“You have to give her away?”
“In April.”
“If it were me, I’d keep the dog and forget the Eagle Scout project.”
“It’s more about helping someone who needs it. But you’re right. It’s not going to be easy. We’ve been inseparable since I got her.”
“Except when you’re at school, you mean.”
“Even then,” he said. “I’ve already graduated, but I was homeschooled by my mom. My brothers are homeschooled, too.”
Back in Seattle, I only knew one family who homeschooled their children, and they were religious fundamentalists. I didn’t know them very well; all I knew was that the daughters had to wear long dresses all the time and the family put up a huge nativity scene in their front yard every Christmas.
“Did you like it? Being homeschooled, I mean?”
“Loved it,” he said.
I thought about the social aspect of school, which was far and away my favorite part of it. I couldn’t imagine not seeing my friends.
“Why?”
“Because I could learn at my own pace. My mom’s a teacher and since we moved around so much, my parents thought we’d get a better education that way.”
“Do you have desks in one of the spare rooms? With a chalkboard and a projector?”
“No,” he said. “We work at the kitchen table when we need a lesson. But we do a lot of studying on our own, too.”
“And that works?” I couldn’t keep the skepticism out of my voice.
“I think so,” he said. “With my brothers, I know so. They’re very smart. Scary smart, in fact. They’re twins, by the way. Robert’s into aeronautics and Richard’s into computer programming. They’ll probably start college when they’re fifteen or sixteen, but academically, they’re already prepared.”
“How old are they?”
“They’re only twelve. Before you get too impressed, they’re also immature and do stupid things and they drive me crazy. And if you meet them, they’ll drive you crazy, too. I feel I have to warn you about that in advance so you won’t think poorly of me. Or them, so you know how smart they really are, even when they don’t act like it.”
For the first time since I’d spoken to him, I couldn’t help smiling. Over his shoulder, Ocracoke was looming ever nearer. All around us, people had begun to wander back toward their cars.
“I’ll keep that in mind. And you? Are you scary smart?”
“Not like they are. But that’s one of the great things about being homeschooled. Usually you can get your work done in two or three hours, so you have time to learn about other things. They’re into the sciences, but I like photography, so I had a lot of time to practice.”
“And college?”
“I’ve already been accepted,” he said. “I start next fall.”
“You’re eighteen?”
“Seventeen,” he said. “I’ll be eighteen in July.”
I couldn’t help thinking he seemed a lot older than I was and more mature than anyone at my high school. More confident, somehow, more comfortable with the world and his role in it. How that could happen in a place like Ocracoke was beyond me.
“Where are you going to college?”
“West Point,” he said. “My dad went there, so it’s kind of a family thing. But how about you? What’s Washington like? I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”
“It is. The mountains are amazing and there’s a lot of great hiking, and Seattle is definitely fun. My friends and I see movies and hang out at the mall, things like that. My neighborhood is kind of quiet, though. A lot of older people live there.”
“There are whales in the Puget Sound, right? Humpback whales?”
“Of course.”
“Have you ever seen one?”
“Lots of times.” I shrugged. “In sixth grade, my class took a field trip on a boat and we were able to get pretty close. It was cool.”
“I’ve been hoping to see one before I leave for school. Supposedly they can be spotted off the coast here sometimes, but I’ve never been that lucky.”
Two people walked past on either side of us; I heard a car door slam behind me. The boat engine groaned and I felt the ferry begin to slow.
“I guess we’re almost there,” I observed, thinking the trip seemed shorter than usual.
“That we are,” he said. “I should probably get Daisy in the truck. And I think your aunt is looking for you.”
When he waved behind me, I turned and saw my aunt approaching. I prayed that she wouldn’t wave or make a scene, letting everyone on the ferry know that I’d met the guy she’d wanted to be my tutor.
She waved. “There you are!” she called out. I felt myself sink lower in my chair as she drew near. “I looked for you in the car but couldn’t find you,” she went on. “I see you’ve met Bryce.”
“Hi, Ms. Dawes,” Bryce said. He rose from his chair and folded it up. “Yeah, we had the chance to get to know each other a little.”
“That’s good to hear.”
In the pause, I had the sense that both of them were waiting for me to say something. “Hi, Aunt Linda.” I watched Bryce put his chair in the bed of his pickup, and I took it as my cue to stand. After folding mine, I handed it over, watching as Bryce placed it in the truck before lowering the tailgate.
“Hop up, Daisy,” he said. Daisy rose and leaped into the back of the truck.
I could feel my aunt watching him, then me, then both of us at the same time, unsure what to do, before she must have remembered her pre-nun years, when she was probably closer to normal, with regular feelings. “I’ll just wait in the car for you,” she said. “Nice visiting with you, Bryce. I’m glad we had a chance to catch up.”
“Take care,” Bryce responded. “I’m sure I’ll be in for more biscuits this week, by the way, so I’ll see you then.”
Aunt Linda eyed both of us before finally turning to leave. When she was out of hearing range, Bryce faced me again.
“I really like Linda and Gwen. Their biscuits are the best I’ve ever had, but I’m sure you already know that. I’ve been trying to get them to share their secret recipe, but no dice. My dad and grandfather grab a few every time they head to the boat.”
“The boat?”
“My grandfather’s a fisherman. When my dad isn’t consulting with the DOD, he helps out my grandfather. Repairing the boat and equipment, or actually going out on the water with him.”
“What’s DOD?”
“Department of Defense.”
“Oh,” I said, unsure what else to add. It was hard to reconcile the idea that a consultant with the DOD actually chose to live in Ocracoke. By then, however, the ferry had stopped and I heard car doors slamming and engines rumbling to life. “I guess I should be going.”
“Probably. But hey, it was great talking to you, Maggie. Usually there’s no one even close to my age on the ferry, so you made the trip that much more enjoyable.”
“Thanks,” I said, trying not to stare at his dimples. I turned away and, surprising myself, I suddenly felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment that our time together had come to an end.