The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis

Author:Wendy Francis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Touchstone

12

On Tuesday, their group decided to split up. Javier and Caroline wanted to explore the Swizzle Stick Pub on the other side of the island. They’d rented a moped, and Lee walked over to wish them good luck. “Watch out for the rotaries,” she warned. “Remember to turn left into them.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.” Javier patted Caroline’s knee. She was behind him, clasping his middle, her lips pulled into a tight line. A bulky orange helmet rested on her head, and Lee was taken aback for a moment. It was the first time she’d seen Caroline appear anything less than glamorous.

“Consider yourself my sole executor,” Caroline told her, then added, “I’m not kidding, you know that, right?” Lee laughed and shooed them out of the parking lot.

Since the kids were not about to wait one more nanosecond to get online, everyone else was headed into downtown Hamilton this morning. As much as they’d enjoyed Horseshoe Bay yesterday, it had been like pulling teeth trying to get everyone back on the ship. There had been pleas, whining, outright bargaining of souls, so that the teenagers might go into town to check their e-mails. But the adults had been firm: tomorrow. So, now they were keeping their promise. Chris, Lacey, and Ryan hovered near the front of the ferry as they pulled up to dock, eager to be the first to step off the boat.

Abby nudged Lee. “Look at them. They’re like a bunch of bloodhounds. No amount of pepper spray could throw them off the scent.”

“Let’s hope they turn back into cute puppies once they get their fill of the Internet.”

When the ferry docked, relief washed over Lee. The ride had been unexpectedly rocky, and she was grateful to step onto terra firma. They checked the ferry’s return schedule posted outside the main terminal, then crossed over to Front Street. Quaint cobblestone sidewalks meandered through a neighborhood that included Louis Vuitton and other stylish vendors. Lee did her best to dodge the sun, which was intense, blistering even, without a sea breeze. Already, a bead of perspiration was winding its way down her chest, and she held her shirt away from her skin to allow for air. A little bell chimed, and a local man, dressed in a polo shirt, khaki shorts, and knee socks, sailed by them on his bicycle.

“Hey, I forgot about the long knee socks with the Bermuda shorts. It’s a good look,” Abby said. “Maybe you should get a pair of socks, Sam?”

“Be careful what you wish for,” he teased. “I might buy a whole case of them in different colors.” Lee laughed and tried to picture her friend’s husband in knee socks, unsuccessfully. Even professorial Sam wasn’t quite that nerdy.

Eventually Lacey came up to join them. Lee noted the small constellation of freckles that had taken up residence on her daughter’s nose. It reminded her of when Lacey was little and they’d spent hours at Folly Beach, Lacey piling sand into her pail, her fair skin turning darker by the minute, her hair bleaching in the sun.

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