“Dust mites, soy, and shellfish.”
“Yikes,” I said. “Don’t New England and shellfish go hand in hand?”
“Yes, but I can be around it with zero issues,” he said. “You could be devouring a lobster roll right now and I’d be fine…”
Connor paid for our fudge haul with an American Express card; my guess was it belonged to Teddy and Finn’s parents.
“This is for the entire family,” Connor said firmly, holding upour Murdick’s bag before his expression curled into a mischievous smile. “But where are we sneaking the first few bites?”
“Olivia wants to see the lighthouse,” Finn replied as I felt a swirl of excitement. “It’s right up the street.”
Connor nodded. “Lead the way.”
With Finn on point, we pushed out the door and continued up North Water Street, passing Vineyard Vines, a couple restaurants, and a collection of art galleries before the street shifted from commercial to residential. It was lined with white picket fences, monstrous blue hydrangea bushes, and cedar-shingled and white clapboard homes. I blinked a couple times; it really felt like I had been transported to a Hollywood soundstage, one outfitted for “quintessential coastal New England town.”
Annie must’ve loved it here, I thought with a pang. Edgartown looked like all her guilty pleasure Hallmark Channel holiday movies. Only instead of Christmas lights and a dusting of snow, the homes were decorated with American flags and buntings for the Fourth of July.
“What’s that?” I asked when we passed a lane entirely backed up with cars.
“The Chappy Ferry,” Teddy told me.
“It’s a two-car ferry that goes to and from Chappy,” Connor explained. “Chappaquiddick is a small island about five hundred feet across the harbor. The only way to access it is by ferry, boat, or kayak.”
“Claire told me her dad once swam over,” Finn added as Ithought of my list. Dike Bridge was somewhere on that little island.
“How do you know all of this?” I asked. Forget about a few weeks; Connor spoke like he’d spent years here.
“I’ve been exploring while these two esteemed gentlemen sail.” He gestured at the boys. “They send me to all the hot spots.”
“Very cool.” I nodded, realizing that if I asked Connor to follow Annie’s trail with me, he would. The idea might’ve even stirred some excitement in my stomach, as long as I could keep whatever he thought was between us at bay.
“There it is!” Teddy shouted when we reached the top of the street. He ran ahead and pointed to the right, but the massive Victorian hotel on the left caught my eye first.THEHARBORVIEW, its sign read, but before I could marvel at the hotel’s beautiful wraparound porch, I felt hands lightly land on my shoulders.
“Don’t fight me when I try to spin you around,” Connor said, the warmth of his skin soaking through my coverup’s thin fabric. “Okay?”
“Okay.” I closed my eyes, and one, two, three hard heartbeats later, he guided me 180 degrees. “What do you think?” Finn called, which was my cue to blink. “Does it live up to the hype?”
Yes, I thought.Yes, it does.
This was it. This was Annie’s lighthouse.
It was stunning and stood steadfast on the coastline, white with a dark wrought-iron railing that circled around the glass lantern room. I suspected the lighthouse had been restored overthe years, but Annie’s half-finished watercolor had still captured its essence.
“Do you want to see it up close?” Connor asked, nodding his chin at the wooden causeway. It led to a grassy slice of land with a network of sandy trails running across it. Beyond the lighthouse was the beach, dotted with families and colorful beach towels. “Or maybe even go inside? We can triumph over our acrophobia again.”
“Okay,” I said, my voice breathy. “Sure.”
“To the lighthouse!” he shouted to Teddy and Finn, and as we crossed the causeway together, I watched him subtly snap some photos of them.
“For their parents?” I guessed.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Their family uses a Vineyard shot for their holiday card every year, and since Ashley isn’t here…”
A beat passed.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, trying not to pry. “Did something happen?”
“Everything’s fine.” Connor stayed tight-lipped. “There’s just some stuff going on with her husband’s side of the family. They’re helping with that.”
