Annie sighed. “Oh, that woman…”
I ignored the dig. “I’ll call you again soon, Annie. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said. “Bring back a painting, okay?”
“Yes, of course!” I promised. “I will bring back plenty of pictures.”
A moment of silence, and then, “Wonderful, another photo book.”
Her delivery was dry, probably outright rude to anyone else, but I laughed. I laughed even after my grandmother had abruptly hung up on me.
It had just been so long since Annie last made a joke.
And little did she know that I was going to make her the photo book of all photo books.
* * *
When I slipped back into Summer Camp, I thought I was alone…for half a second. “You’rekiddingme!” I heard Connor say from behind the bunk room’s closed door. “Mads, he really said that?”
Well, I thought.This complicates things.
My plan had been to change into my pajamas and climb into bed with Annie’s Vineyard memorabilia and my phone. Consulting my list again would help me come up with an actualitinerary…or should I be more spontaneous and just pick a place?
I hesitated knocking until Connor laughed, a confirmation that his conversation wasn’t that serious. “Welcome!” he called, and I was surprised when I opened the door to find him not in his bunk, but casually hanging with Swede on his dog bed.
It would’ve made for a funny photo.
“Keep talking,” I whispered. “I just need to grab a couple things…”
“No, it’s okay.” He tapped his mute button. “Mads can summon her one shred of patience.” He smiled at me. “I see you have pie.”
“Indeed, I do.” I set the mostly empty box down on the dresser so I could quickly find some cozy clothes. Then I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my folder of Annie’s stuff. The back of my neck prickled, feeling Connor’s eyes on me. He’d brought Finn and Teddy to the beach late this afternoon, but I only saw them from afar; their intense Frisbee game, played in Oyster Pond’s shallows, had been serious business. “Tell Mads I say hi,” I added before retrieving my pie and making my exit.
In the bathroom, I changed into sweats and one of Annie’s worn cashmere sweaters, then went out to the porch. It was secluded and snug, with cushy furniture and an amazing view of the stars. I charted out what I was pretty sure was Orion’s Belt.
Fantastic, I thought upon flipping on the outdoor light to assess the pie leftovers. There was more or less a slice and a halfleft, but I’d forgotten to grab a fork.
Rookie mistake, Olivia!
What I did next wasn’t ladylike, let alone civilized, but I didn’t care. No one was around, and I really wanted to finish my day with this magical dessert. So I carefully picked up the remaining slice, preparing to bite into it like a piece of pizza…
“That’s certainly one way to eat it,” a voice said out of nowhere, and not only did I drop the pie in surprise, but it crumbled in the box.
Heart shattered, I closed my eyes.
“You seem a little edgy,” Connor noted. “Are you usually edgy?”
“No,” I said, eyes still closed. “I’ve actually been praised for my calm and collected demeanor, especially in high-stress situations.”
“Hmm,” he hummed. “I’m sensing some invisible quotation marks.”
My muscles tensed. “No, I’m paraphrasing,” I said, since my dad, teachers, bookstore boss,andthe Elkins staff had all paid me some version of that compliment. “The direct quotes are much more—” I dropped off when I blinked to see Connor standing front and center on the porch, wearing nothing but a blue towel wrapped around his waist.
He held up his hands, as if I’d suddenly trained a gun at him. “I’m taking a shower!”
Oh, I thought.Right.
The outdoor shower was off to the left, attached to the side of the house. Post-beach I’d shampooed and conditioned in Erica and my dad’s bathroom.
