ʺSo let me fill you in on the guys weʹve met/ʹ Kelsey said to Ivy after a moment of thumb flexing. ʺThink gorgeous and rich.ʺ ʺOkay.ʺ m.
ʺMore rich than gorgeous,ʺ Dhanya corrected. Kelsey shrugged. ʺTheir cars are gorgeous. Their boats are.ʺ
ʺIf they really have those cars and boats, and werenʹt telling a few lies, like you were,ʺ Dhanya replied.
Kelsey shrugged. ʺSo, I exaggerated a little.ʺ ʺThe party was at a fabulous house,ʺ Dhanya told Ivy. ʺSo somebody had money.ʺ She turned to Kelsey. ʺBut who knows who was who.ʺ
Kelsey blew through her lips with disgust. ʺ/ can tell by talking to them. But you wouldnʹt talk. Youʹre such a snob, Dhanya! You want money, looks, and class.
Youʹve been hanging around with your parents too much.ʺ Ivy tried to remember what Beth had told her about Dhanya’s parents. Her mother was from a very wealthy Indian family, had come to the U.S. as a graduate student, and fell in love with an American. Her father was… a lawyer?
ʺSo I have high standards/ʹ Dhanya shot back. ʺIf I can have what I want, why should I settle for less?ʺ
She appealed her question to Ivy; Ivy smiled, remaining discreetly quiet, but mentally awarding Dhanya the ʺpoint.ʺ
ʺAnywayʺ Kelsey said, dragging out the word, her eyes shifting from Ivy to the entrance of the solarium, ʺI know where they all beach now.ʺ
ʺIvyʹs not in the market for a boyfriend,ʺ Dhanya reminded Kelsey, then turned to see what had distracted her friend.
ʺI know, but a girl can always look,ʺ Kelsey replied, leaning closer to Ivy, hinting not too subtly that Ivy should turn around. ʺWhat if I donʹt want to?ʺ Ivy baited her. ʺIvy, cʹmon! Youʹre not married yet!ʺ Kelsey sat back in the chaise lounge and raised one knee, providing a nice view of her curvy leg. Ivy wondered who this provocative show was for, but still didnʹt turn around.
ʺHey! Donʹt be shy/ʹ Kelsey called out to the person who had entered the room.
ʺCome on over.ʺ
ʺI was just leaving.ʺ The person who held Kelseyʹs and Dhanyaʹs attention had a deep voice. ʺBut you just arrived,ʺ Kelsey replied, smiling. Poor guy, Ivy thought, probably looking for some peace and quiet.
ʺDonʹt let my outfit (care you off/ʹ Kelsey persisted. ʺIt belongs to my roommate.ʺ She pointed to Ivy. ʺIf you think this is hot, you ought to see her beach wear!ʺ
ʺKelsey!ʺ Ivy spun her chair around, ready to defend herself. But when she looked at the guy, all words slipped away. His intense blue eyes seemed to burn through flirtatious remarks and silly explanations. His gaze was both haunted and disdainful, as if he had experienced and knew something terrible mat Ivy and her friends would never understand.
As long as he looked at her, Ivy couldnʹt look away. His face, shadowed with several days of stubble, was striking rather than handsome. Clean shaven and lit with a smile, it was a face that could break a girlʹs heart, Ivy thought.
Without saying a word more, he turned his wheelchair and left. Ivy heard Andyʹs voice in the hall outside the door: ʺEnough already? Okay, pal.ʺ
ʺI bet thatʹs him,ʺ Dhanya half whispered to Kelsey. ʺThe guy they were talking about when we stopped to ask directions to Ivyʹs room.ʺ
ʺYou mean the one they pulled out of the ocean in Chatham?ʺ Kelsey replied.
Dhanya frowned. ʺI thought he was found unconscious on the sand, close to the water.ʺ
ʺWhatever. Must have been some party, probably wilder than ours,ʺ Kelsey observed, and turned to Ivy. ʺHe wonʹt tell them what happened or how he got there. He wonʹt even tell them who he is.ʺ
ʺIt’ s not that he wonʹt, he canʹt,ʺ Dhanya corrected Kelsey. ʺHe canʹt remember anything.ʺ
ʺSo he says,ʺ Kelsey noted.
ʺWhat’ s wrong with him?ʺ Ivy asked.
ʺNothing, as far as Iʹm concerned,ʺ Kelsey said. ʺHeʹs rude, but I can forgive that — what a face!ʺ Ivy tried again. ʺI meant why was he hospitalized? Was it for any reason other than amnesia?ʺ
Kelsey looked to Dhanya for the answer. Dhanya shrugged.
ʺIn any case,ʺ Kelsey said, ʺitʹs obvious that Chatham is the place to be,”
ʺWe have our own beach at the inn,ʺ Ivy pointed out.
ʺIvy, you need to stop thinking about yourself and consider Beth.ʺ
ʺWhat?ʺ Ivy asked, taken aback. ʺYou know my cousin — she will come to Chatham only if you and Will come. She needs to find a boyfriend of her own.
Sheʹs way too attached to you.”
Ivy frowned, wondering if there was some truth to mat.
Kelsey checked her phone again. ʺFat chance!ʺ she said in response to someoneʹs message. ʺDelete. Delete. Delete…. Ready, Dhanya?ʺ
Dhanya stood up and grasped the handles on Ivyʹs chair. ʺI can get myself back,ʺ Ivy told her. ʺIʹm going to stay here in the sun for a while.ʺ
Dhanya dug in her purse and pulled out a small tube of cocoa butter, handing it to Ivy. ʺPut it on, close your eyes, and pretend youʹre at the beach,ʺ she said.
Ivy lifted the cap and sniffed. ʺMmm. Much better than hospital disinfectant.
Thanks.ʺ Kelsey stood up. ʺIʹve got to get my shirt and shorts, so Iʹll drop this gorgeous gown on your bed.ʺ She pirouetted and danced out the door. ʺThanks for coming,ʺ Ivy called after her. Dhanya hugged Ivy lightly. ʺCome home soon,ʺ she said, and followed Kelsey out of the solarium.
Ivy rolled her chair to another window, one sheltered by an island of plants. She sat there for a long time, looking out at the trees and buildings surrounding the hospital, thinking about distance. How could she feel as if sheʹd been kissed by someone who was another world away — and as if she was losing touch with someone close enough to kiss? Memories are a curse, Ivy thought. If she had no memory of Tristan, she would be able to love Will the way he deserved to be loved.
After a while, she wheeled back from the window to return to her room. That was when she saw him: the guy with no memory. He had come back to the solarium and was sitting quietly in the far corner. Turning his head, he met her gaze. The way his glance darted away from her, then back again, and the searching look in his eyes told Ivy that he wasnʹt faking it. He was haunted by what he couldnʹt recall.
Ivy paused, her chair about ten feet from his. ʺRemembering can be as painful as not remembering,ʺ she said.
His face darkened. ʺCan it? How would you know?ʺ In some ways he was right; she couldnʹt know his pain any more than he could know hers. And there was no point in sharing — he clearly didnʹt want to.
ʺHave it your way,ʺ she said, and left.
TUESDAY MORNING, IVY WAS RELEASED FROM THE hospital.
ʺAs soon as I get home, Iʹm mailing you the rest of your summer clothes/ʹ her mother said, while they waited for Andy to bring the discharge papers.
ʺThe thing is. Mom, we donʹt have much bureau or closet space in the cottage.
The only thing I really need is a new pair of sneakers.ʺ
The ones she had been wearing were blood soaked, as were the clothes she had worn to the hospital. The ER staff had put them in a bag for Ivy, and before discarding them she had looked at them with astonishment. She believed more than ever that Tristan had helped her. How else could she have made it through such injuries?
ʺEverything you brought to Cape Cod looks the same, sweetie,ʺ her mother argued. ʺIʹll take some of those clothes home to free up space for pretty things.ʺ
They spent the next ten minutes discussing clothes, going in circles as endless as her motherʹs love for ruffles. Finally, Ivyʹs brother rescued her.
ʺPhilip, where have you been?ʺ Maggie asked when he entered the hospital room.