Blue on Blue

Chapter Ten

Cay strolls up the stairs to her porch. The steps are lined with flower pots sprouting with miniature crimson suns. She pulls a stack of envelopes from the mailbox and pushes through the front door. 

Maggie shakes her head. "Doesn't anyone ever lock their doors around here?" She closes it tight behind her and follows Cay into the kitchen. She peers out the window above the sink. "No way! You have a lighthouse?" 

Cay throws the mail onto the counter top. 

Maggie leans over the sink, taking in the panoramic view. Lush green grass meets the edge of a cliff wall, where a lighthouse overlooks the sea. "I didn't even have a swing set growing up." 

Cay laughs. "It's one of the oldest in the country. My father bought the property when the lighthouse was retired from service, and then he renovated the light keeper's quarters into a home. He has a soft spot for old things." The top half of her body disappears into the refrigerator. 

Maggie's eyes drift to the envelopes scattered across the granite counter top, most of which are addressed to a Dr. Henry Banes. "Your father is a doctor?" 

Cay pulls a jar of mayo, a head of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and deli meat from the fridge. "Yup." She spills the contents onto the counter.

"Aren't Drew and Charlie picking up pizza on their way over?" 

Cay pulls bread slices from a plastic bakery bag. "Knowing those two, it'll be gone before they leave the Pizzeria parking lot." 

Maggie can't argue with that one. Charlie's and Drew's eating habits could put an ogre to shame. 

Cay slides a sandwich over to Maggie. She holds out a bag of chips. "Want some?" 

Maggie scoops up a handful.

Cay chomps down her sandwich as she flips through the most recent edition of Teen Vogue.  "I have to take a shower before the guys get here." She scrunches her nose. "Mr. Wheeler made us run laps in gym today. I absolutely loathe sweating." She takes the last few bites of her sandwich and hands Maggie the magazine. "Make yourself at home. I won't be long."

Maggie's eyes brighten. She could easily peruse Teen Vogue on line, but there's something wonderful about the smooth feel of the pages between her fingertips, the boxy layout of the words, and the glossy pictures that capture her senses. She eagerly flips the cover and drags her finger down the table of contents:  

~ Ten Tips for a Ghostly Glow

~ Treat them with Tricks this Halloween

~ Fight, Flight or Flirt  

She tears a fragrance sample from a perfume add and lifts it to her nose. She breathes in the scent of citrus and vanilla. Her eyes drift to a picture on the refrigerator. "Dr. B?" she whispers. She plucks the picture from underneath a magnet. She stares at it. Dr. B and Cay are sitting side by side, smiling. Is he Cay's psychiatrist too? Why would she take a picture with her psychiatrist and hang it on her fridge? Dr. B never took a picture with me and if he did, I definitely wouldn't display it. 

Maggie returns the picture to its spot underneath the magnet. She turns her attention to the envelopes strewed along the countertop and lifts one addressed to Dr. Banes. She scans the picture, then the envelope, then the picture, then the envelope...Dr. B...Dr. Banes...Dr. B...Dr. Banes. Her breath hitches. Her eyes widen. Dr. B is Dr. Henry Banes! 

Thoughts scratch at the places where the questions live. How could she have gone this long without knowing that Dr. B is Cay's adoptive father? And Eli's foster-father? Living right here in Cayder Bay? It's a small island! It was just a matter of time before she bumped into Dr. B and Cay at the supermarket, or the café, or wherever – just walking out the front door, for goodness' sake.