The Sweetest Summer(120)
“Bye!” Chrissy gripped Evelyn’s legs for a quick hug, then ran back to the sink and climbed the stool.
Evelyn thanked everyone, then Ash and Nat walked them to the front door. “See you tonight,” Ash said as they left.
“Will do!” Clancy held the door open for Evelyn.
She made her way to the car slowly, and with her legs pinned together as they were, it took some core strength to tuck herself inside the Jeep.
The trip back was much quieter.
“I hate to ask, but did Mona mermatize you?”
Evelyn laughed. “Yeah. She wanted me to join her group and asked me if I believed in love.”
“Ah, God. Sorry.” Clancy shook his head. “You know, it’s funny about my mom. She’s a brilliant lady, retired school administrator, the most organized woman I’ve ever known—but she loses her freakin’ common sense when it comes to the mermaid.”
“It’s her passion, I guess. People have accused me of the same thing with all the stuff I’m into.”
Clancy gave her a sideways grin. “I had a chance to check out your blog at work this morning. You are killin’ it, Evie. Forty thousand followers? That’s amazing.”
“Thank you.” She felt a little shy.
“I just hope my mom didn’t scare you away.”
“Scare me away? From what—you?”
Clancy shrugged, pulling into the drive of his house. “Yeah. Me. This island. I know we’re a little unusual around here. It takes some getting used to.”
He cut the engine, and they sat quietly in the Jeep, simply looking at each other. She reached for his hand.
“What happened with your wife?”
Clancy nodded mechanically, as if he were expecting that question. “Barbie and I met in Boston and got married after just six months together. Mistake number one. When I wanted to come back and take over as chief of police, she fought me every step of the way. She hated Bayberry Island, and she came to hate me for dragging her here.”
“That sounds awful. I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.”
“Clancy, I have something to confess.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“The day I had to leave Bayberry when I was fourteen, I had a . . . I don’t know how to describe it, really. It wasn’t a premonition or anything that dramatic, but I had a feeling I was supposed to stay and would end up staying somehow. Of course, back then I couldn’t and didn’t, but I’m here now. And the weird thing is, this trip wasn’t even my idea. It was Amanda’s. She wanted to bring our dad here for his birthday, to relive a happy moment from our past, and she wanted Christina to see the festival.”
“That’s why you had the two rooms.”
“Yeah. Amanda booked them, maybe nine or ten months ago. When all this happened with Richard and I was freaking out trying to decide what to do and where to go, I remembered the arrangements.”
Clancy cocked his head. “So it was almost as if you were sent here.”
“Here’s my confession: no matter why or how I came back, the truth is that this island—the way things are here, the people, you—it fits me, Clancy. I’m not scared away. I’m scared I’ll be dragged off in handcuffs and never see you or this place again.”