“You’re from here?”
“I grew up here, went away, and ended up coming back. The oldest story in the book, right? Besides, you can’tfind dusty places like this just anywhere.”
Katie smiled, and for a moment neither said anything. Jo seemed content to stand in front of her, waiting for herto make the next move. Katie took a sip of coffee, gazing off into the woods, and then remembered her manners.
“Would you like a cup of coffee? I just brewed a pot.”
Jo put the sunglasses back on her head, tucking them into her hair. “You know, I was hoping you’d say that. I’d
lovea cup of coffee. My entire kitchen is still in boxes and my car is in the shop. Do you have any idea what it’slike to face the day without caffeine?”
“I have an idea.”
“Well, just so you know, I’m a genuine coffee addict. Especially on any day that requires me to unpack. Did Imention I hate unpacking?”
“I don’t think you did.”
“It’s pretty much the most miserable thing there is. Trying to figure out where to put everything, banging yourknees as you bump around the clutter. Don’t worry—I’m not the kind of neighbor who asks for that kind of help.
But coffee, on the other hand…”
“Come on.” Katie waved her in. “Just keep in mind that most of the furniture came with the place.”
After crossing the kitchen, Katie pulled a cup from the cupboard and filled it to the brim. She handed it to Jo.
“Sorry, I don’t have any cream or sugar.”
“Not necessary,” Jo said, taking the cup. She blew on the coffee before taking a sip. “Okay, it’s official,” shesaid. “As of now, you’re my best friend in the entire world. This is soooo good.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
“So Benson said you work at Ivan’s?”
“I’m a waitress.”
“Is Big Dave still working there?” When Katie nodded, Jo went on. “He’s been there since before I was in highschool. Does he still make up names for everyone?”
“Yes,” she said.
“How about Melody? Is she still talking about how cute the customers are?”
“Every shift.”
“And Ricky? Is he still hitting on new waitresses?”
When Katie nodded again, Jo laughed. “That place never changes.”
“Did you work there?”
“No, but it’s a small town and Ivan’s is an institution. Besides, the longer you live here, the more you’llunderstand that there are no such things as secrets in this place. Everyone knows everyone’s business, andsome people, like, let’s say… Melody… have raised gossip to an art form. It used to drive me crazy. Of course, halfthe people in Southport are the same way. There isn’t much to do around here but gossip.”
“But you came back.”
Jo shrugged. “Yeah, well. What can I say? Maybe I like the crazy.” She took another sip of her coffee andmotioned out the window. “You know, as long as I’d lived here, I wasn’t even aware these two places existed.”
“The landlord said they were hunting cottages. They used to be part of the plantation before he turned theminto rentals.”
Jo shook her head. “I can’t believe you moved out here.”
“You did, too,” Katie pointed out.
“Yes, but the only reason I considered it was because I knew I wouldn’t be the only woman at the end of agravel road in the middle of nowhere. It’s kind of isolated.”
Which is why I was more than happy to rent it, Katie thought to herself. “It’s not so bad. I’m used to it by now.”
“I hope I get used to it,” she said. She blew on the coffee, cooling it off. “So what brought you to Southport? I’msure it wasn’t the exciting career potential at Ivan’s. Do you have any family around here? Parents? Brothers orsisters?”
“No,” Katie said. “Just me.”
“Following a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“So you just… moved here?”
“Yes.”
“Why on earth would you do that?”
Katie didn’t answer. They were the same questions that Ivan and Melody and Ricky had asked. She knew therewere no ulterior motives behind the questions, it was just natural curiosity, but even so, she was never quite surewhat to say, other than to state the truth.
“I just wanted a place where I could start over.”
Jo took another sip of coffee, seemingly mulling over her answer, but surprising Katie, she asked no follow-upquestions. Instead, she simply nodded.
“Makes sense to me. Sometimes starting over is exactly what a person needs. And I think it’s admirable. A lot ofpeople don’t have the courage it takes to do something like that.”
“You think so?”
“I know so,” she said. “So, what’s on your agenda today? While I’m whining and unpacking and cleaning untilmy hands are raw.”
“I have to work later. But other than that, not much. I need to run to the store and pick up some things.”
“Are you going to visit Fisher’s or head into town?”
“I’m just going to Fisher’s,” she said.
“Have you met the owner there? The guy with gray hair?”
Katie nodded. “Once or twice.”
Jo finished her coffee and put the cup in the sink before sighing. “All right,” she said, sounding less thanenthusiastic. “Enough procrastinating. If I don’t start now, I’m never going to finish. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck.”
Jo gave a little wave. “It was nice meeting you, Katie.”
From her kitchen window, Katie saw Jo shaking the rug she’d set aside earlier. She seemed friendly enough, butKatie wasn’t sure whether she was ready to have a neighbor. Although it might be nice to have someone to visitwith now and then, she’d gotten used to being alone.
Then again, she knew that living in a small town meant that her self-imposed isolation couldn’t last forever. Shehad to work and shop and walk around town; some of the customers at the restaurant already recognized her.
And besides, she had to admit she’d enjoyed chatting with Jo. For some reason, she felt that there was more to Jothan met the eye, something… trustworthy, even if she couldn’t explain it. She was also a single woman, whichwas a definite plus. Katie didn’t want to imagine how she would have reacted had a man moved in next door, andshe wondered why she’d never even considered the possibility.
Over by the sink, she washed out the coffee cups then put them back into the cupboard. The act was sofamiliar—putting two cups away after coffee in the morning—and for an instant, she felt engulfed by the life she’dleft behind. Her hands began to tremble, and pressing them together she took a few deep breaths until they finallystilled. Two months ago, she wouldn’t have been able to do that; even two weeks ago, there had been little shecould do to stop it. While she was glad that these bouts of anxiety no longer overwhelmed her, it also meant shewas getting comfortable here, and that scared her. Because being comfortable meant she might lower her guard,and she could never let that happen.
Even so, she was grateful to have ended up in Southport. It was a small historic town of a few thousand people,located at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, right where it met the Intracoastal. It was a place with sidewalks andshade trees and flowers that bloomed in the sandy soil. Spanish moss hung from the tree branches, while kudzuclimbed the wizened trunks. She had watched kids riding their bikes and playing kick ball in the streets, and hadmarveled at the number of churches, one on nearly every corner. Crickets and frogs sounded in the evening, andshe thought again that this place had felt right, even from the beginning. It felt safe, as if it had somehow beenbeckoning to her all along, promising sanctuary.
Katie slipped on her only pair of shoes, a pair of beat-up Converse sneakers. The chest of drawers stoodlargely empty and there was almost no food in the kitchen, but as she stepped out of the house and into thesunshine and headed toward the store, she thought to herself, This is home. Drawing in a deeply scented breathof hyacinth and fresh-cut grass, she knew she hadn’t been happier in years.
3
His hair had turned gray when he was in his early twenties, prompting some good-natured ribbing from hisfriends. It hadn’t been a slow change, either, a few hairs here and there gradually turning to silver. Rather, inJanuary he’d had a head of black hair and by the following January, there was scarcely a single black hair left. Histwo older brothers had been spared, though in the last couple of years, they’d picked up some silver in theirsideburns. Neither his mom nor his dad could explain it; as far as they knew, Alex Wheatley was an anomaly onboth sides of the family.
Strangely, it hadn’t bothered him. In the army, he sometimes suspected that it had aided in his advancement.
He’d been with Criminal Investigation Division, or CID, stationed in Germany and Georgia, and had spent ten yearsinvestigating military crimes, everything from soldiers going AWOL, to burglary, domestic abuse, rape, and evenmurder. He’d been promoted regularly, finally retiring as a major at thirty-two.
After punching his ticket and ending his career with the military, he moved to Southport, his wife’s hometown.
He was newly married with his first child on the way, and though his immediate thought was that he would applyfor a job in law enforcement, his father-in-law had offered to sell him the family business.
It was an old-fashioned country store, with white clapboard siding, blue shutters, a sloped porch roof, and abench out front, the kind of store that enjoyed its heyday long ago and had mostly disappeared. The livingquarters were on the second floor. A massive magnolia tree shaded one side of the building, and an oak treestood out front. Only half of the parking lot was asphalt—the other half was gravel—but the lot was seldom empty.
His father-in-law had started the business before Carly was born, when there wasn’t much more than farmlandsurrounding him. But his father-in-law prided himself on understanding people, and he wanted to stock whateverthey happened to need, all of which lent a cluttered organization to the place. Alex felt the same way and kept thestore largely the same. Five or six aisles offered groceries and toiletries, refrigerator cases in the back overflowedwith everything from soda and water to beer and wine, and as in every other convenience store, this one hadracks of chips, candy, and the kind of junk food that people grabbed as they stood near the cash register. Butthat’s where the similarity ended. There was also assorted fishing gear along the shelves, fresh bait, and a grillmanned by Roger Thompson, who’d once worked on Wall Street and had moved to Southport in search of asimpler life. The grill offered burgers, sandwiches, and hot dogs as well as a place to sit. There were DVDs forrent, various kinds of ammunition, rain jackets and umbrellas, and a small offering of bestselling and classicnovels. The store sold spark plugs, fan belts, and gas cans, and Alex was able to make duplicates of keys with amachine in the back room. He had three gasoline pumps, and another pump on the dock for any boats thatneeded to fill up, the only place to do so aside from the marina. Rows of dill pickles, boiled peanuts, and basketsof fresh vegetables sat near the counter.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t hard to keep up with the inventory. Some items moved regularly, others didn’t. Like hisfather-in-law, Alex had a pretty good sense of what people needed as soon as they walked in the store. He’dalways noticed and remembered things that other people didn’t, a trait that had helped him immeasurably in hisyears working CID. Nowadays he was endlessly tinkering with the items he stocked, in an attempt to keep up withthe changing tastes of his customers.
Never in his life had he imagined doing something like this, but it had been a good decision, if only because itallowed him to keep an eye on the kids. Josh was in school, but Kristen wouldn’t start until the fall, and she spenther days with him in the store. He’d set up a play area behind the register, where his bright and talkative daughterseemed most happy. Though only five, she knew how to work the register and make change, using a step stool toreach the buttons. Alex always enjoyed the expressions on strangers’ faces when she started to ring them up.
Still, it wasn’t an ideal childhood for her, even if she didn’t know anything different. When he was honest withhimself, he had to admit that taking care of kids and the store took all the energy he had. Sometimes, he felt asthough he could barely keep up—making Josh’s lunch and dropping him off at school, ordering from hissuppliers, meeting with vendors, and serving the customers, all while keeping Kristen entertained. And that wasjust for starters. The evenings, he sometimes thought, were even busier. He tried his best to spend time doing kidthings with them—going on bike rides, flying kites, and fishing with Josh, but Kristen liked to play with dolls anddo arts and crafts, and he’d never been good at those things. Add in making dinner and cleaning the house, andhalf the time, it was all he could do to keep his head above water. Even when he finally got the kids in bed, hefound it nearly impossible to relax because there was always something else to do. He wasn’t sure if he evenknew how to relax anymore.
After the kids went to bed, he spent the rest of his evenings alone. Though he seemed to know most everyonein town, he had few real friends. The couples that he and Carly sometimes visited for barbecues or dinners hadslowly but surely drifted away. Part of that was his own fault—working at the store and raising his kids took mostof his time—but sometimes he got the sense that he made them uncomfortable, as if reminding them that life wasunpredictable and scary and that things could go bad in an instant.
It was a wearying and sometimes isolating lifestyle, but he remained focused on Josh and Kristen. Though lessfrequent than it once had been, both of them had been prone to nightmares with Carly gone. When they woke inthe middle of the night, sobbing inconsolably, he would hold them in his arms and whisper that everything wasgoing to be all right, until they were finally able to fall back asleep. Early on, all of them had seen a counselor; thekids had drawn pictures and talked about their feelings. It hadn’t seemed to help as much as he’d hoped it would.