I didn’t talk about my plans, because I didn’t know what they were.
And I didn’t hear from Jameson.
Lala came back to the bar, bringing her friends, old and new. She was as much of a legend on the island as her mother, constantly smiling, constantly entertaining. Always enjoying. She didn’t tell me anything about her sister, although every so often I’d catch her watching me curiously, as if there was something she couldn’t quite work out.
I think I always knew where I was going to go. I think I knew from the moment when I woke up in an empty bed that my time on the island for now was up.
I waited until the end of August, when the height of the party season was over, the days not quite so long, although the heat had lingered. Then I packed up a small case, booked a flight and made a hotel reservation, and left, letting just Cara know I’d gone.
A farewell wasn’t needed. I knew like the swallows at the end of summer, that I’d likely be back. The island had a pull that I knew would eventually draw me back, but I didn’t know when exactly. I’d leave that up to fate.
There was one person I went to see before I left.
Livi had visited me just once after Jameson left for New York, turning up at the bar mid-morning, wearing white before Labor Day, which she joked about even though she wasn’t American.
She sat on a stool inside, a hazy ray of sunshine streaming through the window, capturing the dust that danced around.
“How are you doing?” She asked after ordering an espresso from the machine I’d had installed.
“Okay.” Which pretty much summed it up. “Any more parties you need a bartender for?”
Livi laughed. “I think our party season is over for the year, unless you want to blend vegan smoothies for a group of us at a yoga retreat next week.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Probably wise.” She smiled from above her espresso cup. “I doubt you’ve heard from Jameson.”
“You’re the first person to mention her name to me.”
“Thought as much. She’s in New York. Waiting for her apartment to go through. Things are much quicker conveyancing-wise than England. Better system.”
“I’m glad she’s getting sorted.”
“You should go visit her.”
“I’m not sure she’d want that.”
“I’m not sure she doesn’t. Besides, it’s always good to have someone keep an eye on her.” She gave me another smile. “Stop her from working too hard. This is good coffee, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall I give you her address? You could send her a card. Or visit her if you ever happen to be in New York.”
“You can. I’ll keep it just in case.”
She reached into her bag and pulled out a neat note pad and pen. “I meant to say thank you, by the way.”
“What for?”
“For the justice you ensured happened.”
I looked at her blankly, totally knowing what she was referring to.
Her laugh was genuine. “The judge he got had an issue with drugs too. His daughter had been addicted, so he didn’t take kindly to poor Chad. Still, just shows, what goes around, comes around.”
“How is Jameson?” I asked the question that’d been burning my tongue for weeks.
“Studying. Working. Walking around a city that never sleeps looking at the buildings. She’ll learn, if she hasn’t already and she’s just pretending.”
