Lost Along the Way(59)

“God, it’s really beautiful out here. Do you come down here a lot, Meg?” Cara asked.

“I do, actually. It’s tranquil. I come here when I need time to think,” Meg said, meaning she came here daily, even when it was cold or raining. She found there was something therapeutic about having the beach all to herself in bad weather.

“Why do you need to come here for that? You live alone. You can think all day at your house, can’t you?” Jane asked, blunt as ever.

“I think she likes the change of scene and the sound of the waves and the fresh air. What’s the point of being out here if you can’t enjoy it?” Cara countered.

“Exactly,” Meg said. “I can’t smell the ocean from the house.”

They continued to stroll down the beach, the bluffs and the dunes punctuating the vast sky and the sounds of seagulls and crashing waves the only discernible noises for miles. As they walked, Meg caught sight of a man sitting on the sand a hundred yards in front of them reading a newspaper. His baseball hat was pulled low over his eyes, but the large Labrador retriever lying quietly next to him was a sure sign that it was Nick, her only friend in Montauk. She waved as she approached and veered over to where he was sitting.

“Good morning!” Meg said. “How are you?”

“Hey!” he said. He folded his newspaper and tucked it under his backpack. “I thought that was you, but I wasn’t sure. You don’t usually come down here with an entourage.” He stood and brushed his hands against his jeans, causing grains of sand to scatter in every direction. He hugged Meg and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

“These are old friends of mine,” Meg said. “This is Cara and Jane. We grew up together. They came out here yesterday to spend a few days with me. I figured I’d show them why fall is the best time of year out here.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Nick,” he said. He shook both their hands, and Jane bent over to pet his dog behind the ears. “You guys grew up together, huh? That’s great. I don’t know too many people who are still tight with their childhood friends. It’s really cool, actually.”

Meg smiled, because sometimes it was better to just smile and play along than to tell the actual truth.

“We like to think so,” Jane said. She left the dog alone and slyly wiped drool off her hand.

“Do you live out here all year?” Cara asked.

“I do. I’m a Realtor. I have listings mostly in Montauk, but a few in Amagansett also. It’s been slow for a while, obviously, but things are picking back up a bit, which is great. My buddy Sebastian and I were getting bored out here with no buyers poking around. Hopefully the market has turned for the long term. Fingers crossed,” he said, Sebastian wagging his tail at the mention of his name.

“I’m a Realtor, too,” Cara said. “I feel the exact same way. I really love selling a family a new home. It’s like I’m able to play a small part in creating a lot of happy memories for them. It’s a sappy way of looking at it, I guess.”

“I don’t think it’s sappy at all. Except for when I have spoiled clients who have no grip on reality or what their money can buy them. I’d like to drown those people. Fortunately, I haven’t had to deal with too many of them as of late. What do you do, Jane?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m a housewife, I guess,” Jane said. It occurred to Meg that no one had probably asked Jane that in forever, and she seemed caught off guard by the question.

“Well, it’s nice to meet both of you. Any friend of Meg’s is a friend of mine. This girl makes a mean muffin. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time out here.”

Suddenly Meg had an idea. This was perfect. She’d been anxious all morning about how the three of them were going to stay at her house for another night without fighting again. Meg didn’t want to spend the night screaming at them, or worse, throwing them out of her house a second time. Nick would keep them all on their best behavior, give them neutral territory to talk about, and force them to stay away from painful topics that would erupt into an argument. “Nick, are you busy later?” she asked.

“No, not really. I was going to maybe do some surfing this afternoon, and then head over to the Dock for dinner. I’m a sucker for the clams there.”

“Why don’t you join us for dinner at my place?”

“Really?” Nick asked.

“Really?” Cara and Jane answered simultaneously.

“Why not?” Meg said. “I was going to go down to the fish market and get something for dinner, and Jane bought some wine . . .”

“Actually, we drank all of it last night.”

“And we’re going to buy some more wine,” Meg corrected herself.

“Sounds good to me,” Jane said with a shrug.

“It won’t be anything fancy, and you’re more than welcome to bring Sebastian, of course. What do you say? We’d like the company.”

“Are you sure I won’t be intruding?” Nick asked, though Meg could tell he’d love to join them.

“Absolutely not,” Cara said. “It’d be nice to get to know you better. Besides, like you said, any friend of Meg’s is a friend of ours.”

“Great! We’ll be there. I’ll bring some wine, too, Jane. So don’t buy too much.”