Page 32 of Meet Me in the Blue

We made our way downstairs, and as Rook took his seat at the dining room table, I set my bag on the long buffet table by the window. I told everyone to ignore me, to pretend like I wasn’t there while they laughed and lived and talked about memories. They were stiff at first, but eventually I dissolved into the background listening, snapping shots while they sipped from wine glasses, and my dad mentioned to Roger,“Remember that time.”

After that, it was Dad smiling, eyes watering as he described how Nora used to fit in his arms and, “God, she was so tiny,” and “Dad, don’t make me cry.”

Natalie said, “I wished we could have known you then.”

And mom rested her hand on Nat’s. “It feels like you did.”

Rook’s gentle gaze followed me around the room, knowing and calm, as I kneeled to get a better angle. I couldn’t remember much of my life before Hemlock Harbor, and sometimes I’d forget we’d ever lived in Seattle. Rook and the Whelans had been a part of every second and every day, and the time before seemed like someone else’s life. It had once been suffocating as much as it had been everything. That feeling, it had been one of the reasons I’d left. That not remembering, that unknown. The city buzz that escaped me here. But as I turned my lens, framing Rook’s shy smile, it was hard to understand why I’d ever thought leaving had been the right answer.

Later, when my dad was asleep and Rook’s parents had gone home, I shuffled through the shots I’d taken. My MacBook was open on my lap while Nora’s head rested on my shoulder. Rook was in the kitchen with my mom doing dishes.

“I like this one best,” Nora said and lifted her head. “Dad looks… like himself.” I’d caught him cracking up about something, my mom smiling at him like they were newlyweds. “You have to use this one.”

“I will.”

“Can I get copies of everything?”

“I’ll send you an email.”

She wriggled in closer to me, looping her arm through mine. “I’m happy for you. About the job. I’m jealous you get to be here all the time now.”

“Seattle’s not that far away.”

“I know…” She sighed and bit the inside of her cheek. “It’s lonely though. Ever since I moved back from Atlanta, I kept thinking I should have gotten a place here, and now every time I drive back to my apartment it all feels… empty.”

“You have friends in the city.”

“Not really.”

“And a great job.”

“I could do my job from here.”

“Nora?” I shifted my hips, and she moved her arm. “What’s going on?”

She chewed her bottom lip, her eyes glassy. “I want to be here. With you and Mom and Dad while I have the chance.”

“You’re here. All the time.”

“I’m not like you, Luka. I don’t need the city.” She sank back into the sofa. “I broke up with Julie.”

“Shit. What happened?”

“She didn’t like how much time I’ve been spending here. And whenever I asked her to come with me, she’d have some excuse. We weren’t a good fit.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Meh.” Nora reached over and stole the MacBook from my lap. She zoomed in on my dad’s smile. “She was kind of a bitch.”

“You’ve been dating her for months.”

“The sex was good.”

“Oh God.” We both giggled like we were seventeen, covering our mouths when my dad stirred. “Nora,” I hissed.

“What?” Her eyes had gone wide with mock innocence. “She had a very capable mouth. Way better than that guy I dated last summer. And this thing she did with her tongue, I—”

“Please… stop. I will literally throw up.”

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