While Willow bent over her mug, stirring the marshmallows, Darcy studied the girl. She had her mother’s abundant red hair and green eyes. She had her mother’s body type, too. Darcy could understand why a guy would be attracted to this fourteen-year-old even in her jeans shorts and a loose cotton T-shirt.
“I’ll have to try Swiss Miss sometime,” Darcy said.
“Yeah.” Willow sipped her drink. “This is good, though.”
Muffler swanned into the room, waving his glorious long-haired black tail.
“Oh, he’s beautiful!” Willow cried.
“He certainly thinks so.”
In one light leap, the cat jumped into Willow’s lap.
“He likes me!”
“He’ll like you more if you pet him.”
For a while, only the sound of Muffler’s loud purring filled the room. What next? Darcy thought. They say if you save someone’s life, you’re responsible for them forever, which Darcy always thought was kind of backward, because if you save someone’s life, shouldn’t they be responsible for you, in a sort of turnabout is fair play? Besides, she hadn’t really saved the girl’s life. Except maybe she had. Getting hooked on heroin was a slow and ugly death sentence. Willow had asked Darcy not to tell her parents, but Darcy thought she had to. The girl was young and impressionable and too pretty for her own good.
She deliberated about what to ask Willow. She didn’t want to start a series of monosyllabic responses to boring adult questions. Besides, she wasn’t a certified therapist and Willow had a lot to process. She didn’t feel comfortable letting the girl return to an empty house, though.
“Want to watch TV? Until your parents get home? On Demand? Maybe Pretty Little Liars?”
“Cool! My parents won’t be home till midnight.”
“Want me to pop some popcorn?”
“No, I’m good.” Willow stood up, holding Muffler in her arms.
Darcy led Willow into the living room. They settled at either end of the sofa. Darcy pushed the buttons on the remote control until they’d gotten to the show, then handed it to Willow.
Willow raised the volume slightly. When the show began, she took a deep breath. Obviously being on a sofa, watching television, was a safe place for her.
Darcy had never watched the show. She was stunned at the perfect beauty of the actresses, and especially liked Alison, who was worried about her sanity. Her mind raced as the show went on: She wanted to be with Willow when her parents came home. She wanted to make the events of the evening clear. Somehow she had to get to the doing heroin without talking anymore about sex, since Boyz had made it clear it was none of her business. But heroin…
As if Willow had read Darcy’s mind, she said, “Will you come with me when my parents get home?”
“If you want me to.”
Willow chewed on her thumb, then spoke so lightly Darcy could hardly hear her. “Logan really is my boyfriend. And all the girls at home are doing it.”
Darcy gasped. “All the girls at home are doing heroin?”
Willow laughed out loud. “No! I meant they’re all having sex. Or kind of sex. They give their boyfriends BJs. That keeps everybody happy and no one gets pregnant.”
Words fail me, Darcy thought, and couldn’t speak. The girl at the other end of the sofa had a sprinkling of cinnamon freckles over nose and cheeks. If Willow wore her hair in braids…“I wonder if Anne of Green Gables ever gave BJs to Gilbert Blythe,” she mused.
Willow burst out laughing so loudly that Muffler, insulted, jumped off her lap.
“Wait, what? That is a very bizarre thought!” Turning on the sofa, she studied Darcy. “You really were married to my stepfather?”
“I was.”
“You were a waitress when he met you.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Darcy smiled, remembering. “At Bijoux. I had so much fun working there. So many great friends.”
“Why do you live on Nantucket?”
“My grandmother left me this house. I sort of grew up in it, and I’ve always loved it. Plus, I had finished my degree in library science, and there was a job at the children’s library. Everything fell into place.”
“My stepfather thinks he’s going to open a real estate company here, on this island. He says Nantucket has cachet.”
“Do you think you’ll move here?”
“Gosh, I hope not!” Willow made a grimace and covered her mouth. “Sorry. I mean I know some people totally choose to live here, but, wow, there’s no mall or Dairy Queen.”
“I love Dairy Queen. When I go off island, I try to get to one for a Pecan Mudslide.”
“I love Mudslides, too! They’re my favorite!”