ʺGot another.ʺ He leaned across her. An overwhelming sense of him passed through her like a wave, making her light‐headed. This was crazy! Ivy snapped together two pieces, then added a third.
ʺI think you forced that last one,ʺ Guy observed.
She pulled off the wiggly piece. ʺI know that!ʺ Perhaps the crispness of her response made him raise his head to study her. His face was three inches from hers. She tried to pull her eyes away, but couldnʹt. He lowered his eyes. She felt him staring at her mouth. If it were possible for a gaze to be a kissʺHey, Iʹm back!ʺ Ivy knocked over the box full of puzzle pieces. About one thousand four hundred little pieces scattered on the floor. ʺOh! Hey, Will,ʺ she replied, scooping up pieces as he came through the screen door.
Guy leaned over to pick up the box that had fallen between him and Ivy. Will stopped in his tracks. Glancing down. Ivy realized what Will saw from his perspective: a bare back and broad, muscular shoulders. ʺWho are you?ʺ Will asked.
Guy straightened up, rose to his feet, then quickly hiked up his towel. Will continued to stare at him, his eyes noting the injuries. Guy gazed back.
ʺI said, who are you?ʺ
ʺGuy is the name I go by.ʺ
ʺGuy has just gotten out of the hospital,ʺ Ivy explained. ʺHe was on the same floor as me.ʺ
ʺWas he?ʺ Will replied tersely. To Guy he said, ʺI assume you left the hospital wearing something other than Ivyʹs towel.ʺ Guy grinned. ʺYeah, I left wearing her shirt.ʺ Will didnʹt seem to find that amusing. ʺIt’s a long story,ʺ Ivy said.
ʺIʹve got time.ʺ
ʺGuy doesnʹt have a place to live right now,ʺ Ivy explained to Will. ʺHeʹs been dealing with a lot. I told him he could take a shower here. His clothes are in the wash. It’s the least we could do for him.ʺ
ʺYeah, I can see heʹs dealing with a lot/ʹ Will remarked sarcastically, then set down his packages. Ivy felt bad, knowing he had dropped by the cottage first, excited about what he had bought at the art supply store and wanting to show her.
ʺThe problem is, I canʹt remember what happened to me,ʺ Guy said. The way Will tilted back his head made it clear he didnʹt believe Guy. ʺWill, he canʹt remember who he is or where he lives,ʺ Ivy added, pleading for understanding.
“Thatʹs convenient,ʺ Will remarked.
ʺNot when it rains,ʺ Guy replied.
ʺI heard about you,ʺ Will said, ʺfrom Kelsey and Dhanya. Funny thing, Ivy didnʹt mention you at all.ʺ Guy looked from Will to Ivy, then back again. ʺAnd nobody seems to be missing you,ʺ Will went on. ʺI wonder why a nice guy like you hasnʹt been reported missing by friends or family.ʺ
Guy nodded calmly. ʺIt would make you think theyʹre glad to be rid of me.ʺ
ʺIt hasnʹt been that long,ʺ Ivy said quickly. ʺJust since Sunday — a week. Maybe your friends and family think youʹre away on a trip and they havenʹt been expecting to see or hear from you.ʺ
Will turned to Ivy with a look that said, Youʹre crazy to buy this story.
Guy gave her a sardonic smile. ʺHow did you get to the hospital?ʺ Will asked Guy. ʺSome people walking a dog found me unconscious and called an ambulance.ʺ
ʺFound you where?ʺ
ʺLighthouse Beach,ʺ Guy replied.
ʺIn Chatham? Last Sunday, in Chatham?ʺ
ʺMonday, really,ʺ Guy corrected him. ʺJust after midnight.
ʺMust have been one helluva busy night for the EMS!ʺ
Guy frowned. ʺWhat do you mean?ʺ
ʺI sure hope you didnʹt meet up with another car on Morris Island/ʹ
ʺWill!ʺ Ivy said, recognizing the accusation behind his statement. ʺThatʹs ridiculous! They never found the car that hit us.ʺ
ʺAnd they never found out who this guy is,ʺ Will responded, ʺor why he canʹt remember anything, and why he was lying unconscious a short distance from where your car was totaled.ʺ Will paced the room, then stopped and turned toward Guy. ʺIʹm sure you have a good reason for leaving the hospital wearing Ivyʹs shirt. I’d think it would be a little small for you.ʺ
ʺIt was,ʺ Guy said. Ivy recounted the situation seeing that with each detail she gave. Will was growing angrier. ʺLet me get this straight,ʺ Will said incredulously. ʺYou helped him sneak out of the hospital before he was released by his doctor — probably still needing medical attention, and before, of course, he paid any bills.ʺ
ʺI followed my instinct,ʺ Ivy replied, feeling defensive. ʺI took a chance on another person. Maybe you should try it sometime!ʺ She saw the hurt on Willʹs face. Guy leaned forward slightly, catching her attention. ʺYou said the laundry room was off the kitchen?ʺ
ʺYes.ʺ He nodded and headed out the door. ʺWill — Will, Iʹm sorry,ʺ Ivy said. ʺI see how upset you are. I just… felt so bad for him.ʺ Will swallowed hard.
ʺYou remember how terrible it was for me last summer, when I couldnʹt remember things — when everyone else thought Iʹd tried to kill myself, when I couldnʹt explain how Iʹd gotten to the train station. You were so good to me. You believed in me when nobody else did. You took care of me. Guy has no one to believe in or care for him.ʺ
ʺThe difference is,ʺ Will said quietly, ʺI already knew you. I knew the kind of person you were.ʺ Ivy nodded. ʺYes, yes, youʹve got a point. I admit… I acted irrationally.ʺ She didnʹt add that, given the chance, sheʹd do it again.
Will walked over and sat on the sofa next to Ivy. He put his arms around her, pulling her close to him. ʺSometimes, Ivy, you scare the hell out of me.ʺ
ʺDO YOU THINK GUY WILL COME BACK?ʺ BETH ASKED, a half hour later as she and Ivy walked through the fruit trees along the path to the innʹs parking lot.
ʺI donʹt know.ʺ Ivy looked over her shoulder at the cottage swing, where she had left Guyʹs backpack. After exchanging apologies with Will, she had checked the laundry room. Guy, his money, the angel coin, and all his wet clothes had disappeared. The red towel had been left on the washer, and the backpack in the cottage.
ʺHeʹs staying at Nickerson State Park, which is a long walk from here,ʺ Ivy told Beth.
ʺWe could take his pack and bedroll to the visitorsʹ center. Maybe they have a lost and found.ʺ
Ivy shook her head. ʺGuyʹs not the kind to check it out He pretty much stays out of sight.ʺ Bern looked at Ivy sharply. ʺWhy?ʺ
ʺJust does.ʺ Beth frowned, but she didnʹt say anything more. Ivy was sure that Will had told Beth about his meeting with Guy. Beth had relayed to Ivy Willʹs excuse for not joining them in Provincetown, claiming he was anxious to work with his new watercolor paper. But Ivy knew how much Will had wanted to see the town, an artistsʹ haven. Despite the apologies, he was still upset.
The hour‐long ride to the end of the Cape was uncomfortably quiet. Ivy changed CDs several times, as if she could find the right music to regain the easy connection she usually felt with Beth, and was glad when they finally pulled into a parking space.
Provincetown was as colorful and quirky as advertised. Ivy and Beth strolled in and out of the small shops and galleries that crowded its narrow streets. On the surface it seemed as if things were returning to normal between them, as they pointed out to each other the paintings they liked, the odd pieces of sculpture, and handcrafted jewelry made of mystical sea glass. At about five thirty Ivy and Beth bought two raspberry iced teas and carried them to the breakwater at the end of town. Its black boulders, flat on top, stretched a mile across Provincetown Harbor, making a rocky footpath to Long Point beach on the curling fingertip of Cape Cod. Just beyond halfway, the point at which most walkers turned back, they sat down on a smooth rock. Behind them were the crescent of Provincetownʹs low buildings and the tall needle of Pilgrim Monument. Ahead were the lighthouses of Wood End and Long Point.