "God, I hope it doesn't rain at the wedding. Maybe we should get married inside the restaurant."

"It'll be sunny by then," I said. I believed that Mariah could will the sun to shine upon her wedding day. Anything and everything looked possible in her smile.

"You know Bill's heading out to Tulalip tonight to do a little gambling." Mariah rolled her eyes. "Since he can't get his fix until after the wedding, he says it's his last night to go big."

"Oh?" I asked, hypnotized by the swaying masts in the harbor. I loved watching the way the water moved the world.

"Don't let me forget to lock the office before we go. We're outta here early tonight. Your mom's rules." Mom always shut the restaurant down for Jekyll Days, the island's big summer celebration. There were fireworks that night and Mom knew that Mariah liked to close early so she could get a good seat in the park for the celebration. I usually liked the fireworks, but I'd always imagined I'd watch them with RD anchored out in the Sound.

After the Smoking Ladies left, Mariah and I closed up the restaurant.

"The dock," I reminded her as we walked down the stairs to the parking lot.

I hadn't walked past the gate since the day RD had sailed away. I didn't want to get that close to the place where he'd once been. The soft, misting rain stopped and a strong wind had blown all the clouds away. As I followed Mariah down the dock, the odd silence of the marina made me feel even more like an intruder. I held my breath when we walked past RD's empty slip.

While Mariah fiddled with her key ring, checking all of the locks, I watched the water. There were no waves, just a flat glassy line that stretched all the way to the horizon. The air felt muggy and electric, like a bolt of lightning might tear open the sky, a prelude to a storm.

"You ready to go?" Mariah stood by my side and slipped her arm over my shoulder.

"Yep." I nodded, swallowing.

"Now, who would try sailing on a day like today?" Mariah said, pointing toward Jekyll Island. "Hope he has a motor out there."

My breath caught and I couldn't speak. Sunlight glinted off the bow of a sailboat drifting. A blue spinnaker with yellow stars flapped and filled, then deflated. I would have recognized that sail anywhere.

"Let's go before they get here," Mariah started up the dock. "I don't want to deal with checking anyone in. Bill can deal tomorrow." She glanced back at me. I hadn't moved. "Hey, Cass, come on. Let’s go."

The sailboat rocked unsteadily as if the captain had finally realized he'd hit a dead calm. The bright blue spinnaker dropped and someone pulled it below deck. RD was back.

As Mariah drove me home, I tried to figure out the best way to reach RD. I needed to talk to him. Alone. I was sure the second he saw me, the moment we spoke, he'd realize I wasn’t an object he could just throw away.

"Cheer up, Cassie," Mariah said as she drove. "You know, I bet I can talk your mom into letting you go to the party. It would do you a little good to have some fun."

"Doesn't sound that fun," I said. All I could think about was how awkward I'd feel standing by the bonfire, trying to make small talk with Priya, pretending that it was fun to climb over wet ferns to reach the keg in the woods. A few months ago, I'd have given anything to be at that party, to be somewhere with possibility, to stand under the stars with Nick because maybe that would be the night that he'd tell me he wanted me back. So much had changed.

"Hey," Mariah said, her voice soft. "Where did my Cassandra go? You just seem so sad, sweetie, and I know it's tough with your mom, but you just don't seem like yourself. Is something else bothering you?" She parked the car in front of the house, engine idling.

I stiffened, fearing Mariah could see right through me. "I'm okay. Just having a down day is all." I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You know," Mariah whispered, her voice conspiratorial, eyebrows raised with mischief. "I think you should go out there tonight and be a little wild. I'm talking about 'dance around the bonfire' wild, not 'law-breaking' wild. You need to spend time with your friends, hon'. Enjoy this time. It goes so fast."

Suddenly, it occurred to me that if I could get permission to go to the party, I'd have an excuse for being near the dock. I could find RD and talk to him if he was alone. I hoped he was alone. I needed some time to talk to him, to explain my feelings and how sorry I was that things had gone all wrong. "You know, a party might do me some good. Thanks, Mariah." I got out of the car and waved as she drove away.

Aunt Lucy walked onto the front porch holding a glass of white wine in her hand. At first, she moved as if she didn't know I was there. She had the unseeing gaze of someone who believes they are alone.

"Hiya," I said, smiling. I needed to be on my very best, non-sulking behavior.

"You caught me." She pointed to her wine glass. "I thought you were working tonight."

"Fireworks. Mariah closes way early. She just dropped me off." I looked at the upstairs window, knowing Mom was inside. "How is she?"

Aunt Lucy took a sip of her wine. "We've had better days. Your mother likes to say that some days are diamonds and some days are stones."

"And today's a stone."

Aunt Lucy looked thoughtful. "Mrs. Bean came over to visit with your mom for a little while. She's upstairs."

"I have a question." I sat down next to her on the white bench that needed a fresh coat of paint. "I was wondering if maybe you and Mom would let me go to a party tonight. It's a really big deal and I want to go. Everyone's going to be there."

"You're grounded, Cassandra." She said it in a way that told me this was non-negotiable which, of course, totally enraged me.

"But I thought maybe you'd make an exception. Please? It's important."

"Your sister wants us both to go to some art show and I promised her that we would. I'm afraid a party is something completely different."

Addie opened the front door. "Can we go now?" She wore her pink backpack and Aunt Lucy had brushed her wild, red hair back into a ponytail and tied it with a yellow ribbon. I resented the fact that I was still grounded while Addie had ribbons in her hair.

"Go where?" I felt like they'd formed some sort of an alliance while I wasn’t looking. "When did you two make all these plans, anyway?"

"I'll get my keys," Aunt Lucy said, going inside.

"I don't want to go," I said, my eyes drifting toward the direction of the water. The knowledge that RD was somewhere on this island made me feel all squeezed together, like every cell in my body was holding its breath. He was close. He hadn't gone away forever. I didn't want to be away from RD's sailboat any longer than I needed to be.

"We're all going," Aunt Lucy said, walking past me. She unlocked her sleek, silver car and started the engine.

"What about Mom?" I asked. "Someone should stay. We can't just leave her."

"Mrs. Bean can stay until we get back," Aunt Lucy said. "Let's go."

Addie practically danced across the driveway to Aunt Lucy's car. "Today is the best day. It's going to be the best day in the whole world. Want to know why?"

"No," I said, getting into the back seat since Addie had jumped in front.

"Too bad then." Addie turned and stuck out her tongue. "I won't tell you any of my secret plans because you're a big meanie."

"Fine, Addie." I rolled my eyes and stared out the window at the lines of trees flying past as we drove.

San Sebastian gets a little crazy over Jekyll Days. A committee of enthusiastic volunteers decorates everything standing in the center of town. We drove past lampposts, flowerpots and benches draped with black and green crepe paper. The winding strips of color formed an artificial spider web that stretched across the sky. Addie sat in the backseat, hypnotized.

There were so many people downtown it was hard to find a space to park.

Getting out of the car I felt totally panicked. What if RD had decided to come into town? What if he was nearby and I didn't know it? I felt on pins and needles. I didn't want to see him here in a crowd. We needed privacy.

"Girls, let me take your picture. Your mom would want one." Aunt Lucy forced us to stand together beside this lame-looking pirate just outside the community center. He had a big, felt hat on and this weird, stuffed bird on his shoulder and I was pretty sure he was someone's dad from my class.

“Do you really grant wishes?” Addie asked him.

“It’s just a story,” I said, answering for the pirate.

“Don’t pay attention to her,” Addie told the pirate. “She’s a fun hater.” Then she took my hand, which totally surprised me considering she’d just called me a fun-hater. "This will cheer you up,” she said. “It's a surprise for you, Cassie."

Aunt Lucy's phone rang and she stopped on the front steps of the community center. She waved us on without her. Addie tugged at my hand, guiding me down the hall past bulletin boards covered with art projects and class photos. Inside the gym, we wove between tables covered by
papier-mâché
and collage art.

Addie and I walked past a pottery table and a bookshelf covered with handmade baskets. A wall of quilts covered an entire wall behind the basketball hoop. The room echoed with conversation; there must have been about one hundred people walking from table to table. In the corner, a group of kids from middle school played steel drums. They wore bright orange t-shirts and pirate hats.

"This way. This way," Addie sang. We walked toward a wall covered with black butcher paper. "The Art of Photography" decorated the top of the display like a banner. Beneath the sign, there were rows of photographs taken by island residents. The pictures with ribbons sat in the center.

"See?" Addie said, grinning from ear to ear. She stood in front of the display, beaming, smoothing back her hair as if posing for her close-up.

"See what?" I saw a black-and-white photo of dogs playing in the park not far from the parking lot where RD had almost kissed me the first time. Above it hung an eight-by-ten color photo of sailboats racing on a stormy day. This made me think of Kismet and my stomach hurt wondering where RD was right now. Someone else had taken a picture of Jekyll Island in a thick fog. It looked mysterious and haunted, as if a story about a pirate ship perishing on the rocks might actually be true. Every picture on this wall captured something from San Sebastian and everything I looked at reminded me of RD.

"Here, Cassie." Addie sounded impatient. In the center of the wall, decorated with a bright red, “honorable mention” ribbon, hung a photograph taken by my sister.
Adelaide Safire, Age 10
. When I saw the photo, my mouth watered, but my throat felt dry. I couldn't speak.

It was the picture she'd taken in the Forgotten Woods. Tall pine trees covered with Christmas lights formed a glimmering frame and in the middle of all that fuzzy light stood RD and me. The picture looked off somehow, as if something had gone wrong with the exposure or the flash. RD and I looked too bright. The blurry lights around us made it look like someone had painted the whole picture with a soft, wet brush.

It was beautiful and wrong. A perfect, beautiful mistake. RD held his hand beneath my chin, his fingertips reaching around my back, there was no space between our bodies. Beneath that blur of light, Addie had captured the stillness of our kiss. I could almost feel our heat rolling toward me.