Paco said, “She says she didn’t know anything about her stepfather until she saw it on TV, but nobody’s buying it because her whole family didn’t know where she was. I guess the cops still think she’s a suspect.”
I said, “Oh, no. I think I might be partly responsible for that. I told Becca she’d have to tell her parents she was pregnant sooner or later, but she was terrified. I wonder if she decided it would be easier to just run away.”
Michael muttered, “Seems to be a lot of that going on lately.”
“So where is she now?”
“She’s back. They said she’s in a hotel with her mother and brother.”
I said, “Yeah, the investigators are done with the house, but Mrs. Harwick isn’t ready to go back yet. I still have their cat at the Kitty Haven.”
Paco nodded. I could tell he felt sorry for Charlotte, but he was also holding something back. Whatever he knew about the Harwick case, he wasn’t saying.
Michael said, “Okay, can I interject here for a second? We have this amazing fish and all this fantastic food in front of us, and all you guys can talk about is pregnant teenage runaways and dead bodies. Can we please talk about something else?”
My cell phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket, ignoring Michael as he shot a disapproving look in my direction. It was Detective McKenzie again. I muted the ringer and laid it back down on the table.
Paco smiled mischeviously. “Okay, let’s change the subject. Why don’t we tell Dixie what you said to that woman at the market today.”
Michael said, “Oh, let’s not.”
“What happened?”
Paco said, “This woman saw all the cartons of potato salad and prepared foods that Michael was putting in the basket. She winked at Michael and said, ‘Looks like somebody needs a woman to cook him up a nice homemade meal.’ So Michael said, ‘Yeah, except I think my partner wouldn’t be too happy about that.’ Well, apparently she thought he meant his business partner, because she said, ‘What kind of business are you in that he has a say in it?’”
I laughed. “Oh, no. What did you say to her?”
Michael deadpanned, “I said, ‘Monkey business.’”
I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.
Paco put his arm out to keep my chair from falling over backward. “She said, ‘Oh, that’s interesting!’ and just kept on shopping, like it was the most normal thing in the world.”
Michael grinned. “I think she must have thought I was a monkey trainer for the circus.”
It felt good to just sit and laugh, to forget about everything that was happening outside of our little world. We finished our beers and watched as the sun sank deeper behind the ocean, leaving behind a slow-motion trail of undulating ribbons of pink and orange light in the darkening sky.
My cell phone rang again. This time I jumped for it. It was Ethan.
Michael started to shoot me another of his signature disapproving looks, but I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh please, you don’t scare me. I have to answer this one.”
I walked away from the table and flipped open my phone.
“Hey.”
“Hey there. What are you doing?”
Even the sound of Ethan’s voice made my heart speed up a little bit. “I’m sitting here with my favorite men in the world having dinner.”
“Your favorite men? Shouldn’t I be there?”
“Yes, you should. Come over. We’ve got fresh fish on the grill and ice-cold beer.”
“Nice! I’m on my way.”
I hung up and walked back to the table.
Michael said, “Who was that?”
“Ethan,” I said demurely.
Michael raised one eybrow. “Really?”
He and Paco shared a look.
Paco said, “How’s he doing, anyway?”
I sat down and scooped another serving of potato salad onto my plate.
“You can ask him yourself. He’s coming over.”
* * *
When Ethan arrived, he and Michael and Paco all stood around on the deck with their hands in their pockets, swaying back and forth and talking in that deep-toned, monosyllabic way that men do when they’re a little uncomfortable. Then suddenly Michael and Paco disappeared inside, and Ethan and I were left alone.
We walked down to the beach and sat down on the sand and watched the waves crashing in. The birds and crickets were still in the throes of their evening performance, and at times it was all so loud we had to speak up a little just to be heard over them.
Finally I said, “I’m scared.”
He tilted his head. “Of what?”
I waved my hand back and forth between us. “You know. This.”
“Yeah, I know. So what else is new?”
“Very funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
I looked up at him. I could tell by the look in his eyes that it was true. He wasn’t joking. He was dead serious.
“I’m sorry, it’s just sometimes I feel like we’re at a carnival, and we keep getting on the same carousel over and over again because you’re afraid to get on the big-kid rides.”
I said, “Ethan, do you have any idea how many people die every year on roller coasters?”
He rolled his eyes.
I said, “Okay. I know, I know. Believe me, I know. All my friends are saying I need to just move on with my life and stop being so…” I searched for the right word. “Safe.”
Ethan said, “Wait a minute, you talked to your friends about me?”
“Well, no, not you in particular, just about relationships.”
“Ah.”
He looked a little disappointed. Then I thought of Cora popping that piece of chocolate bread in her mouth and the twinkle in her eye as she reminded me how delicious Ethan was.
I smiled. “Okay, maybe I did mention you a couple of times.”
He grinned and looked out at the water. “That’s good, I guess.”
“I’m sorry I’m so neurotic. I’m really trying to change. Believe me, I don’t want to spend every moment of my life feeling like I’m hiding from something.”
He turned to me. “Well, maybe it’s time to change that. Maybe it’s time to start living every moment as if you’re finding something. What if every moment is a discovery?”
I laid my hand on top of his and looked up into his big brown eyes. I said, “That is the corniest fucking thing you have ever said in your entire life.”
He burst out laughing. “I know, right? High five!”
I clapped my hand into his and he pulled me closer. I did my best impersonation of a self-help hippie guru: “What if every moment is a beautiful blooming lotus blossom of discovery?”
He chuckled, and we both sat there a while longer and listened to the waves and the dying chorus of birds and crickets.
Finally he said, “But you have to admit, it’s not bad advice.”
* * *
As we were walking up to the house, I saw Michael and Paco out on the deck clearing away the dinner dishes, but when they saw us coming they scattered back inside like mice.
I walked Ethan over to the carport. Before we even got to his car he pulled me into his arms.
“Tell Paco and your brother I said thanks for the beer, and call me if you need me.”
I felt his strong arms slide around the small of my back and a wave of goose bumps flowed across my entire body.
“I will. Thanks for coming by. You totally made my day.”
I could feel his chest rise and fall against mine with every breath he took. He cocked his head to one side and said, “Your hair looks good.”
“I know. I dried it with a hair dryer.”
“Totally works.”
I laid my hand on the back of his neck and gently drew his lips to mine.
25
I walked behind Ethan’s car a little ways down the lane until his taillights disappeared around the curve. Then I came back up with my arms wrapped around my shoulders like I was giving myself a good hug. I was halfway up the steps to my apartment when Michael poked his head out of the house.