Page 84 of The Glass Dolphin

Rather, she couldn’t.

The brief life she’d led there had been borne in hope, but quickly marred by mystery and death. Memories of the horrors she’d lived through—waking up from a drugged state, the sound of gunshots, the red-blue of police lights… She suddenly felt cold despite the warm temperatures and the frilly sunshine.

Just as quickly as she remembered, the images, the sights, the sounds, they all faded. Tessa contained them behind a wall in her mind, the way her therapist had been teaching her.

A sigh filled her lungs and leaked out of her mouth as the ferry docked and people moved toward the steps that would lead them to dry land. As if on auto-pilot, Tessa’s legs moved too, and she joined the small swell of people who’d come to Five Island Cove from Diamond Island today.

Tessa didn’t think many of them were tourists. Most likely, they were like her. They had business on Nantucket, but they’d come home. Or, they had business here, and would return to Nantucket and their homes later that day.

A particular weariness accompanied her as she disembarked and faced the row of shops that lined the street opposite the ferry station. She could get something to eat there, as she had many times before. She adored seafood, and the cove had no shortage of it.

Sometimes, Tessa just wanted a burger, or maybe a salad, but today, she honestly didn’t know what she wanted to eat. Her stomach felt hollow, and she knew she had to have a little something before she started her shift at the library.

She only worked a few days a week, but that meant the shifts were longer, and she’d be closing tonight.

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her purse, which she wore across her body, as she thought about getting out her phone and texting someone to ask if they wanted to eat lunch with her.

She hadn’t quite integrated herself into the friendships here in the cove the way Maddy had, but everyone still welcomed Tessa with open arms. To anything she could get to, that was.

“You need to get to more,” she muttered to herself, bypassing the taco truck and deciding then and there to get a ride downtown. She’d be closer to the library, and she could spend the next couple of hours in the sunshine, sipping tea and enjoying a slow, carefree meal at her favorite bistro here in the cove.

As she backtracked to join the RideShare line, which only had a couple of people waiting, Tessa did text Maddy.I’m on Diamond for the next few days. Lunch?

The power blonde she’d met in Nantucket had gotten married about a month ago, and Tessa had been there in her flowing lavender gown, which now hung in her boyfriend’s closet in Nantucket.

The closet Abraham Sanders was nowhere near cleaning out, packing up, and moving here. He’d claimed to be passing his deli on Nantucket to his son once fall came, then the New Year, but that had been almost six months ago, and Abe still went into his meat shop every day.

Tessa had been splitting her time between working at the library here in the cove, riding the ferry back to Nantucket, and walking the beaches there while she waited for Abe to finish up working.

She had a house there, but Tessa couldn’t stay in it. Her sister lived in Nantucket too, but Tessa had a love-hate relationship with her. She loved her, because they had the same blood flowing in their veins. But Tessa didn’t particularly love spending time with Janey.

As she sank into the back seat of the sedan which had just pulled up to the curb, Tessa said, “The Harbor Bistro, please.”

“You got it.” The man smiled at her in the rear-view mirror, and Tessa guessed his age to be close to hers. She leaned back and closed her eyes, wondering what to do about Abe.

They’d been doing for almost two years now. Two years, and while she loved him, and he’d said he loved her, actions always spoke louder than words.

He had not moved here, despite claiming to want to be here with her full-time. She’d started going to Nantucket more and more, and he hadn’t been to the cove in a couple of months now.

Maybe it’s over, she thought. At the very least, they were horribly stalled, and one of them would have to say or do something to get things moving again. Tessa wasn’t sure if she wanted to be that person or not.

Thoughts of AvaJane Hymas ran through her mind. She didn’t know the woman all that well, but what she did know was almost enough. She’d waited and waited for men who never truly wanted her.

Was Tessa doing the same thing?

“Ma’am,” the man said, and she jerked her eyes open.

“Sorry,” she said a bit groggily. “I think I fell asleep.” A hint of embarrassment tugged through her, and Tessa hastened to get her purse and get out of the car.

“Are you okay?” the man asked, and Tessa paused at the question. He twisted and looked at her, concern in his blue eyes.

“Do I not look okay?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s just a…feeling I have. I see a lot of people with the driving.” A smile flickered across his face, there for a moment, and then gone.

Tessa wished she knew what her face looked like or what vibe she gave off to alert someone like him that she wasn’t okay. “I’m okay,” she said as firmly as she could, and she tapped her card to the RideShare pad to pay for her ride. “Thank you.”

“Sure thing,” he said. “Enjoy your lunch.” He re-positioned his ball cap on his head as the pad beeped. Tessa got out of the car and slammed the door, then stood on the sidewalk and watched it drive away.

---