It’s a front. The man’s got two faces. This is his public face. The one I saw back in the Tower this afternoon was the real Tom.
Next to Josh, Sarah had brought out plastic cups filled with Coca-Cola and ice cubes for the girls. They grabbed at their cups and drank up, spilling the soft drink all over themselves and the table, crunching and savoring the ice cubes like they were the most amazing things in the universe.
Josh didn’t have a clue what to do with the red wine in front of him. He looked around the table and saw everyone sipping theirs, so he did the same, sticking his tongue down to taste the liquid. It tasted bitter and unwelcoming, and Josh recoiled and didn’t touch it again. Everyone else seemed to like it just fine, even Gaby, who kept drinking until her glass was almost empty thirty minutes later.
They drank and ate and talked well into the night, and Josh caught glimpses of Will and Danny glancing toward the windows every few minutes as it started to get dark outside. The solar-powered lampposts coiled around the island began lighting up one by one, glowing brighter and brighter with every passing second. Someone turned on a light switch, and lights around the dining room walls lit up.
Throughout the night, Will and Danny exchanged silent looks, whole conversations passing between them with a glance or two. Josh wondered what they were thinking and felt a little naked without his gun belt. Whatever had possessed him to give up his weapons so easily? The islanders hadn’t even asked him to do it; he had simply left them in his room of his own accord.
It was the electricity. The comfort. The air conditioner. The sight of Kyle playing games in the lobby. Tom reading a book, without a care in the world. Everyone was so calm, so oblivious to what was happening out there, that he couldn’t help but fall in line.
“Are the lights enough for the entire island?” Will asked Karen.
Karen nodded between spoonfuls of fish. “More than enough. That’s how we’re able to conserve so much energy generated from the solar panels for things like Kyle’s videogames and the AC.”
“It’s a hell of a setup you guys got here,” Danny said.
“It is,” Karen nodded. “We were very lucky to find it.”
“How can you be sure the ghouls can’t cross the water?” Will asked.
“Because we can see them on land, watching us every night, and it’s been eight months. Don’t you think they would have crossed by now if they could?”
“She’s got a point, Will,” Lara said.
“I don’t blame you for being cautious,” Karen said. “I don’t have a clue what you’ve gone through out there just to get here. But tomorrow, when you wake up, you’ll feel like it’s the first day of your new life.”
Maybe the wine was finally doing its job, because Will and Danny stopped sneaking looks toward the windows. They were smiling more, talking more, and had all but stopped noticing the falling night outside.
And when that happened, Josh stopped noticing, too.
It wasn’t until around nine that dinner finally wrapped up and the conversation tapered off. Josh could feel the energy sapping from everyone around him, including the islanders. Everyone agreed to call it a night, and Josh was more than happy to finally get up from his chair. It felt like he had been sitting for the last three days instead of hours.
Everyone helped out by taking plates and silverware into the kitchen, then cleaning up the marble table until it was spotless. After that, people began drifting off one by one. Tom had slipped out of the room unnoticed earlier. The man had a real gift for lurking.
Jake and Sienna followed, Sienna leaning tiredly against Jake’s shoulder.
Karen excused herself, declaring that she needed a big, hot bath that got a “Hallelujah!” from Carly, who quickly left with Danny.
That left Debra and Marcus talking with Will and Lara about something that, from their expressions, looked important. Josh caught fragments of conversation, bits and pieces about defending the island if something were to happen. Despite the serious topic, Will didn’t sound nearly as alert as he had earlier in the day. It reminded Josh of his parents after one of their Date Nights, returning home filled with good food and too much wine.
Will’s human after all. Go figure.
Josh and Gaby took their share of the dinner plates into the kitchen. Gaby looked a little wobbly, and at one point he grabbed her arm to keep her from toppling over. “Hey, there, Humpty Dumpty,” he said.
She smiled back at him, and he saw mischief glinting in her eyes. “I’ve never drunk wine before, but I think I really like it.”
“Great, you’re becoming an alky at the end of the world.”
“What better time?”
“Just remember, we don’t have AA anymore.”
“You’re no fun,” she said playfully.
Sarah was in the kitchen, wiping down the counters with a wet rag. “Just dump them in the sink, guys. I’ll deal with them tomorrow.”
There were already piles of plates and silverware in the large industrial sink behind her.
“Are you sure?” Gaby asked. “I can help.”
“That’s sweet, but the kitchen belongs to Al and me. He cooks, I clean up. Besides, you guys must be tired from the long trip here. I know how it is out there, always running, looking over your shoulder. Go get some rest, and we’ll do it all again tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” Josh said, putting the plates in the sink. “For the food and for everything else, too.”
“Don’t mention it,” Sarah said, smiling back at him. “Go get some sleep. And don’t worry about anything. You’re safe here.”
Josh turned to go, but Gaby paused to embrace Sarah. The other woman looked momentarily embarrassed, but she quickly hugged Gaby back, and he thought both women looked close to tears.
“Thank you,” Gaby said. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome…God, you’re going to make me cry,” Sarah said, sniffling.
Gaby wiped at her eyes. “I have something in my eyes.”
“Me, too,” Sarah said.
They laughed and embraced again.
Josh stood back and watched them awkwardly, not quite sure what to do next.
They finally left Sarah in the kitchen, wiping away tears, while Gaby dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. As they were making their way back across the lobby, Josh caught a glimpse of Tom, standing outside on the patio, smoking under the bright halo of the floodlights.
Tom disturbed Josh, in more ways than one. He was always showing up where you least expected him, like a bogeyman in a horror movie. And Josh still couldn’t shake that conversation in the Tower.
“That was a good meal,” Gaby said.
“That was a great meal,” he nodded.
“I think I’m going to really like it here. What about you?”
“Definitely.”
“Even Will and Danny looked pretty happy by the end of the night.”
“It must be the wine.”
“Probably. I’m still a little light-headed from the wine, too. Did you have some?”
“I tasted a little bit. Not my thing.”
“What is your thing?”
“You,” he blurted out before he had the chance to stop himself.
“That’s sweet. I think.”
He did his best to grin away his embarrassment. “I meant that in the best way.”
She laughed. “What other way is there?”
They were halfway to their rooms when Gaby stopped in the hallway and reached over and took his hand. She looked him in the eyes and smiled. He was suddenly very nervous, afraid and anticipating where this was going. Maybe she felt his nervousness, or actually saw it on his face, because she said, “Relax.”
“I am relaxed,” he lied.
They were the only two people in the hallway, and it seemed like they were the only two people in the entire hotel. The hallway had working lightbulbs, and he could see every inch of her lips and the tip of her nose and her light, incandescent green eyes. She was perfect in every way, and he was always reminded of that every time he looked at her.