Page 3 of The White Oak Lodge

Plus, there was his past to consider. But you couldn’t see that just from looking at him, could you? You couldn’t judge a book by its cover. Could you?

His thoughts whirred.

“I’m Nina, by the way,” the woman said.

Amos had the old light bulb in his hand. He looked at her, surprised that she’d offered this piece of information, and said the first thing that came to his mind. “Great name.”

Nina laughed. “Is it? I think it’s pretty ordinary.”

“I’m Amos,” he said.

“Not ordinary at all,” Nina said.

Electricity shimmered between them. Or maybe that was just Amos’s imagination.

With the tips of her fingers, Nina touched her forehead and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m being so strange. It’s been a weird day.”

“Some weird guy barreled into your cabin,” Amos reminded her. “That isn’t your fault.”

Nina smiled and watched as Amos fitted the new bulb and re-hung the fixture. He flicked the switch to turn the light on and off.

“Thanks a lot,” she said.

Amos laughed. “I feel a little silly doing it. I’m sure you know how to change a light bulb.”

“I do. But it’s nice to have someone else take over for a change,” Nina said.

Amos put his screwdriver back in his toolbox and slipped the old light bulb into his big pocket. It was time to go. He reached for his yellow wool hat and said, “You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

Nina eyed him nervously.

“Do you know anyone else on the island?” Amos asked.

“No,” Nina said. “Nobody.”

“Where are you in from?”

“Jersey,” she said.

“Ah. Never been,” Amos said. “How is it?”

Nina raised both of her shoulders and glanced at the bottle of wine. The clock on the oven said it was nine o’clock. He bit his tongue to keep from asking her more about herself.Leave this woman alone, he scolded himself.

But it was Nina who asked, “Do you want to have a glass of wine with me?”

Amos was so shocked that he almost laughed. A beautiful woman in her late thirties or so asking him for a drink? But of course, she was lonely, and he’d given her a major fright. Wasn’t Amos himself lonely, too?

“I don’t want to intrude,” he said.

“I insist.”

Amos and Nina went out onto the porch overlooking the Nantucket Sound. The clouds parted to reveal a splendid pearl moon that cast a blurry reflection on the water, and the stilts creaked slightly, groaning but never giving way. Amos had checked on their strength not a month ago and informed Nancy that they were good for at least another ten years. Amos filled his mouth with wine and tried not to look at Nina’s profile for too long. His heart surged with questions. They sat on the two creaking wooden rocking chairs and clinked glasses.

Silence filled the space between them. Amos wondered what normal people talked about. But Nina got there first, asking him how long he’d worked for Nancy.

“A few years,” he said.

“Do you like it?”

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