didn’t you? My guess is that you were there because you found my notebook and took it over.”
“I did. It fell off the table by the front door. So you gave Anna another list. But there was only one thing on it: clean up the shop. Since I thought it was your job on your list, I kept expecting you to show up.”
“Couldn’t have even if I’d wanted to. The Roper family and all their possessions fell off the big dock. I had to save a dog, a five-year-old and three picnic baskets.”
“A five-year-old, huh?” Nate said softly. “He okay?”
“We’ve learned to require kids under seven to wear life jackets. The child was floating along and smiling. He thought it was all part of his vacation. It was the parents who were screaming. I swear that hysteria causes more problems than the accidents.”
Nate finished his pie and looked out at the water. “Can we talk about the coming three weeks? I’ll pay—”
Terri’s groan cut him off. “Now I really am sorry you heard what I said. I think I should apologize about Stacy.”
“For saying she’s perfect? She is. She’s gracious and kind to everyone. Did you know that she helped Uncle Kit write the play they put on last summer? She was supposed to do all the sets and supervise the costumes, but she was with me so she couldn’t. She—What the hell are all those lights?”
There were now over a dozen of them moving along the paths and through the water. “Dad and I call it The Dance of the Players.”
“What does that mean?”
“You see,” Terri said slowly, “when a man and a woman really love each other, they come together in a very special way that sometimes creates babies. It’s—”
Nate was looking at her to cut it out. “You mean they’re meeting for...for assignations?”
“If you mean sex, yes. Pretty much. I guess. I mean, I never look, but based on the evidence they leave on Moonlight Beach, I’d say yes, definitely for sex. I do know that sometimes the sand bothers the women in an...uh, intimate sort of way. Dr. Jamie might be able to tell you more about that.”
Nate’s face showed his shock.
“Husbands and wives are separated all summer,” Terri said. “I imagine the ones who stay in the city are fooling around too.”
“You seem very blasé about this.”
“Grew up with it.”
Nate was frowning. “What about you?”
“You mean, am I one of the Players?” Her smile disappeared. “Of course. When you’re not here, I grab my big flashlight and run off to the cabin of whoever is available. I’m not in the least particular.” She started to get up, but Nate put his hand on her arm.
“I apologize. Please don’t leave. I need a bit more time to digest all this food before I can move. What have you decided about me?”
“Dad wants to adopt you so he can get free labor forever. How did you fix those boat motors so quickly?”
“Put gas in them.” He was staring at her, waiting for her answer.
“If you pay rent, you don’t have to work. Certainly not clean out entire buildings.”
With a smile of satisfaction, Nate leaned back in his chair. “I like it here. Uncle Kit said I was part Montgomery because I like water so much.”
“Don’t Berbers live in deserts?”
“The desert is where you learn to truly appreciate water.” He was quiet for a moment. “Terri, I’m sorry about the mix-up. My uncle hasn’t answered any of the eight messages I left for him, but I think he put me here because he knows I need this. After Uncle Kit retired, I had a hard time working for the government. So hard, that I left.”
Terri could hear the understatement in his voice and she waited for him to go on, but he didn’t. “What about Stacy? Will she mind that you and I stay here alone? Just the two of us?”
“She’s not the jealous type,” Nate said quickly, then heaved himself out of the chair. “I can’t stand the smell of myself any longer. You said your aunt used to invite people here. You mind if I have a few people over? I’ll cook.”
“I guess not,” Terri said as she stood up, but she didn’t meet his eyes.
He seemed to know what she was thinking. “But no silver or fine china. I promise.”
She could hear the laughter in his voice. “Good because my tux is in the cleaners.”
Nate grinned. “Rats! I brought my best ball gown and heels,