sounding better by the minute. She’d never had her own money before.
Alice started to clear off the table with Scarlett at her heels, hoping for a scrap to fall. “My friend, Eleanor, is stopping by later in the week to catch me up on town gossip. She’s the former mayor and will have lots of ideas for you.”
After washing up and drying her hands, Alice returned to her recliner in the living room.
Shelby followed and curled up on the tufted couch beside it. She picked up the squirmy dog and hugged her. “You are a handful.” Scarlett reminded her of a stuffed animal she’d had as a child that had mysteriously disappeared after one of their moves. When asked, Dana had said it was scruffy and probably got lost.
They sat in silence for a while with only the distant ticking from the kitchen clock. Alice stared out the window and seemed lost in thought. Shelby’s stomach clenched. The behavior reminded her of how Dana acted when she was depressed. Grandma Alice had never been like this before. All of Shelby’s memories were of Alice barely sitting still, baking, gardening, out with friends, or volunteering to help others.
“It’s such a pretty day out,” Alice said, looking over at Shelby. “You don’t have to sit here with me. Why don't you take the afternoon off and go for a swim?”
Shelby sat up. “Will you come too?”
Alice shook her head. “We're fine here, Scarlett and I."
“Maybe next time?” Shelby asked.
Alice nodded. “Maybe.”
Shelby went to her room and pulled her swimsuit from a drawer. “I guess it will have to do,” she sighed. It was her chlorine-faded one piece she’d worn for lifeguard training. Originally it had been a bright blue, but it was bordering on gray now.
She pulled it on and looked in the full-length mirror behind the door.
“Ugh,” she said. Perhaps she would put a t-shirt over it and leave it on at the beach.
Sunglasses in hand, Shelby walked into the living room to ask her grandmother for a beach towel. Alice was standing by the door with a colorful towel, a bottle of sunscreen, and a folding beach chair in hand.
“You are prepared,” Shelby said with a laugh. “See you later.”
Supplies in hand, Shelby walked down the front path, admiring the colorful flower beds.
“Don’t stay too long,” her grandmother said from the porch. “It’s your first time in the sun.”
Shelby turned and smiled. “I’ll be home soon. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
Alice shook her head. “Maybe another time. You go now and have a good swim.”
Shelby turned to walk the few blocks to the public beach. The walkway directly across the street was private and belonged to the DeLucas, who, according to her grandmother, had built the massive waterfront home a few years ago but were mostly here only in the summer. The boys playing in the cul-de-sac probably lived there because she’d never seen them before on her other visits.
When she reached the beach, the sand was warm and soothing under her bare feet. The crowds were not too thick yet in early June, but there were plenty of people swimming, kids running around in the sand, and a few rowboats out fishing in the lake. She picked a spot a bit down from the lifeguard station and put out her chair with her towel beside her.
The freshwater lake sparkled in the sun, inviting her to plunge in. She should have brought a book from her grandmother’s library. She glanced around. No eyes were on her. Her t-shirt stuck to her skin and she wanted desperately to jump in and cool off. Deciding to be brave, she removed her t-shirt and lay back on to the chair. Eyes closed, she pretended her pale white skin and ratty bathing suit did not bother her at all. Shelby was just drifting off when she felt a spray of sand across her legs. When she opened her eyes, three teenage girls were traipsing by. She heard the tall, thin blonde say in a snooty tone, “Nice fashion statement there.” The other girls snickered and threw quick glances back at Shelby.
Shelby brushed the sand off her legs and glared after them. This whole beach to walk and they had to bother her. High school girls were the same everywhere, she guessed. Especially the mean ones. She watched them walk toward the lifeguard, who was standing near the edge of the water. When he turned to face them, Shelby recognized