“Haven’t you done enough?” Louisa asked.
Ally’s perfectly shaped eyebrows knit together in a straight line as if she was genuinely confused by Louisa’s reaction.
Maggie hadn’t moved. “Are you going to explain?”
Louisa felt like a caged animal with both of them blocking the doorway. “What is there to say? I should’ve worn a life vest. I didn’t. I won’t do it again.”
“You’re leaving out important details,” Maggie said.
“Like this.” Alyssa grabbed the sheet of paper and held it up facing Louisa. “Lou, this is Cody Boggs. I’ve heard you talk about him enough—I know his name.”
Louisa didn’t talk about Cody that much. And never to Maggie. Her eyes fell to the page where Cody’s profile jumped out at her. Man, he was a beautiful human being.
“That is the guy,” Maggie said. “You should’ve told me he was back and that he was the one who saved you from your own stupidity this morning.”
“Have you ever thought about a career in motivational speaking?” Louisa asked dryly.
Maggie didn’t flinch.
Louisa turned away, unfolded and refolded a kitchen towel. “I doubt he even remembers the pact. I hardly remember.” What a liar. After all, thoughts of the pact had flittered through her mind as she’d made her near-death bucket list while flopping around in the water that morning.
Also on that list was I wish I’d said I was sorry. I wish I’d mailed the letters. Was this God’s way of getting her attention? She considered pointing out to God he could’ve been a bit less terrifying in his approach.
“But what if he does remember?” Ally asked. “Do you think it’s just coincidence that he showed up here now? Do you think it’s a coincidence that he was your knight in a shining scuba suit?”
Louisa didn’t bother correcting her. Cody hadn’t been wearing a scuba suit. He’d been wearing an orange Coast Guard uniform, and while she couldn’t be sure, she thought he might’ve had a bright-white halo hovering over his head.
“Were you ever going to tell me Cody was back on the island?” Maggie asked.
There was only one place for Louisa to go—out. She turned toward the back door and pushed it open, walking onto the porch, which had a great view of Brant Point, the very place where Cody was stationed—at least, she assumed he was stationed there.
Dare she say she hoped he was stationed there?
If he had to look at Brant Point lighthouse every day, there was no way he could not think about that pact they’d made when they were kids. They’d talked about it every year on their shared birthday, after all.
What if the accident really had been God’s way of reminding her of what she wanted—a chance to make things right? What if this was her chance to say she was sorry and unload the years of guilt she’d been carrying?
It still angered her that one childish mistake had ruined so many relationships and maybe even so many lives.
She didn’t know about that last part because she’d lost touch with the Boggs family, and it was too painful to go hunting them down. She was certain her mother still hadn’t forgiven her, which meant Marissa Boggs hadn’t forgiven her, which meant Cody also hadn’t forgiven her.
“Did you know he was stationed here?” she asked Maggie without looking at her.
“Honey, I know we don’t talk about Cody Boggs, but that boy doesn’t keep in touch with me,” Maggie said. “I’m guessing Nantucket is a part of his life he’d just as soon forget.”
“Then what’s he doing back here?”
“Seems like maybe he was sent back just in time,” Ally chimed in. “Another Coastie might not have spotted you out there.” Ally was doing everything she could not to sound pragmatic at the moment, and Louisa didn’t appreciate it. She counted on her friend to keep her head out of the clouds.
Louisa shook her head. “If he’d known it was me, he probably would’ve left me to drown.”
“Lou, you can’t change the past,” Maggie said. “All’s you can do is learn from your mistakes and move on.”
“I know,” she said. “That’s what I’ve done.”
“That’s what you think you’ve done,” Maggie said.
“But you still have pictures of him in your desk drawer,” Ally said.
“Lots of people keep old photos,” Louisa protested, but even she knew the truth. She cracked her knuckles—she did that sometimes when she was nervous. “I just want to make it right.”
Where had that come from? She didn’t want to make anything right. She wanted to make it all go away.
“Maybe this one is best left alone,” Maggie said.
“Why?” Louisa asked, not really wanting an answer.
“You don’t like for anyone to be upset with you. You’re a people pleaser. But Cody lost someone very important to him. You’re going to have to let him feel however he feels—about you and about the past.”
“Or maybe you could wear him down with your charm,” Alyssa offered.
“What charm?” Maggie gave a laugh.
Louisa didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to admit that Maggie was right—that she absolutely could not stand it when anyone was upset with her. That she would fall all over herself to make sure nobody had a negative thing to say about her, or that Cody had a right to be angry.
“It’s been a long time,” Louisa said. “Maybe he’s moved on.”
“I’m sure he has,” Maggie said, and Louisa felt a little stung at the thought. “But that doesn’t mean he wants to be your friend.”
“Ouch, Mags,” Ally said.
“She’s right,” Louisa said. “But maybe I can win him over?”
“Let it be.” Maggie was obviously not interested in keeping her opinion to herself.
“What about your birthday?” Louisa asked.
“What about it?” Maggie’s brow furrowed.
“You deserve to have everyone back together.”
“Why, because I’m a sick, dying old woman?”
“Don’t say that,” Louisa said.
“Don’t tell the truth?” Maggie scoffed. “You know it and I know it. Otherwise we wouldn’t be talking about a big birthday party that’s more like a see-ya-on-the-other-side party.”
Ally looked confused. “I thought it was a big birthday because you’re a new decade or something?”
“Oh yeah?” Maggie looked at Alyssa. “What decade did you think it was?”
Ally glanced at Louisa, who only shrugged. Truth was, she had no idea how old Maggie was. The woman had more energy than most people Louisa’s age, but her hair was gray and there were deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. It was impossible to zero in on a number.
“Don’t answer that,” Maggie said.
Without Louisa’s permission, an idea took hold, and as was usually the case, she knew it wasn’t going to leave her alone—not until she saw it through.
“Maggie, what if I invite my parents and Cody’s family to your party? When they see each other, they’ll realize how stupid they’ve been, and things will go back to the way they were.”