Dreamology(37)

“Do-it A-lice,” he singsongs nervously while eyeing the ticket taker, and for some ridiculous reason I obey.

“Oliver!” The ticket taker gives him a big hug when it’s our turn. “We miss you around here. Are you coming back next summer? You were such a hit with the guests.”

“How could I not, Sam?” Oliver says. “Best job I’ve ever had.”

Sam raises an eyebrow. “Pretty sure it’s the only job you’ve ever had, but I’ll take the compliment. Unfortunately, what I cannot take is this guy.” He points at Jerry, who is gently sniffing the back of a woman’s calf in front of us in line, like she is an expensive piece of cheese. “You know the rules, no dogs unless they are a service dog.”

Oliver gives an overexaggerated sigh. “Sam, what do you think, I just forgot everything I learned last summer? Jerry is an emotional support animal. He belongs to my friend Alice. She even has a letter from her therapist—don’t you, Alice?”

Suddenly I understand the envelope. And I want to murder him.

Sam takes the letter from me and scrutinizes it, then glances sidelong at Oliver. “He doesn’t seem like much support,” he says.

We look over and see that a fat brown duck has swum up to the dock and Jerry is leaning toward it, right out over the water, emitting a low growl. The leash is the only thing keeping him upright.

“He’s both an emotional support animal and a security dog,” Oliver says quickly.

Sam sighs.

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, very aware of the fact that Oliver has put his arm around the back of my chair, as Jerry lies down below our seat with a grunt. “And wrong, on so many levels.”

“But isn’t it fun?” Oliver winks, and stretches out his legs in front of us. He belongs on a beach in Malibu, not a boat with a giant fake swan on it. I can’t help but consider all the hearts he would break if he weren’t always acting like the Energizer Bunny. “Did you know swans mate for life?” he asks, wiggling his brows.

I roll my eyes.

“So, where were you on Wednesday?” Oliver asks. “I looked for you after Terrarium Club, but Jeremiah said you ran off. I thought we were going to that old record store in Harvard Square I told you about.”

I lean forward and place my forehead in my hand. “I completely forgot,” I say. “I’m sorry, Oliver.”

“I’ll be fine.” Oliver waves a hand dismissively. “It’s Sally who is heartbroken.”

“Sally?” I ask, wracking my brain. I don’t remember meeting anyone at school with that name.

“Sally the Segway. Don’t tell her I told you, but she sort of had a crush on Frank . . . I think she just felt jilted is all. They lock up together one time at a bike rack and he never calls her again? Real classy, Frank.”

I can’t help but snort in response. We’ve just made our way under the small pedestrian bridge that crosses the pond, and a little girl in a green wool coat waves to us. We wave back.

“Seriously, where did you go?” he asks then, and I feel a pang when I see how earnestly he is looking at me.

I take a deep breath. “It’s kind of weird,” I say. “I’m not sure what you’ll think.” I can’t believe I’m even considering doing this. Telling him everything. But Oliver always makes me feel safe. And I can tell right now he’s a little hurt.

Oliver shakes his head. “Alice, since the day I met you, you’ve been nothing but weird. News flash, I like it. Tell me what’s going on and maybe I can help.”

“Okay, so . . .” I lean in closely, unsure. “It seems that Bennett isn’t the first time I’ve ever met Max Wolfe.”

Oliver’s eyes go dark. “Well, when then?” His jaw twitches slightly. We’ve now reached the end of the pond and are curving around, heading back again. For the first time I notice the weeping willows dotting the shoreline, and they seem familiar, but I can’t tell if it’s from an actual childhood memory or a dream I had as a child.

I take a deep breath. Can I trust him?

“In my dreams,” I say, ripping off the Band-Aid.

Oliver’s face falls, and he removes his arm. “I know you like him, Alice, but don’t you think it’s a bit cruel to go on a swan boat ride with another suitor, only to tell him that someone else is the man of your dreams?”

Suitor. I choose to ignore the word. “No, you don’t get it.” I laugh and put a hand on his knee, then pull it away quickly when I see his eyes zero in on it. “Max and I actually dream about each other. We have been dreaming about each other since we were kids. But the thing is, we’ve never met before. In . . . reality.” I go on to tell him everything, the full history, seeing Max for the first time at school, and how difficult it’s been. “Okay, now is the part where you ask Sam to make an emergency stop so you can run for the hills.”

Oliver’s expression hasn’t changed. He’s still looking at me, but I can tell his mind is working eighty miles per hour.

“You and Max,” he says.

“Me and Max.”

“In your subconscious?” he asks.

“. . . Yes?” I respond.

“You’re right, that is totally insane,” he replies.

“I know!” I want to bury my face in my hands. I know exactly how it sounds. Too bad it’s true.