After Jace died, Cherisse urged Camille to come along on trips the way she used to, but Camille refused. She never flew anywhere. Just the idea of setting foot on a plane sent her into a panic. She never again climbed a mountain or rode a trail, rafted on a river, surfed a wave, or flew on a kiteboard. Other than routine commutes to D.C. for work, she didn’t go anywhere. These days, she regarded the world as a dangerous place, and her job was to stay put and keep Julie safe.
She had failed miserably at that today. She vowed not to make that mistake again.
Rhonda greeted them at the shop entrance with a tray of her legendary crab croquettes.
“I’m never leaving you,” Billy said, helping himself to three of them.
“Promises, promises,” said Rhonda. “Come on in, you two. We’re having a great night. The tourist season is about to kick into high gear.”
Camille’s mother was in her element, greeting visitors, treating even out-of-towners like cherished friends. Billy made a beeline for her. “Hello, gorgeous,” he said, giving her a quick hug.
“Hello yourself,” she said, her face lighting up. Then she noticed Camille. “Glad you came after all. How’s Julie doing?”
“She shooed us both out of the house,” Camille said. “She’s okay, Mom. Thanks for showing up at the hospital. I was a mess.”
“You were not. Or did I miss something?”
You missed me having a meltdown in front of Malcolm Finnemore, Camille thought, but she simply said, “I’m all right now.”
Billy surveyed an antique table displaying a polished punch bowl in the shape of a giant octopus. “The shop looks great, as always.”
“Thanks. Did you see Camille’s new prints? I can’t keep them in stock. I’ve sold four of them already tonight.” She gestured at a display of the three newest prints, matted and framed on a beadboard wall.
The center image was one Camille had rendered from an old daguerreotype of Edgar Allan Poe. Printed on archival paper, the portrait had a haunting quality, as elusive and scary as his poems. Next to those prints were examples of Camille’s own work. She almost never took pictures anymore, so these were from years before. She’d used a vintage large-format Hasselblad, capturing local scenes with almost hyperrealistic precision.
When Jace was still alive, Camille had been a chaperone on one of Julie’s school trips to the White House. It had been one of those days when shot after shot seemed to be sprinkled with fairy dust, from the dragonfly hovering perfectly over a pond in the Kennedy Garden, to a frozen moment of two girls holding hands as they ran along the east colonnade, framed by sheer white columns.
“I love these,” said a browsing tourist. “That’s such a beautiful shot of the White House Rose Garden.”
“Here’s the artist,” Billy said, nudging Camille forward.
“It’s very intriguing,” the woman said. “It looks as if the picture was taken at some earlier time.”
“They’re from six years ago. I was shooting with an antique camera that day,” Camille said.
“My daughter has a great collection of old cameras,” Cherisse said. “She does her own developing and printing.”
“Well, it’s fantastic. I’m going to get this one for a good friend who loves old photographs, too.” She smiled, picking up the Rose Garden print.
Camille was flattered, and she felt a wave of pride. She wished Jace had lived to see this. “Maybe this hobby of yours will turn into something one day,” he used to tell her.
“. . . on the back,” the woman was saying.
“Sorry,” Camille said. “What was that?”
“I wondered if you could write a message on the back,” she said. “To Tavia.”
“No problem.” The woman seemed a bit quirky, though perfectly nice. Camille found a pen and added a short greeting and her signature to the back of the mat.
“Let’s go drink,” Billy said after she finished. “I can watch you get hit on at the Skipjack.”
“Good plan,” she said, making a face. Guys didn’t hit on her, and he knew it.
She and Billy made their way to the rustic tavern, a nineteenth-century brick building near the fishing pier. The crowd here was friendly and upbeat, spilling out onto the deck overlooking the water.
“Is it just me,” Billy murmured, scanning the crowd, “or do we know at least half the people here?”
“The perks of growing up in a small town,” she said.
“Or the drawbacks. There are at least two women here I’ve slept with. Should I say hi, or pretend I don’t see them?”
“You should order a drink for me, and pick up the tab because I’ve had a rotten day.” Camille stepped up to the bar. “I’ll have a dark-and-stormy,” she said to the bartender.
“Camille, hi,” said a woman, coming up behind her.
Camille tried not to cringe visibly. She knew that voice, with its boarding-school accent and phony friendliness. “Hey, Courtney,” she said.
Drake Larson’s ex-wife wore a formfitting neoprene dress and a stiff smile. Years earlier, she’d been one of the come-heres, the kind that used to make Camille feel self-conscious. Camille was never as cool, as polished, as sophisticated as the kids from the city. One of the reasons she had worked so hard to excel at sports was to find a way to outshine the come-heres.
“I didn’t expect to see you out tonight,” Courtney said. “Vanessa told me your Julie had a terrible accident this morning.”
“She’s fine now,” Camille said, wishing she didn’t feel defensive.
“Well, that’s good to know. I can’t imagine leaving Vanessa after she suffered a head injury.”
“How do you know she hit her head?”
Courtney looked flustered. “That’s just what Vanessa heard. So, Julie’s all right, then, since you’re here drinking with some guy.” She eyed Billy, who was paying for the drinks.
“Julie is fine, and Vanessa is welcome to give her a call,” Camille said.
“I’ll pass that along,” Courtney said. “Vanessa’s busy tonight, though. She and her friends are by the gazebo, listening to the band. Maybe you could text Julie and tell her to join in.”
“Julie decided to stay home,” Camille said.
“You know,” Billy broke in, “just chilling out and being awesome.”
“I see. Well, I suppose she’s reached that awkward stage,” Courtney said, taking a dainty sip of her dirty martini.
Billy regarded her pointedly. “Some people never outgrow it.”
Courtney sniffed, either ignoring or missing the dig. “Kids. They change so quickly at this age, don’t they? Vanessa and Julie used to be such good friends, but lately they don’t seem to have much in common.”
“Is that so?” Billy asked.
“Vanessa is so busy with cheerleader tryouts. Is Julie going out for cheerleading, too?”
Julie would rather have a root canal, thought Camille.
“Julie doesn’t like being on the sidelines,” Billy said.
“She should try cheerleading,” Courtney said. “She has such a pretty face, and the practice is really good exercise. The drills are a great way to get in shape.”
Camille could feel Billy starting to bluster. She gave him a nudge. “Our drinks are ready.”
As they took their cocktails to the deck outside, Camille overheard Courtney boasting to someone else about Vanessa’s latest achievement. She knew she shouldn’t let the woman’s remarks get under her skin, but she couldn’t help it, especially when she looked across the way at the village green and saw a group of kids dancing and having fun. Perky blond Vanessa was the life of the party. Julie didn’t seem to belong anymore. And Camille had no idea how to fix it.
Four
Camille walked home, feeling slightly better after the village social time and two dark-and-stormies. Julie’s light was on upstairs, and Camille could see her through the window, staring at her computer screen, which seemed to be her main channel for socializing these days. Camille hoped the self-isolation was just a phase. She intended to restrict Julie’s screen time, but at the moment she didn’t feel up to a fight.