Page 34 of High Season
“Actually,” she says. “There’s one thing I did want to ask you.”
Katherine nods, too eagerly.
“Yes,” she says. “Of course. Why don’t you sit back down and we can—”
“Have you managed to track down Hannah Bailey?”
Katherine’s face creases.
“Hannah…?”
Her confusion tells Josie everything she needs to know. She pushes hard against the door. As she walks away, she finds that she is trying not to cry.
TWELVE
2004
SIX WEEKS BEFORE THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
“So, what was it like?” Josie asked.
They were at the beach, supervising Nina as she built sandcastles with plastic buckets that Hannah had scavenged from the dive shop’s small children’s section. It was the hottest time of the day, and Josie would have much preferred to be within the cool stone walls of the pink house, but Evelyn had insisted that she take Nina out, complaining that she was giving her a headache. Already Josie could feel her skin, never quite used to the hot coastal summers, beginning to burn.
“What was what like?”
Josie flicked a handful of sand at her.
“Come on, you can’t play dumb with me. What was it like kissing Blake after all this time?”
She turned back toward Nina, momentarily distracted.
“That’s it. Tap it on the top with your spade so that the magic gets in. One, two,three.”
“It was… I don’t know.”
“Was it everything you always imagined?”
“Not exactly what I imagined, no. I was definitely expecting less water.”
Josie snorted.
“It’s all broken!” declared Nina as she lifted the plastic mould, the sandy mound emerging with its turrets not quite intact.
“It’s fine, look.” Josie clambered to her knees and patted some extra sand on top. “We can fix it.”
And then, to Hannah.
“But what was itlike? Actually kissing someone? Did he use tongue? Did you, like, French, or was it just a peck?”
“I don’t know, sort of in between, I suppose?”
“Josie?” Nina said, wheedling. “Did Hannah kiss Blake?”
“’Course not, Neens,” said Josie. “’Cos boys are gross, right? Hey, why don’t you try another one?”
She rolled over, wiped the sand off her hands.
“So, what?” she said. “Are you and Blake, like, a thing now?”
