“And what would that be?”
“You’ll see. We’re almost there.”
I kept the questions to myself from then on. Despite his good mood, there was evident tension in his shoulders, his expression, even the way his fingers were gripping my thigh. I reached down and wound my fingers around his, squeezing them until he relaxed.
The road was bordered by shrubs and trees that opened now and then to give a brief view of the sea, which, as the sun set, turned from blue to black. A long bridge appeared before us, with an island on the other side. As we crossed it, I could feel Trey getting nervous again, and soon enough, I was nervous, too. At the end of it was a sign.
“Lennox Island? Where are we exactly?”
“In the north.”
I saw another sign: WELCOME TO LENNOX ISLAND. FIRST NATIONS.
“What are we doing here?” He didn’t answer.
A shiver ran up my spine. I tried to let things be, despite my anxiety. If there was one thing I’d learned about Trey, it was that he obeyed his own rhythms. Sometimes he was fire, sometimes he was ice. He could close as quickly as he opened up, and you never had time to prepare yourself.
We crossed the island and reached an intersection on the opposite shore. To the right was a church with yellow walls, a dark roof, and a small cemetery beside it. Trey turned left and kept driving. We passed colorful houses and took a dirt road into the woods.
Finally, he stopped at a small house with gray siding, black shutters, and white trim. He turned off the motor and stared briefly beforeannouncing, “This is it.”
The door opened, an old man stepped onto the porch, and we got out. I could see the family resemblance between him and Trey. A woman walked out behind him and her face lit up instantly. Her gray hair was pulled back in a bun. She must have been seventy, at least, but she was very agile for her age.
“Trey!” she shouted, hurrying over to Trey. They hugged each other. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Hello, Elaine. Sorry I didn’t get in touch. It was a last-minute thing.”
“I don’t mind. You’re always welcome. Who’s she?”
Trey waved me over. “Elaine, this is Harper. She’s Hoyt’s sister.”
Hearing him say this surprised me, but I guess it shouldn’t have. If they were as close to Trey as they seemed, maybe they were close with my brother, too. Telling myself that made me feel a bit more comfortable.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
Elaine smiled at me warmly, and I smiled back. She was a cheerful woman, and it was hard to resist feeling at ease with her. Trey guided me toward the house. As we approached the doorway, where the man was still standing, Trey offered the man his hand.
“Hello, Grandpa.”
“Trey.”
“Harper, this is my grandfather. You can call him Nicholas.”
“Welcome.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you, sir. Nicholas, uh, Mr. Nicholas…”
I don’t know if I imagined it, but he seemed to be amused.
Elaine invited us in and started preparing dinner. She’d been marinating a piece of meat that she now took out and began cutting into small pieces.
“Can I help?”
“Sure. Four hands are better than two. Grab that basket of potatoesand peel me a couple.”
I sat down at the kitchen table and got to business. She finished cutting up the meat and started it cooking on the woodstove, then took her place next to me, pulling pea pods from a bag and stripping them.
She spoke as quickly as she moved, telling me about all the vegetables planted in her garden, the special care each of them required, and her medicinal herbs for ointments, oils, and healing creams.
