Page 72 of Dreams of Falling
I didn’t mention that he’d asked me once before if I skied, and I’d told him that I didn’t. He said he’d teach me, but that’s not what happened.
I sat down in the front of the boat while he pushed us away from the dock and started the engine again. As it idled, Jackson said, “I thought we’d go out into the bay and see if we can spot the smokestack from theHarvest Moon,” referring to the Union side-wheeled steam gunboat sunk in Winyah Bay by a Confederate mine. “I thought I’d drop anchor and we’d have a nice picnic dinner. I brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”
“To celebrate?”
“A reunion of old friends,” he said. “And our blank slate.”
“I didn’t think we were friends, Jackson.” Why did I say those words? Maybe because I’d just been with Bitty, who knew the truth of everything without ever needing to be told. Or maybe it was because I was remembering dancing with Bennett in his parents’ garageand trying to recall why I’d once wished my dance partner was Jackson instead of him.
“Weren’t we?” he asked, his smile intact, and I had the sudden realization that he actually thought we had been.
For self-preservation and the need to know the truth, I pressed on. “I used to hang around the periphery of your group, but I don’t think you ever said more than ten words to me. Until that time on your daddy’s boat.”
“Really?” he said, still smiling, the boat idling and the thrum of the motor reminding me why I didn’t want to let this go.
He held out his hand to me, and I stood to take it. Pulling me close, so I could smell the scent of him again, he said, “Larkin, as I said the other night, I remember you. And not just because we share a special memory. I remember that you were always the loudest fan in the stands at the football games, holding up those great banners.” His grin widened. “You helped some of the guys on the team with their English essays, too, because you were such a good writer. And I remember everyone standing to clap after your performance at the talent show...”
I put my free hand over his mouth. “That’s enough.”
He kissed my fingers, and I thought the heat would make my hand melt. Reluctantly, I dropped my hand.
“See?” he said. “I remember.”
I reached up to take off his sunglasses so I could see his eyes. They were bright green today, I noticed, reflecting the color of his T-shirt that molded nicely to his chest and football-player biceps. He leaned toward me, and I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, waiting for his kiss.A clean slate.
“Hi, Larkin!”
I jerked my head back at the child’s voice calling my name and turned toward the dock behind Ceecee’s house. Ellis ran toward us, wearing swimming trunks and a life jacket. He was running in front of Bennett, who was strolling casually behind him.
I waved to Ellis but directed my annoyed gaze at Bennett. “What are you doing here? I thought you had to go back to Columbia.”
Bennett stopped at the edge of the dock, his hand on Ellis’s shoulder. “Mabry and Jonathan are working the same shift today at the hospital. I decided to delay my departure so I could spend time with my favorite nephew.”
“And Mama said I gets to go on the boat!”
I frowned at the two of them, wondering what they were doing there, and how Ellis knew there’d be a boat. My gaze traveled to the screened porch at the rear of the house. A shock of unnatural red hair stood out against the house’s white paint. I heard a cough and smelled the acrid scent of a cigarette, and I knew who must have called to let Bennett know where I was going. And with whom.
“Sorry, sport,” Jackson said as he put his arm around me. “You’re too late. Good seeing you, Bennett.” He moved his other hand toward the throttle, but I held it back.
“Wait a minute,” I said, unable to take the look of complete abandonment and desolation on Ellis’s little face. “Can’t we give him just a quick ride down the river and bring him right back?”
Jackson shrugged and let out a big sigh. “I guess.” He maneuvered the boat up to the dock again, Bennett helping to pull the boat closer so he could hand Ellis inside. As I was getting Ellis settled, I felt the thud of someone landing on the boat and turned to see Bennett standing next to me, grinning.
“Hate to miss an opportunity to be seen in this boat, Jackson,” he said. “Can’t let Ellis have all the fun, can we?” He gave a friendly punch to Jackson’s shoulder.
Jackson had replaced his sunglasses so I could no longer see his eyes, but his smile was definitely dimmer. “Of course not.” He waited for everyone to sit down, then pushed the throttle forward, making the boat jump.
Bennett sat down on Ellis’s other side, and put his arm around the boy, his hand resting on my shoulder. “You might want to slow it down, Jackson,” Bennett shouted so Jackson could hear. “Mabry said Ellis loves to ride on boats, but he gets seasick pretty easily. We’re hoping he’ll outgrow it. No boy living this close to the water should be allowed to get seasick.”
Jackson sent a worried look over at Ellis, who’d propped himself up on his knees and was staring backward at the spray of water from the motor splashing behind us. He slowed the boat so that we were barely going faster than I could swim, and I was a slow swimmer.
“You serious, man?”
“As a heart attack,” Bennett said with a wide smile, leaning back and crossing a tanned leg over his knee.
Jackson continued to steer the boat at a low speed, looking back often to check on Ellis while I glared at Bennett.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed.
