by Katie George
Chapter Seven
Sarah
IT WAS A Sunday tradition for the Towson family, plus Grandpa Rob, to have Sunday supper at the seaside Steakshop at Paradiso Bay, located on the southern side of Breezewater. No matter how dangerously packed the restaurant was, the Towson family made it a mission to go every Sunday as fellowship time, with no distractions, no confusions, and no anger. Of course, did that really ever happen?
Today, the line was especially long, since it was close to school letting out and a beautiful, cloudless day. The sun sparkled against the reflecting sea, and a rainbow was illuminated in various flowers: indigo hydrangeas, bubblegum tulips, lime geraniums. The list could go on and on, and it really was a feast on the eyes. But to the nose, it was a pollen-littered respite from the stench of a thousand churchgoers at one cramped cottage that claimed to be the best restaurant in the county.
Of course, most restaurants claimed this, because the majority of them were local family-operated businesses that had been around for several generations. However, Sarah was inclined to agree that the Steakshop was as good as it was going to get on the edge of a small cliff in Breezewater, even if she had to wait eons to walk inside the place.
Sarah’s family was not big into seafood, although it was a staple for every Breezewater resident to eat all types of sea-dwellers, but they were not alone. The Watsons, Jeffersons, Masons, Winstons, Williamses, and, strangely enough, McFarlands were all waiting outside in the fresh salty spray. Sarah spotted Alex fairly quickly, standing with his dad, Jake, who was a cop. Jake’s wife died a few years back, around the same time Karli’s dad went out of the picture. That was back when Alex and Karli had a mini-fling, and desperate to glean any knowledge on her friend’s whereabouts, Sarah scurried over to him. Zach stared at his sister like she was wild.
The townspeople’s eyes landed on the couple before them: Sarah in her cotton summer dress, Alex with his mop of unruly hair. Alex was a good-looking enough guy, but no one knew that Sarah was only talking to him because of another girl. In all reality, Sarah had no interest in making friends, because that was all she did in Los Angeles County. Connections were a thing of the school year for her—not summer months—but she did want to track down Karli Kirkpatrick, via wherever John Cruston’s address was at the moment.
“Hey,” Alex said, waving a flickering hand. His dad was engaging the Jeffersons with a story about an old man he’d had to arrest a few weeks before. Alex looked lonely as usual, but deep down, he was okay with it. He hated being social, but his father encouraged it all the time.
“Hi. Hey, I’ll make this quick, but I have a question for you.”
“I hope I have the answer.”
The serenity of the sea behind Alex caught her attention. Even though she’d lived by the ocean all her life, and had spent the past year on the other coast, she would never lose her attraction to each breaker and wave. “Sorry, I got distracted by the ocean.”
“You mean, my stellar hair blowing in the wind?”
She smiled. “Have you talked to Karli Kirkpatrick at all recently?”
Alex’s eyes went downcast, the color in them draining. “Karli… I forgot you guys were best friends.”
“I haven’t talked to her in a while, and…”
“Listen, Sarah, you may want to stay away from Karli.”
“Why? I know she lives with John Cruston, but…”
“John Cruston’s locked up right now. I don’t even know if he ever paid his bail or not, but he got arrested for beating his girlfriend.”
“What?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know the specifics.”
“When I talked to her parents yesterday, they made no mention of this.”
Alex nodded, his hair glinting in the sun. “Karli’s a different person now, Sarah. She’s not her mom’s pet anymore, and she sure as heck isn’t going to want to see you.”
IN THE RESTAURANT, Sarah silently gulped her water. She was busy in thought, dissecting her conversation with Alex, who had told her Joel would know more about the specifics of Karli’s situation, especially since his girlfriend Brie ran in the same circle as some of Karli’s close friends.
“So, we’re thinking about taking a Memorial Day trip to Destin once Zach gets out of school,” said Helena, taking a swig of sweet tea. Her bright blue eyes were the color of the sea in sunset. “Would you like to go to Destin, Sare?”
Sarah was thankful Alison and her husband hadn’t joined them for dinner. For once, she felt at peace with her parents and Zach, who was absently looking out into the splash of the sea. No matter how old they grew, the sea would always run through their blood. “That’s fine with me,” she answered. “Hey, Mom?”
“Yes?” A few wrinkles had etched out on her mother’s forehead. The woman was still beautiful, but her age was beginning to show.
“Have you talked to the Kirkpatricks at all by chance?”
“You know, honey, I haven’t. Are you looking for Karli? You’ve got her number, don’t you?”
“Karli used to be such a fixture at our house,” Scott inserted, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Zach gagged as Sarah said, “I’ve been asking around for her. She’s living with John Cruston.”
“That good football star from your school a few years back?” Scott asked.
“Yup, that’s the one.”
Their faces grew downcast. “That’s not good.”
“You can say that again. I need to find her, but I doubt she’ll want to see me.”
“Honey, stop beating yourself up for that. The past is in the past, they say.”
A pretty girl entered the dining area, leaning on her beautiful, maiden aunt. Sarah recognized the pretty girl to be Brie Fraser, Joel Sealet’s girlfriend (from her pal Destiny’s frequent updates on high school individuals), and Miss Taya Gunney, the highlight of the town. Miss Taya was always loved on, and this was especially so when she entered the restaurant to a hullabaloo of chirps and greetings. Sarah scooted down in her chair a few inches, sneaking a few glances in Brie’s direction. She wasn’t just pretty; she was gorgeous. Yet somehow even in this moment, Sarah knew Brie deserved no wrongdoing. She was kind, naïve, and attractive, and this was a vitriolic potion.
Helena looked up, watching the aunt and niece duo, and her eyes gleamed as she assessed the young, beautiful Brie. Sarah knew she could never live up to her mother’s standards. It had always been night and day between them, from bitter fights over clothes to boys and makeup and more clothes. Sarah could only guess when the same thing would happen with Zach, but unlike her little brother, Sarah had always possessed a thick skin.
They continued their lunch, with Sarah recounting stories of the Sunset Strip and the Pacific Coast Highway, along with those of her friends, one of whom was the daughter of a famous actor. Zach told them about his best friend Joey, whom he wanted Sarah to see after school the next day when she picked him up. Of course, Sarah was babysitting for free, but she did not mind.
Scott and Helena talked about business and the normalcy of the family. Sarah listened, or rather, pretended to listen. She was used to this, and she did not mind the typicality of the lunch.
A beautiful woman passed them by a few moments later. Her right hand wrapped around a small, equally-beautiful child’s hand. The mother stared down at Scott and Alison, as if she might stop to chat. Eventually, she kept walking on.
