A Sea Change (32 page)

She nodded.

“My name’s Phil.”

She looked down the path, then back at him. “We’re leaving pretty soon.”

“Tell you what, Becky. I don’t want to get you in trouble.” He pointed to his watch. “I’ll tell you when fifteen minutes are up. That should be enough time for a quick art lesson, don’t you think?”

The temptation was too much for her, and Becky nimbly climbed down the rocks to join him.

Phil handed her a pencil and began to tear out a piece of paper, when she asked, “Can I see your other drawings?”

He let her page through the sketchbook, her questions coming fast and furiously. “Where’s this? How did you do that? That’s Maddy, isn’t it?” When she’d gone through the whole book, Becky said, “Can you draw a polar bear? That’s my favorite animal.”

Phil obliged her, the rough lines quickly coming together to form a lifelike bear sitting at the edge of the sea. He ripped out the page and gave it to her.

“Neat!” Becky bestowed a gap-toothed smile on the drawing, and then Phil. “How come you’re so good?”

“I took a few classes.”

“Can you teach me?”

“Sure.” Phil put the pad in her hand. “Have a seat.”

*****

“Becky!”

They both lifted their heads at the sound of the shout.

Nick stood on the path, Maddy at his side. “Rebecca Jane, you’re in serious trouble.”

Becky got up and scrambled toward her father, waving the drawings. “Look what Phil taught me, Daddy!”

Phil followed her, and looked up at Nick. “It’s not her fault. I lost track of the time.”

Nick’s eyes were on Phil as his daughter thrust the pages into his hands. When he glanced down he was surprised by the skill of the work, but his irritation prevailed. “You were supposed to stay at Maddy’s.”

“I know, Daddy, but…”

“No ‘buts.’ And no movie.”

“Hey, really. Don’t punish her for this,” Phil said. “She told me she was waiting for you.” He looked at Becky and smiled. “But the artist in both of us kinda took over.”

Maddy had kept quiet until that moment. But she knew Nick was seeing this as yet another reason to distrust Phil. And her brother was remembering his own childhood. With Becky on the verge of tears, she said, “Nick, look how good these drawings are.”

“Becky’s really got a great eye,” Phil added.

Nick took a deep breath and crouched in front of his daughter. “These are terrific, Becky, but right now I want you to go to the house and wait for me. We’ll talk about this there.”

He watched his daughter dejectedly walk away, and when she was out of earshot, turned to Phil.

“I don’t want you hanging around here anymore.”

Maddy’s gasp was involuntary, and she said, “You don’t mean that.”

Nick looked at her for just a second. “Yeah. I do.” He turned back to Phil, whose face had gone white. “I think you’ve done all the work you need to do down here. It’s time for you to move on. When we get back from Canada, I want you gone.”

Maddy couldn’t keep her eyes from her brother’s, as she said, “But where would he go?”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass, just as long as it’s away from this beach.”

“Look, Nick – I don’t know what I did to get you so pissed off at me, but I’m sorry. If you let me stay a while longer, I promise I’ll keep to myself.”

“You just don’t get it, do you, Madvick,” Nick said. “You might have everyone else on this beach snowed, but it’s not working on me anymore. I don’t particularly like you. I don’t trust you. If I see you again, I’ll call the cops.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Holding out several bills, he said, “You’re square with the residents now. Here’s seventy bucks. Now go find someone else to take advantage of.”

“I don’t need your money.”

“Fine.” Nick stuffed the bills back in his wallet. “It’s been real.” He turned to Maddy and said, “Let’s go.”

She’d been staring at the ground, and Maddy quickly looked at Nick, the shock of his actions still on her face. She let him take her hand, and with one last glance at her brother, Maddy walked away.

Cha
pter Thirty-Seven

Maddy pounded on the door of Number 70, and when there was no answer, her heart hiccupped. She called out his name, knocking again, not realizing how inane it was to think Danny wouldn’t hear her in a one-room cabin.

Afraid he’d left already – knowing that wasn’t possible – she tried the doorknob, but it was locked. Maddy stood there for a moment, unable to come to any kind of decision, when just three minutes earlier her mind had reached crystalline clarity.

When Nick had asked Maddy to come along for the ride up to Bellevue – that Becky would enjoy her company as much as he would – she’d told him her head ached, and to go on without her. She waved as they drove away, her pasted-on smile fading as the truck disappeared around the curve of the road. And as Maddy started down the stairway to the beach, she’d vowed it was her last lie.

Nick had kept his word about no movie, but the three of them had ended up feeding the ducks at Point Defiance Park. Later, he’d fished a Frisbee out from under the truck’s seat. Maddy had tried playing with them, but in the end she’d begged exhaustion and gone to sit in the shade of a chestnut tree.

Her mind hadn’t stopped its anxious racing since Nick’s confrontation with Danny. She couldn’t think of anything else. Nick’s anger, the look of utter panic on her brother’s face, and her own feeling of being stuck between a gigantic boulder and a granite wall had left her dazed.

There was only one solution, and that was to finally tell the truth. It wasn’t fair to any of them not to. Once she’d made the decision, all Maddy could focus on was telling Danny. But her two-hour window of opportunity was ticking away.

Damn it, Danny! Where are you?

Maddy stood rooted to the small porch when she heard someone calling her. She turned and saw George Gustafson marching down the path. Her first thought was an uncharitable, ‘Oh no.’ And her second was even worse. ‘At least it’s not Emily, who never gets to the point.’ She was about to speak her third thought, when Gustafson came to parade rest in front of her and unsatisfactorily addressed it.

“If you’re looking for Madvick, he’s not home.”

“Have you seen him?” she asked, swallowing the temptation to say, “no shit.”

“Shouldn’t you already know where he is?”

Her impatience got the better of her. “Why would I know that, George?”

“Because he’s in Jaed’s house.”

Maddy’s shoulders slumped in relief and she took a step toward home, when she realized Gustafson was waiting for an explanation. “Thanks. I completely forgot I asked him to do some work for me.”

And as Maddy rushed away, leaving a perplexed George Gustafson behind, she thought, ‘I did it again. When did I become so good at lying?’

She burst through the front door and raced down the hall, shouting, “Danny? I don’t have much time and we need to talk!”

He sat on the couch, looking up at her, Chloe in his lap, and calmly said, “I know.”

Quickly sitting on the coffee table, Maddy took his hand in hers. “Danny, I’m begging you to understand…”

“I want you to tell Nick I’m your brother,” he interrupted.

“I have to tell Nick…” She sat up straight, stunned. “What? What did you say?”

He repeated himself, and Maddy’s relief was so great she began to cry. Her gratitude at being allowed to finally unburden herself would have been embarrassing if it weren’t so genuine. “Oh Danny, thank you!” She threw her arms around him. “Thank you for doing this for me.”

Danny held his sister, saying, “What else could I do?” What she didn’t need to know was he was only doing it for himself, because if he didn’t let her tell Nick – if the secret stayed – then Danny had to go. And this was not part of his plan.

She pulled away from him, but held his hands. “Won’t this be amazing?” Her tears were replaced by a growing excitement. “Danny! We’re together again.” Maddy became giddy with the possibilities. “And Nick – once he knows – he’ll be so happy for me. Nick and I…Oh, Jesus! I’ll have a real family again.”

Danny tried to keep his own emotions in check. He wasn’t imagining the same things as Maddy. He’d have to share her, and he wasn’t sure he was capable of doing that.

Maddy saw the flash of doubt on her brother’s face, and brought his hands to her cheek. “I know this is going to be hard for you. But Nick is such a great guy. Really! He’s so nonjudgmental, Danny. He won’t care.”

Once again, she’d misunderstood him. Once again, he didn’t bother to set her straight. He only nodded, and said, “I hope so.” Nick had acted just like Ted. The words he used were nearly identical to those Ted had shouted at him all those years ago. But Danny said nothing else to his sister.

Maddy let him go then. “I’ve been thinking.” Her enthusiasm forced her off the coffee table, and she paced the length of the living room. “I’m going to tell him while we’re in Victoria. Y’know. Give him a couple of days to cool off.” She stopped and faced him. “You should probably sort of keep to yourself. Maybe it’d be better if you stayed somewhere else until we leave.” Maddy reached for her purse. “I’ll give you the money. No. I’ll just call the Sheraton and make a reservation on my credit card.” She nodded to herself. “Yeah, that would be better.”

“Maddy, don’t.” Danny got off the couch. “I don’t need money.”

“Look, I don’t mind. You’re my brother!”

He took the wallet from her hand and placed it back in her purse. “I
have
money, Maddy. I just don’t use it. And I can earn money, but only when I feel like it.”

“I don’t understand.”

He gave a small shrug. “I
like
the way I live.”

“You
like
stealing from people?”

“No. I like the freedom of choice I have. And I like that everything I own fits into a backpack.”

“But things’ll be different now, Danny. You can’t keep living like that.”

“Why?”

The phone rang and Maddy turned around to stare at the faceless intruder. She looked back at her brother again, certain she must have misunderstood what he’d been telling her.

“You’d better answer that. It might be Nick,” he said.

Ignoring his words, she asked, “What do you mean, ‘why?’”

He didn’t answer her question, but went on. “Maddy, if it’s Nick and you don’t answer, he’ll come over. I’d better leave while I have the chance.” He kissed her cheek. “Have fun in Victoria.”

She watched his retreat, and then slowly walked to the phone.

But it wasn’t Nick. It was her mother, and Maddy quickly turned. But Danny had already gone out the front door.

Maddy finally tuned into her mother’s voice. She’d begun the conversation without her help, but Maddy caught the gist of it. When her mother said, “It’s been so long since you’ve called. Is everything all right?” Maddy saw the opening she’d subconsciously been looking for.

“Everything’s just fine, Mother.” She wasn’t sure where the sudden stiffness in her voice had come from, but she could feel her anger building. “By the way – Danny says ‘hi.’”

There was a short silence then her mother said, “Why would you say such a thing, Maddy?”

“I found him. Or should I say, we found each other.”

In a voice filled with quiet yearning, her mother said, “He’s really there?”

“Yes, Mother, he’s really here.” Maddy faltered, and was suddenly a girl again. “He’s so alone, Mom. He just drifts from place to place. But he’s here now…He’s so handsome and bright. I wish you could see him.”

“So do I, but you know that’s impossible.”

For some reason, Maddy didn’t see that coming. “Why? Why is it impossible?”

Her mother lowered her voice. “You know why, Maddy.”

“This is my brother we’re talking about. Your son! The son who’s been gone for almost twenty years.”

“You know how your father feels.”

“How
he
feels?!” Maddy said in outrage. “What has he ever felt? Except maybe relief!”

“Don’t talk about your father that way. He did the best he could.”

A mirthless laugh burst from her. “
The best he could?
Who are you kidding, Mom?” Then Maddy heard another voice, muffled by her mother covering the mouthpiece. “Mom? Who is that? Is that Dad?” Her defiance went up a notch. “Put him on. I mean it, Mom! I have something I want to tell him.”

Suddenly, her mother was back on the line, and cheerfully saying, “I’m sorry, Rosie, but I’ve got to go. It doesn’t look like Robert’s game went very well, and I’d better fix him a drink before he decides to heave those new clubs into the lake. We’ll talk again soon.”

“Mother?! Don’t you hang up on me…Mother!”

But Maddy was already listening to the dial tone. She stared at the calendar hanging on the wall in front of her with unseeing eyes. And then in one final mighty fit of rage, Maddy threw the receiver at the wall, shattering the plastic covering.

“You’re so blind, Mother!” she shouted through her tears. “You’re blind to everything!”

Maddy sank into a chair and her hands covered her face as she wept for the joke that was her family; staggered that her mother had let Danny go again.