Page 45 of The White Oak Lodge

“Not even Jack’s ex-girlfriends got to go!” another kid said. “Now they’re all hanging out together and mourning him. Have you seen them? They’re all wearing black and crying all the time.”

“Man, what if Jack didn’t die?” another kid suggested. “What if he stole the Whitmore riches and ran off to Switzerland or something?”

“The Whitmore riches? You mean, all that gold they have under the lodge?” another kid asked.

“How would he get the gold on the plane, dummy?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know what these Whitmores are capable of. I never understood them.”

“Too bad Allegra was so much older than us. She’s the hottest.”

“Whatever, man. They’re gone.”

“Where did the girls go?” another asked.

“Francesca disappeared,” one said.

“You know, Francesca had an affair once,” another offered. “My dad told me.”

Amos’s thoughts spun. He got away from them, his back hunched as he maneuvered through the halls and on to his next class. Often, he wondered if he’d imagined the Whitmores—a family so wealthy and beautiful and entrenched in Nantucket history that they seemed too good to be true. But Amos still had cash from selling drugs. He still had enough to maintain an okay lifestyle for himself and his mother for a little while. But he’d taken on three jobs as a way to put the cops off his scent. He needed the work.

Besides, the money would run out one day. And he had no plans to return to a life of crime again. It was too much for his heart.

Amos’s mother passed away a few years later. It was cancer, inoperable, and it broke Amos’s heart. On her deathbed, she asked him to travel, to live, to open his life up to love. Amos was too frightened to admit it, but he didn’t know how to do any of that.

At his mother’s funeral, Amos got up to give a speech. Only fifteen people from the island came, which was more than Amos had expected, and he caught himself blathering off-topic things for a while before he diverted back to what he’d wanted to say.

“It’s just been my mother and me for a very long time,” he said. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her. I hope she knows that I did my best.”

It was then, as he gazed out across the sparse pews, that Amos felt sure he saw Jack Whitmore. He was older, twenty-three or so, just as old as Amos now was, and he was wearing a suit with his black hair slicked back. He looked somber and respectful, but he was leaning against the back wall, as thoughhe wanted to get out as soon as he could. When their eyes connected, Jack flashed one of his knowing smiles and winked. Amos looked away, panic making his head throb, and when he glanced back, Jack was gone. Amos was able to convince himself it hadn’t been Jack. Jack was dead. He’d been dead for years.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nina

June 2025

After twenty-seven years, there were so many stories to exchange between sisters. There was so much left to say about what had remained unsaid, so much left to reveal, too many people to talk about, and so much healing. But that night when midnight struck, Nina got to her feet, hugged her sister goodbye, told her she’d see her tomorrow, and told Amos it was time to go. Amos looked exhausted, his eyes tinged pink. “Are you sure?” he said. “I don’t mind staying longer.” It was sweet. He took her hand as they walked out of the bungalow and took her keys, telling her he could drive. He’d stopped drinking hours ago, and he’d only had the one glass of wine anyway.He’s responsible, Nina thought dreamily as she clambered into the passenger side and let herself be cared for.

It took ten minutes before either of them said anything. They drove through a black night, their heads heavy with confusion.

“I can’t believe it,” Nina breathed finally.

Amos smacked the steering wheel with his hand. “It’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened.”

Nina bounced in her seat. “I mean, we were looking for Seth Green? Because that’s where Ralph sent us? And Charlotte opened the door? Charlotte Whitmore? My long-lost sister?”

“It was the surprise of a lifetime,” he said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.” Nina opened her window and felt the sharp wind through her hair. She felt alive. “Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

“I don’t know,” Amos said. “You think she knows more than she’s letting on?”

“I think she must know where Jack is. Or she did know.”

Amos smiled and steered them safely in front of the little rental on stilts—a place Nina had begun to think of as her home. It would be difficult to leave it when the time came. Already, she’d extended it till July, telling Nancy she couldn’t get enough.

Right then, she couldn’t imagine Amos leaving for the night. She couldn’t imagine falling to sleep without him beside her.

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