Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

Author:Elin Hilderbrand [Hilderbrand, Elin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 0316007242
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 2011-03-24T12:14:12+00:00

Josh had thought that once they got back to Shell Street, he would be free to go. But everything had to be taken out of the car: the cooler, the chairs, the trash bag, the sleeping kids—and Josh offered to help. It was easy work, especially since Ted Stowe insisted they do it with the aid of yet another beer, Josh’s sixth or seventh of the night. The beach picnic had been a success, or almost: There had been the fishing, the sunset, the lobsters—and later the fire and s’mores for Blaine. Melanie had made a big deal about going swimming in the dark. She’d changed into her suit behind the car and, despite protests from Vicki and Ted and Brenda, all of whom were pretty sure she would drown, charged into the water. She was gone all of thirty seconds before she returned, curled into herself, shivering and dripping. Josh handed her a towel, and he found himself gazing at her body—her breasts, the still-smooth plane of her stomach, bare in the bikini, her curly hair hanging in dark corkscrews around her face. Looking at Melanie that way had been careless, the result of too many beers too fast. The problem, Josh realized later, was that Melanie saw him looking, and that was all the confirmation she needed to move forward.

The moving forward happened after the remains of the picnic were tucked away, after the Stowes and Brenda had said good night, after Josh, too, had said good night, thank you for inviting me, nice to meet you, Ted, see you Monday, Boss. Josh tripped as he headed down the flagstone walk. After six or seven beers, he thought, he shouldn’t be driving, especially since the police loved to sit on Milestone Road picking off young drunk kids just like him. So he sat in his Jeep for a minute, searching through the console for his tin of Altoids, wondering if it was only his imagination or if the surprise appearance of the doctor had changed the night. Because after Dr. Whatshisface wandered away, Vicki clammed up, she burrowed into her chair and gave everyone the silent treatment. Everything had been going really well up until then, but the doctor’s visit seemed to cast a shadow over things, reminding Josh and everyone else that Vicki was sick. For whatever reason, Josh thought again about those Sundays on the beach with his parents. If Josh went to Eel Point tomorrow, there would be a different group of parents playing with their kids. His parents’ circle of friends had disbanded right after Josh’s mother died—not because of Janey Flynn’s suicide, maybe, but more likely because the kids were all older by then and asking to go to the big-surf beaches. But there was definitely a sense of loss, of an era passing.

We have to enjoy it now, his mother said. Before winter comes.

Those Sundays were over and done with, and hence at that moment they seemed unspeakably precious to Josh, as precious as his mother’s lost love.

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