Page 52 of Homecoming

“Was that the day the disgruntled lawyer guy slashed Dan’s hand with the knife?” Renata asked.

“Yes, that’s the one. Ironically, that man just died in the hurricane. He decided to ride it out on a boat with another guy. They were both killed.”

“That’s really sad,” Ellery said.

“It was. He has a young daughter, so it’s been rough on her and their family.”

The waitress arrived with their food as well as ketchup and vinegar for their french fries.

“I was surprised when you said you guys were going to stay on Gansett.” Jessie poked at her salad as if she wasn’t that interested in eating. “I figured Dan would want to be back in LA.”

“He’d tired of LA long before we met. He loves Gansett as much as I do.”

“What goes on there?” Ellery asked.

“Nothing and everything. We have the most amazing group of friends, most of whom are related to each other in some way. There’s one family of siblings and cousins, the McCarthys. Their family owns a marina, a hotel and a couple of event venues. Their son Grant is Dan’s best friend, which is how he ended up on Gansett.”

“Is it dead in the winter?” Renata asked.

“Yeah, it’s slow, but we stay busy. There’s always something going on. Birthday parties and celebrations of some sort or another.” Kara took a bite of delicious lobster while noticing the others were barely touching their lunches. She wanted to ask them what was wrong but was afraid of what they might say. Finally, the tension got the best of her.

“What’s going on, you guys?” Kara asked. “Why are you all so tense?”

“You’ve been gone a long time,” Jessie said without looking away from Ellery, who glared right back at her. “Things change.”

“What’s changed?”

“Everything, Kara,” Jessie said. “Wake up. You don’t get to come home after years away and act like nothing happened here while you were gone.”

Stung by the sharp comment, Kara said, “I’m not acting like anything.”

“You’ve found a whole new life that doesn’t include us,” Ellery said gently. “That kind of hurts.”

“That’s not true! You guys know why I left. You’re the ones who told me to go!”

“It never occurred to us that you’d never come back,” Jessie said.

Kara sat back against her chair, her heart aching with the realization that her actions had hurt her closest friends at home. “I… I’m sorry. I just… I couldn’t come back here. I just couldn’t.”

“There’s a lot more here than Kelly and Matt,” Ellery said.

“I know that.”

“You guys,” Renata said, “lighten up. She did what was needed to get through a tough situation.”

“That was ages ago,” Jessie said. “She’s happily married now to a rock-star lawyer and has been for years. It’s just a little hurtful that we haven’t seen you in all this time.”

Kara was too stunned to speak. She’d gone out of her way to stay in close touch with all three of them, texting, calling and FaceTiming regularly. In fact, she’d done most of the heavy lifting in their relationships while she was away. If she didn’t reach out, she didn’t hear much from Jessie or Ellery. She’d chalked it up to everyone being busy. It had never occurred to her that they resented her for being gone so long.

They picked at their lunches and coexisted in awkward silence until the waitress returned with their check, which Renata grabbed.

“I’ve got this,” she said.

“Thank you,” the others said.

Kara stood. “It was really nice to see you guys. I’m sorry if I hurt you by staying away. Take care.” She walked away with her head held high even as her heart ached with sadness but not regret. There’d never be regrets for doing what it took to survive the betrayal of her sister and boyfriend, not to mention her parents, who threw the pair a big fancy wedding, as if Kara’s feelings didn’t matter in the least.

Only when she was in Buster’s truck did she allow the tears to spill down her cheeks.

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