Driftwood Point

by Mariah Stewart

  The drive took fewer than ten minutes, and by the time Lis, Ruby, and Owen were walking toward the door to the carriage house turned art gallery, Lis’s heart was in her throat. What if everyone thought her work was ugly, or boring, or worst of all, silly? She tried reminding herself that other paintings of hers were at that very moment hanging in a respectable, well-known New York City art gallery, but having anonymous strangers looking at your work with a critical eye was entirely different from having people you know judge your talent. And that was exactly how Lis felt walking into the crowded gallery: that everyone was there to judge her.

  She did remind herself that Carly had contacted her, had invited her to show her work here, so that should count for something. Then again, Carly had crazy-eyed cats painted on black velvet hanging in the very room where Lis’s paintings would be displayed.

  It seemed to Lis that everyone she’d ever met in St. Dennis—and many she hadn’t—came through the receiving line. The biggest shock was the number of people from her class in school who came to see her, many whose names she couldn’t even recall because she’d never really known them. Hadn’t been allowed to know them. Everyone was so friendly, so complimentary of her work, that by the end of the night, she’d promised herself that for as long as she was living on the island, she’d make more of an effort to involve herself in whatever way she could in whatever was happening in the town. Maybe she’d even make a friend or two.

  “You’re Vanessa, from the dress shop,” Lis said when she recognized the woman from Bling.

  “And you’re the pretty lady who bought my favorite dress.” Vanessa smiled and leaned a little closer. “And you do wear it well. It looks stunning on you. How do the shoes feel?”

  “Terrific. Thank you. I was in a bit of a rush yesterday, but I’ll be back in to see what else you have,” Lis told her.

  “Good. And since you’re our newest resident artist, you qualify for my friends-and-family discount.”

  “Even better. I’ll see you soon.”

  Vanessa passed through the line to make way for the next person.

  “The ice cream shop,” Lis said when she recalled where she’d seen the tall blond woman.

  “Steffie MacGregor. I love your work. It’s so moody. It’s such a nice contrast to some of the other works here.” Steffie stepped aside and eased another woman forward. “Mom, this is Lis. She likes strawberry mousse with a chocolate thunder chaser.”

  “I’m Shirley Wyler, and I apologize for the fact that my daughter tends to identify people by their choice of ice cream flavors.” Shirley Wyler was a very stylish, well-preserved sixtyish woman, with the same tawny blond hair as her daughter. “I’ve been so excited to meet you. Your work is so . . .” She appeared momentarily lost for words, then added, “So full of energy.”

  “Thank you. It’s hard to paint New York without reflecting the pulse of the city,” Lis replied.

  “Mom’s an artist, too,” Steffie told Lis.

  “Oh no. No, I’m . . .” Shirley protested. “Not like—”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Steffie said. “Ask Carly to show you some of her work. She paints as Shirley Hinson, her maiden name.”

  “Oh, you . . .” Shirley was beet red. “Really, Miss Parker . . .”

  “It’s Lis, and I’d love to see your work. You have something displayed here tonight?”

  “Oh, just a watercolor or two,” Shirley said. “But really, you don’t have to . . .”

  “I’d be delighted. Maybe when I’m finished here, you can show me,” Lis told her.

  “I haven’t had any formal training, and I—”

  “Some of my favorite paintings were done by artists with no formal training. I’m sure if Carly has been displaying your work, it’s better than you’re giving yourself credit for.” Lis checked the size of the line. “There are only about twenty-five more people to greet, so I should be finished here soon. I’d really love to see what you’ve done.”

  “All right. I’ll catch up with you in about twenty minutes or so.” Shirley took her daughter’s arm and disappeared into the crowd.

  “Having fun?” A voice whispered in Lis’s ear. “Or are you ready to run screaming back to the island?”

  Lis laughed and tried to pretend she hadn’t felt the softness of Alec’s breath on her neck or the shiver that ran through her when he touched her bare arm.

  “Actually, I’m having more fun than I thought I’d have. But you wouldn’t believe how many people from our class are here.”

  “I believe. I’ve been talking to them since I got here. Everyone’s so tickled that our class produced such a great artist.”

  “I couldn’t remember most of their names,” she told him. “It’s embarrassing.”

  “Well, put that thought aside for a while and enjoy yourself while you’re here.” Alec stepped around her and embraced the small, white-haired woman next in line. “Hello, Aunt Grace. You look great. I love the way you coordinated your dress with your cane.”

  Grace pretended to swipe at him with the cane even as she laughed. “Out of my way, young man. I’m here to see the artist.”

  She leaned over and kissed Alec on the cheek before moving on to Lis. “What a wonderful crowd tonight. I think everyone in town is here. There’s nothing we love more than a local success story.” She took Lis’s hand. “You’ve done lovely work. You’re every bit as talented as Ruby said. Now, where is my friend? Someone said she was here.”

  “She’s probably holding court in the next room. Carly found a comfortable chair for her, so I doubt she’s moved from the spot where I left her.”

  Behind Grace, her entire family was lined up: daughter Lucy and her husband, Clay; her oldest son, Dan, and his fiancée, Jamie; and Ford, her youngest, Carly’s husband. Alec stood and chatted with his cousins, and before long, the line had dwindled down to a few old friends of Lis’s mother, and Emily Hart and one of her nieces, who’d served them dinner the night before. Lis accepted their compliments and promised to pass on their best wishes to Kathleen next time she spoke with her.

  “Have you had anything to drink yet?” Alec asked her when the receiving line had broken up.

  “No, but I’d kill for some water. My throat is so dry from talking so much. I swear, I talked more tonight than I have in the past three months,” she told him.

  “Must have been a lonely three months,” he replied.

  “Now that I think about it, I could use a champagne chaser with that water.” Lis forced a smile.

  She hadn’t realized just how lonely she’d been until she returned to her apartment on Thursday. The contrast between her life there and what her life was beginning to look like here was like night and day. Here she had family, and maybe even the makings of a friend or two.

  And then there was Alec, and who knew where that might lead?

  “Coming right up.” Alec headed toward the makeshift bar that Carly had set up for the occasion.

  No sooner had he left than Shirley Wyler walked over. “Listen, I’m sure there are a lot of people who’d like to talk to you. I saw a reporter from the Baltimore Sun here, so I know your time is in demand. You can take a look at my paintings another time. It’s really all right. I won’t be offended.”

  “Don’t be silly. There’s no time like the present.” Lis took Shirley’s elbow. “Which way?”

  “On the other side of the main partition,” Shirley told her.

  Alec appeared with a glass of water in one hand and a champagne glass in the other. Lis grabbed the water and took a long drink.

  “I’ll be back in five minutes. Hold on to the wine,” she told him.

  “I’ll get you another one,” he said as he raised the glass to his lips. “I’ll be around.”

  “This is yours?” Lis asked after Shirley stopped in front of a large painting of a garden in early morning.


  Shirley nodded.

  “It’s beautiful. You really have a way with color and design. You’re very talented,” Lis told her sincerely.

  “Thank you. You don’t have to say that to be nice, but thank you anyway.” Shirley looked as if she could cry.

  “I’m being honest. It’s lovely. You can almost feel that tiny bit of breeze that is setting the flowers swaying just the slightest bit. Are you exhibiting anywhere other than here?”

  Behind Shirley and halfway across the room, Lis saw Alec engaged in conversation with a pretty blonde in a slinky black dress. She was wearing a lot of gold and mile-high heels.

  “Not yet. I’ve had offers from other galleries, but I don’t know what to do, or who to trust. I don’t even know how to price my paintings. I don’t know any other artists, so I haven’t had anyone to ask.”

  “Well, you do now. We can have coffee some morning. Ask me anything you want to know.” The blonde leaned closer to Alec and was whispering conspiratorially in his ear. He was smiling as if whatever she was saying was exactly what he wanted to hear. Who, Lis wondered, was she? Competition? Lis’s heart dropped. Why should she be surprised if someone else was as interested in him as she was? Alec was pretty much what every woman was looking for.

  “That would be great, thank you. I’d love to.”

  “Great. I’ll be in touch.”

  Alec’s smile had faded, and he was nodding slowly as the woman spoke.

  “So you’re staying in St. Dennis?” Shirley asked.

  “On the island, yes. I’m not sure yet how long, but I’ll be around.” Lis watched as Owen joined the party of two.

  “Let me give you my number.” Shirley took a card from her bag, wrote on the back, and handed it to Lis. “Just whenever you have an hour to spare . . .”

  “Thanks. I’ll be sure to call you.” Lis moved in Alec’s direction, but he’d already walked away from the blonde, who at that moment seemed to have captured all of Owen’s attention.

  Alec swiped a glass of champagne from a passing tray.

  “You’re a huge hit tonight, you know.” He handed the glass to Lis. “Everyone loves your work.”

  “Pinch me.” She took a sip. “This is beyond anything I expected. How did Carly get everyone to show up?”

  “She just put a little item in the St. Dennis Gazette: who, what, when, and where. It’s not such a big town that people forget you when you leave.” He pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “People remember you and Owen. And of course, everyone knows Ruby. From what I understand, she wasn’t shy about telling people about it.”

  “I’m sure the item in the paper let people know about the exhibit, but I wouldn’t put it past Ruby to bug people until they agreed to show up.”

  “Does it matter who got them in here? You’re a hit. Everyone now knows how very talented you are. You should feel great.”

  “I feel better than I did when I arrived tonight, that’s for sure,” Lis admitted.

  “Then things are looking up.”

  “Alec, who’s that woman talking to Owen?” she asked casually.

  “Cass Logan.”

  When he offered no further explanation, she said, “Is she from St. Dennis?”

  “No. She’s just visiting.” He looked at his watch. “Only about another twenty minutes or so before people start to leave. I made reservations for nine at Captain Walt’s.”

  “Oh great. I was just saying last night that I wanted to go there while I’m home. Owen suggested we go last night but Gigi wanted to go to Emily Hart’s.”

  “I just saw her a few minutes ago. I can’t believe she’s still running her little operation over there on the island. She must be under the radar to have been operating all these years without someone from the board of health showing up.”

  “If they did, she’d feed them and they’d go away so happy they’d forget why they were there in the first place.”

  “Captain Walt’s might not be quite as good, but they’re good. And they have live music on Saturday nights, so I thought you might like that,” he said.

  “I do.”

  “They used to have music on Friday nights only—jazz groups, mostly. Then Walt realized that he was losing a lot of Saturday business to a new place out on the highway that had a live band, so he started bringing in local musicians. Some of them have been pretty good.” He lowered his voice and leaned a little closer. “Some of them have been dreadful.”

  Lis laughed. “You know what Forrest Gump always said.”

  “You never know what you’re going to get,” Alec said solemnly.

  “Wise words from a wise man.”

  “Your glass is empty. Another?”

  “No, thanks. I’m good.” Lis watched as several people made their way to the door. “Looks like the exodus has begun.”

  “Good. That means we can leave anytime we want.”

  “I should check on Ruby, and remind Owen that he’s going to have to drive her home.”

  It took several minutes for Lis to make her way from one room to the other, since many of the attendees stopped as they were leaving to tell her they admired her work and the reporter from the Baltimore paper caught up with her at the door for a quick interview. She had intended on tapping Owen on the back, but she noted he was already on his way toward Ruby, and the blonde was nowhere to be seen. By the time she reached the side room, Ruby was already on her feet and saying her good-byes to her audience. Lis smiled. Even at her age, Ruby was still the center of attention.

  She caught Owen’s eye.

  “I can take it from here,” he told her.

  “I know. Thanks for being here.”

  “Even though I barely saw you all night,” he reminded her.

  “Doesn’t matter. I knew you were here. You know that I love you both.” She handed him her car keys.

  “I do. Have a good time. Do I have to tell you to behave?”

  She poked him in the side. “Don’t play the big brother card now. We’re both too old, and it’s a little late.”

  “I’ll never be too old, and it will never be too late.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you at home.”

  “Nice crowd came out to see you, Lisbeth.” Ruby approached on Ford Sinclair’s arm. “Lots of folks told me how pretty your pictures are. I said to them, I hope you’re not surprised.”

  “Thanks, Gigi.” Lis kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you when I get home.”

  Lis joined Alec near the door, where he was talking to Carly.

  “Congratulations. That was some homecoming. St. Dennis welcomed you back with open arms.” Carly was beaming.

  “It was great,” Lis said. “I can’t thank you enough for arranging this.”

  “My pleasure. Let’s make it a point to get together sometime while you’re still in town.”

  “Will do.” Lis looked up at Alec. “Ready?”

  “When you are.”

  “Bye, Carly, and thanks again.”

  Alec held the door for her, and Lis walked outside into the evening air. The day had been hot but not humid, and a cool front was expected to move through that night. It was almost but not quite dark, the streetlights just coming on to light the way.

  “So what was the best part of the night?” he said.

  “I’ll have to think about that. Some of it was surreal. People I didn’t think I knew acted like they knew me.”

  “I think people—especially people from our class—felt they did know you back then.” He seemed to choose his words carefully. “Not as well as they might have liked, but everyone remembered you.”

  His fingers grazed her elbow when they got to the car, and he opened the passenger door for her.

  “There are people I wish I’d known better,” she admitted, “but I was really discourag
ed from making friends in town.”

  “I don’t think anyone was aware of that.” He slid behind the wheel and started the car.

  “Well, it wasn’t something that I walked around talking about. ‘My dad is prejudiced and thinks everyone from St. Dennis is a crook.’ Talk about how to win friends.”

  “How’d Owen deal with that?”

  “Owen couldn’t have cared less what our father thought. He always did his own thing. Besides, by the time he was fourteen, he was bigger and stronger. I don’t remember Dad ever messing with him.”

  “Have you and your brother always been close?”

  “Yes and no. He was a few years older and he was out of high school by the time I got there. Then he went off to college and after he graduated, he joined the navy. These past few years, it’s been hard for us to keep in touch. He’s been traveling a lot since he and Cindy got divorced. This will be the most time we’ve spent together in a long time.”

  “He came to see me yesterday at the boatyard.” Alec stopped at the Stop sign, waited while a few cars passed, then made a left onto Charles Street.

  “He mentioned he might do that.”

  “Yeah, he said he just wanted to see the Annie G. I thought he was going to give me a hard time about it—like someone else who shall remain nameless did—but he didn’t.”

  “Both Owen and that someone else who remains nameless are both grateful that you’ve been so good to Gigi.” Lis smiled and looked out the window. “I believe that she who remains nameless already told you that.”

  “She did. I just didn’t expect to hear it from her brother.”

  Alec turned right at the light and drove slowly down Kelly’s Point Road, past the municipal parking lot to the smaller lot at the end reserved for Captain Walt’s customers. The lot was full, and he had to backtrack and park farther up the road.

  “Looks like a packed house tonight.” He and Lis got out of the Jeep and walked along the side of the road to the boardwalk that ran along the bay at the marina.

  The door at Captain Walt’s opened and a crowd spilled out, and for a moment, the music from the band followed them. Then the door closed, and it was quiet again, the water lapping against the sides of the boats that were docked at the pier the predominant sound. Alec and Lis followed two other couples into the restaurant and were greeted by the smiling hostess.