paint it over the break—and I was going to warn you, and explain it all before you saw it. But they got things out of order. I’m sorry.”
I just stared at him.
“When the world is a safer place, we’ll bring it back.”
And then, I couldn’t help it. I hugged him.
“Thank you,” I said. Then I took what felt like the deepest breath of my life. “I was so angry at you, it was physically painful.”
Duncan nodded. “Are you less mad now?”
I thought about it. The relief left me almost tingly. “I’m less mad.”
Just then, down the beach, Helen started jumping, and waving her arms, and calling for Duncan, so we started walking in her direction.
“So,” Duncan said, as we fell into step. “While you’re less mad, I have a kind of odd favor to ask. I’ve been meaning to call you about it.”
“Okay.”
He took a breath. “I know that we do not always see eye to eye on Kempner-related issues.”
I let out a bitter, “Ha!”
“But … it turns out that, these days, you are the one person in this town that I’m closest to.”
“That is very sad,” I said, “given that we’re mortal enemies.”
“And,” he went on, “it turns out, the week before New Year’s, I have to have a quick surgery.”
“A quick surgery?”
“It’s outpatient. No big deal. But they’re going to sedate me—hopefully heavily—and so I’m going to need a ride home. I scheduled it for when Helen would be here, but it turns out they have to go back early.”
I nodded. “So … you need a ride home?”
“I said I could just take an Uber, but they want to release me to a known party.”
“Um. I don’t drive.”
“You don’t drive?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
No way was I telling him the real reason. “Just eccentric, I guess.”
“You can use my car.”
“No—I don’t drive at all. Like, ever.”
“Oh.” He looked disappointed.
“But I could call a car service, if that works.”
He nodded. “That would be … really helpful.”
“What’s the surgery for?” I asked then.
He shook his head. “Just … breaking up some old scar tissue. It’s called cryosurgery, actually. They freeze you with liquid nitrogen.”
“Cool,” I said.
He sighed like “cool” was the last word he would’ve used. Then he said, “Not really.”
When we caught up to Helen, she had her arm around the waist of a tall, cool guy wearing a peacoat and aviator glasses—and they had two little girls running in circles around them, now throwing the tennis ball for Chuck Norris.
“Sam,” Duncan said. “This is my best-friend slash brother-in-law, J-Train. J-Train, meet my … employee. Sam Casey.”
J-Train stuck his hand out in my direction. “Great to meet you, Sam.”
I took his hand and shook it. “Great to meet you, too—” and just as I was trying to decide if I should actually say J-Train, Duncan slapped a hand on J-Train’s shoulder and said, “He also goes by J-Money, J-Town, J-Dog, and J. J. McJayJaykins.”
“Among others,” J-Train concurred, grabbing Duncan by the neck as he did and pulling him into a noogie. “But Jake works, too.”
“Jake. Gotcha,” I said, but the words were lost as Duncan tackled him, and they hit the sand and started wrestling.
“Jake!” Helen called out. “Glasses!”
Both boys held still for one second while Jake pulled off his aviators and handed them to Helen.
“Careful of the left side,” Duncan said to Jake during the pause.
“Careful of the eyes,” Jake said to Duncan.
Then they got back to wrestling.
Helen stepped over closer to me and we watched them for a minute. “They’re basically just human puppies,” Helen said.
“Huh,” I said.
Helen and I turned toward the girls, now a little farther down the beach, turning cartwheels while Chuck Norris barked at seagulls. Helen pointed. “That’s Virginia. She’s six. And that’s Addie. She’s four.”
We walked a few steps toward them.
“So,” Helen asked then, “how’s Duncan doing?”
“I can hear you!” Duncan called from behind us, where Jake had him in a wrestling hold. “Don’t ask her how I’m doing.”
“The grown-ups are talking,” Helen called back with a dismissive wave. Then, back to me: “How is he doing?”
“Um…” I wasn’t really sure what to say. “Fine? I guess? I don’t really know him that well.”
Helen glanced back at the boys. “You don’t?”
“I mean … we’re—”
“Helen!” Duncan shouted—Jake now sitting on his back. “We’re just work colleagues.”
Just as I said, “Work colleagues.”
“Oh,” Helen said. “That’s all?”
I shrugged. I could have added “mortal enemies,” I supposed. But it didn’t seem to fit with the wrestling-in-the-sand energy of the moment.
“Huh,” Helen said. “I got a different vibe.”
“Helen!” Duncan shouted,