The Last Song (17 page)

“Actually, I came here because I felt bad about the cage, and I didn’t want you to be out here alone. Like I said earlier,
it’s a public beach and you never know who might come walking up.”

“Like you?”

“It’s not me you should be worried about. There are bad people everywhere. Even here.”

“And let me guess. You’d protect me, right?”

“If it came down to that, I’d protect you in a heartbeat.”

She didn’t respond, but he had the feeling he’d surprised her. The tide was coming in, and together they watched the waves
flare silver whenever they rolled and washed toward the shore. Through the windows, the curtains fluttered, as though someone
were watching them.

“All right,” she finally said, breaking the silence. “Your turn. What’s your story?”

“I’m a volleyball player slash grease monkey slash aquarium volunteer.”

He heard her laugh again, liking its unfettered energy. It felt contagious.

“Are you okay if I stay with you for a while?”

“It’s a public beach.”

He motioned toward the house. “Do you need to tell your dad I’m out here?”

“I’m sure he already knows you’re here,” she said. “Last night, he must have checked on me every other minute.”

“He sounds like a good dad.”

She seemed to consider something before shaking her head. “So you love volleyball, huh?”

“It keeps me in shape.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question.”

“I enjoy it. I don’t know if I love it, though.”

“But you do like crashing into people, right?”

“That depends on who I crash into. But a few days ago, I guess I’d have to say it turned out pretty well.”

“You think drenching me is a good thing?”

“If I hadn’t soaked you, I might not be here now.”

“And I could be enjoying a quiet, peaceful night at the beach instead.”

“I don’t know.” He smiled. “Quiet, peaceful nights are overrated.”

“I guess I’m not going to find out tonight, huh?”

He laughed. “Where do you go to school?”

“I don’t,” she said. “I graduated a couple of weeks ago. You?”

“I just graduated from Laney High School. It’s where Michael Jordan went.”

“I’ll bet everyone in your high school says that.”

“No,” he corrected. “Not everyone. Just the ones who graduated.”

She rolled her eyes. “All right. So what’s next for you? Are you going to keep working for your dad?”

“Just through the summer.” He scooped up some sand and let it slip through his fingers.

“And then?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”

“No?”

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you with that information.”

“How about a hint?” she prodded.

“How about you go first? What’s next for you?”

She thought about it. “I’m strongly considering a career in guarding turtle nests. I seem to have a knack for it. I mean,
you should have seen the way that raccoon took off. It was like it thought I was the Terminator.”

“You sound like Scott,” he said. Seeing her blank expression, he explained. “He’s my volleyball partner, and the guy is the
king of movie references. It’s like he can’t complete a sentence without one of them. Of course, he usually works some sexual
innuendo in as well.”

“That sounds like a special talent.”

“Oh, it is. I could get him to give you a personal demonstration.”

“No, thank you. I don’t need any sexual innuendos.”

“You might like it.”

“I think not.”

He held her gaze as they bantered, noting that she was prettier than he remembered. Funny and smart, too, which was even better.

Near the nest, saw grass bent in the breeze and the steady sound of the waves surrounded them, making him feel as if they
were in a cocoon. Up and down the beach, lights glowed in the oceanfront houses.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“I’m not sure I could stop you.”

He pushed his feet back and forth in the sand. “What’s with you and Blaze?”

In the silence, she stiffened slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I was just wondering why you were hanging out with her the other night.”

“Oh,” she said. Though he had no idea why, she seemed relieved. “Actually, we met when she spilled my soda on me. Right after
I finished cleaning up what you did.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. As far as I can tell, dumping soda on people is the equivalent of ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you’ in this part of the world.
Frankly, I think standard greetings work better, but what do I know?” She drew a long breath. “Anyway, she seemed cool and
I didn’t know anyone else, so we just… ended up hanging out for a while.”

“Did she stay here with you last night?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“What? Didn’t she want to save the turtles? Or at least keep you company?”

“I didn’t tell her about this.”

He could tell she didn’t want to say more, so he let it drop. Instead, he motioned to the beach.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

“Do you mean a romantic walk, or just a walk?”

“I’m going to say… just a walk.”

“Good choice.” She clapped her hands together. “But just so you know, I don’t want to go too far, being that the aquarium
volunteers weren’t concerned about the raccoon and the eggs are still exposed.”

“They were definitely concerned. I have it on good authority that an aquarium volunteer is helping to guard the nest right
now.”

“Yes,” she said. “But the real question is why?”

They walked the beach in the direction of the pier, passing a dozen oceanfront mansions, each with massive decks and staircases
that led down to the beach. A few houses down, one of the neighbors was hosting a small gathering; all the lights on the third
floor were on, and three or four couples leaned against the railing, watching the moonlit waves.

They didn’t talk much, but for some reason, the silence didn’t feel uncomfortable. Ronnie kept just enough distance so they
wouldn’t accidentally brush against each other, sometimes studying the sand and at other times staring ahead. There were moments
when he thought he saw a fleeting smile cross her features, as though she remembered a humorous story she hadn’t yet shared
with him. Every now and then, she stopped and bent over to retrieve seashells that were half-buried in the sand, and he noted
her concentration as she examined them in the moonlight before tossing most of them aside. The others she slipped into her
pocket.

There was so much he didn’t know about her—in many ways she remained a cipher to him. In that, she was the complete opposite
of Ashley. Ashley was nothing if not safe and predictable; he knew thoroughly what he was getting, even if it wasn’t what
he really wanted. But Ronnie was different, no doubt about it, and when she offered him an unguarded and unexpected smile,
he had the sense she was intuiting his thoughts. The realization warmed him, and when they finally turned around and made
their way back toward their spot near the turtle nest, there was an instant when he imagined himself walking beside her on
the beach each and every night into a distant future.

*     *     *

When they reached the house, Ronnie went inside to talk to her dad while Will unpacked his truck. He set up his bedroll and
supplies on the side of the turtle nest, wishing Ronnie could have stayed near the nest with him. But she’d already told him
there wasn’t a chance that her dad would agree. At the very least, though, he was glad she’d be able to sleep in her own bed
tonight.

Getting comfortable, he lay down, thinking that today had been a start, if nothing else. Anything might happen from here.
But when she turned, smiling as she waved a final good night from the porch, he felt something leap inside at the notion that
she just might imagine it was the beginning of something, too.

“Who’s the stiff?”

“Nobody. Just a friend. Go away.”

As the words drifted through the hazy corridors of his mind, Will struggled to remember where he was. Squinting into the sun,
he realized he was face-to-face with a little boy.

“Oh, hey,” Will mumbled.

The boy rubbed his nose. “What are you doing here?”

“Waking up.”

“I can see that. But what were you doing here last night?”

Will smiled. The kid acted as serious as a coroner, which seemed comical given his age and stature. “Sleeping.”

“Uh-huh.”

Will pushed back, giving himself room to sit up, and noticed Ronnie standing off to the side. She was dressed in a black T-shirt
and torn jeans and wore the same amused expression he’d seen the night before.

“I’m Will,” he offered. “And you are?”

The boy nodded toward Ronnie. “I’m her roommate,” he said. “We go back a long way.”

Will scratched his head, smiling. “I see.”

Ronnie took a step forward, her hair still damp from her shower. “This is my nosy brother, Jonah.”

“Oh?” Will asked.

“Yeah,” Jonah answered. “Except for the nosy part.”

“Good to know.”

Jonah continued to stare at him. “I think I know you.”

“I don’t think so. I feel like I would have remembered meeting you.”

“No, I do remember,” Jonah said, beginning to smile. “You were the guy who told the police officer that Ronnie went to Bower’s
Point!”

The memory of that night came surging back, and Will turned to Ronnie, watching with dread as her expression changed from
curiosity to puzzlement and finally to understanding.

Oh, no.

Jonah was still going on. “Yeah, Officer Pete brought her home, and she and Dad had this big fight the next morning…”

Will saw Ronnie’s mouth tighten. Muttering, she turned and stormed into the house.

Jonah stopped in midsentence, wondering what he’d said.

“Thanks for that,” Will growled, then hopped to his feet and sprinted after Ronnie.

“Ronnie! Wait! C’mon. I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for you to get into trouble.”

He reached for her arm as he caught up with her. When his fingers grazed her T-shirt, she whirled to face him.

“Go away!”

“Just listen to me for a second—”

“You and I have nothing in common!” she snapped. “Get it?”

“Then what was last night about?”

Her cheeks were red. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

“Your act doesn’t work on me,” he said. For some reason, his words kept her quiet long enough to go on. “You stopped the fight,
even though everyone else wanted blood. You were the only one who even noticed the kid who started to cry, and I saw the way
you smiled when he went off with his mom. You read Tolstoy in your spare time. And you like sea turtles.”

Though she raised her chin defiantly, he sensed he’d struck a nerve. “So what?”

“So I want to show you something today.” He paused, relieved that she didn’t immediately say no. But she hadn’t said yes,
either, and before she could decide one way or the other, he took a small step forward.

“You’ll like it,” he said. “I promise.”

Will pulled into the empty parking lot of the aquarium and followed a small service drive that led around back. Ronnie sat
beside him in the truck but hadn’t said much on the drive over. As he walked her toward the employees entrance, he could tell
that even though she’d agreed to come, she hadn’t yet made up her mind about whether or not to still be angry with him.

He held open the door for her, feeling the cool draft as it mingled with the hot, humid air outside. He led her down a long
corridor, then pushed through yet another door that led into the aquarium itself.

There were a handful of people working in their offices, although the aquarium wouldn’t open to the public for another hour.
Will loved being here before it opened; the dim lights from the tanks and absence of sound made it feel like a secret hideaway.
Often, he would find himself mesmerized by the poisoned spines of the lionfish as they moved in saltwater loops, skimming
the glass. He wondered whether they realized their habitat had shrunk in size, and if they even knew he was there.

Ronnie walked next to him, observing the activity. She seemed content to stay quiet as they passed a massive ocean tank, home
to a smaller replica of a sunken German submarine from World War II. When they reached the tank of slowly undulating jellyfish
that glowed fluorescent beneath a black light, she stopped and touched the glass in wonder.

“
Aurelia aurita
,” Will said. “Also known as moon jellies.”

She nodded, returning her gaze to the tank, transfixed by their slow-motion movement. “They’re so delicate,” she said. “It’s
hard to believe the stings can be so painful.”

Her hair had dried curlier than it had the day before, making her appear a bit like an unruly tomboy.

“Tell me about it. I think I’ve been stung at least once a year since I was a kid.”

“You should try to avoid them.”

“I do. But they find me anyway. I think they’re attracted to me.”

She smiled faintly, then turned and faced him directly. “What are we doing here?”

“I told you I wanted to show you something.”

“I’ve seen fish before. And I’ve been to an aquarium, too.”

“I know. But this is special.”

“Because no one else is here?”

“No,” he answered. “Because you’re going to see something that the public doesn’t see.”

“What? You and me alone near a fish tank?”

He grinned. “Even better. C’mon.”

In a situation like this, he normally wouldn’t hesitate to take a girl’s hand, but he couldn’t bring himself to try it with
her. He motioned with his thumb toward a corner hallway, tucked neatly away so as to be practically unnoticeable. At the end
of the hallway, he paused before the door.

“Don’t tell me they gave you an office,” she teased.

“No,” he said, pushing open the door. “I don’t work here, remember? I’m just a volunteer.”

They entered a large cinder-block room crisscrossed by air ducts and dozens of exposed pipes. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead,
but the sound was drowned out by the enormous water filters that lined the far wall. A giant open tank, filled nearly to the
top with ocean water, lent the air a tang of salt and brine.