Then it got weird.
Tessa kicked him—playfully, of course—and told him he should probably get home before his parents freak.
He was really quiet. Weirdly quiet for a long time. Then all he said was: “Nah, there are too many ghosts at home.”
I had to write it down so I didn’t forget. Ghosts?
Even Kate looked up from her Goldfish math.
But right away, he snapped back into Dustin Mode and yelled “I’M GONNA SWIM TO THE BAHAMAS!” and took off running down the beach like a maniac.
Tessa shouted that it wasn’t the ocean. Actually she yelled, “It’s the Gulf of Mexico, you idiot!”
He didn’t even turn around. Just dove into the water fully clothed and started doing a sloppy backstroke while singing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Kate said we should leave him and let the sea deal with him. But I sat up and watched him, making sure he kept moving.
Tessa sighed and called Dustin a “loveable mess.” She’s kinda right.
What did he mean about theghosts? It kind of sent chills up my spine.
Maybe there’s more to him than chaos and beer cans.
Maybe not.
Okay. Shutting this down before I get too philosophical and accidentally become Kate.
Viv
It had rained the morning of their barbeque, which left behind a fresh, summery scent that mixed beautifully with the lingering aroma of grilled ribs and charred corn. Tessa picked up the last of the dinner plates and discarded napkins, listening to Vivien and Kate’s chatter in the kitchen. More masculine voices echoed up from the pool level where Eli and Dusty had gone to clean up a well-used grill.
Tessa took a moment to breathe it all in, letting snippets from the long afternoon and lazy family-style dinner float over her. Inviting Dusty had been a stroke of genius, she decided. He was just the blast from the past they needed to fill the house with laughter, conversation, and memories.
This past week, things had been a little more tense than usual—mostly with Jonah, and the stress of having an infant in the house. Dusty had honored her request to keep the specifics about how they’d bumped into each other to himself. Everyone—including Jo Ellen and Maggie—had been happy to see someone they remembered from the past.
Maybe they didn’t remember him as well as Tessa did, though. She had the benefit of Vivien’s old diary, which she’d kept. This morning, knowing Dusty was coming over, she’dskimmed the pages looking for his name, and boy, had she found it.
The words fifteen-year-old Viv had written only served to make Tessa notice that more than just his name had changed. Dustin—now Dusty—Mathers was nothing like the wild, out-of-control, smart-mouthed teenager he’d been that day.
Life had seriously changed him.
Vivien appeared in the doorway with another dessert tray.
“Oh.” Tessa inched back. “I just put out cookies.”
“This is strawberry shortcake,” she said. “Maggie insisted.”
“People are going to roll out of here,” Tessa said on a laugh.
Vivien shrugged. “Sorry, but if you have barbeque, you’re required to have something with whipped cream after. It’s a Southern law.”
Tessa snorted and eyed the platter of yummy shortcakes and clouds of cream. “Well, I guess I’m not in Upstate New York anymore. We just do decaf and the occasional chocolate chip cookie.”
“Decaf is being brewed.” Vivien waved her toward the house and the kitchen. “Come gossip with Kate. We must talk about Dustin—er, Dusty now.”
She glanced toward the spiral stairs, confident that he’d be downstairs with Eli for a bit. “I’m down for some coffee and gossip.”
She followed Vivien into the kitchen, where Kate was humming away, wiping down the counters and smiling.
“You look happy,” Tessa noted, sliding onto a barstool to face her sister.
