“Maybe like, medium bad.”
Chat laughed, and Augie sensed his relief. Augie didn’t want to talk about Mrs. Crawley anymore. She didn’t want to talk about anyone or anything but the two of them.
“Do you think I’m a bad person?” he said.
Augie squinted at him. “What?”
“For lying to you all summer. To everyone.”
Augie glanced to two birds passing overhead. “No, Chat. Though, I do want to know”—she looked directly at him—“at the boat party, were you only talking to me because of Leah? Because you wanted to learn more about Lyle and everything? Were you only using me to get close to her and Teuta?”
“Augie.” Chat shook his head at the ground before looking back up her. “Do I have to remind you that you’re kind of the one who jumped my bones?”
“But is that the only reason you went along with it?”
Chat took yet another step toward her.
“I didn’t know Leah would be at that party. I didn’t even realize who she was until I heard her name, and then, I felt so bad about everything, I just wanted to avoid her. At least until I could help. I promise, I was never using you, Augie. Not for Leah, not for Teuta, not at all. If anything, you made everything more complicated.”
Augie flinched.
“Not in a bad way.” Chat lifted his hands. “This whole summer, all I wanted to do was hang out with you. Talk to you. Danika was right. Youwerea distraction. You’re all I thought about.”
Augie’s face flushed, and she couldn’t stop herself: she smiled.
“I haven’t liked anyone in years. And...” He blew air out his teeth. “I feel like an idiot saying this, but we have something, right? Because if I have this all wrong, just tell me. You don’t have to feel bad. I know you were never supposed to see me again.”
Augie was done talking. She went to him and slid her arms up his shoulders, her fingers fanning the back of his neck. She studied the lines of gold in his irises—pinwheel rays of sun—and finally, he hugged her into him and kissed her.
37
The last time they met at Briar Ridge, they went to the model home: 34 Aspen Lane. This time, they weren’t hiding. They’d already been living together at Wyatt’s new apartment downtown.
“Should we take everything out of the boxes?” Bill asked, rounding the corner of the main bedroom. “Is that more or less helpful?”
From where he crouched near the window, installing new blinds, Wyatt chuckled. He stood, lifting the screwdriver in the air.
“I feel like Danika would rather come home to piles of boxes than piles of clutter. You know she’s going to find the perfect place for everything.” He walked to Bill, gently grasping his elbow. “I know you want to help, but let’s remember, Danika is the one with the eye.”
Bill acquiesced. He set the box down outside the closet.
In reconfiguring their lives, Bill and Wyatt had decided to buy Danika the model home. While the Crawleys would have to sell their Aldon Lakes house and cabin, between that cash, the success of Briar Ridge, and the fact that Bill had moved in with Wyatt, they could afford the model home. They were back on their feet.
As chaotic as the summer had been—that fated luau—Bill realized it was the crack in the dam of lies they’d needed. Now, he andWyatt could finally be together. It had been so refreshing, and life changing, to discover Wyatt was hiding the same secret as he was. That night after the bar crawl, he’d told Bill he was going to leave Robin and start living his truth. Bill hadn’t been able to lie. Pointedly, he’d told Wyatt he saw himself in him.
The next day at Briar Ridge, they’d kissed.
Of everyone, Robin was having the hardest time. As Wyatt explained, she’d always valued appearances and keeping their family together—two traits Bill understood—and the divorce was difficult for her. Wyatt assured Bill she would be okay, eventually. Plus, her cousin Julia from New York was also leaving her husband. They were going to Thailand together come fall.
Most importantly, with all the new information surrounding Lyle’s death, the Greenes finally had closure. Even if Joshua Mike could not be prosecuted (it was past the statute of limitations), they still felt vindicated to have answers. To know what really happened. It all made more sense now, too, comparing Teuta’s testimony with the initial engineering report, which supported the theory that someone else might have been driving the boat that night.
For now, Joshua Mike was gone; he’d left for one of his houses in Cabo. He had quit the Club and was selling The Manor and the marina. Without a word, he’d sold Bill back his shares of Briar Ridge for pennies.
“I think there are only a few boxes left,” Bill said, entering the kitchen. He and Wyatt were moving Danika’s things over slowly, staging the old house to be sold.
“We’re making good time.” Wyatt adjusted the orchid they had bought as a housewarming gift. Danika would move in the following week—the end of the month.
After all, August had passed in a blur: Danika had spent weeksat the cabin with the boys, Bill had taken a solo trip to Hilton Head to come out to his family (which had gone just about as well as expected), they’d all seen Chat off to Europe, and then there they were, up to their eyes in preparations to buy and sell and shuffle homes.
