ChapterTwenty-Four
Miraculously, the Edgartown wine bar had given Brodie the same table from their very first date nearly two months before. As Mallory entered the patio area, she paused for a moment, watching him as he nervously folded and unfolded his white linen napkin, his curls fluttering in the breeze off Katama Bay. Her heart ballooned with promise. They’d been given a second chance.
“Hi, there.” Mallory slid into the chair across from him, her smile electric.
“Hi.” Brodie matched her energy, his eyes alight.
They stared at one another for a split second, both at a loss. The waiter arrived to deliver a bottle of natural orange wine, which Brodie reported was “sour and strange yet oddly delicious,” a perfect theme for the summer.
“I can’t believe it’s August 11th,” Mallory breathed, propping her elbows up on the table and eyeing the crowds of tourists sunbaked from hours at the beach.
“I really can’t believe anything about this year,” Brodie affirmed, his voice wavering. The blue of his eyes was identical to the shimmering mist of the Mediterranean-like Bay just beyond. “Especially with what just came out about Peter Larker.”
“The emails,” Mallory breathed, her heart pumping.
“The emails,” Brodie repeated.
After a deeper excavation through Peter Larker’s online presence, the police discovered a series of emails between Bertrand Thomkins and Peter Larker. Essentially, Peter Larker had stopped paying Bertrand for his work in carpentry in mid-March, which had left Bertrand and his entire family in a lurch. Throughout every email, Peter maintained that he was “just about” to pay Bertrand for his hard labor and egging him on, promising still more work after summer and into autumn and winter.
PETER: Your family needs this, Bertrand. Think of your family.
About the “new stuff in the basement,” Peter and Bertrand had only corresponded once.
BERTRAND: There isn’t space for me to put my equipment in the basement now that you’ve filled so much of it with the new antiques. What do you suggest we do?
PETER: I need your help moving the antiques into the back storage space.
BERTRAND: That will take many hours. You should hire professional movers.
PETER: I will make it worth your while.
“It’s insane,” Mallory breathed. “I guess around that time your dad finally caught on that he wouldn’t get any money from this guy.”
Brodie’s cheeks burned pink. After a long moment, he exhaled all the air from his lungs and whispered, “I finally heard from him.”
Mallory’s heart lifted. “Are you kidding me?”
“He reached out, yeah. I was overjoyed to hear his voice, Mallory. Overjoyed. He said he read about Peter Larker and always knew the man was garbage. He also told me that he decided to steal the ring from Peter when he fully realized he wouldn’t be getting any paychecks from him any time soon. Naturally, Peter never noticed the ring was gone.”
“And then, he gave the ring to you?” Mallory asked, breathless.
“He left it in my backpack the night he disappeared,” Brodie whispered. “I never had time to consider what it might mean. Not until you found it, anyway.”
Mallory groaned. “What a mess.”
“Seriously. The biggest of all messes.” Brodie’s smile was crooked and so handsome. He looked at her as though she was the only woman in the world. “Dad found some work outside of Boston. He’s going to start sending paychecks back to the family again. Bigger ones than we’re used to. For the first time in many years, I have a feeling that everything is going to be okay.”
Mallory lifted her hand in excitement, drawing it over his and squeezing hard. Everything within her screamed to leap over the table, throw her arms around him, and cover him with kisses. She held herself back.
“What about you?” Mallory whispered, her voice catching. “Are you going to keep working at the restaurant?”
Brodie shrugged. “I had this strange idea that I might want to go to school and found myself signing up for some community college classes. I don’t know. I guess I was just inspired by someone I met this year.”
Mallory shook her head, her stomach stirring with orange wine and radical energy.Where could they possibly go from here? Was this only the beginning of Brodie and Mallory’s story? Or was this somewhere toward the end?
“What a strange web of lies, deception, and legal jargon we’ve weaved together,” Mallory tried to joke.
Brodie laughed. “I’d definitely be happy if everything calmed down, just for a little while.”