Part 21 (1/2)
”Forget it. I can't even figure myself out.” Alli set the calculator aside. There was no point in trying to add up profits while Jimmy was within firing range.
Jimmy set his over-the-shoulder bag down on the counter and pulled something out of the front pocket. ”I want you to take a look at this.”
She hesitated, then took the photograph from his hand. It was of Tessa, of course, taken in her grandmother's house. Tessa was looking at something with a yearning in her eyes that surprised Alli.
”What do you see?” Jimmy asked.
”I don't know.”
”Try harder. Come on, it won't kill you.”
”A little girl lost.” She stopped abruptly. ”That was a stupid thing to say. I don't know why I said it.”
He smiled encouragingly. ”What else do you see?”
”She appears to be wanting something. But I can't see what she is looking at. When did you take this?”
”Last night.”
”Did Tessa know?”
”She was concentrating on something else.”
Alli knew he wanted her to ask what that something was, but she was afraid to ask. He was right. She didn't want to look at Tessa.
”What do you think she was looking at?” he asked.
She shrugged. ”I have no idea. It could be a million things.”
”It was a necklace-actually, it was half of a necklace.”
”Oh, G.o.d,” she breathed, staring once again at the photograph.
”The half she had said BEST.”
”And the other half said FRIENDS,” Alli finished, lost in the memory.
”This is for you,” eleven-year-old Tessa said. ”Because we're not just sisters, we're best friends. I'll wear one and you'll wear the other and no matter what else happens to us, we know we'll always have each other.”
Alli let out a breath, feeling the pain right down to the tips of her toes. ”She gave me the necklace for my birthday. It was my first birthday after our parents died. I can't believe she still has her half.”
”Do you still have yours?” Jimmy asked.
She straightened, suddenly realizing she wasn't just talking to herself. ”I don't know,” she lied. ”I haven't seen it in years.” She looked past him to the two women, who were ready to make their purchases. ”Can I help you?”
While Alli rang up their postcards, Jimmy wandered over to the window, taking a few shots through the gla.s.s at some activity on the pier. When the women left, Alli picked up the photograph once more, wondering why Tessa would be looking at a silly little necklace with so much heart in her eyes. Tessa hadn't cared about their friends.h.i.+p in years. Long before the incident with Sam, they'd been more enemies than friends.
”It doesn't make sense,” she murmured.
Jimmy returned to the counter. ”Do you want to keep that?”
”No,” she said hastily.
”I'll take it, then.”
Despite her words, Alli felt a momentary loss when he put the photograph back into his bag, as if she were losing Tessa again, which was ridiculous, because she'd lost Tessa a long time ago.
”Do you want to get some lunch?” Jimmy asked ”My a.s.sistant won't be back for another fifteen minutes.”
”I can wait.”
”You must have something better to do with your day.”
”Not really.”
”Oh, that's right, Tessa is sailing with Sam.” And the thought drove any lingering affection for Tessa right out of her heart.
Jimmy smiled. ”Bugs the h.e.l.l out of you, doesn't it?”
”No. Sam and I are getting a divorce.”
”So I hear. I can't quite figure that one out, though. You got him. Why don't you just hang on to him?”
”Because hanging on isn't enough anymore, not that it's any of your business.” She took a deep breath. ”I need to stay here, finish up some work, especially since we need to look for oysters again this afternoon. Although I heard there might be a storm coming in.”
”Tessa says we have to hike down to this oyster farm. I tell you, I didn't know your sister was such a country girl.”
”She isn't.”
”But she was.”
”I guess. Tessa liked exploring. She was convinced that smugglers had once used Tucker's Landing to sneak in their treasures. She'd lead scavenging expeditions during the summer. They never found anything, though.”
”Sounds like a fun sister.”
”Not really. I wasn't included in the adventures.”
”Then how do you know about them?”
”Because I followed, of course,” she said, hating the knowing smirk on his face. ”Like you never followed your brother.”
”Oh, I did all the time, but he wasn't nearly as interesting, too concerned with toeing the line.”
”Well, Tessa didn't break any laws, but everyone followed her anyway. She was the pied piper around here.”
”Because she was beautiful?”