Page 13 of Strangers She Knows

Its small size wasn’t an illusion of distance; it was tiny, one or two bedrooms, with a porch that faced east, a garden plot, a greenhouse and wide live oaks in the side yard. A woman came out of the house and looked up, shading her eyes.

Max waved.

She didn’t wave back, but continued to watch them.

“That’s Jamie Conkle. She and her husband live here year-round. They watch and let us know when someone tries to drop anchor and cause trouble.”

In the rush of travel and worry, Kellen hadn’t thought about it. “I suppose you do need caretakers.”

“Jamie Conkle is a brilliant gardener. Since the Conkles moved here, she has made them self-sufficient in their food supply. With her greenhouse and her garden and her fledgling orchard, she now grows all her own fruits and vegetables. And raises chickens. She’s got crab pots and fishing lines, so they’ve got everything they need. Because of her providing us with food and Olympia’s cooking, we’re able to stay on the island and be self-sufficient, too.”

“Awesome. I’ll go down and meet her!” Rae’s eyes were shining.

Max grimaced. “Um…maybe not.”

Rae sat up straight and indignant. “Why not?”

He glanced back at her. “It’s no reflection on you. I’ve visited the island before, and I’ve met Jamie Conkle. She’s…different.”

“That’s okay. Right?” Rae looked vaguely anxious, a girl verging on adolescence. “You told me it was okay to be different.”

“It is okay, but she’s different—and difficult. She doesn’t do well in conversation. She doesn’t entertain other people’s opinions. She likes to be right. She can be razor sharp, and we should respect her desire to be alone. Right?”

“I guess.” The constantly social Rae sounded uncertain.

The beach to the east was a long sweep of pale sand and frothing waves, and on the sand was a narrow, eight-foot-long white shape. From above, Kellen couldn’t figure out what it was…

Max pointed. “Rae. Look there.”

Rae fought her seat belt to half rise off her seat. “Daddy! Is that a SkinnySail?”

“Might be,” Max acknowledged.

“What’s a skinny sale?” Then light dawned for Kellen. “Wait—you didn’t buy one of those boats Rae’s been asking for?”

He looked sideways out of the corner of his eye. “Might have.”

Exasperated, Kellen said, “Max, you spoil that child!”

“Mommy, you sound like Grandma.”

Kellen snapped around and glared.

Rae subsided in her seat. But she couldn’t stop the grin on her face. “A SkinnySail. Mommy, don’t be mad. Daddy and I will take you sailing on the ocean.”

“Be still, my heart,” Kellen muttered.

“You can’t be afraid of boatingandof biking!” Rae protested. Once upon a time, a couple of years ago, she had thought her mother was a superhero.

The kid was over that now.

“I’m notafraid. But if I wanted to boat, I’d have joined the US Navy, and if I wanted to bike, I’d have joined the…” Kellen racked her brain for an apt analogy.

“The Wicked Wheelies?” Rae suggested.

“The Out Spoken?” Max offered.

“Wheels…of…Fortune!” Rae was having fun now.

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