Reunion By The Sea. Jo Leigh

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ acquaintances, they hadn’t been friends, not in the way he understood the concept. They’d shared a common loss. His sister running off had made Ginny doubt herself and what she’d meant to Meg. Finding his sister gone had made his father’s absence so much harder for Parker to accept.

      The idea that he believed he would have known if Ginny had lied to him was a conceit he had no business entertaining. Tilda could be his. What seemed clear was that whether he was the girl’s father or not, Ginny had no interest in letting him into their lives.

      Truthfully, he wasn’t sure whether to be angry or grateful.

      Maybe she had slept with some dark-eyed stranger the day after he and his mom had been forced to leave. Although that was as hard to believe as Meg wanting to come home.

      Facing reality head-on was all that had saved his sanity after his father’s betrayal. And it was a lot easier to admit the truth when the nearest neighbor lived across three rivers.

      He turned on his side and punched the pillow, although he felt certain the pillow had given up the fight hours ago. The ring of his cell phone was a welcome distraction. That it was Denali Wildrose screaming through his smartphone as if they were talking on two cans tied by a string made it a mixed blessing.

      “Where you at?” Denali asked, his tone as gnarly as his calloused hands.

      “I’m away. Mark is bringing your supplies.”

      “Who’s that? Your partner?”

      “Yep. You’ve met him.”

      Denali grunted. “He’s late.”

      “I can’t do anything about it from here.”

      “Anchorage?”

      “Nope. Rhode Island.”

      “What? Who you got down there?” The old-timer didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t Native American. But Denali was a good man. Had six kids. Raised them all on his own after a boulder had killed his wife during an earthquake. But he was getting on in years and odder by the day.

      “What else did you need, Kaskae?” Parker asked. “It takes time to get to Hoonah, and he’s got double the work since I’m not there.”

      “That doesn’t make my stomach stop grumbling. We can’t cook nothing before we get that part for the oven.”

      “Light a fire. You’ve got a perfectly good camp stove right outside your back door.”

      “Okay, okay. You be back next week?”

      “I hope so.” Parker said, although he wouldn’t swear to it. Not yet.

      “What business you got in the Lower 48, anyway?”

      “The none-of-your-business kind.”

      Denali snorted. “You ain’t sick are ya?”

      “No. It’s family stuff, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can. And don’t give Mark a hard time. He’s doing me a favor.”

      “He’s got shifty eyes, that one.”

      “Either deal with it or he can skip you this week,” Parker said, imagining the old guy’s eyes bugging out of his head. “Your choice.”

      “What’s the matter with you? I gotta eat, don’t I? So does Elmo,” Denali sputtered. “By the way, he needs the other food. He won’t eat the chunky kind.”

      “That cat eats better than I do. Call Mark and he’ll get it out to you if I’m not there to do it myself.”

      “Don’t stay out there too long. Too much noise’ll rot your brain.”

      “Right.”

      “Now I have to call everybody and tell ’em you ain’t coming.”

      “You do that. And tell them to be nice to Mark.”

      “If he’s still shoppin’, tell him to throw in some Tongass Forest cookies. The big box.”

      “I wouldn’t count on it.”

      A grunt was the only response Parker got before Denali disconnected.

      * * *

      IT HAD TAKEN about an hour, but Ginny had finally relaxed. Catching up with her old friends felt like a tonic. Which was good, because the tea they were drinking hadn’t done the trick.

      Gosh, they all looked so beautiful and carefree in their colorful sundresses, and their laughter was a time machine, taking her back to the days when these girls had been her only real break from piano practice and study. Well, these girls plus Meg.

      If only...

      Harlow lifted her glass. “Old friends are the best.”

      Everyone nodded as they toasted, and Ginny couldn’t help picturing Meg at the table. Although she hadn’t been too tight with the others, they’d always made her feel welcome.

      As Ginny lowered her glass, she did a quick sweep of the bar area, making sure Parker hadn’t suddenly popped by. She had no business being distracted while she had the rare opportunity to be with her gang. From this moment forward, she wasn’t going to do a thing but be present.

      “Guess who’s here this weekend,” Harlow said, looking at Jade. “Fletcher Preston.”

      Jade winced. “So, what do I care?”

      Cricket and Harlow laughed.

      Ginny smiled, wishing being “present” made it easier to forget about Parker.

      “You were into him all of junior year,” Harlow said, as the waitress came to the table with a fresh pitcher of tea.

      “At least you’re not denying it,” Ginny said, while Jade poured.

      “No.” Jade grunted. “Men are dopes.”

      Cricket and Harlow grinned. “Not all men.”

      “Most men.”

      Sipping her tea, Harlow looked around at the packed tables. “There’s someone in LA that I’ve been kind of seeing. No one special though. Another teacher. Science and math. You’d like him, Jade.”

      “Just because I’m a chemist doesn’t mean I instantly bond with all other science nerds. Especially the men—superior jerks.”

      “Now this is like old times,” Ginny said. “Remember Tommy Zico? That creep? Is he here? I didn’t see his name...” She gave in to the pull of scoping out the lobby again.

      Harlow shuddered. “I hope not.”

      “Well, how about that?” Ginny said. “Cricket. Check out who’s at the activity board.”

      Jade followed Cricket’s gaze. “I’ll СКАЧАТЬ