Page 118 of Swept Away

“He’s talking to Paige,” Lyra says.

She widens her eyes in a way that manages to capture both the gravity of the situation and her vague dislike of Paige. She’s jealous, perhaps. Jeremy has a new aunt—a whole new family, should he want it. Lyra strikes me as a woman who likes things neat, tidy and just so; rogue aunts aren’t really her scene, particularly slightly scatty ones with houseboats. I happen to know that right now Lyra and Jeremy aren’t speaking to their mum; Zeke calls her every day,though, and between them all, with time, I’m confident they’ll figure it out. Family is always complicated, but ultimately, the Ravenhillsdolove one another, and lately I’ve started to think that as long as you’ve got that, you have a really good shot at working out the rest.

A harassed-looking event organizer power-walks over with her clipboard clutched to her chest like a shield. Lyra homes in on her immediately.

“Cutlery!” she barks, and the woman jumps.

“Christ,” Marissa says, appearing at my shoulder as Lyra drags the event organizer off somewhere. “And I thoughtyouwere intimidating.”

“You should have seen her directing Penny to parallel park in the space outside when we arrived. Penny literally cried. Still”—I watch Lyra go—“I think this is Lyra’s way of telling Zeke she missed him. All the funereal flowers, the perfect tablecloths, the expense…it’s a big, dysfunctional I-love-you.”

“Is he here?” Marissa asks, glancing to the door.

I don’t need to look to know he isn’t. We’ve both noticed this: a sort of instinct for where the other person is in a crowded room.

“He’s nervous,” I say, checking my phone again. “He went to take a moment in the garden.”

“You want to…”

“Yeah,” I say, already moving.

Zeke and I have both noticed this as well: the tug that comes when we’re apart, as if whatever tethers us is pulling taut. Since we joined hands again in that studio lot, we’ve barely parted. He’s cooked me truffle pasta and spiced jackfruit and every dish he used to talk about on the water, and I’ve shown him the little details of my life as it was before him: the best coffee shop in Gilmouth; my favorite spot on the beach. It’s been almost deliriously lovely, but not—as suspected—without complication.

Penny is struggling. It’s hard to untangle what she wants fromall her guilt and shame and people-pleasing, to be honest, but she says she’s ready for today, and I am trying to take her word for things instead of thinking I know best. Marissa’s right: I do coddle her, and ultimately, that hasn’t helped her at all.

I step out into the formal gardens and find Zeke immediately: he’s in suit trousers and a silk shirt, hands in his pockets, staring down into the pond at the center of the garden. His curls are neater than they ever were on the boat, and the clothes are new to me, but the line of his neck is so familiar it could be my own. I know that the tilt of his head means he’s thinking; I know that the hands in his pockets will be balled into nervous fists.

“Hey,” I whisper, coming up behind him.

“Hey.”

“OK?”

“Mm. Will be soon.”

“She’s going to love you,” I say quietly, coming to stand beside him at the water’s edge. “Even if she doesn’t right away.”

“I don’t want to mess her up,” he whispers.

“You think I’d let you anywhere near that girl if I thought you would?” I turn to kiss him on the cheek. “Trust me, even if you can’t trust yourself yet.”

“Hey, you two,” comes a shaky voice from behind us.

We turn in unison. Mae is on Penny’s hip, her special-occasion butterfly sandals tapping against Penny’s leg as they approach. Mae’s eyes turn wide and curious as they land on Zeke.

“Hi,” Zeke says, then clears his throat. “Hello.”

I keep hold of his hand. I can feel him trembling.

“Are you Lexi’s boyfriend?” she asks.

“Yeah,” he says, smiling. “That’s me.”

She inspects him closely. “OK,” she says. “That’s fine.”

Penny manages a smile. “A glowing review, by Mae standards,” she says, lowering her daughter to the ground.

For now, this is what we’ve decided to tell Mae; the rest can come later, when everyone feels a little readier. But even this feels pretty huge.

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