ʺKelsey!ʺ Ivy spun her chair around, ready to defend herself. But when she looked at the guy, all words slipped away. His intense blue eyes seemed to burn through flirtatious remarks and silly explanations. His gaze was both haunted and disdainful, as if he had experienced and knew something terrible mat Ivy and her friends would never understand.
As long as he looked at her, Ivy couldnʹt look away. His face, shadowed with several days of stubble, was striking rather than handsome. Clean shaven and lit with a smile, it was a face that could break a girlʹs heart, Ivy thought.
Without saying a word more, he turned his wheelchair and left. Ivy heard Andyʹs voice in the hall outside the door: ʺEnough already? Okay, pal.ʺ
ʺI bet thatʹs him,ʺ Dhanya half whispered to Kelsey. ʺThe guy they were talking about when we stopped to ask directions to Ivyʹs room.ʺ
ʺYou mean the one they pulled out of the ocean in Chatham?ʺ Kelsey replied.
Dhanya frowned. ʺI thought he was found unconscious on the sand, close to the water.ʺ
ʺWhatever. Must have been some party, probably wilder than ours,ʺ Kelsey observed, and turned to Ivy. ʺHe wonʹt tell them what happened or how he got there. He wonʹt even tell them who he is.ʺ
ʺIt’ s not that he wonʹt, he canʹt,ʺ Dhanya corrected Kelsey. ʺHe canʹt remember anything.ʺ
ʺSo he says,ʺ Kelsey noted.
ʺWhat’ s wrong with him?ʺ Ivy asked.
ʺNothing, as far as Iʹm concerned,ʺ Kelsey said. ʺHeʹs rude, but I can forgive that — what a face!ʺ Ivy tried again. ʺI meant why was he hospitalized? Was it for any reason other than amnesia?ʺ
Kelsey looked to Dhanya for the answer. Dhanya shrugged.
ʺIn any case,ʺ Kelsey said, ʺitʹs obvious that Chatham is the place to be,”
ʺWe have our own beach at the inn,ʺ Ivy pointed out.
ʺIvy, you need to stop thinking about yourself and consider Beth.ʺ
ʺWhat?ʺ Ivy asked, taken aback. ʺYou know my cousin — she will come to Chatham only if you and Will come. She needs to find a boyfriend of her own.
Sheʹs way too attached to you.”
Ivy frowned, wondering if there was some truth to mat.
Kelsey checked her phone again. ʺFat chance!ʺ she said in response to someoneʹs message. ʺDelete. Delete. Delete…. Ready, Dhanya?ʺ
Dhanya stood up and grasped the handles on Ivyʹs chair. ʺI can get myself back,ʺ Ivy told her. ʺIʹm going to stay here in the sun for a while.ʺ
Dhanya dug in her purse and pulled out a small tube of cocoa butter, handing it to Ivy. ʺPut it on, close your eyes, and pretend youʹre at the beach,ʺ she said.
Ivy lifted the cap and sniffed. ʺMmm. Much better than hospital disinfectant.
Thanks.ʺ Kelsey stood up. ʺIʹve got to get my shirt and shorts, so Iʹll drop this gorgeous gown on your bed.ʺ She pirouetted and danced out the door. ʺThanks for coming,ʺ Ivy called after her. Dhanya hugged Ivy lightly. ʺCome home soon,ʺ she said, and followed Kelsey out of the solarium.
Ivy rolled her chair to another window, one sheltered by an island of plants. She sat there for a long time, looking out at the trees and buildings surrounding the hospital, thinking about distance. How could she feel as if sheʹd been kissed by someone who was another world away — and as if she was losing touch with someone close enough to kiss? Memories are a curse, Ivy thought. If she had no memory of Tristan, she would be able to love Will the way he deserved to be loved.
After a while, she wheeled back from the window to return to her room. That was when she saw him: the guy with no memory. He had come back to the solarium and was sitting quietly in the far corner. Turning his head, he met her gaze. The way his glance darted away from her, then back again, and the searching look in his eyes told Ivy that he wasnʹt faking it. He was haunted by what he couldnʹt recall.
Ivy paused, her chair about ten feet from his. ʺRemembering can be as painful as not remembering,ʺ she said.
His face darkened. ʺCan it? How would you know?ʺ In some ways he was right; she couldnʹt know his pain any more than he could know hers. And there was no point in sharing — he clearly didnʹt want to.
ʺHave it your way,ʺ she said, and left.
TUESDAY MORNING, IVY WAS RELEASED FROM THE hospital.
ʺAs soon as I get home, Iʹm mailing you the rest of your summer clothes/ʹ her mother said, while they waited for Andy to bring the discharge papers.
ʺThe thing is. Mom, we donʹt have much bureau or closet space in the cottage.
The only thing I really need is a new pair of sneakers.ʺ
The ones she had been wearing were blood soaked, as were the clothes she had worn to the hospital. The ER staff had put them in a bag for Ivy, and before discarding them she had looked at them with astonishment. She believed more than ever that Tristan had helped her. How else could she have made it through such injuries?
ʺEverything you brought to Cape Cod looks the same, sweetie,ʺ her mother argued. ʺIʹll take some of those clothes home to free up space for pretty things.ʺ
They spent the next ten minutes discussing clothes, going in circles as endless as her motherʹs love for ruffles. Finally, Ivyʹs brother rescued her.
ʺPhilip, where have you been?ʺ Maggie asked when he entered the hospital room.
ʺYou told me to wait outside the door while Ivy changed. You never told me to come back in.ʺ Ivy laughed. Philip picked up the Yankees cap he had given Ivy and placed it on her head. ʺI gave away the angel coin I brought for you. Is that okay?ʺ
ʺOf course,ʺ she said. ʺLots of people in the hospital could use an angel.ʺ
ʺI told him he could pray to Tristan.ʺ Ivy bit her lip. Philip had never stopped talking about Tristan, believing in him as an angel long before Ivy did; now, his faith in Tristan hit Ivy just as hard as the first time Philip had spoken of him. If she told Philip that she had been with Tristan again, that she had felt Tristan holding her, would PhilipBut no, she didnʹt want to confuse her little brother. Andy came in with the discharge papers. ʺWell, young lady,” he said, eyes twinkling, ʺsince you are wearing that cap, I have no choice but to politely ask you to leave.ʺ
Ivy laughed and thanked him for his help. It was noon by the time she arrived back at the inn. With just a few guests, the work for the day was done, and Kelsey and Dhanya were wearing their bikinis. Dhanya threw her towel on the swing and rubbed sunscreen on her legs. Beth, in shorts and a halter top, sat on the cottage steps.
ʺWeʹre going to Chatham,ʺ Kelsey said, shaking her keys.
ʺLighthouse Beach?ʺ Ivy asked. ʺEven better,ʺ Kelsey replied, ʺa private beach, I was personally invited, and Iʹm allowing Dhanya to freeload on my hard work at Sunday nightʹs party. You can come too, if you hurry.ʺ
ʺMaybe another time. I have a hot date with my shopaholic mother.ʺ
ʺWell, if Mom supplies the credit card, thatʹs not such a bad date,ʺ Kelsey observed.
When she and Dhanya had departed, Beth turned to Ivy. ʺYouʹre not going with Will?ʺ
ʺHeʹs kayaking with Philip.ʺ ʺThatʹs what I meant. I thought you were going Too.”
ʺNo.ʺ Ivy felt defensive about her choice. ʺMomʹs leaving tomorrow. I want to spend some time with her.ʺ Ivy sat on the yard swing and beckoned for her friend to do the same. ʺBeth, thereʹs something I need to ask you. After the accident, when you looked at me, did you think I was dead?”
Bethʹs eyes locked on to Ivyʹs. For a moment she didn’t answer. ʺWhy are you asking that?ʺ ʺDid you?ʺ Ivy persisted. ʺYes, but I was wrong,ʺ Beth said.
ʺObviously.ʺ ʺI remember telling you we had to get out of the car. You acted as if you couldnʹt hear me, and when I tried to reach for you, my hand passed through yours.ʺ