Chapter Eight

" RIDLEY, WHAT TIME did Dana tell you she'd be here? " Laurie asked as they sat around the kitchen table at the shore house on Sunday morning. They were drinking coffee and eating freshly baked blueberry muffins they'd picked up that morning from a local bakery. " I wish she could have come yesterday so we would have had more time to spend with her."

" We all do, " Ridley said. " But when I called her on Thursday, she told me she preferred to drive down by herself on Sunday morning. I could tell she had her mind made up, so I didn't try to talk her out of it." Ridley had left straight from work on Friday afternoon to beat the rush hour traffic out of the city. That gave her time to unwind once she got there and make sure the shore house was ready before her friends arrived the next day. Every year she looked forward to her annual trip to the shore with Laurie and Karen on Columbus Day weekend, but now that Dana had agreed to join them for part of it, she could hardly wait for her to come.

" She was probably worried about the restaurant and maybe she felt a little shy about joining us for an entire weekend and staying somewhere unfamiliar. She seems more cautious than she used to be, but then we all get more wary as we get older, don't we? " Karen stood at the stove, stirring a pan of scrambled eggs. Next to her, on the countertop, she had a pound of crisp bacon strips draining between paper towels.

" She admitted to the first part and I think you're right about the second part, too, although she never actually said that, " Ridley said. " And to answer your question, Laurie, she should be here any time now. She promised she'd get an early start."

" Is it all right if we go ahead and eat without her? " Laurie asked.

" I don't see why not? " Ridley answered. " Who knows when she'll get here and if she didn't eat, we can always make her something."

" Knowing us, we'll be eating again before too long, " Laurie said.

" That's true." Ridley took another muffin from the white bakery box, peeled the paper off and took a big bite. " Why am I so hungry? Every time I come down here, I'm hungry all the time. Do you guys feel that way or is it just me? "

" It's not just you. I feel the same way. I think it's the fresh air." Karen brought the frying pan over and divided the eggs into three portions. Then she put the pan back and joined them at the table. She stretched her arms far above her head and yawned. " I love it here in the fall. It's so peaceful. Work has been so busy and it feels so good just to mellow out."

" If you get any more mellowed out, you'll be in a coma, " Laurie commented.

Karen gave her partner a brief but meaningful stare and then turned to her food.

" It's my favorite time of year, " Ridley said between bites. " People who only come to the shore in the summer don't have any idea what they're missing."

" It's nice of your mother to let us use the house, " Laurie said. " She's very..."

" Very what? " Dana poked her head into the kitchen and looked around. " You don't know how relieved I am to see that I'm in the right place, because I just walked straight through the entire length of this house and if it wasn't yours, I'd die."

" Hey, look who's here, " Karen said.

" Did you knock on the door? " Ridley asked. " Sorry, we didn't hear you."

" I tried, but no one came and I saw the cars in the driveway, so I just came in." Dana looked at Laurie.

" What were you saying when I so rudely interrupted you? "

" Very generous, that's what I was saying when you came in, " Laurie explained. " I was talking about Ridley's mother. She's nice to let us come down here and take over her shore house several times a year for our get-togethers."

" My mother loves that we come here, " Ridley chimed in. " She cleaned the place before she went back home on Thursday and she left us food and beer and she left me a nice note telling us all to have a good time. She's the greatest." Her eyes met Dana's and it was enough to spark the first stirrings of desire. This attraction wasn't going to leave her alone, just as she had feared. She smiled at Dana and said, " I'm glad you're here."

" So are we. Laurie and I were thrilled that you decided to join us, " Karen said.

" What a nice greeting, " Dana said. " Now I'm really glad I came." Dana sat at the table. " It's nice to see all of you."

" Too bad you couldn't have joined us for the whole weekend, " Karen said. " We were all saying that before you got here."

" Maybe next time I will."

" Did you have any trouble with the directions? " Ridley asked.

" The directions were very easy to follow and once I got close to the Pine Barrens there were hardly any cars on the road. Of course, I didn't expect there to be that many people out that early on a Sunday morning."

" Especially this time of year, " Ridley added. " I always like it when I get to the point where the landscape starts to change. The dirt at the side of the road turns into sand, the terrain flattens out and those scrubby little pines stretch out in every direction as far as the eye can see. Then, when you get to the marshlands, the air's infused with the smell of fish and brine and decaying vegetation and you know you're close to the bay."

" I like that, too, " Dana said.

" Can I get you some coffee? " Ridley asked. " Did you eat breakfast? "

" I ate before I left, but I'd love some coffee."

Ridley took her last bite of eggs, stood and picked up her coffee cup. " Stay there. I need another cup myself, so I'll get you one while I'm up. What do you take in it? "

" A rounded teaspoon of sugar and a splash of milk will be fine."

Laurie pushed the bakery box over to Dana. " Try one of these blueberry muffins. We just bought them at the bakery this morning and they're great."

Dana lifted the lid and peeked inside. " They look great. Maybe I will try one." Dana took one out of the box and put it on a plate that Laurie had placed in front of her. After Ridley brought her coffee over and set it in front of her, she blew on it and carefully took a sip. " This is excellent coffee." Dana took a bite of her muffin and washed it down with more coffee. " What have you been up to so far? "

" The same things we always do when we're down here, " Ridley told her. " We hang around, talk our heads off, ride around the island, browse in the shops and walk on the beach." Ridley carried her coffee to the table and sat next to Dana. " Did we do anything that I forgot to mention, Laurie and Karen? "

" You forgot to tell her we do plenty of eating and drinking, " Laurie said.

" And last night we went out to eat and took a ride along the bay, " Karen added.

" Are a lot of restaurants still open? " Dana asked.

" More than you might think, " Ridley said. " But mostly on the weekends."

" I remember a seafood restaurant I used to love, but I can't remember the name. It was in Harvey Cedars, I think--a small, very crowded place. They had the best French fries and their fish was always fresh."

" That would be the Harvey Cedars Shellfish Company. It's still there and it's open on the weekends. We could go tonight if you want to." Doing whatever made Dana happy had taken its rightful place on the top of Ridley's list of important things to do in life. " Is that okay with you guys? " she asked Laurie and Karen.

" I'd love to go there, " Laurie replied. " What about you, honey? "

" That's always fine with me, " Karen said. " I love that place." She got up, rinsed her coffee cup out in the sink and started to gather up the breakfast dishes. " I'm surprised you want to eat out, Dana. We all thought you'd be dying to cook dinner for us on your days off."

Dana laughed. " Think again. When I'm off, I try not to cook unless I really want to or have to. I had planned to make breakfast tomorrow, though, if it's okay with Ridley."

" You don't have to do that, " Ridley said.

" I want to as a token of my appreciation for being invited here."

" We certainly won't stop you, right girls? " Ridley looked at Karen and Laurie.

" No way, " Karen said. " I'm sure it will be something delicious."

" Then we'll need to stop at the supermarket sometime when we're out, " Dana said.

" We should check to see what we have here before we go shopping. My mother stocked the refrigerator with basic necessities before we came down, so we might already have some of the things you need, " Ridley said.

" We can do that, but I'm sure I'll need a few things you don't have."

" Don't worry, Dana, " Laurie said. " If you're missing anything, I'll send Karen to the super market to pick it up for you."

Karen moved so she stood behind Laurie's chair and wrapped her hands around her neck as if to strangle her. " You're something. What do you mean you'll send me? And let me remind you that Dana came here to relax, not to cook for us. We wouldn't ask you to give us a lecture on nineteenth century novelists on your day off."

" No, but I'd be happy to oblige you if you're interested."

Ridley frowned. " And when you're done, I'll go over the basics of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Now that's really fascinating."

" God no--please spare us, " Karen and Laurie said in unison.

Dana visibly shuttered. " I'll pass on that topic."

" Seriously, Dana, Karen's right. Don't cook unless you feel like it, " Laurie said.

" I'd like to do it. It's just breakfast and I'm not making anything difficult."

" I'll help you, " Ridley offered.

" Me too, " Laurie added. Laurie looked up at Karen who had released her death grip on Laurie's neck and had her hands on Laurie's shoulders.

Karen smiled down at her. " Me three."

" I knew you'd all help." Dana smiled. " It's settled then."

" Goody." Laurie clapped her hands in the air.

Ridley got up from the table. " Dana, if you're finished with your coffee, why don't you come with me and I'll show you your room. You guys don't mind if we leave you alone for a little while, do you? "

" No, you go ahead. We'll clean up, " Karen said.

" I LEFT MY bag out in my car, " Dana said once they got into the living room. She touched Ridley's arm lightly. " I'll just run and get it. Don't go anywhere."

" Don't worry, I won't. I'll be right here." Ridley remained by the fireplace mantle and waited for Dana to come back with her things. The odor of burnt wood coming from the fireplace was one of the permanent smells that resided in the house, a collection of scents that nourished her soul and kindled her fondest memories. She breathed them in, the ever-present fresh sea air, the bouquet of flowers on the coffee table, the lingering aroma of bacon from the kitchen, freshly brewed coffee and just a trace of her mother's favorite cologne.

Over the years, she, Laurie and Karen had spent many a weekend at the shore house. Once in a while, if she met someone who lived down there or was staying for the summer, she might invite her to go out to dinner with the three of them or out to a club, but this was the first time someone who really meant something to her was going to stay at the house with them. She'd dated a few women for longer periods of time, but it had never been anyone special enough to bring to this place, even though she knew she had no right to think of Dana that way. Dana was just one of the gang.

" I'm back, " Dana came back in with one overnight bag.

" You didn't bring much, did you? "

" I don't need much because I won't be here that long." Dana appeared to scan the room with her eyes. " This is a cozy room and that's a great fireplace. Do you use it much? "

Ridley nodded. " I thought we'd have a fire tonight. It's supposed to be chilly."

" That would be so nice, " Dana said.

" Come on, I'll show you to your room." She led Dana down a hallway to one of the guest rooms on the first floor, a lovely room in shades of sea form green and soft pink with white wicker furniture. A large watercolor painting of sandpipers scurrying along the beach at sunset hung above the bed.

" This is a relaxing room. Did you buy the painting and decorate the room to match it or did you buy the painting to match the room? "

" Good question." Ridley thought a moment. " My mother did it a long time ago, but I think the room came first because I remember her looking for a painting to go in here."

Dana opened a door inside the room and peeked inside " Is this a bathroom? "

" Yes, you have your own. I hope you'll be comfortable in here."

" I'm sure I'll be very comfortable. This house is charming, what I've seem of it, and it's beautifully maintained both inside and out."

Ridley beamed. " That's my mother. She has good taste, doesn't she? " Ridley adored the older Cape Cod style ranch, so well-maintained its white cedar shake shingles barely showed any ill effects from the ruthless and constant battering of wind and salt.

" I'll say." Dana took a closer look at Ridley. " You look good. You've got nice color in your cheeks and your hair's all windblown. You look really cute."

Ridley ran her fingers through her hair. " We were walking on the beach before breakfast. I guess I should have combed it. You look good yourself. I'm glad you're here."

" I know. You told me when I got here. I almost changed my mind at the last minute, but now I can see that would have been a mistake." Dana opened her bag, took out a book and set it on the table next to her bed. She glanced at Ridley. " Where's your room? "

" I'm upstairs in the master suite. My mother added it on a few years ago."

" I thought I saw a new addition on the back of the house, " Dana said.

" Did you go out there? "

" I went to take a quick look at the ocean and the beach when I got here and that's when I saw it. It must be nice to have an upper and lower deck overlooking the ocean."

" It is. We love to sit out there. The one on top comes off the master suite and connects to the one below it, the one that comes off the living room and goes down into the dunes. I'll take you up to see my room later. There's a whirlpool tub large enough for two people and skylights and another fireplace. At night you can hear the ocean and if the sky is clear, you can see the stars. I love that room, but I only get to stay in it when my mother's not here."

" If I owned a shore house, I'd want one just like this. It kind of reminds me of the houses around the Chesapeake Bay. I like the way the pine trees and bushes surround the house and make it feel secluded, like there aren't any other houses around."

" We actually have a triple lot. It's all worth a fortune now, the house and the land, but when my grandparents purchased the land it was quite cheap. Back then, there was nothing around and my grandparents weren't sure they wanted to build a house way down on this end because the island was so deserted. They thought they were making a big mistake, but they did it anyway."

" It looks like they made the right decision after all."

" They did, as it turned out. They left it to my mother when they died and now some parts of the island are crammed with expensive vacation homes and there's hardly a vacant lot to be had. We get some generous offers on the extra lots, but my mother would never sell them. She loves this place and she doesn't need the money."

" I don't blame her, " Dana said. " I wouldn't sell them."

" Me either. I love the extra space around the house and the privacy it gives us. This house is precious to me and I wouldn't change a thing about it. It's the caretaker of my most cherished memories and a lot of my past lives in here."

" I guess this will all be yours someday? "

" Someday, but not too soon, I hope. I'd like my mother to be around for a long time yet. She's more precious to me than this house could ever be." Ridley looked away for a moment. " Would you like to go for a ride this afternoon and see some of the island? "

" Yes, I'd love to. I haven't seen the shore in a long time."

" On the way back, we'll stop at the supermarket and get whatever you need."

" Give me a few minutes to unpack and freshen up in the bathroom. Then we'll see what you have and make a list of what we need."

" Can you find your way back to the kitchen? "

Dana smiled softly. " I think so. If not, I'll yell for help."

" That was silly, wasn't it? It's not that big a house." Ridley smiled to herself and shook her head. " Well, I should go find the girls and see if they want to go out with us. They should be done washing the dishes by now."