For once, Grey doesn’t frown. “The story goes, I wasn’t born as a boy, but as a fish. My father had been out in his boat one day on Lake Superior. My mother was home with my older brother, Bran, and pregnant with me.”
He says his brother’s name with a mixture of affection and something else I can’t identify.
“Dad cast his line and almost instantly the bobber disappeared. Whatever he caught fought with him, practically dragging the boat through the water. At last, Dad let the line go slack. His catch also went still as though Dad and the fish had reached an agreement. The man could catch the fish if he did it peacefully, reverently. So, he said a prayer and when he finally pulled in the line, it was a massive sturgeon—the biggest he’d ever seen. By his estimate, it weighed about two hundred pounds. He released it, of course, but—” Grey taps his scar. “Not without leaving a mark.”
I lean close, transfixed.
“I was born on the same day. The fish and I were one and the same. Big, strong, and tranquil in our own ways.”
I have to agree. Well, except when he Hulk smashed the salon and nearly broke Todd in half. I’m making a list of my own about him. What changed that made him go from peaceful to enraged?
“Okay, your turn,” he says.
I’m sure that isn’t the real story of how he got the scar—a fishing accident, maybe? Brothers horsing around? I, too, have a vivid imagination and like the fish version better than whatever probably sent his mother in a panic to the emergency room.
Now it’s my turn to bear my secret. My hand drifts to my chest. “I have scars too.”
Grey stiffens.
“Don’t worry. They’re not from Todd, but they explain his comment about me being a real woman.”
Grey’s eyes shadow. “Everly, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s okay.” I’m going to try to be strong like the ant and want to tell him. “Even though Todd’s comment was intended to hurt me, I don’t believe what he said. I know the truth, even if it’s a tough one. I want you to know that.”
He nods.
“While Todd and I were engaged, I went for a regular checkup and learned that there were some concerning results to my blood work. Ultimately, I learned that I had abnormal cells in my breast tissue. To spare you the details of the doctor’s visits, the anxiety as I waited for test results, and discovering Todd’s multiple cases of infidelity, I was officially diagnosed with breast cancer.” My voice falters.
It still doesn’t seem real, but I’m not removed enough from it yet for the words themselves not to have an effect.
Grey’s hand grips mine, strengthening me to go on.
“This isn’t true for everyone, but in my case, the clear way to proceed was a double mastectomy because I carry a unique gene that could cause a mutation, putting my life at risk in the future. I didn’t think I’d have to face something like that so young. It was my first screening for breast irregularities.” I pause and swallow back the tightness in my jaw. “Turned out, Todd was already cheating, but he was appalled. I was also already on his health insurance. When I didn’t say, ‘I do,’ we reached an agreement. Kind of like your dad and the fish. He’d leave me alone if I walked away quietly, leaving everything to him. In the process, I lost my home, my health insurance, friends, family...”
“That’s where I came in. Health insurance.”
I nod. “I’d exhausted all of my options. Partly because of the cost, but also because it just didn’t feel like the right choice, I opted not to have reconstructive surgery.” I glance down at my mother’s pale pink scarf draped over my shoulders and hanging across my chest.
Grey fills the space in front of me as he inclines his head and then tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “You are so brave and every bit a woman as there ever has been, Everly. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, inside and out. I didn’t mean to push you, but thank you for sharing that with me. Now I understand why—” He loops his finger around my fourth finger on my left hand, squeezing it.
“And thank you for your generosity and understanding.”
I rarely tell anyone, but he offered me his hand in marriage and thereby his insurance with very little explanation.
He flashes his lopsided smile, and with it, I risk telling him anything...even the tickly tease coming from low in my belly, the hidden chambers of my heart, and the back of my mind.
I like Grey Adams. I like him a lot.
23
GREY
On the third and final leg of the journey, I break up the nervous quiet of what feels like a first date, skipping between Everly and me, by telling her all about where I grew up and Isle Royale.
“It’s a National Park now, but my family has owned a cabin there for over a hundred years and we were grandfathered in. No pun intended. Generally, no one lives there year-round because it’s so remote, but come summer, it’s the most beautiful place in the world.”
I lean over her, pointing out the window. “That’s Lake Superior. The clearest water you’ll ever see surrounds the island. There are also moose, coyotes, wolves, and foxes. Lots of hikes, fishing, and swimming, if you’re part polar bear.” I can’t help but talk about my home with affection. “Every summer, my family would go there with my dad flying in and out on the seaplane.”
