I’m left standing inside with the man they both feel guilty facing, as if he knows what they did, that they are responsible.
“This way.” Mark and I walk down the hall toward Sadie’s room.
He pauses just inside the doorway, taking in the boarded window, then the rest of the room.
“What happened, if I may ask? Someone throw a rock?”
“It was an accident.” I rub my arm up and down. “Can you fix it?”
“Sure can, ma’am. Haven’t met anything I can’t fix.” With a deep chuckle, he sets down his toolbox. He approaches the window, removes the makeshift cover and studies the damage. “You’re in luck. It’s a small pane. Shouldn’t take more than an hour because I have the glass in stock.” He straightens up and stretches his back. “See, I do a lot of work in this building so I have spares handy.” He gives a quick, professional smile and winks as if to seal the deal. “Lucky day.”
He excuses himself to go and get the pane of glass, his footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. He is gone for several minutes.
Left alone, I wander down the hallway, touching my fingers to the baby-blue plaster and trailing the edges of our family photos.
I think of going to wait with Scarlett on the balcony, but I don’t feel like it, so I head to our room instead, just sitting on the bed to catch my breath as I wonder where Gabriel really went. If he starts drinking again, I fear that could destroy what’s left of us.
Luckily, my thoughts are disturbed by Mark returning with a soft knock on the door instead of ringing the bell.
He enters the apartment carrying the new pane of glass, gloved hands steady beneath the edges. “Ready if you are.” He tilts his head in the direction of Sadie’s room.
I show him in, remaining in the doorway as he sets down the glass on the bed and opens his toolbox, laying out his toolsin a neat row that glimmers in the light. His movements are practiced, efficient, and he asks questions only when he has to, like how long the window has been broken, and if I would like him to clean up the glass shards from outside that I didn’t even notice.
“I’d rather take care of it, thanks.” Then I excuse myself to let him work in peace, only returning half an hour later.
“Can I make you a coffee?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe.
“That’d be great. Give me a minute.”
When he joins me in the kitchen, Scarlett is still on the balcony, visible through the glass. She still hasn’t turned a page, just staring out at sea.
“You visiting?” Mark wraps his calloused fingers around the mug, steam rising between us.
“Kind of. This is our apartment. We come here sometimes.”
He examines me for a moment, maybe recalibrating his assumptions, before taking a careful sip. “Nice place. You’ve made it up real nice. What made you choose Saltspray Cove as your favorite place to set up a second home?”
He’s quite the chatty type, isn’t he? Not that I mind. I answer with a bittersweet smile. “We had our honeymoon here.”
He sips, leaving a half-moon of coffee on his upper lip that he wipes away with his thumb. “It’s a good place. Outsiders love it here.”
“I’ve heard it’s even more popular because of the camp.”
His coffee mug freezes halfway to his lips. “That’s right. The camp sure does put us on the map.” He sets his mug down with a sharp clink. “It helps a lot of kids. Thankfully what happened didn’t make it lose its reputation.”
“The missing girl?” I grip my mug. “Six months back? She’s believed to have…drowned.”
“That’s right. Such a tragedy.” Mark’s chair scrapes against the floor as he pushes back. “Thanks for the coffee, ma’am. I should finish up. Got another job waiting as soon as I’m done here.”
He gives me a nod and heads back to Sadie’s room, leaving his mug half full.
When I check on Scarlett again, she’s still outside, but now her legs are drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around them like she’s afraid the wind might blow her away. But it only tosses her hair across her face.
Mark is done in less than an hour. The sound of his toolbox clicking shut echoes from Sadie’s room.
He grins at me when I enter. “Good as new.” He wipes dust from his palms onto his jeans. “You’ve got my number if anything else breaks.”
“Sure.” The bills in my back pocket are warm and slightly crumpled. Our fingers brush as I hand them over. “Thank you so much.”
