Page 12 of Remain (one-of-a-kind)

As soon as I entered the diner, I spotted Oscar waving from a booth in the corner.

“Where are Lorena and the kids?” I asked, sliding in across from him.

“On their way to serious injury and possible death if you ask me.”

“You’re going to have to explain that.”

“They went to a trampoline park in Plymouth this morning, along with the nanny,” Oscar said.

“Leo saw a billboard last week, and he’s been pestering us to go.

And Lorena, brave mother that she is, finally agreed.

She says that it’ll help get their energy out.

They’ll meet us at the site in an hour or two. ”

“Great,” I said.

“If you say so. Have you ever seen one of those places?” When I shook my head, he went on. “It’s basically a building the size of an airplane hangar, and it’s filled with a jillion trampolines lined up next to each other, where kids can go nuts.”

“That sounds fun,” I said.

“It would be if the kids were supercoordinated, but mine aren’t.

Well, maybe Leo is, but the twins? They can fall over walking to the bathroom.

I’m expecting Lorena to call from the emergency room any minute now.

” When I laughed, he leaned in. “Hey, did you happen to notice what those two guys over there are wearing?” He nodded at a booth to the left of us.

I turned and spotted a couple young men sporting jerseys that Oscar’s company—or former company, since he’d cashed out—had designed.

“Feels good to see people wearing your stuff, huh?”

“It does, but it’s still kind of hard to believe, you know?

” he said. “Growing up, I knew nothing about fashion. I swear I only ever wore my brothers’ hand-me-downs.

But now I see guys wearing my gear wherever I go, I live in a mansion in a fancy suburb of Boston, and I’ve commissioned you to build us a summer house.

Had someone told me when I was young how my life was going to turn out, I never would have believed it. ”

“You were always the smartest guy in the room,” I said. “You wouldn’t have received a full ride to Exeter and NYU if you weren’t. Weren’t you voted Most Likely to Succeed our senior year?”

“That’s just because of my side hustle running midnight poker tournaments. It’s a good thing the headmaster never found out.”

I agreed with a snort. “By the way, thanks for the basket of goodies.”

“Lorena’s idea,” he said, “but you’re welcome.”

He scanned the area, catching the eye of a waitress taking orders at a nearby table.

“Don’t even bother looking,” he said, tapping the large plastic menus on the table. “This place is famous for its lobster Benedict and smoked bacon.”

“If I eat at all, I usually stick to a little toast with peanut butter and honey for breakfast.”

“Boring.”

“Maybe, but the sun is shining and the weather’s perfect, so I think I can forgo the breakfast of champions.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Someone’s in a good mood this morning.”

My mind conjured up images of the woman I’d met earlier and I couldn’t suppress a smile. “Yeah…I think I am.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “And the place I rented for you is okay?”

I nodded. “How’d you even find it? When I looked, there was nothing available.”

“I visited the property last year,” he answered. “I thought about trying to buy it, but it’s been tied up in litigation, and I didn’t want to wait. It would have been nice, though. It’s almost twenty acres with ocean frontage.”

“Expensive.”

“Everything is expensive on the Cape these days. And, not that you asked, but I had to pull some serious strings to even allow you to stay there. Luckily the trustee who was appointed to manage the property sits on a local conservation board with me.”

“Aldrich?”

“That’s the one. I still think you would have been better off in Chatham, closer to where we’re staying. Too much isolation isn’t good for you.”

“I’m doing all right,” I assured him.

His eyes held mine as he debated whether to believe me, but he finally let it pass. “Well, if you get lonely out there, remember that we’re only a car ride away.”

“I will,” I said, images of…her arising again. “In fact,” I added, trying to sound casual, “you’ll probably be happy to know I met someone this morning.”

Oscar lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

“By someone, I assume you mean a woman?”

“I guess she’s staying at the house, too.”

“Really?” he asked. “I thought I rented the whole place.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

He gave a knowing grin. “Let me guess. She’s beautiful, right? Like every other woman you’ve ever dated? And as soon as she heard your last name or saw your black American Express card, she was really into you, right?”

“This was different,” I said. “And yeah, she is pretty, but we just talked.”

“And by talking, you mean…”

“Words and sentences,” I answered.

“Wow,” he said, pursing his lips. “What’s her name?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?”

“It didn’t come up.”

“Where’s she from? Is she here in town for the festival?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“Then what the hell did the two of you talk about?”

“Just…stuff,” I said, not wanting to get into it.

“Well, good for you,” he said, when he realized I’d say nothing more. “I thought I noticed an extra bounce in your step this morning.”

“I was walking normally.”

He shrugged. “If you say so.”

· · ·

After watching Oscar polish off the lobster Benedict and a side of bacon while I nibbled on my toast, I followed him out, noting that the overcast sky had mostly cleared, leaving only patches of white floating in a cerulean sky.

He’d parked in the opposite direction, so after agreeing to meet him at the site, I retraced my route back to my car.

As I took in the amiable surroundings, I found myself marveling at the way the morning had turned out. If not for the encounter with the woman, I probably would have watched Sylvia’s video over and over, my mood growing blacker with every viewing.

And yet, I hadn’t. Even more surprising, I didn’t feel compelled to watch it again. Somehow, it had slipped from my mind to the point that I had failed even to mention it to Oscar. In fact, I hadn’t really thought about it since I’d shown it to…

Who was she? And how had I neglected to get her name?

I felt sure that I’d never met anyone quite like her before.

Those luminous eyes projected an ageless wisdom, as if the nature of my grief were already intimately familiar to her.

As if she already knew how I felt, even before I found the words to describe it.

And yet never once did I feel judged. Only with Sylvia could I ever recall feeling that someone was so unquestioningly on my side, and it was startling to experience that with someone I’d just met.

Then again, it was possible that I’d simply projected what I wanted to see. I wasn’t exactly the picture of equanimity and clear-sightedness these days. But I couldn’t deny there was something beguiling about her and that I was very much looking forward to seeing her again.

· · ·

At the site, I began to walk Oscar through the information and images I’d put together the night before, expecting I’d have to go over all of it a second time with Lorena.

Luckily, she arrived only a few minutes later, and the three of us huddled in front of my laptop while the kids played on the swings and the slide.

If trampolining all morning was supposed to have worn them out, it obviously hadn’t.

I asked questions, listening to the two of them answer and sometimes disagree.

In some ways, being an architect was a bit like being a marriage counselor, and I’d learned to tread carefully.

I nodded, asked further questions, and suggested compromises.

Through it all, I took pages of notes and set aside various attachments.

By the two-hour mark, I sensed them growing fatigued and suggested we call it a day.

I combined the visuals that had caught their interest into a single folder and promised to email it to them as soon as I was back at the house.

I recommended that they review them and start winnowing down the options, and I reminded them that it would be up to all of us to keep the project moving forward in a timely manner.

When I returned to the house I found Reece outside, working on a pipe near the broken fountain.

I didn’t see any other cars parked in front, but as I unlocked the front door, I felt a hopeful twinge of anticipation that I’d see the woman I’d met earlier.

A quick circuit through the downstairs made it clear she wasn’t around.

Disappointed, I pulled out the computer and notebook from my backpack and took a seat at the dining room table.

While I could have worked at the desk in my room, it was equally quiet downstairs, and I spent the next hour transcribing my handwritten notes.

I was halfway through when I heard a knock at the door.

On the porch were Louise and Reece. I stepped aside to let them in.

“I called Mr. Aldrich after our conversation this morning,” Louise said, “and he confirmed that he hasn’t spoken with anyone else about the possibility of staying here.”

Her words were baffling considering what had happened. “So it’s just me?”

She nodded. “Just to be sure, I went upstairs to check the other rooms while you were out. There’s no evidence that anyone is staying, or even spent time, in any of those rooms. The doors are locked, the furniture is still covered, and the beds aren’t even made up.”

“Then what was that woman doing here this morning?” I asked, bewildered.