Page 58 of Trick of Light
It took a moment for her to take that in. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.”
Scanning his face, she saw that he was entirely sincere. “Got it. What about the other way around? What if I say something clueless?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
“I guess I can handle being called out if I deserve it. Heather does it.” She smiled at him ruefully. “But I know your world better than you know mine, that’s just the nature of our society. We have to, for survival.”
They both ordered falafel wraps, and as they waited for them, Barnaby appeared to be lost in thought. She wondered if she’d said too much, too soon. They weren’t in a relationship, after all. They hadn’t even slept together. One kiss, and she was already talking about life as a minority in America? Way to kill the vibe.
Kicking herself, she accepted her foil-wrapped falafel and lamb pita wrap and took a bite. Her mouth was still full when he finally spoke.
“I don’t know if it makes a difference, but you’re not the first Black woman I’ve dated. I know some of the land mines, but there’s always more. That’s why I want to hear about it if there’s something I miss.”
It touched her that he was looking at their relationship with so much seriousness, even though it was barely just beginning. As a verbal person, she liked that, liked being able to work through things.
“What sort of thing came up between you?”
“Well, for instance, she pointed out that just because I have some Black ancestors through my mother doesn’t mean I understand what it’s like to be Black. I was raised as an upper-crust white boy.”
Solid point. Shout-out to that previous girlfriend. “What happened with this ex of yours?” she asked, licking a drop of tahini sauce off her knuckle.
“It was never a long-term thing. We were both traveling all the time. She’s a linguist studying a nearly extinct language in Ghana. That’s where we met.”
“You’ve spent time in Africa?” That was more than she could say, though she’d like to visit some day. She imagined it would be an emotional journey, one she wasn’t quite ready for.
“I’ve spent time on every continent, including the really far away ones like Antarctica. I spent my entire twenties with itchy feet, traveling anywhere and everywhere.”
It sounded glamorously adventurous to her, the kind of thing she might do if she had all the money in the world—and different parents. “And now you’re stuck here.”
“And now I choose to be here,” he corrected. “It didn’t feel that way at first, but now I know it’s true, and I’m damn happy about it. Imagine Tamara having to go through this without me around.”
She managed a smile, although for a moment she’d thought he meant he was happy to be here because of her. Don’t get ahead of yourself.
“And imagine if I’d missed the chance to meet you,” he murmured, as if he’d read her mind. She glanced up, a little embarrassed, and lost herself in the dark fire of his gaze.
This is real. The thought flashed through her mind. Then, Are you ready?
25
After two more stops—once for carne asada tacos and then for mint chocolate chip ice cream—they picked up the package Judy had sent on the water taxi. From there, they Ubered to the lab where Luke had directed them. They squeaked in just before the place closed for the night.
“When can we get the results?” Barnaby asked the lab tech as he logged in the sample, which Judy had put into a Tupperware style container.
“Sometime tomorrow, unless you want to come in first thing and apply a little pressure?” The lab tech winked broadly. “If you know what I mean.”
A bribe to expedite the process? He could do that. “Can’t I do that now, with you?”
“I’m just a tech, I’m not your guy. First thing tomorrow.”
He’d have to spend the night in town, which was no problem. The Carmichaels owned a condo here in Portland. But what about Gabby? Would she want to get back to the island tonight? He decided not to bring that up just yet.
“We still have an hour until our Cove reservation. Want to watch the sunset on the Eastern Promenade?”
The Eastern Promenade was the highest point of the city of Portland, a slow rise of land that looked out over Casco Bay, with grassy slopes descending toward the shoreline. A paved walkway traveled along the ocean side of the promenade, opposite a parade of stately homes dating from the late 1800s. In those days, society ladies in bustles had strolled the promenade. Today, it was dog-walkers and kite-flyers and joggers. In his opinion, Casco Bay wasn’t nearly as beautiful as Lightkeeper Bay, but still worth a sunset stroll along that walkway.
They found one more food truck and ordered coffee drinks. Barnaby found a spot on the grass and spread out his jacket for Gabby to sit on. She scooted over to make space for him too. Cuddled close like that, they watched the sky change colors until the ocean reflected persimmon and apricot and shell-pink. The bare masts of moored sailboats provided flashes of silver in the mesmerizing symphony of shades.
