“I can if I want. I noticed you didn’t introduce yourself. Hello, how many? Five? That’ll be fifteen dollars. The skates are around the corner. Matt, can you get us going with some music?”
In the sound booth, he loadedNora’s Perfect Afternoon SessionCD and pressed play. The melody of “Strawberry Letter 23” filled the rink.
Skaters of various skill levels hurried to the floor, talking and laughing, singing. The Danvers continued to couple skate—asthey would all session no matter what the song—displaying their skill with a practiced routine.
Matt paused by the ticket booth before heading to the back room, where he’d been cleaning and purging. So far, Granny missed none of it.
“Can I buy you dinner between sessions, H?”
“Maybe. But not as a date, right? Youaremy boss.”
“Totally platonic. Five thirty?”
He’d just hauled a large garbage bag to the dumpster when Dad walked in with a studious man swinging a large briefcase.
“Matt, this is Gordon Vale, property appraiser. Gordon, go on back and get yourself set up. I’ll be along in a minute.”
“Property appraiser?” Matt said. “Dad, this will crush Granny. Bringing him in here is all but admitting defeat.”
“It’s called being prepared. Harry’s not going to just let you work up the town to vote against his proposals. Trust me. And I want Ma to get a fair price.”
“You think he’s that determined? That the town will go with him?”
“You saw him at the meeting, Matt. Sea Blue Beach may be small, and we may know everyone’s name, but politics is politics. Harry is chomping at the bit to wield his elected authority. We need to do our homework.” Dad started to walk toward the office. “You home for dinner?”
“Going to the Blue Plate with Harlow.”
“I see. Is there something you need to tell me?” Dad, oh Dad.
“Yeah. I drank the last of the milk.”
13
HARLOW
A sense of normalcy settled over Harlow as she jogged down Sea Blue Way with Matt the first Wednesday of April, a growing ease in her movement.
In the almost three weeks she’d lived in Sea Blue Beach, she’d developed a routine. Jogging Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then chores and errands in the morning before punching in at the Starlight. Last week, when the cute Tony’s pizza delivery boy, Simon Caster, mentioned how he had to part the grass to make it up the walkway, she hired him to mow her lawn and trim the hedges.
At the end of the street, Harlow crossed over with Matt and headed toward the Starlight, where they circled the rink once, then cut through the parking lot toward Pelican Bay Way before heading home.
This morning, Matt picked up the pace as they rounded the Starlight, as if working out his own tensions. Harlow struggledto keep up. By the time they arrived at her front steps, she was breathless and wiping the sweat from her eyes.
“You want water? I need water.”
When Harlow returned with two glasses, Matt said, rather out of the blue, “I stole my first kiss on this porch. Patti Evans. I was sixteen.”
“At some wild Sea Blue Beach rave?”
“Hardly. Granny’s friends, the Nickles, lived here. They were holy people, king and queen of hospitality. They loved to throw parties and host picnics. Half the town came out. If the party wasn’t at the Starlight, it was the Nickles’ place. Grandpa Morris smoked beef and pork that melted in your mouth. He and his brothers had a bluegrass band, pickin’ and grinnin’ long beforeHee Haw.” Matt gulped down his water. “I kissed her just as the Fourth of July fireworks started exploding over the beach.” He laughed. “Metaphor, anyone?” He slapped the concrete step. “Kissed her right here. Wonder what she’s up to these days? So, HH, what about you?”
“Me? I didn’t even know Patti Evans, let alone kiss her.”
“Your first kiss, goofball.”
“Oh, that. Hmm, Logan Howard. My first and last crush until Xander.” Except for those first weeks onTalk to Me Sweetly, when the presence of Matt Knight made her quiver. “I was a junior, and he was a senior with gorgeous hair and a motorcycle. Dad liked him. Didn’t bat an eye when I rode off to the movies on the back of his bike. Mom was out shopping, so Dad shooed me out the door quickly. If Mom had seen me on the back of that motorcycle, she’d have chased us down. We sawGone in 60Seconds.”
“Love that movie.”
