289 Captain's Walk

by Katie Winters

  “Behavior?” Monica blurted. “What the hell has he done?”

  Already, this was off to a bad start. Olivia swallowed and tried again.

  “It’s not that he’s a bad student like I said. Just that he seems upset. Is there anything going on at home? Anything that I, as a teacher, should know about?”

  “The kid’s eighteen. He’s too old for an attitude problem,” Jeffrey hissed. His eyes darkened.

  “I don’t think it’s necessarily an attitude problem,” Olivia corrected. Already, with this brick wall before her, she felt as though these people wouldn’t take kindly to words like “depression” or “therapy.” “I just worry that he’s not happy. And maybe there’s something we, as a group, can do together to fix that.”

  Monica scoffed. “We’re good parents. We’ve always done well by him and his sister.”

  “We’ve done everything we can,” Jeffrey agreed.

  “I make them dinner every night.”

  “And I tell him to do his homework.”

  “And we pay the mortgage.”

  “And we buy him new clothes.”

  “And we —”

  “And we —”

  They piled the excuses on, as though they were some kind of legitimate answer. Olivia’s shoulders slumped forward. This had been the wrong thing to do. With the angry glint in their eyes, Olivia had a hunch that these people were at least part of the source of Xavier’s depression and anger.

  And there was a very good chance she had just exacerbated the situation.

  Chapter Six

  That weekend, winter winds sliced through the town of Edgartown with a volatility and frankness that reminded them that this dark and chilly season would remain for several more months. Olivia dressed in two sweaters, wool socks, and a thick winter coat and walked over to Camilla’s house with a bottle of red wine tucked into her backpack. She and her best friends hadn’t done a very good job of keeping up in-person over the month of January, which meant there would be a lot of catching up to do. She couldn’t wait.

  As she marched down the sidewalk, she spotted Mila up ahead of her. With a huge burst of energy, she rushed up and gave Mila a surprise-hug. Mila screeched with delight and whipped around to give her a proper hug. When she let her arms fall to her sides, she sighed and said, “Where the heck have you been? It’s been ages.”

  “I know. What a weird start to the year,” Olivia confessed. She slipped her arm through Mila’s as they walked up the driveway together and headed toward Camilla’s front door. “Amelia said Camilla have been really down.”

  “I talked to her on the phone last week. I tried to come over, but she wouldn’t let me. I think she’s really kept to herself,” Mila affirmed.

  “Exactly what she shouldn’t be doing,” Olivia said with a heavy sigh. “When Tyler left, you guys basically camped out at my house.”

  “Ah, yes. We lived off delivery pizzas and watched rom-coms. I remember it so well,” Mila said. “And when Peter died, you girls kind of did the same for me.”

  “But we can’t really force ourselves on Camilla,” Olivia told her.

  “I guess not,” Mila said doubtfully. She lifted her knuckles to the door and rapped hard. “Guess we’re the first ones here. Maybe Camilla’s still getting ready.”

  After a long, horrible pause, Mila lifted her knuckles to knock again.

  “Huh.” Olivia stepped to the left to try to peer in through the window. “It’s really dark in there.”

  “Too dark. Maybe she went to the store?” Mila suggested, while she too, tried to see through the window.

  Jennifer’s car wheeled into the driveway. Olivia and Mila turned to wave as Jennifer stepped out.

  “What’s going on?” Jennifer called as she approached. “Is she not home?”

  “Not sure,” Olivia shrugged. “Is Amelia on her way?”

  “Yeah. I just got off the phone with her. She said three minutes.”

  Together, the three — then four — Sisters of Edgartown stood outside of Camilla’s house. They called her phone; they rapped on her door. Still nothing but silence. It wasn’t until Amelia grumbled and shot toward the far end of the yard, where she entered through the fence and ducked into the backyard, that they got any traction on the night.

  Amelia found the back door unlocked. When she opened it, the four of them peered in to find Camilla’s house in a state of disarray, a mess they’d never seen their friend display. It reeked of depression and sadness. Dirty clothes were in a pile on the floor; the kitchen sink was filled with dishes; rotting food remained on the counter.

  “Gosh,” Olivia whispered. Her heart ached with sadness. “What the heck happened here?”

  Jennifer marched down the hallway toward the bedroom. Slowly, she opened the door with a creak and then peered in. “Camilla?” her voice was soft and gentle as it rang out through the room. “Camilla, hey. I don’t mean to wake you up. We were just worried about you.”

  Olivia rushed down the hall to join Jennifer. There, in the bed Camilla had once shared with her husband of many years, Camilla was wrapped up in two comforters. Her blonde hair stuck strangely to her cheeks, and she blinked out at them as though she was a frightened animal ready to be pounced on by hunters. She was trying to wake up. The bedroom was even messier than the living room and kitchen, and it smelled strange and sour, as though the sheets needed to be washed.

  “Hey, babe!” Olivia whispered.

  “Hi.” Camilla rubbed her eyes with her fingers and stripped off one of the comforters. “I guess I fell asleep. I worked a night shift last night, and I planned to stay up to get ready for you guys, but —” She smacked a hand on the bed and shuddered. “It just didn’t happen, I guess.”

  “It’s okay!” Jennifer said. “We’re here now. And we’d love to hang with you if you want that. Where’s the kid?”

  Camilla chuckled for the first time. It was like music. “With Jonathon this week. I guess you could call it co-parenting, if she wasn’t twenty-one years old.”

  Jennifer and Olivia exchanged glances. Toward the living room, Amelia and Mila spoke in whispers. They’d entered a state of emergency. One of their own was falling apart.

  Something had to be done.

  Olivia wasn’t sure where the idea came from, exactly. There was a somberness to Camilla’s place that just wouldn’t cut it for the night, although she knew that the following day, she, Jennifer, Mila and Amelia would spend whatever time it took to clean it up and get it orderly again.

  “Why don’t we go out to my new place?” Olivia said as Camilla stepped gingerly out of bed. “We can bring all the wine and snacks we want. Some of the rooms are half-done or even more than that, and they’re gorgeous, with beautiful views of the water. The handyman, Anthony, has a number of space heaters, and we can bring blankets and whatever else we want. I think it would be a nice change. Get our minds off everything.”

  All of them liked the sound of it. Amelia and Mila set out for the grocery store for more supplies while Camilla forced herself into the shower. This left Jennifer and Olivia on clean-up duty. They started first with the kitchen and then made a plan for what to do the following day.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Camilla like this,” Jennifer whispered as she arranged several plates on the drying rack. “I hope it’s not affecting her work.”

  “She’s a dedicated nurse,” Olivia noted. “I’m sure she’s put all the strain on herself and only herself and never on her patients.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Jennifer agreed.

  Camilla appeared in the doorway of the kitchen a few minutes later. Her face was sallow and thinner than normal, and her blond hair hung, straight and wet, toward her shoulders. She wore an old Boston College sweatshirt, and she hadn’t bothered with makeup.

  “There she is!” Jennifer said brightly.

  Camilla’s smile was weak, almost forced, as though she didn’t have enough light within her to lend any kind of happiness t
o the world. “Where exactly are we going tonight, Liv?”

  It was like she couldn’t fully concentrate on anything that was happening around her.

  “Oh, you’ll see,” Olivia said, trying to sound mischievous. “I think you’ll love it.”

  IT WAS DECIDED THAT they take a taxi out to the old historic building; this way, they could drink to their hearts’ content and then hail a taxi back to Edgartown without any problem. The taxi itself was a minivan, and they recognized the driver from high school.

  “Well, well. It looks like you girls are up to no good, yet again,” he said as they jumped in.

  As he parked the van outside the old iron gate, the sun snuggled itself beneath the western horizon and cast the island in grey darkness.

  “How do you get in?” Jennifer asked with a laugh. “Do we have to jump the fence?”

  “There’s a little hole off to the side,” Olivia told them.

  “Oh. Breaking and entering. I love it,” Amelia said sarcastically.

  “Nobody is going to tattle on you. I own the place,” Olivia teased.

  “Listen to her. ‘I own the place,’ she says! An arrogant Olivia Hesson. I never thought I’d see the day,” Mila said.

  Olivia led her team through the hole in the gate and then headed up toward the front porch. An hour before, she’d texted Anthony her plan for the night, and he’d responded only with, “It’s your place! I’ll build a fire in the fireplace. You’ll love it.”

  Olivia had never felt such power over something. With each step, she thanked her Great Aunt Marcia for this remarkable gift. Maybe, just maybe, she still had a glimmer of the bravery she’d had on that long-ago day when she had discovered Marcia upstairs with a lover. Maybe, she could embody that bravery for the rest of her life.

  Wouldn’t it be better to be brave in this life?

  When they reached the front porch, Anthony himself opened the door and beamed at the five ladies that stood before him. Olivia’s heart dropped into her gut. She’d forgotten just how handsome he really was.

  “Hey there!” he said. His voice was deep and cultured. You could tell he was an introvert but one that appreciated a moment of socialization every now and then.

  Olivia beamed. “Hey! I brought a party along with me.”

  “Uh, oh. I hope you guys aren’t too rowdy. I have my final exam in the morning,” Anthony joked, stepping back to allow them to enter. One-by-one, then entered the foyer, as he introduced himself.

  “Oh, and these are my best friends, or rather my sisters,” Olivia recited. “Camilla, Jennifer, Mila, and Amelia.”

  “Wonderful to meet you,” Anthony nodded his head to them and grinned. He seemed genuinely pleased, welcoming — entirely unlike how he’d been that first time Chelsea and Olivia had stopped by.

  “Wow. Look at this place,” Jennifer whispered, looking up at the ceiling and then to the rest of the room. “That staircase is a dream. And the floor! Wow. Did you restore all this yourself?”

  Anthony nodded and beamed. He leaned against the wall with his hands behind his back and replied, “Yes, I did. I won’t say it wasn’t a headache, because it definitely was. But it’s been an act of love.”

  “I guess all acts of love are headaches,” Amelia joked as she twirled around slowly, taking everything in.

  This, again, made Olivia’s heartache. Amelia had never performed an act of romantic love. She spoke of it purely out of some kind of idea of what it meant.

  And immediately, Amelia blushed, as though she knew she’d given herself away to the other girls.

  “Very true,” Anthony said without skipping a beat. “Let me lead you to the party room. Right this way.”

  They entered the living area, where Anthony had built a gorgeous fire in the fireplace. To the far right, if she looked out the large bay window, she could see the darkening Nantucket Sound below. Olivia shivered with excitement and almost had to pinch herself—that this place belonged to her! How was that even possible?

  “Look at that,” Amelia said. “This place — when was it built again?”

  “The 1860s,” both Olivia and Anthony said simultaneously.

  “And it’s listed as a historic site on Martha’s Vineyard,” Olivia continued.

  Camilla stepped toward the bay window and gazed out across the water. Sadness seemed etched into every part of her body; her posture pressed her forward. She placed her fingers against the glass and heaved a sigh.

  “Do you want a glass of wine?” Olivia asked Anthony.

  “Naw. I better get back upstairs,” Anthony told her. “I’ll leave you, girls, to your party. The fire should be enough, but again, I have those space heaters in the kitchen. Let me know if you need anything.”

  His eyes sparkled and he gave Olivia a grin before he left the room— one that made Olivia’s heart flip upside down. When he fully disappeared upstairs, Jennifer nudged her elbow into Olivia’s ribcage and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell us you had a new friend, Olivia?”

  Olivia felt her blush crawl up her neck and onto her cheeks. “He’s just the handyman my Great Aunt Marcia hired to restore the house.”

  “He’s not an islander, right?” Amelia asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. He doesn’t seem to know much about life here,” Olivia said. She reached for her backpack and drew out the bottle of red she’d brought for the night ahead. “Now, I don’t know about you girls, but I’m ready to crack these open. It’s been a long week.”

  Jennifer had remembered to pack glasses for the wine, thankfully, and she set about pouring them each hefty glasses. Olivia, Camilla, and Amelia burrowed themselves in the couch near the fireplace, and Mila swept a large blanket, which they’d brought from Camilla’s, over their legs. Each moment built another layer of coziness. Olivia’s heart felt full.

  They had a great deal to catch up on. Olivia explained the story of having received the deed to the old historic building and her plan to make it beautiful and open it as a boutique hotel. She also explained a bit about her Great Aunt Marcia’s kids and grandchildren and their anger that the place had been given to her.

  “Do you think she really gave you this place just because you discovered her here that day?” Jennifer asked. She cackled hard, and the red wine in her glass swirled around.

  “I think that might have something to do with it, as embarrassing as that sounds,” Olivia tried to explain. “We always had a connection after that. She loved that I kept her affair a secret even though her husband had been dead for years. I just knew it wasn’t something I was supposed to tell.”

  “I mean, you told all of us the next day,” Mila teased.

  “That doesn’t count,” Olivia countered.

  “True,” Amelia said.

  Slowly, they worked the conversation toward Camilla, who continued to be reticent. Nobody wanted to poke and prod her or make her feel strange because of what was happening in her life, but of course, everyone was curious and wanted to make sure she was okay, especially her mental health. These were trying times and some of the girls had their own experience in the area.

  Finally, over the third glass of wine, Camilla buzzed her lips and said, “Jonathon has decided he doesn’t want to even talk to me right now.”

  Olivia’s heart sank. She wrapped an arm around Camilla’s shoulder and cradled her close. Camilla’s lower lip quivered for a second. None of them knew what to say.

  Until finally, Mila broke the silence. “What an asshole.”

  “No. He’s not. I —” Camilla shuddered. “We were falling apart for a long time. Maybe he was just the only brave one out of the two of us to actually do something about it.”

  “But now he won’t even talk to you. That’s so immature,” Olivia stated. “It’s how people act in high school. I should know. I see it every day at school.”

  Camilla closed her eyes somberly. Outside, a wind ripped off the sea and tore through the trees. During the moment of sadness and fear and darkness, there was a horr
ible sound — a loud crack. And then, suddenly, a huge branch flew through the bay window and shattered the glass all over the hardwood.

  Olivia screamed as the glass shards spewed across the hardwood and across the rug. Jennifer leaped to her feet and hustled away from the busted-open window. A large branch swung in what was left of the window, and a sharp, winter breeze sliced through the room, chilling them to their bones.

  A few seconds later, Anthony burst into the living room, his eyes wide like saucers. “Jesus, what happened!” he asked, looking around the room until his eyes landed on the problem. He hustled toward the branch and peered up at the tree from where it had fallen. “Nobody’s hurt?” he asked as he swung back and inspected all of the women behind him.

  “We’re good!” Olivia cried.

  “It just frightened us,” Jennifer said.

  Anthony pondered what to do. “The only other warm space in the house right now is my bedroom upstairs. Why don’t you girls take that while I put something over this window? If it rains or snows tonight, I can’t have the hardwood ruined. I’ve already done so much with it.”

  The girls gathered their glasses and their wine bottles and their snacks. Olivia thanked Anthony profusely, and their eyes met for just a tiny bit too long.

  “Just keep having a good night,” Anthony ordered. “I heard you guys laughing from all the way upstairs. Don’t let this stupid branch ruin it for you all.”

  “Aye aye, captain,” Olivia shot out, giving him a salute as her smile widened. “See you later.”

  Chapter Seven

  Ultimately, at the end of the night, all of them collapsed with fatigue at Camilla’s house and then awoke with the slightest of hangovers and began to organize and clean up what they could. Camilla protested for only a moment and then sprung into action alongside them. It took just a bit over an hour for the place to shine again. Camilla overwhelmed, said, “You’ll never have to do this for me again. I promise. I won’t go off the rails like that.”

  But Jennifer’s only answer was, “If you ever do again, we’ll be right back here to do it all over again.”