More cold winds came, biting the exposed skin across my collarbone and tossing my hair about my face. I moved in closer, burying myself in Stone’s chest as we waited for Irene to give up and leave.
This was when I noticed his fingers gently placed at my sides, the flare of his nostrils, and every drop of mist on his lips. We woven together so tightly it took everything to breathe steadily.
“Did you know you flare your nostrils? You do it every time you’re nervous. Or in deep thought. Or want to say something but can’t find the words. I can’t quite tell which one yet.”
Stone seemed taken aback by my confession. “No, I didn’t know.”
My foot shifted, causing me to lose my balance, but he grabbed my sides and pulled me flush against him to keep me steady. Body to body. Chest to chest. I bit the center of my bottom lip, trying to control the slapping of air against my lungs.
“I’m sorry your mother poisoned you,” I finally whispered to him.
The darkness in Stone’s eyes slipped away, and I could feel his two leather thumbs stroke the small space at my sides. “I’m not. Not anymore.”
When we reached the dock,waves splashed over the pier that stretched into the sea, spilling over golden grains and seeping into the spaces between the planks. We’d passed by numerous fishing vessels, lift netters, and trap setters until we reached theFinneuma.
A burn crept inside my chest as soon as I laid eyes on it.
Stone paused next to the Sullivan boat. “What does it mean?”
“In my … religion,” I began to say, quickly catching myself, “we believe every person has a perfect match, their other half, a soulmate, but not every person finds them. When they do, it’s a pretty big deal.FinneumameansFinal Breath.”
“Finneuma,” he repeated.
“Your air. Your inhale. Your reason to take your every next breath until your last.” I smiled. “My father built this boat and named itFinneumafor my mom. It was his way of saying,I finally found you, and no need to look further.” I forced the pang of sorrow back down, realizing I shouldn’t have mentioned my mother after what he’d told me, but the words had tumbled out before they could be stopped. Even so, I felt lighter afterward. Like the top-heavy longing to mention her emptied a space inside me. And chances like that, reasons to sayMom, were few and far between when you no longer had one. The feeling was like wanting everyone to know it was your birthday on your birthday, without having to tell them.
“Have you found your soulmate?” he asked.
I peered down the length of the boat. “You can’t find love when you’re consumed with hate.”
I could feel his eyes on me. “Hate only consumes you if you let it.”
I tossed him a glare. “Welcome to Weeping Hollow, where monsters called Heathens kill your friends, neighbors, and even children. A town where shadows appear in the middle of the night and murder you while you’re dreaming.” I bristled. “This town only lets you be two things: scared or angry.”
He looked at me as if he didn’t believe me. “Then why do you stay?”
Deciding not to answer, I grabbed my bag from Stone’s shoulder and unzipped the front pocket to search for the key.
Stone didn’t push, either. I liked that about him.
I stepped onto theFinneuma. The boat was wrapped in cedar, and the antique pirate helm was a gift, as my father had said, handcrafted by a long-ago friend of an ancestor and passed down through generations. It had wooden handles, spokes, and spindles to steer us as we sailed the unforgiving sea without ever crossing the border.
When I looked up, my eyes fell on the jon boat swaying from behind.
“We’re taking the small one in the back.” My voice was mournful, so I replaced it with something lighter so he wouldn’t notice. “My sisters and I used to sneak out after midnight and get drunk on moonshine in the middle of the Atlantic. It’s not easy to spot the jon boat if you’re not looking for it.” The memory of our laughter dotting the night air yanked on my heartstrings. I clutched the key tighter and looked up at him. “If there comes a time you cross anyone from town, and they ask questions, don’t tell them anything. Remember that. No one can know about me, you, anything I’ve done, or anything that will become of this.”
Stone wet his bottom lip. “You have sisters.”
In one ear and out the other. “Promise me, Stone. Promise me that if you come across anyone, you won’t tell them about our time together.”
Stone’s mouth parted slightly, a white cloud slipping out. “I promise.”
I climbed into the boat before crossing over to the jon boat.
Many years had passed since I’d boardedFinneuma. The memory of Dad teaching us how to tie rope with his weathered hands left a warmth inside me.
As Dad had taught me, I unlocked the attached jon boat and released the rope. After Stone joined me inside the small boat, he pushed off the dock, and we steered to Bone Island with the motor rumbling beneath us.
Stone sat across from me with his hand curled around his side. The waves were angry, and we hid under hoods while the sea sprayed our faces. Each time a new wave slammed into us, it felt like we hit a block of ice, and Stone clenched his jaw to fight the pain.
