An Unfinished Story(97)

It wasn’t even nine yet, but it was bright, warm, and humid outside. Almost every table was taken. Claire and Oliver occupied a two-top out back near the herb garden.

Claire watched him tear apart his blueberry buttermilk waffles like a shark on flesh. “I’d ask if Jacky was feeding you, but I know she is. She’s a great cook.” Claire and Whitaker had eaten with the family two nights before, enjoying a delicious tuna casserole.

“I’m a growing boy,” Oliver said between bouts of shoveling. He wore his Yankees hat, and Claire wondered if he’d even been sleeping in it.

“Yes you are.” She sipped her green smoothie, tasting the wheatgrass she’d asked them to add.

“Best breakfast ever.” He licked his lips and chased his bite down with a big gulp of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

His happiness made her smile. “After breakfast, I’ll introduce you to Chef. He’s who holds this place together. It’s fun to see the kitchen at work.”

“Hold on, the guy who cooks? His name’s Chef?”

“No, his name’s Jackson, but in restaurants you call the chef Chef. Just like you’d call the captain of a ship Captain.”

“Weird.” Back to his waffles.

Claire watched him go, still trying to understand him. Would he have been the same boy if she and David had adopted him? Would he still play baseball? Would he be happier? Would he have more opportunities? Not that he’d been deprived where he was now. Perhaps he’d have different opportunities.

After another sip of her smoothie, she set down her glass. “Have you ever been to summer camp?”

He set down his fork. “Yeah, to Boyd Hill. But last year was my last year. I’m too old now.”

“I didn’t know they did a summer camp. Tell me about it.” Boyd Hill Nature Preserve backed up to Lake Maggiore in the Southside of St. Pete and was home to an abundance of wildlife—and supposedly even the most experienced birder’s dream.

“It’s really cool, actually. Last year we learned about survival.”

“What do you mean?”

Oliver picked a blueberry skin from his teeth. “You know, like which plants you can eat . . . or use for medicine. How to build shelters. First aid.”

“How cool. I never learned that stuff. Have you seen any alligators out there?”

“Tons. Huge ones. And we get to hold owls and snakes—”

Claire dropped back in her chair. “Oh, count me out.”

As he told her more about his summers, she realized Jacky and the other adults involved with his life worked hard to give him the same experience any child should be entitled to, and that made Claire happy. They talked about his favorite subjects in school and his closest friends. She could tell he was learning to trust her and discovered he only held back or returned to his shorter answers when they spoke of the past.

She stirred her smoothie and tried to put herself in his skin. When she’d been his age, she was chasing boys. “Can I ask you something kind of personal?” After a nod of approval, she asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Oliver shook his head. “Nah, not right now. One dumped me a few weeks ago.”

“Oh, Oliver. I’m so sorry.”

Oliver pumped his shoulders. “Yeah.”

“Well, I’m always here if you want to talk about it.”

He thanked her and looked down at his empty plate.

Had she crossed a line? Or was he just sad about the breakup? “I have a feeling you’re one of the cool kids. Girls always like baseball players. I sure did when I was fourteen.”

Oliver looked back up. “I wouldn’t say that I’m one of the cool kids.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “No, definitely not.”

“There will be other girls. Better girls.” Claire noticed a table with empty water glasses but didn’t want to disrupt her conversation with Oliver, so she tried to ignore it. “Growing up is so tough. I wish I could say being an adult is easier, but I haven’t found it to be that way.”

Oliver set his hands on his lap. “Is Whitaker your boyfriend?”

Claire’s face tightened for a moment, and she looked around the crowded restaurant, almost as if other diners were listening in. No one was paying attention to them.

“Yes, he is.” Claire felt lighter to have admitted it. “Does that make you angry with me? Because of David, I mean.”

Oliver quickly shook his head. “No way. That was a long time ago.”

Claire nodded, looking at the water glasses again. Where was their server? “Yeah, I know. Believe me, it wasn’t easy. I’ve wrestled with the idea of dating again ever since I met Whitaker. But in the end I know David would want me to move on. And I think he would have liked Whitaker.”

“Yeah, Whitaker’s awesome.”

Realizing she could concentrate better outside of her restaurant, Claire started to stand. “Well, why don’t we go meet the chef and then take a walk along the beach? When’s the last time you did that?”

“I guess last summer. Jacky took all of us.”

“Have you ever found any sharks’ teeth?”

He shook his head.

“Let’s go see what we can find.”

After enlisting a server to fill the water glasses and introducing Oliver to everyone in the kitchen, Claire led Oliver along the sidewalk and over the dunes. They left their shoes by a bench and strolled along the water. Patches of buttery cumulus clouds thickened up the sky. A long way out over the Gulf, a series of darker nimbus clouds promised a coming rain shower. The rainy season was officially underway. Their conversation came easily, and she was grateful to Whitaker for giving them this time together.