“Okay,” she says. “Okay, but I don’t want to bring a whole crowd. This has to be a secret little trip, just the two of us. I’ll take you to Wasses after.”
“After what?”
“Just after. Run and get your shoes, but be quick and quiet.”
“Yessssss,” says Claire. She disappears and comes back in a pair of rain boots that go up to her knees. They must be Abigail’s.
On the way to town, Louisa lets Claire play with her phone so she can think. She’s angry with her mother, and she’s angry with her father. Is she angry with Kristie? Maybe. She’s not sure. She’s about to find out.
“Can I download an app?” asks Claire from the backseat.
“Sure.” The minivan rises and falls along the hills of North Shore Drive.
Claire is so entranced in her new app that she doesn’t notice when Louisa turns off Main Street and hooks a right on Ocean to head down toward Archer’s. By now, it’s seventeen minutes past eleven; Louisa isn’t sure what time Archer’s starts serving lunch. Louisa parks and tells Claire, “We have to run in for a second. Then Wasses, I promise.”
The restaurant is open. Louisa and Claire stand by the hostess stand until the bartender notices them and says, “Hi there. The hostess isn’t in yet. Fernando will be right with you.”
“Great!” says Claire, all hopped up on her recent app download. To Louisa she says, “Why are we here again?”
“Long story,” whispers Louisa. “I’ll tell you later.”
When Fernando appears and says, “Two?” Louisa finds that her voice has gone elsewhere. She locates it, but it cracks and shimmies as she says, “Hi, yes, I mean, no, we’re not eating. I’m looking for Kristie. Is Kristie here?”
“Who’s Kristie?” asks Claire, very loudly.
Louisa nudges her and says, again, “I’ll tell you later.”
Fernando’s expression is inscrutable. He looks from Claire back to Louisa and says, “Kristie doesn’t work here anymore.”
This, Louisa was not expecting. “What do you mean?”
Fernando shrugs. “I mean, she no longer works here.”
“Did she quit?”
“Something like that,” says Fernando, and the bartender clears her throat. “Can I offer you at a table for two? We open at eleven-thirty, but I can seat you now. Give you menus.”
Claire says, “I thought we were eating at Wasses!”
“We are,” Louisa tells her. To Fernando she says, “I’m sorry—where did she go?”
Again, the shrug. “I don’t know. Not my concern.”
“Okay then. All right. I’m sorry to bother you.” Fernando seems like a short man with too much power. They turn to go. Outside they look out at the harbor, and Louisa shows Claire how you cansee the breakwater from here. She points in the general direction of Ships View. They both squint and pretend that they can see it even though they can’t.
They’re walking toward the car when they hear someone call, “Hey! Excuse me! Ma’am?” Louisa bristles at thema’am—she’s notthatold—but turns to see a server coming toward them. “Hi,” she says. “I overheard you in there, but I knew Fernando would be pissed if I broke in.” She looks at Claire after she sayspissedand says, “Sorry.”
“She’s heard worse,” says Louisa.
“I sure have,” confirms Claire.
“I’m Natalie,” the server says. “I keep in touch with Kristie.” Natalie is tan and very pretty. She looks like she could be one of Louisa’s undergrads, taking Intro to Western Civilization in sweats with a hangover and a messy bun. “She got a job at Renys.” She looks over her shoulder and then says, “I think it’s crappy, that she got fired. Fernando can be kind of a creep. If you see her, tell her I said hi, okay?”
“I will,” says Louisa. She forgives Natalie thema’am.“Thank you.”
She knows she’s pulling at the very last thread of Claire’s patience, and that if she pulls any harder it will snap, and also, she was prepared to see Kristie but now that a hurdle has arisen, her nerves are slithering back in. So she turns into Wasses’ parking lot. Claire gets the Everything dog, which comes with mustard, relish, and fried onions; Louisa thinks about the Western but in the end keeps it simple with just relish. She’s too nervous for her system to handle the Western. Fries, obviously. Two Cokes. They eat in the car, as you do at Wasses. Louisa lets Claire sit in the front seat.
“Seriously, Claire,” says Louisa. “Don’t tell anyone about any of this. Especially about the Cokes. If anyone asks we ate kale salad and drank mineral water.”
