Page 101 of Save Me
24.Sloane
Itrace the faded turquoise lettering on the stone’s surface.
I remember this rock.
I was twelve, and my mom had just passed. Gigi and I were walking along the beach at sunset, as we did most nights, and we came upon this flat, round rock at the shoreline, where the waves lapped and the warblers foraged for bugs. It was far too heavy to wash up on shore overnight, and yet it seemed like it had done just that.
Gigi insisted that Mom had placed it there for us and that we should move it to sit among our chairs. That way, Mom would always have a spot with the Sea Witch crew as they huddled around the fire each night. It was a silly tale, and I knew it, but I went along with it anyway.
The two of us lugged it all the way back, struggling and stopping for breaks. Once we got it there, we spent all night deciding on the right spot.
Did Mom like to look out on the ocean or at our home?
Did she sit closer to the fire or farther away?
We must have rolled this thing around ten times, but once we settled on a place, I painted “Mom” across it in her favorite color. And that’s where it’s stayed ever since.
“We’ll move it,” Frank says. “I’ll build a new pit right over there, and they can shove their fire permits up their ass. Hope they get paper cuts.”
“I’m pretty sure the permits are digital now,” I mutter, feeling defeated. If what Frank just told me is true—which I have no reason to believe it isn’t—then is there even any point? They’re going to force me out and pave over everything.
“We’ll fight it, Parker. You’re good at fighting.”
“Yeah, and what has that gotten me? I fought that place for years, and there it is.” I throw a hand toward the great looming building. “So, what, I’m going to fight the town this time? You know how it goes when they start talking about needing new roads. They can claim just about anything they want. Remember Seaglass Way at the edge of Old Town? All those big, beautiful, hundred-year-old houses?” The homeowners argued for historical significance, and everyone thought they had a good shot. The Mathers house was the oldest home in the entire county. But they lost, and the bulldozers moved in. “All that effort and money and time that I’d spend, and it’d be a waste. I don’t have it in me anymore, Frank.” I drop into a chair. “I should just enjoy this while I can.” Will we even be here next year? How long before they’ll expect me to vacate the premises?
His forehead furrows. “There’s still a good reason to fight. Wolf’s fingerprints are all over this, and that’snot okay. He’s a private corporation, and he’ll benefit. All those businesses around the Sea Witch aren’t going to take this lying down. You’re not alone in this. This will go to court.”
But the same fire that drove me for years hasn’t ignited now. “I know I’m not alone, Frank.” I look pointedly at him. “Now, I have someoneelseto think of. How am I going to bring a baby into this world when it’s taking everything from me? My home, my livelihood. How long before Gigi’s gone too? Oh my God, Gigi.” I press my hand against my stomach as it roils. “This is going to kill her.” How long can I keep the news from reaching her ears?
Frank’s heavy frame hunches over the back of the Adirondack chair as the weight of this seems to settle on him too.
We sit in silence for a lengthy moment, as the faintest sound of laughter carries from beyond the trees. It’s a woman. Likely enjoying an early cocktail on that glamorous patio, reveling in the picturesque gulf and balmy heat, oblivious to the turmoil the owner of that hotel is causing countless people.
Even Ronan got caught up in it.
“He really did try, huh.” Things are beginning to make more sense now. He insisted I meet Abbi; he hoped she’d love me. Maybe enough to persuade her oligarchic husband to back off? He punched Henry in the face! Did that have anything to do with this? Even if not specifically, I imagine knowing this didn’t help.
“When did Ronan find out?” I ask.
“He said Monday.”
“When Henry came in.” That’s the evening he surprised me after my swim. That troubled look on his face …
He knew, but he didn’t tell me. I can’t decide if I’m angry or not. Would I have any right to be, though, given I stood in that shower with him, holding my own giant secret?
Ineedto tell him.
The alarm chirps on my phone, signaling the coming afternoon cruise schedule. “I’ve got to go. Bailey’s training with me today.”
“I can do it,” Frank offers.
I pull myself out of the chair. Sitting here moping isn’t going to change anything. “No. I don’t want her scared away on the first day.” Though something tells me she doesn’t scare easily.
He snorts at my poor attempt at a joke.
Somberness quickly takes over again as I pause to admire the view from our little slice of heaven, the water rippling, a pelican soaring above, the oat grass swaying in the slightest breeze. “It all feels like it’s crumbling, doesn’t it?”
Frank reaches out to gently squeeze my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
