One glance at Finn gave me my answer. He was waiting at the finish line with flushed cheeks…or maybe he was out of breath from his obstacle course run.
I smiled when they high-fived, before the rest of the Farm caught my eye. It was a seemingly boundless meadow, withtall green grass, yellow flowers, and a web of sandy trails running through it. There were tall trees that looked permanently whipped by the wind and another blue pond in the distance.
“It’s something, isn’t it?” someone said, and I turned to see an older gentleman standing behind me. He smiled and sipped a glass of wine, and the rings around his eyes—
Holy crap!I realized. It was the man who’d all but rescued me at the Jaws Bridge.
“It’s beautiful!” I said quickly, a little embarrassed. “Breathtaking.”
“I quite agree.” He stood beside me, and together we gazed at the Farm. “Even after decades and decades, the view never gets old.”
Even after decades and decades…
My ears perked up. “You’ve been here before?”
“Many times.” He nodded, then pointed to the far pond. “My will stipulates that my ashes be spread on that shoreline. I have my coffee and read theGazettethere almost every morning.”
Too much information, I thought, but I didn’t really mind.
“Are you Meredith’s grandfather?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Oh, no. My brother Andrew has that highly esteemed honor.” He gestured across the lawn, where an old man sat behind an easel, seemingly painting something.
Wait.I recognized his aviators.Is that the Jaws Bridge artist?
“Was Andrew at the bridge the other day too?” I asked. “Sketching on the boulders?”
“Yes, he finds the jumpers a dynamic subject.” His brother nodded, then he offered me a hand to shake. “Christian Fox.”
“Olivia,” I said. “Lupo.”
“What brings you to the Vineyard, Olivia Lupo?” Christian asked.
“A family reunion,” I answered. “Topper and Peggy’s wedding anniversary.”
Christian tilted his head. “You’re a Carmichael?”
Carmichael-adjacent, I supposed, but left it at a cheerful, “Mmm.”
I wasn’t in the mood to explain the connection, that I was technically an interloper.
“Did youreallyburn down a barn?” I asked a couple seconds later, sounding like Maisie.
Something flashed in Christian’s eyes. “How do you know that?”
“Hey, Grumps!” someone shouted before I could respond, loud enough that Christian and I turned to see a teenage boy with his hands cupped around his mouth. I wondered if he was aware of the curly-haired girl sneaking up behind him. “Meredith’s—no! Ihateyou, Hannah!”
Christian sucked in an audible breath as the girl doused the boy with a bucket of water, dumping it right over his head. “That’s Ty, my youngest grandson,” he told me once Ty took off after Hannah. “He sadly was just assassinated.”
“Never would’ve guessed,” I said drily.
Remembering Meredith on the beach, I concluded that game unhinged people.
The corners of Christian’s mouth twitched. He looked both bemused and intrigued, and like he wanted to ask me something. I waited, but no questions came. “Meredith makes excellent potato salad,” he finally said. “Shall we go try some?”
* * *
Eternally friendly, the chef herself waved me over to her picnic table once I’d grabbed a seltzer and made myself a plate. She wore a red-and-white-striped tank suit with jean cutoffs, and her friend Katie sat next to her in a corresponding blue suit with white stars. “Olivia, how are you?”
