Hearing voices in the direction of the cottage. Ivy checked her messages before following the path from the lot to the cottage. Will had written that Dhanyaʹs and Kelseyʹs new friends were coming over for a cookout: Y DONʹT U STOP BY
SOMETIME? he had added. His concern had changed to sarcasm, and in a way, that was easier for her to handle.
Emerging from the path, she saw that the barbecue had begun. An old banquet table had been dragged out from Aunt Cindyʹs shed and covered with a checkered cloth. Extra chairs had been borrowed from the innʹs porch. Will was poking at coals in the grill and glanced up at her as she approached. ʺNice of you to show,ʺ he remarked, and went back to work.
Beth set large bowls of pretzels and chips on the long table and turned back to the cottage as if she didnʹt see Ivy. ʺHey,ʺ Ivy greeted her.
Beth looked over her shoulder, then glanced toward Will, which annoyed Ivy. It was as if all that mattered was how Will felt.
ʺHey, girl. Where ya been?ʺ Kelsey sang out. She and a dark‐haired guy were setting up a badminton net. ʺAround,ʺ Ivy replied. ʺLooks like I got here just in time.ʺ
ʺYou did, and now youʹve got clean‐up duty?ʺ Ivy laughed. For once she was glad to be around a party girl with a big voice. It sure beat Bethʹs and Willʹs icy welcome.
ʺCans are in the cooler. Nothing good,ʺ Kelsey said with a flick of her head toward the inn. Ivy assumed she meant nothing alcoholic, not around Aunt Cindy.
ʺBack in a minute,ʺ Ivy replied, and went inside. Dhanya was in the kitchen, whipping together a dip, her arm jingling with gold, silver, and copper bracelets.
A guy relaxed in a kitchen chair, watching her. It had to be Max, Ivy thought, noticing the shirt. It was Hawaiian silk, and its bright aqua and lime green floral stood in contrast to his monochrome coloring: tan skin, faded‐brown hair, and when he turned to look at Ivy, light brown — almost amber — eyes.
He smiled, his row of perfect white teeth gleaming against his beige coloring.
ʺMax Moyer,ʺ he said, holding out his hand. ʺIvy Lyons,ʺ she replied, walking over to him, amused that he had offered to shake hands but remained in his chair, his foot casually propped on his knee.
Glancing down, Ivy recognized his brand of boat shoe — Gregory had worn the same ones. ʺIʹve heard lots about you,ʺ Max said. ʺHow much do you think is true?ʺ Ivy asked. Her quick reply seemed to catch him off guard. She smiled, and after a moment Max matched her smile.
ʺAll of it. Dhanya wouldnʹt lie to me.ʺ Dhanya glanced over her shoulder, but said nothing. ʺStill,ʺ Ivy said, ʺyou should only believe the good stuff.ʺ She turned to Dhanya. ʺHey. What’re you making?ʺ
ʺCream cheese and dill. Tell me what you think,” Dhanya said, dipping a clean spoon in her mix and holding it out to Ivy. ʺMmm. I think Iʹm sitting wherever you put this bowl.”
ʺCan I taste?ʺ Max dipped a cracker. ʺAwesome!ʺ he exclaimed, and then dipped his half‐eaten cracker into the communal bowl. Dhanya glanced at Ivy, shook her head, and fastidiously scraped out the section where he had just scooped.
Trying not to laugh — at Dhanya or Max — Ivy headed upstairs to change into a clean top and shorts. When she joined the others outside, Max was standing next to Will, watching him slide burgers onto the grill.
ʺYouʹre not planning to join a frat?ʺ he said to Will, his light eyes round with surprise. ʺWhat are you going to do all day? You’ll die of boredom.ʺ
ʺIʹll think of something. Studying for instance.ʺ
ʺBut how are you going to meet people?ʺ Max persisted. ʺFacebookʹs good, but fraternities, theyʹre the melting pot of America.ʺ Will laughed. ʺNever thought of them that way.ʺ Beth sat a few feet away from them, listening. It wasnʹt unusual for Beth to be silently observant at social events — taking mental notes, happily gathering dialogue and details for her stories.
But the ʺhappilyʺ part was missing, Ivy thought studying her friend’s face. It looked more like Beth was cramming for a test, ʺDoesnʹt anyone want to play with us?ʺ Kelsey called from the badminton game.
ʺYouʹre going at it way too seriously for me,ʺ Ivy replied, carrying a soda over to the swing. Dusty followed her, and she lifted her hands so the cat could jump in her lap.
ʺAnd for me,ʺ Max said. ʺWith Bryan, I play only electronic games.ʺ Kelsey’s competitor, who was medium height but powerfully built, pointed to his friend, lifted his elbows, and squawked like a chicken. Max shrugged it off.
ʺSo let’s quit Iʹm thirsty anyway,ʺ Bryan said to Kelsey, then strode toward the ice chest and foraged through the frozen chips. ʺNo Red Bull?ʺ ʺJust Mountain Dew and Coke.” Dhanya answered.
Max toasted Dhanya with his can, then said to Bryan, ʺThis is a classy affair.ʺ
ʺThen we should at least have wine Bryan mumbled, grabbing a Coke. He sat on the swing next to Ivy, which made the cat jump off.
ʺI like you, too, kitty,ʺ Bryan said to Dusty, then turned to Ivy. ʺAnd you are?ʺ
Kelsey blew threw her lips. “You know who she is.ʺ
ʺIvy,ʺ Max told his friend. ʺWillʹs one and only,ʺ Kelsey added. ʺWell, thatʹs very limiting,ʺ Bryan responded.
Ivy fought the urge to roll her eyes “Nice to meet you.ʺ Both his build and his movement indicated that Bryan was a good athlete. He wore a T‐shirt with BOSTON UNIVERSITY printed across his massive chest and shorts that bore the collegeʹs insignia. His thick dark hair and green eyes were striking. His Irish complexion gave him a ruddier tan than Maxʹs.
ʺWe were telling Bryan and Max about your accident,ʺ Kelsey said to Ivy, dragging a lawn chair over to the swing, ʺhow your car was totaled and all.ʺ
ʺI would never have known it, looking at you and Beth now. How are you feeling?ʺ Bryan asked. ʺFine. The same as before.ʺ
Max leaned forward. ʺWhat kind of car ran you off the road?ʺ
ʺProbably a Ferrari Four Fifty‐eight,” Bryan quipped. ʺThatʹs what Maxie owns.
People with Ferraris always drive like they own the road.ʺ
ʺAll I could see were the headlights,” Ivy explained, ʺso I have nil idea what it was.ʺ
ʺWere the headlights low to the road?ʺ Max asked, spooning the bowl of dip with his half‐eaten pretzel. Ivy glanced toward Beth, then said, ʺNeither of us was thinking like witnesses to an accident. We didnʹt notice those kinds of details;ʺ
Bryan nodded and laid his hand on her arm. ʺMust have been a pretty scary scene.ʺ Kelsey, facing Ivy and Bryan, put her feet on the swing between them. ʺI wonder whatever happened to that guy who was in the hospital when you were.
Ivy — you know, our friendly local amnesiac.ʺ Out of the corner of her eye. Ivy saw Will stiffen.
ʺOur friendly local amnesiac?ʺ Max repeated. ʺYeah, some guy they fished out of the ocean in Chatham, the same night as Ivyʹs and Bethʹs accidentʺ
ʺReally?!ʺ Bryan said with surprise. Then he turned to Max: ʺDo you think he went to your party?”
ʺNo,ʺ Kelsey said. ʺI would have remembered him. He was gorgeous — even beat‐up. He has these incredible, seductive eyes.ʺ It lasted no more than a half second, the flash in Bryanʹs eyes, but Ivy had seen it.
Kelsey had succeeded in pushing the little green button in him— and in Will.
But Bryan was better at covering up his jealous moment; Will continued to scowl.
ʺI donʹt know about thatʺ Dhanya replied. ʺI thought the guy was kind of scary.ʺ
ʺAmnesia,ʺ Bryan said thoughtfully. ʺWhy didnʹt I think of that? I donʹt know.
Officer, none of this looks familiar. . I have no idea, Mom… Really, babe? I canʹt remember anything. What a great excuse! Will snickered.
Ivy changed the subject. ʺDo you play a sport for BU?ʺ
ʺHockey.ʺ