MY PHONE RANG at five-thirty in the morning. I slammed my hand on the dresser where it lay and pulled it to my ear. "Hello?"
"Hi, I'm at your front door."
Every nerve ending lit up as I sprang forward. "What?"
"I have Masie with me."
My toes curled against the hardwood as I climbed out of bed and ran around the room in nothing but underwear and a tee shirt, frantically looking for my misplaced robe. When it didn't appear out of thin air, I settled on wrapping myself in my blanket and hiked toward the door.
The sky could've been mistaken for the night when I opened the door and saw Weston standing with Masie on a leash. Even in the dark, he looked good in his navy blue button-up and slacks. His hair was neatly fixed, unlike mine.
He observed me and then teasingly said, "Morning, sunshine."
I narrowed my eyes. "Morning."
"Sorry for waking you up."
"You go in this early?"
"Just today."
I rubbed my eyes, trying not to get too close since I hadn't brushed my teeth. Although I didn't mind, I did not know why he needed me to watch Masie when he had been leaving her alone every other day.
He handed me a small bag of food and her bowl. "Thanks again. I have some extra things to do today, so I won't be home until a little later. Is that okay?"
"That's fine by me." I took Masie's leash and crouched to pet her. She was just as lethargic as me, leaning into my body to support her sleepy weight. I rubbed her head.
"You be good for Ivey, May. I'll text you later."
We locked eyes, not saying anything else before the door closed, separating us. I set Masie's food bowl down, filled up some water for her to drink, and then walked back to my bedroom and fell asleep until the sun poured through my blinds around eight.
When I woke, Masie was sprawled out on the floor beside my bed. Her belly expanded and contracted in a steady rhythm, and her lips flapped when she exhaled. I chuckled, brushing my unkept hair from my eyes.
"Good morning Masie," I called out. "Guess what we're doing today? We're getting some work done for Larry, then going on an adventure."
After my morning coffee and working on more of my column for the magazine assignment, I changed into an outfit more appropriate for hiking, threw my backpack with my camera, a water bottle, and Masie's water bowl. Right before I left the house, I ran into the office and grabbed my parent's journal from their desk.
The weather was a perfect blend of summer and fall. The sun's rays were powerful enough to keep me warm despite the biting breeze, especially on the boat. I knew I would start sweating once we were under the sun long enough.
Masie climbed into the boat quickly. I didn't have a dog life vest, so I macgyvered a human vest to fit her since we were going far and I did not want to risk her falling out.
The engine hummed to life, and we sailed toward the Marsh Lands west of Clifton.
Masie's ears flapped in the wind as her body bounced at the bow with each wave. Almost ten minutes later, we drifted toward brambles of trees and sandy dunes covered in thick wads of beach grass. They leaned sideways from the constant battering breeze blowing off the water.
I craned my head around and back on land and saw the Lincoln property peeking through the trees. I pursed my lips, trying to avoid thinking about the history between Nora and Weston, and kept pushing forward.
Turning left, I looped around the marsh to find where my parents used to dock the boat. There was no harbor, just skid marks in the earth and a makeshift post where I could tie the ropes.
The closer we got to land and the slower my boat became, the more I could hear the hidden cicadas singing under the dense weeping willows and bald cypress trees.
Masie stood up, wagging her tail at the sight of solid earth.
"Ah! Sit," I shouted. She listened, though her tail still showed excitement.
We spent the next two hours hiking and boating to different spots in the marshes. I followed my mother's drawings, taking pictures of everything I could find. Mixed between all of the nature photos were portraits of Masie.
"Masie! Hey, girl!" I called as she trailed in front of me.
She would pause, turn her head with her teeth and tongue out, panting, and I would snap the photo. Who knew a dog could be so photogenic? But she was perfect, and each picture looked like a still from a catalog. I was confident Weston would love these photos, so I made a mental note to send them to him later.
The further we walked, the filthier we got, and I would have to give her a bath before giving her back because the poor girl's legs and belly were covered in thick mud.
For a brief moment, I pictured what it would be like if it was Weston, Masie, and me.
I hadn't anticipated coming back to Clifton and making a friend (Kate would call Weston otherwise), but it felt nice knowing I could talk with him and not have to pretend.
Later in the day, after lunch, Masie and I walked through town along the harbor. I could see Weston's practice through the row of trees lining the sidewalk, and I wondered if Masie knew he was close. If she did, she didn't care and trotted along.
It had grown considerably hotter as the day progressed, and we were both in desperate need of a drink. So, we walked to Oliver's Cafe, where I stood in line to get water for Masie and an iced coffee for me.
Rocking on my heels, I stared at Weston's contact and wondered if he wanted a coffee.
When I got to the counter, the cashier's eyes widened. "Ivey? As in Ivey Pierce?" They looked excited while I tried to mask my confusion.
I took in her light pink Hijab and big brown eyes, and then it hit me. It was Maram Nadar. She was ten years older than the last time I saw her in high school. She was a grade above me, so we weren't close, but she was the head of the high-school paper and best friends with Zoe Lincoln, Nora Lincoln's only child.
"Maram! Wow, I almost didn't recognize you."
"Same to you, except I had heard your name around town and wondered when I would run into you. How are you? How long have you been back?"
I blew air through pursed lips, feeling comfortable enough to talk with her. "Almost a month now, and I'm doing alright. What about you?"
"It's so nice to see your face again." She paused and cast a warm smile. "And I'm great, thanks. What can I get you?"
I ordered, then followed her down the length of the counter. We both small-talked as she made my drink. To my surprise, I learned she married the owner of Oliver's Cafe, who took over the business after his father passed. I should've noticed the large rock on her ring finger.
It was strange to see people from high school older and married to people we graduated with. Because in my mind, we're all 15, running around town and swimming in the ocean without care. Now we had the weight of life on our shoulders.
Maram handed me our beverages and then leaned over the counter to look at the sleepy Saint Bernard. "And who might this muddy fella be?"
"This is Masie." I rubbed her head.
Maram stared at Masie, then backed up at me and cast a smile that didn't reach her eyes. What did that look mean? Her gaze lingered on me, then she clasped her hands together and said we should catch up again before saying goodbye. I agreed and headed for a seat closest to the door, wanting to be in the air conditioning longer. Masie curled up overtop my feet.
"They're assigning tasks for the fundraiser tomorrow night," a woman sitting near me spoke.
"Did you hear Zoe is coming back to town? Nora is totally stressing over it. Did you see how she acted at our book club meeting the other night? She practically drank half a bottle of wine."
"Why? Because of the practitioner?"
The pressure in my head grew the wider my eyes got. Practitioner? As in Weston? I listened, waiting to hear more, but I didn't. Without turning my head, I glanced at the women in my periphery.
"He was at the last meeting with the Pierce girl. He is making his rounds, and I wonder who he'll move onto next when she leaves."
"How do you know she's leaving?"
"Come on." The woman's short cackle echoed into the space. "That girl doesn't belong here, and there are rumors she's selling the manor."
"I would kill to have that house, and it baffles me a 27-year-old inherited it and then let it rot for two years."
My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I wondered if this was the closest feeling to a heart attack. Would they be talking this way if they knew I was sitting right here, or did they already know I was listening and that was their goal?
"Do you think she knows Turner was with Zoe?"
Now my heart was lodged in my throat.
"Who knows."
The topic of their conversation shifted. Thankfully this one did not concern Weston or me. I didn't want to draw attention to myself, so I waited a couple of minutes before hurrying out of the cafe, past Weston's office toward home, wondering what the hell I had just heard.
"COME ON, MASIE, I need to wash you before your dad gets home," I pleaded, trying to lift her into the giant plastic kitty pool I used to play in, which I found in the garage and filled with hot water.
She fought me, barking loud while I almost threw my back out, placing her in the water. "You'll survive."
I settled on washing her with Dawn Soap since I didn't have any animal shampoo and according to the internet, using human shampoo was not a good idea, and I was not going to be the one to mess up Weston's dog's fur.
The music carried from my phone speaker into the room. The sun had set entirely, lending day to night.
I hadn't heard from Weston once, and all I could think about was the conversation I had overheard in the cafe.
Weston didn't have a history with Nora Lincoln. He had one with Zoe. And from what I could tell, it was intimate. Was it a fling? Were they still seeing each other? I laughed out loud at how bizarre my thoughts were. I cared more about the gossip I heard about Weston than the terrible things those women said about me.
How sad.
Needing to vent and hear my best friend's voice, I dried my hands off and called Kate. She answered on the second ring.
"Hey, I've." I could hear her excitement. "I was just thinking about you."
"I must've felt it because I was thinking about you too."
"Even across the country, we're connected."
"Always. I miss you. How was your week?"
We spent most of our call catching up about our week and work. I was ecstatic to hear what she had been up to, but the stories made my stomach clench with homesickness. My everyday life felt so out of reach when I was here.
Masie barked when I poured water down her back.
"Was that a dog?" Kate asked.
"I'm dog-sitting."
"You're dog-sitting? For who?"
"Weston," I admitted hesitantly.
"You mean your hot neighbor nurse? Ivey, what the hell!"
"He had work and errands to run, so I agreed to watch her. I'm giving her a bath because we hiked through the marshlands today and got dirty." After I explained, I wondered what errands he was talking about.
"The next thing you know, he's gonna ask if you can babysit him too."
My shoulders bounced with laughter. "Kate, that is so—"
Three loud knocks reverberated through the house, instantly sending Masie into a frenzy. "Kate, I have to go!" I screamed, and before I could stop her, the Saint Bernard jumped out of the tub, and I body slammed the ground, trying to hold her still.
"Masie! Come!" I shouted, watching her run into the house drenched. Then, as I pushed myself slowly from the floor, I realized I was also drenched with the muddy bath water.
"Ivey! What the hell is going on?" Weston's voice came from the foyer.
"I-uh," I stood up, grabbed the towel that was supposed to be for the dog, and covered my see-through shirt. I followed the water trail throughout the house, holding Masie's collar.
Weston was crouching beside his pet, staring up at me in horror. His perplexed expression—which eyed me up and down—slowly turned into the most prominent, radiant smile I have ever seen.
He tipped his head back, and the silence was filled with pure laughter.
Weston Turner was laughing and smiling; it was the most beautiful sight.
My body heated to an unhealthy temperature, and I half expected my wet skin to begin evaporating dry.
"What the hell happened? Why are you both so wet? Did you fall in the bay?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to cover my breast that most definitely were visible through my tee-shirt. "We went to the marshland today, and she was covered in mud, and I thought I'd give her a bath. She heard your knocking... and now here we are."
His smile stretched ear to ear as he looked between Masie and me. "Well, that's very kind of you. Thank you."
His eyes flickered to my sheer shirt, then back to my face. Or was that my lips he looked at? Oh, God.
"Will you take her back to the mudroom, please?" I pointed in the direction behind me, needing a moment to collect myself. "I'm going to change."
"Sure."
When I got to my bathroom, I gripped the granite countertop for support and to steady my breath, unsure of what overcame me. I never thought I would see him smile or laugh like that or that I would react that way.
My face was beet red, and it looked like I had laid under the sun for hours without sunscreen. I stood straight, staring at my round nipples prodding through my shirt, trying to picture myself through Weston's eyes.
Was this how he saw me? I turned from side to side, smoothing my hands over my top.
Why did I suddenly care?
Distracting myself, I stripped and threw on something dry, pulling my half-wet hair back in a clip. When I returned to the mud room, Weston's white shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing his muscular forearms, and he knelt beside the tub Masie was back inside.
"Finishing what I started," I said, kneeling on the floor to wipe the water trail.
"You did the leg work. I'm just rinsing the rest of the soap out."
He looked at me, and we both smiled at each other. I felt that same pull inside of me that I had felt earlier.
"How was your day? Get everything you needed to get done?"
He shrugged. "It was fine, and I got things done. How about you?"
"It was also fine." Aside from the gossip session I overheard, I wasn't ready to tell him about that.
"You guys went on an adventure then?"
"Yes, we did, and we had a lot of fun. I have photos to show you."
"She was good for you?"
"Yes, she was great company too."
We continued working in comfortable silence. Everything I wanted to say stayed tucked inside my head, safe and sound. I was not ready to hear about Zoe Lincoln. So, I mopped while he dried Masie off and poured the dirty water outside.
"So, I was thinking," I started, out of the blue. "I may go to the town meeting again this week."
His nose wrinkled. "You really wanna subject yourself to that again?"
"I mean..." I thought of what to reply. "I figured getting in everyone's good graces would be best."
"Why, though? They're assholes, and they don't deserve your kindness."
My shoulders bobbed, despite my heart skipping a beat from his indirect compliment. "I don't know."
He stared at me for an uncomfortable amount of time. I could tell he was trying to read my demeanor, but I didn't let anything show. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he sighed. "Well, I'm not letting you go alone, so I'll pick you up Wednesday."
"Oh, I did not mean to make you feel forced—"
"I don't."
It was my turn to analyze his face, but all I imagined was his beautiful smile from early and the sound of his amusement.
"Okay, well, don't feel obliged to come. If you bail, I'll be fine."
He took one step closer to me. "I do not bail, Ivey."
"Okay," was all I could squeak out.
Without hesitating, his thumb brushed my cheekbone, and my breath stalled in my throat. "You've still got mud on your face, and I think it's your turn for a shower."
He was looking at me how every woman wants to be looked at by a man. And just like that, in a split second, I felt the meaning of our relationship shift into something I didn't quite understand.
Nevertheless, I had a knack for overanalyzing the simplest of things, including meaningless gestures, which was what precisely happened.
This was one of those self-sabotaging moments where I could make or break a friendship.
"Uh, yeah," I choked. "I smell like a wet dog. I should go do that."
He thanked me again for watching Masie and left me in the foyer. The walls around me felt tight, and the air felt thick. Yet, for some reason, I hoped he would think about me tonight when he fell asleep.
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