Moonstone (12 page)

Kelsey watched Barb greet Denise in the entryway. Barb giggled when Denise admitted how much she’d missed her all week. They hadn’t had dinner together since last Sunday. Kelsey rolled her eyes. Everyone, except maybe Barb, could see it was more than a friendship.

Denise walked into the kitchen and set down the bottle of wine she’d brought. She knew where the bottle opener and glasses were kept and went to find these. Barb watched her pour the wine, smiling all the while. Whatever was going on, at least they were happy. Kelsey sighed. She wanted a date that promised at least that.

“Thank you for the doughnuts last week,” Denise said. “And the coffee. Wine?”

Kelsey shook her head. “Unfortunately I think I blew my chances for a sales contract.”

“The lunch meeting didn’t go well?”

“To say the least,” Kelsey said. She didn’t want to admit to Denise that she’d forgotten half of her spiel because she lost track of her thoughts every time Joy looked right at her.

Denise clinked her glass against Barb’s. “You know, it probably went fine. Joy’s a tough one if you’re trying to guess what she’s thinking.”

“Tell me about it,” Kelsey said. There was a lot more that she could add.

“I always knew what her father was thinking but…not so much with Joy. She keeps things even closer to her chest. But she knows we need computerized records. Give her time. She’ll want to work the numbers. She’ll figure out how much it’s worth to upgrade to Alpine based on how much more she can get in the long run when she sells the practice.”

“You think she’s already planning on selling?” Barb asked.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Denise said. “She’s a big-city girl. She doesn’t want to be in Raceda and there’s nothing holding her here other than Moonstone. She won’t stay here long.”

Denise continued, “Sam had cut back our hours there toward the end and hadn’t accepted a new patient in years. Looking back, I’m certain he was hiding how poorly he felt. Long story short, our numbers for the last year don’t look good. Joy knows that. She has to build up the clientele and keep longer hours—she’s already seeing more patients on a daily basis than Sam did even when we were at our busiest. If she’s smart about it, once the patients are used to her, she’ll increase the fees. Within a year of that increase, the numbers will look great on paper and she’ll be ready to walk. The only question is whether or not she’s willing to stay that long.”

“That’s a shame,” Barb said. “From what you’d said about her before, she sounded like a great fit. I wonder what the old Dr. Henderson would say about her plan.”

Kelsey considered Denise’s summary. Once she’d heard that Joy Henderson was moving back to take over her father’s optometry clinic, the first thing she’d wondered was why. Why not sell right off the bat? Why come back at all? And since she’d decided to come back and try her hand running the place, she’d figured that meant Joy might intend on staying—at least for a while. But Denise’s logic made sense.

“He could have probably guessed what she’d do. But he never would have asked what she wanted. I wonder how much that plays into Joy’s decision.” Denise paused. She glanced at Kelsey. “I think you can convince her to get a new software system, but it might take some finessing. Give her the numbers and then give her some time. But don’t let her think you forgot about her.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

“Who’s hungry?” Barb asked, slicing into the pie.

Kelsey shook her head when Barb held up a plate. “I want to go for a run before dinner. Save me a slice.”

Kelsey started out on her usual loop. She cut through her neighbor’s yard and headed for her old elementary school. After a lap around the recess yard, she cut back to the main road and had a tiny glimpse of the ocean when she crossed Bellwig Street. She jogged up the entire length of the park on Washington, then a mile along the old railroad tracks, and finally cut through a lumber yard to the parking lot of Raceda Community Pool. Ackland Street was only a few blocks from the pool so she sprinted to the pool parking lot and then cooled down to a walk for the last five minutes home.

When she spotted Joy at the pool parking lot, she almost waved. Joy had a towel slung over one shoulder and a swim bag on the other. Kelsey stopped in the shade of a clump of eucalyptus trees bordering the back of the parking lot. She watched Joy climb inside an old Honda. She didn’t seem to notice her. She pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared down the road.

The cooldown walk was slower than usual. Joy Henderson had come out of nowhere and yet she was now in Kelsey’s mind constantly. Years ago, Kelsey had tried tracking her down. She’d figured out that she was working as an optometrist in San Francisco. There was a number listed online, but she never called it. She couldn’t think of what she’d say. Chances were slim that they’d have anything in common and she didn’t want to explain her life story. The first question old acquaintances always asked was about swimming. Joy was the last person she wanted to tell about her failures. But for years she’d thought of Joy and longed to see how time had changed her. Now it was too late to simply ask her out for coffee. Too late to chat about old times. Instead, she had to convince her to buy a software system. And, if Denise was right, all she could do was sit back and wait for Joy to make up her mind.

Kelsey kicked at a rock in the middle of the sidewalk and looked up in time to see it ricochet toward a shiny silver Mercedes-Benz. The rock narrowly missed the car—so new that it didn’t have plates—but the driver slowed to a stop in the middle of the street. Kelsey stared at the car. As soon as she recognized the driver, she felt her heart sink. Hannah. Kelsey waited, half expecting Hannah to get out and start yelling about the rock and half terrified that she’d get out and say nothing at all. A minute passed and Hannah only stared at her through the rearview mirror. Then she was gone. The Mercedes sped down Ackland Street and swerved around the corner.

Kelsey took her time walking the rest of the way home. She ran through all the possible things she could have said if Hannah had opened the door. Did it change things knowing that Hannah had finally checked herself into rehab after Kelsey had sent her to the hospital? Maybe she was finally trying. But Kelsey knew it was too late for any of that to matter. She walked into the kitchen and saw a huge bouquet on the counter. She didn’t need to read the card. It was a vase full of calla lilies. “When did these get here?”

“About five minutes after you left for your run,” Barb said. Barb and Denise were playing cards at the kitchen table.

“Damn it.”

Barb looked up at her. “I didn’t read the card. It’s addressed to you.”

Kelsey went over to the vase. She reached for the tiny white envelope. Her name was printed in cursive on the front. She turned the envelope over in her hands but didn’t open it.

Barb set down a trio of jacks and picked up a card. “Your move.”

Denise thumbed through her hand and then reached for a card.

Kelsey stared at the flowers. “Can we make them disappear?” She’d been ready, finally, to get past everything that had happened and now Hannah did this. It was exactly like Hannah. “Why would she do this now?”

“Hannah?”

Kelsey nodded.

“Because she hasn’t done anything to screw up your life in the past six months and she’s bored?” Barb shook her head.

And Hannah wanted her attention. Kelsey wasn’t about to give it to her. “She knows calla lilies are my favorite. I kind of hate that she managed to remember my favorite flower. She couldn’t seem to remember anything when we were together.”

“I’ll take them home,” Denise volunteered. “I don’t know Hannah but she has good taste in flowers.”

Barb set her cards down and went to the sink to get a glass of water. She eyed Kelsey but didn’t say anything. Finally she walked over and wrapped her arm around Kelsey’s shoulders. “Hannah has good taste in a lot of things. Unfortunately, no one ever taught her that some beautiful things can’t be bought.”

“Enjoy the flowers, Denise,” Kelsey said. She patted her mom’s hand and walked out of the kitchen. It wasn’t Hannah she wanted to think of now. She went to her room and stretched out across the bed. When she closed her eyes, she didn’t see Hannah. She saw Joy.

* * *

The stab of pain didn’t lessen on the second step and Kelsey hopped over to the bench on one foot. She sank down and gently touched her throbbing heel. Something sharp jabbed her finger.

Joy walked in to the locker room. “Busy afternoon, huh?”

Kelsey managed a nod.

“I locked up after Andrew clocked out. I think he has a date tonight. He made a beeline for the door.”

“Tamara Randolph. He told me she’s a good kisser,” Kelsey said.

Joy scrunched up her face. “I didn’t need to know that.”

“That’s what I told Andrew.”

“You left your flip-flops up front.” Joy set Kelsey’s flip-flops down on the floor in front of the bench and then went over to the corner by the locker she always used.

Kelsey felt the sore spot again and grimaced. She knew she needed to pull out whatever the sharp thing was, but she felt sick thinking of the possible damage.

Joy swung her bag down on the floor and then glanced over at Kelsey. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine. I stepped on something. And I’m being a wuss.”

“Glass from that bottle?”

“Maybe.” Kelsey hadn’t wanted to think about the glass. Someone had dropped a full bottle of soda in the locker room earlier that day and glass shards had gone everywhere. The place had been mopped three times since.

“Want me to take a look?”

Kelsey shook her head. “It’s no big deal. I just need to get whatever it is out of my foot.” She tried to have another look, but a wave of nausea made her stop. “I hate wearing shoes.”

“You wear flip-flops. I don’t think they even count as shoes.”

Kelsey finally spotted the glass. It was wedged deep into her flesh. “Okay. I might need help after all.”

Joy had walked over to the bench already. She took one look at Kelsey and then eyed her foot. Kelsey had the sore heel propped up on her other knee. Before she could argue, Joy reached down and yanked the glass out. The blood started immediately. It started as a bright red bead and then turned to two thick red lines heading in opposite directions. Kelsey closed her eyes. The fans in the locker room had gone quiet. She felt Joy’s arms catch her. She knew she had slipped off the bench but couldn’t seem to right herself. When she opened her eyes, she was on the floor with Joy’s arms still around her. She didn’t dare glance at her heel.

Minutes passed. Joy held a balled up sock against Kelsey’s foot to slow the bleeding. The pressure hurt, but Kelsey only stared at Joy’s hands. Finally she said, “I don’t like blood.”

Joy met her gaze. “It’s only a little blood. You’ll be fine.”

“My mom wants me to be a doctor. Funny, huh?”

Joy cracked a smile. “Maybe you should consider a fallback career. Maybe something not so tough. Olympic swimmer?”

Kelsey laughed. “Who knew you had a sense of humor?” She added, “You’ve probably been cracking jokes about the rest of us all this time and only pretending to be serious.”

Joy didn’t answer. She shifted Kelsey’s body so she was propped up against the lockers. A moment later, Kelsey felt Joy binding a towel around her foot. It was tight and uncomfortable, but she didn’t complain. She didn’t risk looking at Joy’s bandage either. Maybe it needed to be tight because she was about to bleed out through her heel.

“Do I need an ambulance?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Maybe,” Kelsey said.

“You have a half-inch cut on your heel. You’re gonna be fine,” Joy said.

“That piece of glass looked huge.”

“It was in there pretty deep.” Joy stood up. “I’ll go get the first-aid pack and then clean the wound. I think you’ll only need a couple butterfly bandages to close the gap—”

“Gap?”

Joy shook her head and continued, “And then a bandage over that so you don’t look at it and faint. All you have to do now is relax. And don’t move.”

“Move? You’re funny.” Kelsey paused. She stared at the bright red flip-flops Joy had left by the bench and then closed her eyes again. “I promise I’ll wear my flip-flops next time.”

Joy didn’t say anything in response and when Kelsey looked for her, she realized she’d already left the locker room. Of all the luck, she thought. They’d worked every day together for the past three months. Summer was nearly over and not once had Kelsey managed to do what she kept promising herself she’d do. She wanted to ask Joy out. Now Joy probably thought she was a complete wimp. What lifeguard fainted at the sight of blood?

“You still with me?” Joy asked. She touched Kelsey’s forehead lightly.

Kelsey felt a tremor race up her spine with the touch. She opened her eyes. Joy had returned with the first-aid pack and was kneeling by the bench.

“I feel terrible so I must still be alive.”

“Good.” Joy opened the first-aid kit and fished out a few items. “It’s only a little bit of blood…Once I was at my dad’s work and I saw this guy with blood coming out of his eye. He walked right in off the street screaming for help. Someone had smashed a beer bottle on his face. The clinic was closed but Dad was working late and he’d forgotten to lock the front door. It was disgusting. Blood everywhere.”

“You know that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Joy grinned. “Really? Blood squirting out of eyeballs doesn’t make you feel better?”

Kelsey had to smile then. She closed her eyes when Joy reached for a container of disinfectant. She didn’t want to watch. “I feel like an idiot.”

“It’s nice to know even Kelsey West isn’t cool all the time.”

“Me? Are you kidding?” Kelsey shook her head. “I’m always cool,” she said, her voice full of sarcasm. “Too Cool Kelsey West.”

“Not tonight…” Joy paused and searched the first-aid bin until she found a pack of gauze. “Okay, I’m going to unwrap the towel now so don’t look—otherwise Too Cool Kelsey West might faint. Again.”

Kelsey sighed. “I won’t look.”

She felt Joy’s hands on her leg, then felt the throbbing lessen as the towel was loosened. She nearly cried out when Joy started to clean the wound. She squeezed her hands into tight fists and gritted her teeth.