Dad’s gaze sharpened on him. He was worried about Tyson, about the fallout after losing that kid. He’d already brought it up several times and probably didn’t want to address it again. At least, not this late at night.
“I should let you get to bed,” Ty said.
“Sure. Unless there’s something else you wanted to talk about...”
Ty glanced at the clock. Since that call a few weeks ago, sleep had been fraught with nightmares. It had gotten to the point where he dreaded falling asleep. Tried to put it off as long as possible. “No, I’m good. Just thought I’d stop by since I was across the street. Anything you need for tomorrow?”
“No, we’re all set.”
Ty moved toward the back door. “See you in the morning then.”
“Good night.”
A few minutes later Tyson pulled from the drive and headed toward his house, where he’d inevitably search for reasons to stay awake.
Chapter 7
Jenna didn’t get it. She frowned as Mom and Gordon got into her mom’s Mazda—Gordon in the driver’s seat—and took off for the beach. The pair had been together all weekend, and now they were halfway into the next week and nothing had changed.
Unless her mom was working, they were on the go: the pony museum, the village shops, one of the local restaurants. On Sunday they’d driven up to Ocean City for the day. What had happened to her homebody mother?
They always invited Jenna to go along. On Saturday night she’d joined them for supper at Captain Zack’s, where she’d tried to casually extract information from Gordon while the singer of a local band belted out song after song. He was friendly and cooperative, though decidedly vague in his answers.
But having a man in the house who wasn’t her dad felt weird. Jarring. Jenna tried to seem friendly and accepting, but she didn’t like having this stranger in her mom’s house, sitting in her dad’s seat at the table, watching Mom’s TV, and washing his clothes in her laundry room.
Now as Mom’s car pulled from the drive, Jenna stepped away from the window and wandered back to the kitchen, where they’d just enjoyed a cozy breakfast for three. When Jenna had entered the kitchenthis morning, she’d caught Gordon and Mom in a lip-lock over a griddle of pancakes.
She wrung the image from her brain and pulled out her phone.
They’re off to the beach now.
Seconds later Tyson replied.
You can hang out over here if you want. We can put you to work. Dishes, toilets, grout work, whatever your pleasure.
I assure you, none of those things are my pleasure.
I tried. [shrugging emoji]
She was feeling stir-crazy. And what her soul really craved was the ocean, some quiet outdoor time to soothe her worries and process her thoughts. Most of all she longed to see Jenna’s Dream again. It had been too long since she’d visited her beautiful girl. She’d missed that special connection she always felt with her dad when she watched the mare grazing on the refuge.
Jenna’s old kayak was still in the garage, but there was no chance it would fit in her car. She had another idea, however.
Coastal Currents Kayak Tours was just minutes down the road on the Assateague Channel. Fond memories washed over Jenna as shepulled into the full lot. At sixteen she’d been so proud to get her first job here. Though she’d known Miss Molly all her life, the woman still insisted on a proper interview.
The job didn’t feel like work at all. Each day she got to breathe in the ocean’s fragrance and share her passion for the island’s history and the wild ponies. And while most of the tour guides stuck to the script, Jenna enjoyed using her own words. She loved seeing children’s eyes light up when they spotted their first pony, usually grazing in the saltwater marshes lining the channel.
Back then she’d known all 150 ponies by name, but in the years since she’d left, some had died and new foals had been added to the herd.
She pulled into the one empty parking space and exited the vehicle. It was a beautiful morning with pure blue skies and a balmy breeze coming off the water. The turquoise-blue building stood like a bright seashell on the channel’s shoreline.
Orange and red kayaks lined the small marina, and at least a dozen people gathered around the dock area. Some were removing life vests while others waited for their tours. From inside the grass tiki hut, Miss Molly offered the customers a strained smile as she gathered signed forms.
Tina Birchfield, Miss Molly’s right hand for as long as Jenna could remember, exited the building, said something to Miss Molly, then shrugged. The older woman closed her eyes for a brief second, then nodded. Tina returned to the building.
Jenna had picked the wrong day to rent a kayak. She stopped the owner as the woman headed toward the building. “Everything okay, Miss Molly?”
“Oh, Jenna, thank God. Honey, can you help me out?”
