“Okay.” Dina sounded less angry and more curious now. “So you’re going back—to Teddy? Or is it more accurate that you’re goingawayfrom Marcie?”
“It’s Teddy I can’t stop thinking about. Marcie’s just— Well, she’s sort of a vague dream, I guess. I mean, I still love her…”
“Doyou?” Dina said. “Or do you justassumeyou love her—out of habit? Sounds to me like you’ve got a thing for this Teddy woman. Tell me more about her.”
He smiled again. “Well, she likes to talk—a lot. And I find that very strange, because she claims she’s an introvert. She’s a writer, so we spent some time talking about her book. I sort of helped her come up with an idea that spurred her to get past her writer’s block…” He remembered how the slick and soft Teddy had lunged into his arms and planted her lips on his.
And how she’d tasted and smelled, and felt when he pulled her against him.
And how he hadn’t wanted to let her go.
He shifted in his seat, his pants suddenly uncomfortably tight as he remembered waking up with her that morning after the break-in…and thinking how good it felt.
“And…?” Dina prodded. “Hello? Oscar? Did I lose you?”
“No. I’m here.”
“So she talked your ear off. And you didn’t banish her?”
“Well, she’s interesting. And smart. Funny, too—she’s certain we have a ghost haunting the lighthouse, and she always wanted to investigate it, and I would go along with it just because, well, why not? And when we were stuck on top of the lighthouse, we talked a little about Marcie—I told her about everything.” He remembered how indignant Teddy had been on his behalf when she thought Marcie had been involved with the principal. And how calm she’d been once they realized they were stuck on top of the lighthouse gallery.
“You told her about Marcie?”
“That was before we—well, before things changed. We’d just met.”
“But things changed. So what did you tell her this morning when you left? Youdidsay goodbye, didn’t you?” Her voice was tight and squeaky.
“Yes, of course I did. She even helped me pack up the car.”
“Did you tell her why you were leaving? Where you were going?”
“No. I just said I had to leave unexpectedly, and that’s what’s bothering me—she was fine with it. She even told me to look her up if I ever came to New York.Through her publisher.”
He had to admit, that rankled.
Dina laughed. “She told you to look her up through her publisher? Wow. That’s cold.” Then she sobered. “Maybe she was just having a summer not-quite-a-fling, Oscar.”
Oh God. What if she was?
His stomach felt like he was trying to digest a rock. “I don’t know. It didn’t seem like it. She gave me a really hot kiss right before.”
“She gave you a hot kiss, then told you to look her upthrough her publisher?” Dina started to laugh. “Oh, man. She was giving you a big eff-you. You might not have told her about Marcie, or why you were leaving, but I’ll bet she knew. Or suspected. She waspissed.”
“I don’t know how she could have known… Oh.Oh, damn.I was talking to you on the porch of the cottage. If her window was open, she might have heard me.”
Dina was still laughing. “This Teddy sounds like someone I’d get along with just fine.” Then, finally, she got herself under control. “Look, Oscar, the way I see it, you’ve got to figure out whether you’re going backtoTeddy or you’re turning awayfromMarcie. Because if you go back there to Teddy, you better know the answer to that. And then you can find out where you stand with her. Though I can take a guess.” She began to giggle again, and Oscar started to get annoyed.
“I’m definitely going back.” As soon as he said it, the rock evaporated from his insides. He felt liberated. “ToTeddy.”
“All right, then.” He could hear Dina’s smile in her voice, then it faded with her next words. “I hate to ask, but what are you going to do about Marcie?”
“I’ll just tell her I’m not coming.” And Oscar realized he was just fine with that. Making that statement, verbalizing that decision, lifted a veil from his eyes and mind…and heart.
He didn’t have any obligation to Marcie, to their previous relationship—or even to his past hopes and dreams.
He was free to do what he wanted without having to hold on to the past. He was free to relinquish old dreams or wishes and find new ones.
“I’ve moved on,” he said, mostly to himself, but Dina heard it.
