He’d been so stupid.
Maggie prattled on about who knows what and Cody choked down what ended up being the best lobster roll he’d ever eaten, not that he could enjoy it. Halfway through the meal, he realized the three women were staring at him, and once again he’d missed whatever question had been tossed his way.
“Jackson Wirth?” Maggie swallowed a bite, still focused on him. “You really didn’t hear the story?”
Cody took his napkin from his lap and pressed it against his mouth, mostly because he needed something to do with his hands. “No, ma’am. I think I was supposed to be briefed this morning, but then—” He glanced at Louisa, whose eyes widened for a split second and then found her hands in her lap. “If it’s important, I’m sure they’ll fill me in tomorrow.”
“They brought in a new master chief, right?” Maggie asked.
The old woman knew everything that went on around the island—she always had. People told her things. She heard things. She observed things. Regardless of how she came upon her information, if there was anything happening in Nantucket, Maggie Fisher knew about it.
“Duncan McGreery,” Cody said. “He’s a good guy.”
“He’s got a big job ahead of him,” Maggie said. “Though I’m guessing your heroics today will make things a little easier.”
Cody wished women would just say what they meant. They had this way of skirting an issue, forcing a person to ask questions, like leaving a trail of bread crumbs. It was exhausting. He preferred straightforward, which was how he remembered Maggie. Maybe she was determined to entice him into a conversation, and this was her tactic.
Louisa had always been straightforward. He wondered if she still was. Did her mouth still get her in trouble? Did she still say whatever popped into her head? He glanced at her. She looked tired, drained. What was on her mind right now? Was she okay?
“I’m not sure I follow,” Cody said, aware that he wasn’t going to get the whole story if he didn’t engage.
This was how gossip worked, he supposed. He really wanted no part of the island rumor mill. He preferred to get his information from the source. But Maggie’s insider information could prove to be useful, especially since Duncan had hinted that the crew needed a morale boost but had failed to elaborate.
“Maggie’s trying to tell you that the Coast Guard got a bad reputation around here last year,” Louisa said.
“It got blown out of proportion,” Ally said.
Louisa frowned. “Not really.”
“Aaron wasn’t wrong,” Ally said.
“He shouldn’t have said what he said.” Louisa again.
Maggie set her fork down with a clang. “Ladies, let’s bicker about this later. We have a guest.”
“A very confused guest,” Cody said. He looked at his plate. His food was gone, so he picked up his iced tea and took a drink.
“Jackson Wirth and a few of the other boys were out surfing one night last fall,” Maggie said.
“In the dark,” Ally added.
“Yes, Alyssa, ‘one night’ implies that it was dark out.” The exasperated look on Maggie’s face made Cody smile inwardly. Her tone dripped with sarcasm.
Cody had to admit he still loved the old bird. Maggie’s no-nonsense approach to everything had always been refreshing.
“The boys got caught in some pretty choppy waves, something our girl here can relate to.”
Louisa rolled her eyes.
“The current carried them out pretty far, and Jackson wasn’t strong enough to swim against it.”
In a flash, Cody was eighteen again, in the water not far off the shore of Nantucket. He was lost, disoriented, destined for death—all because he’d been foolish and impulsive. He wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for his father, who appeared as the waves pulled Cody under. His dad hauled Cody toward the shore, close enough to ensure his son’s safety. But the waves were fierce, and seconds later, the current captured his dad.
His father had said not to get in. “The winds are strong tonight,” he’d said. “Stay out of the water.”
But Cody was stubborn. And angry. And he had something to prove.
He’d proven nothing except that he was a stupid kid, same as every other cocky kid who couldn’t handle the sea.
“The Coast Guard was there in a flash,” Maggie said. “They tried to save Jackson, but he couldn’t grab on to the ring, so they had to move on to the next survivor.”
Cody winced. Nobody ever wanted to have to make the decision of whom to save first, but that was protocol.
“By the time they got Jackson out, he was unconscious. They aren’t sure how long he went without oxygen.”
“He’s in a coma,” Louisa said. “Has been ever since that day.”
“Sounds like an accident,” Cody said, aware that a lot of accidents could’ve been prevented. So many accidents were the result of one foolish decision.
“The winds are strong tonight. Stay out of the water.”
“It was, but Jackson’s parents were devastated, of course. They were angry he was the last one to be pulled from the water, especially because the other boys were all stronger swimmers,” Maggie said. “They fired off a few accusatory remarks aimed at the Coast Guard.”
“And the guardsman who’d saved Jackson fired back,” Louisa said.
Cody frowned. Didn’t sound like any of the Coasties he knew. They were trained to handle themselves. They were trained to rise above the criticism doled out by grieving loved ones.
“Who was the guardsman?”
“Aaron Jessup,” Alyssa said.
“I know Jessup,” Cody said. He’d been on the boat with them that morning. Cody was a little surprised they hadn’t transferred him out of Nantucket. “What did he say?”
“All he said was it was really dumb for those kids to be out swimming at night and even dumber for them to be drinking,” Alyssa said. “He wasn’t wrong.”
“It was insensitive,” Louisa said.
“But it was true,” Alyssa said. “You don’t go swimming in the ocean in the dark when the water is that choppy. You’re just asking to get killed.”
The words hung there, and Cody tried to swat them away, but he couldn’t. They were the smack across the face he didn’t want or need. After all, the reminder of his own poor judgment was as fresh as an open wound thanks to his present company and location.
Louisa’s jaw went slack as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
Cody cleared his throat and pushed his chair away from the table. “I should go.”
“So soon?” Maggie stood.
Cody glanced at Louisa, aware that his abrupt departure would say something about himself to her. It would say, I’m not over this yet. I haven’t forgiven myself yet. I haven’t forgiven you, either. Even so, he couldn’t sit at that table for another second.
“I just came to make sure Louisa was okay,” Cody said. “But I have work to do.” He nodded at Louisa, then at Ally. “Thanks for the meal.”
Maggie shuffled behind him as he strode away, making quick work of the distance between the kitchen and the front door, as if he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Because he couldn’t.