Accidental Happiness by Jean Reynolds Page Page B

daughter. The time wasn’t right. Not yet. She put the few items she’d gathered inside the smallest of her duffels, locked up the car, and headed toward the docks.

8

    Gina
    I
wasn’t in the mood to take Georgie for a walk, so I made her pee on the grass near the Ship’s Store and then settled back, still restless, on the boat for the night.
    “We’ll go for a long walk tomorrow,” I told the dog. “I promise.” She didn’t look convinced.
    I poured myself a cognac, set out to put sheets on the quarter-berth cushions for Reese. “ DOG-MAA .” That was just flaky enough for her.
    On the one hand, the thought of Reese living in the same town seemed like something I’d dreamed. One of those weird, passing fears that vents itself at night, then meets relief the next morning. But then I remembered the strange comfort of sharing my story with someone else who knew Ben. Someone who felt a loss similar to mine. I wondered what relationship would eventually evolve between us.
    “Hey.” I heard Lane call from outside before she stepped onto my boat. It seemed everybody had gotten a little skittish about boarding my vessel without decent warning.
    “What’s up?” I asked. “Where’s Angel?”
    “Reese brought her things over and is getting her tucked in before going to take a shower. Angel’s asking for a stuffed alligator. Did she leave it here before we went to dinner?”
    “I don’t know,” I told her, pulling an extra pillow from under the portside berth and stuffing it into a pillowcase. “I don’t remember an alligator. Sorry.”
    Lane stood there, leaning against the corner that was my kitchen, looked as if she wanted to say something.
    “What?” I asked.
    “I don’t know.” Lane shook her head, the light strands of ash-blond gray shifting color as she moved. “It’s not really my place to say, but . . .”
    “Come on. Something’s on your mind,” I said. “Just say whatever it is.”
    “You’re not real keen on Angel, are you?” she asked, moving out of my way as I bent to spread a light blanket on the makeshift bed.
    I finished with the blanket, sat down at the front of the quarter berth. Her direct stab at the topic took me off guard. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve got a few issues here.”
    “I know. But I think it’s more than that.” She was relentless.
    “More?”
I did my best to sound indignant. “More than unexplained paternity questions?”
    “You wouldn’t blame the kid for that. You’re making an effort with Reese, for God’s sakes. There’s something else going on.”
    I bought time with my cognac, took a sip, saw my distorted reflection, liquid features in the amber surface inside the glass.
    “You’re right.” I didn’t look up at her. “But I don’t want to talk about it now.”
    “Fair enough,” she said. “But for Angel’s sake, if you could try to get to know her . . .”
    My instinct ran to the defensive stance. “She’s not exactly fuzzy and sweet when it comes to me either.”
    “I’ll talk to her. She’ll take a lot of cues from you, though. Just try.”
    I nodded. It was all I could manage.
    “There’s something else,” she said. This time she was the one hedging her words. “What do you think is going on with those two?”
    “Damned if I know,” I said, setting my drink on the navigation table. Lane sat opposite me. “I asked Reese about Angel, about her father.”
    “And?”
    “She said she doesn’t know.”
    “She doesn’t know?” Lane’s face took a rare cynical turn.
    “Yeah, I don’t know if I believe it or not either, but that’s what she told me.”
    “Did you ask her how she happened to
not know
?”
    “Not yet, but I’d say playing bedroom hopscotch would be one way to cause a little confusion.” I sounded judgmental, hated myself the second the sentence came out of my mouth. I’d had a few moments in strange beds myself since Benjamin died. Pain will lead you to various avenues of