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I happily accept one, and help them finish up dinner. I chop veggies for the salad, garnish some watermelon with feta and mint, and help my mama carve the chicken.
Once we’ve sat down to eat, my mom only lets me take a few mouthfuls before she asks, “I heard you mention Carter earlier.”
I audibly groan.
“I was telling mama that he helped me out a lot, on Isle North. We only had shelter during the storm because he knew about a cabin we could stay in. And he hikes a lot and does a lot of trips for field work, so he had extra food and a first aid kit.”
“Did someone get hurt?!” my mom all but shrieks this, her blonde hair swinging around as she runs her eyes up and down me, looking for any cuts or bruises.
“Carter cut his leg,” I say, though I don’t add that I’m the one who cleaned the wound and bandaged it. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
“Good,” my mom says, and stuffs a piece of chicken into her mouth. “But don’t think we’re done asking you about Carter.”
“I’mdone,” my mama says, rolling her deep brown eyes at my mom. “Angela will tell us when she’s good and ready.”
“Angie never tells us anything unless we pry it out of her!” my mom says, using her childhood nickname for me. “If we wait, we’ll never know.”
“Angie is also currently in the room and can speak for herself,” I grumble.
“Eat some more cornbread,” my mama says, and puts an enormous piece onto my plate. She may be less dramatic than my mom, but she’s just as concerned about me, I can tell. She must be worried I didn’t get enough to eat on the island and in truth, she’s right. Except for the meals we had at Shaky Jane’s, it was protein bars and muffins all the way.
Thinking about Shaky Jane’s makes me miss Archie, so I decide to tell my moms about him, and the town.
“It was nice being there,” I say. “Once we got out of the cabin and into the village, we met some really friendly people.”
I tell them about Margery and Mitchell and the beautiful apartment we stayed in, and the enormous meal we had at Shaky Jane’s, and they immediately say that we have to go sometime this summer. I also tell them about our adventures puffin watching and lobster pot hauling.
“I never knew Eileen Bennett had a sister,” my mama remarks.
“Sometimes she comes to Cat’s bookclub,” my mom says. Cat runs a romance novel book club at her store, and my mom always attends. I haven’t ever been, despite Cat and my mom hounding me about it. But I just don’t have much time to read.
“I hope Archie comes to Harborview and sees her. I can tell he misses his wife a lot, and I don’t know if he has much family on Isle North anymore,” I say.
“Aw, sweetie,” my mom says. “I’m sure he’s doing alright.”
The grouchy fisherman did seem pretty content, and Isle North seems like the type of place where people look after each other. Kind of like Harborview. I sniffle a bit at that thought. I skirted around moving home for years, mostly to avoid having to see Carter, but I decide that I’m really happy I did. Maybe Archie is doing perfectly fine, and I’m the one who is in need of some care and kindness.
Damn it.
“What is it Angie?” my mom asks, her voice soft now.
“I’m just really tired,” I say. “I have to work tomorrow, and then I get a few days off.”
“That’s good,” my mama says. “We’re doing a video dinner with your Uncle Benny on Sunday evening if you want to come.”
Uncle Benny is my birth father, and one of my mom’s oldest friends. Growing up in New York, I saw him all of the time, and he babysat me and was around for holidays and Sunday dinners. When I went to school in the city, we developed a fun adult relationship, and he spoiled me with brunches and Sephora trips.
“Definitely,” I say. “I’ll tell him about the island. He’ll go crazy for the drama of it.”
“He’ll love it,” my mom agrees.
We chat for a while longer, but I don’t have much time to stay after dinner, as I have another shift tomorrow, starting in the morning again. I kiss them both goodbye on the cheek and leave.
I check my phone once I’m in the car and see that I have no less than five texts from Cat, and two from Carter that I am scared to open. I call Cat and put her on speaker phone as I head out of the driveway.
“What’s up?” I ask her.
“What’s up? What’s up?!That’s all you have to say? After being stranded with Carter on an island for a week!”
