“You know me well.”
“The village has some quaint shops with great local finds, a nice bookstore, and a coffee shop. If you’re looking for lunch or dinner and enjoy seafood, you can’t go wrong with Don’s.”
“I guess I know where we’ll beall daytomorrow.”
Mrs. Turner offered her husband a coy smile. “Don’t be silly, we have to make time for the ponies.”
“You definitely don’t want to miss that. Let me know if you need any help with a boat or kayak tour.”
“Given the heat, I think we’ll just drive over to the refuge and scout out the ponies from the comfort of our car.”
“That works too. If you need a wildlife refuge map, we have them downstairs, and anyone at the desk can tell you all the best pony-viewing spots.”
“I can’t wait.” Mrs. Turner removed her baseball cap, letting her brown hair fall into place around her shoulders.
Time to wrap it up. “We serve a continental breakfast in the dining room from seven till eight, and the Wi-Fi password is on your key card. If you need anything else, feel free to call down to the front desk or shoot us a text—that number is also on the key card.”
“Thank you, Tyson,” Mr. Turner said.
“Enjoy your stay.” With a parting smile Ty closed the door and headed downstairs. The steps creaked here and there, something his dad was always after him to fix. But Ty loved those familiar creaks. Reminded him of all the times he’d run up and down these stairs as a boy. All the times he and his brothers played hide-and-seek in this big old house.
And the handful of times he’d dodged those squeaks as he sneaked out at night to meet friends. They went fishing at Tom’s Cove or justhung out at Veterans Park. One time when he was fourteen he’d sneaked out, crossed the street, and tossed pebbles at Jenna’s window. She came to the opening a minute later, frowning down in the moonlight, her hair in a messy cloud around her face. “What are you doing here?” she hissed.
“Come outside.”
She crossed her arms against the cool night air. “Are you crazy? It’s after midnight and I’d fall to my death trying. And if that didn’t kill me, my mom would.”
“Aw, come on, Greene. She won’t find out.”
“Famous last words. Anyway, it’s fifty degrees outside and I have an English test tomorrow.”
“So?”
“So I need my sleep.”
He rolled his eyes. Such a rule follower. “Or we could go hang out at the park for an hour, and you’ll still get an A-plus tomorrow.”
She hesitated. Glanced back into the room. He’d thought he had her talked into it. But then she turned back. “No way. Not worth getting grounded for two weeks. I have volleyball matches coming up, and if Mom tells my coach, she’ll bench me for sure.”
“Aw, you’re no fun.”
She reached for the window sash. “Go coerce one of your brothers into your silly shenanigans.”
“Look at that vocabulary. You’ll ace that test no problem.”
“Good night!” The sash snapped into place.
Now Tyson smiled as he headed toward the front desk. He loved all those sweet memories with Jenna. Loved that they’d built and maintained a solid friendship for years before progressing to something more.
When they’d first met she had braces and a constant sprinkleof acne. He could only silently commiserate as he shared the same misfortune. She was built like a filly: tall, lean, and all legs. But she could run like the wind and throw a football like a boy. He was impressed, though he wasn’t about to let her know it.
Eventually she had the braces removed, passed the acne stage, and grew into her legs. He could hardly miss that she’d turned out to be rather pretty. And if he hadn’t noticed on his own, he had plenty of friends willing to point it out.
But Jenna had been the neighbor girl who ran round in jeans, a T-shirt, and a sloppy ponytail. She was the girl with whom he tossed the football and argued sports.
Not the girl he asked out on a date.
As their friendship morphed easily into adulthood, they’d shifted into more mature roles. Once he’d started dating Britt, he’d stepped back a little. Britt was jealous of his relationship with Jenna. But Jenna seemed to understand. Once Britt left him, he’d turned to his old friend, and she’d become his buddy and confidant once again. Nothing more, nothing less.
