Page 39 of That Last Carolina Summer

“As soon as swifts free themselves from the nest, they start flying and won’t stop for two to three years.

They mate on the wing and feed on flying insects as they swoop low over lakes and rivers to scoop mouthfuls of water before returning to the air.

I wonder what it is that makes them decide they’ve had enough of exploring the world, to realize how tired their wings are from constant movement.

To yearn for a home they barely remember. ”

Excerpt from the blog The Thing with Feathers

Phoebe

AN HOUR LATER, the doorbell rang. Addie had put waves in my hair and color on my face, transforming me into someone she wasn’t embarrassed to call her sister.

The process had reminded me of when we’d played dress-up with Mother’s clothes and makeup.

As uncomfortable as I felt, I didn’t stop her, willing to pretend, at least for a little while, that nothing had changed and we were the same girls growing up together in this old house.

“Are our guests here already?” Mother asked.

She stood from where she sat at the table nursing a cup of coffee that had long since grown cold.

Her hair was newly colored and neatly styled, and she wore a dress and jewelry that made her look like herself again.

Anyone who didn’t know her would say she was fine.

But to Addie and me, it took only one look in her eyes to see the stranger inside.

“I’ll go with you, Mimi!” Ophelia announced as she jumped down from the kitchen stool where she’d been watching my transformation with fascination mixed with boredom and had made it clear that she’d rather be fishing.

“Make sure you know who it is before you open the door,” I called after her.

Addie paused with a mascara wand held aloft. “I was about to say that,” she said.

“Then you should have.”

She jammed the wand back into the tube. “Well, maybe you should have given me a chance.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Mollified, Addie stepped back, admiring her handiwork and the pretty yellow knit top with the scooped neckline she’d let me borrow along with the short denim skirt, surprising us both that they fit. “You need jewelry. Do you have a necklace?”

I smirked. “Do you have a fishing pole?”

“Fair point.”

I thought of my bluebird necklace that Ophelia wore, and then my eyes settled on the black pearl pendant hanging from the gold chain around Addie’s slender neck, the replacement gift from our parents after she’d lost the original.

She’d been wearing it ever since she’d picked me up at the airport. “Could I borrow yours?”

She seemed startled by the request. “No,” she said, her vehemence startling us both.

“Fine. I don’t need jewelry anyway.”

“Here. Borrow these.” She reached up to her ears where delicate gold hoops dangled. “You need earrings that can show through your hair since you’re wearing it down. Just make sure you don’t lose them.”

The sound of voices came from the front foyer, and Addie’s eyes widened. “Dale’s early.”

I slid a tube of lipstick in her direction. “Put some color on,” I said, mimicking our mother.

As Addie lifted the lipstick to her mouth, I had a flash of a dream I’d had the night before.

I stood in a hospital, holding a bouquet of pink balloons.

A person wearing dark green scrubs hovered over a bed where a lone occupant lay.

It was a woman, her voice familiar. A dark-haired man stood by the side of the bed, his hands entwined with those of the patient.

I could hear his soothing voice but not the words.

My point of view peered around the balloons toward the woman in the bed.

She looked directly at me and said, “It’s a girl.

” I studied the face and recognized the signature red lipstick of my old friend, Mary-Simms.

I glanced up at the sound of the approaching voices, trying to clear the dream from my head.

Addie stood, her fingers plucking awkwardly at her white linen pants.

My sister had the confidence to walk in front of an auditorium filled with people wearing only a bikini, high heels, and a sash, so this bout of nervousness surprised me.

“Hello, Dale,” she said in greeting to the young man in the khakis and green knit polo shirt.

He was a slightly older version of the man I’d seen sporadically at various law firm picnics and family-friendly functions while I was growing up.

His curly strawberry-blond hair was thinner now, and he had the look of someone who spent a lot of time indoors judging by his pale skin and soft muscles.

He wore wire-rimmed glasses and loafers without socks, but what made him memorable was his kind smile.

He’d always made a point of speaking to me about birds and other things my adolescent self considered important, and he would bring me a second serving of dessert without me having to ask.

His good nature did nothing to endear him to Addie, who would ignore him and continue texting on her phone whenever he spoke to her.

“Addie,” he said, with the smile I recognized. Despite all the changes in my life, it was gratifying to see that Dale Prioleau hadn’t been one of them. “It’s good to see you again. I’m sorry I’m early. I anticipated more traffic on the Ravenel Bridge.”

“It’s fine,” she said as she tucked her hair behind one ear, and I noticed that she was wearing flats, something I’d never seen when there was a male involved. Even when she went to work in her cutoff jeans and T-shirt, she wore high wedged espadrilles that exaggerated her height.

Ophelia danced around the newcomer as if they were old friends. “Dale said I could pick what kind of food we get for tonight, and then we’re going for ice cream.”

“Wow. That sounds like a lot more fun than my plans. Maybe I should stay here with you.”

Dale turned to me, his light brown eyes enormous behind his glasses. “Hello, Phoebe. You’re looking well.”

“Thank you. It’s amazing what a little spackle and paint can do.”

“Nah,” he said, stepping forward to kiss my cheek in greeting. “It’s your natural beauty shining through. Are you still into birds?”

I was touched that he remembered, but before I could respond, my sister intervened.

“She is,” Addie said, drawing his attention back to her, and for a moment, it occurred to me that my sister might be feeling jealous—a thought too surreal to unpack. “Ophelia, could you please bring me your iPad? We can go online and look for our dinner options. If that’s all right with you, Dale?”

She smiled at him, and his cheeks pinkened, his old infatuation resurrecting itself. Or maybe it had never gone away. And the reason for the flats became clear when I noticed that they were the same height.

Dale’s response was drowned out by my mother shouting from the foyer.

Addie and I exchanged guilty looks, both having assumed that she was in the kitchen with Ophelia.

We hurried to the front door in time to see Liam escorting her back inside, while she continued to protest, insisting that she needed to greet her guests.

“She was in the middle of the street,” Liam said without judgment. “Let’s add that to the list of things to discuss at her next appointment.”

“Come on, Mother,” Addie said, taking her hand. “Let me get you something to drink.”

“She probably shouldn’t be drinking,” I said. “Because of her meds.”

Addie sent me a dismissive look. “I know how to take care of her. I’ve been doing it without you for a while now.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Liam squeezed my arm, stopping me and leaving me feeling as if I were twelve years old again and vying for our mother’s goodwill.

I introduced Dale and Liam, who, it turned out, had several acquaintances in common. Not completely unexpected since Mount Pleasant and the entire Charleston metro area was really just a small town disguised as a city.

“We should go,” I said, eager to leave and get the evening over with.

I was happy to spend time with Mary-Simms again, even though it meant being in close proximity to Liam Fitch for an extended period of time.

I was glad he’d offered to drive because I would be drinking enough tonight to erase the dark dream his presence seemed to have triggered.

It pressed against the periphery of my consciousness with growing urgency.

As I said goodbye to my mother, she pointed at my mouth.

“Do I need some color?” I opened the small purse I’d borrowed from Addie and pulled out a tube of lipstick and Mother smiled. It was a silly thing, and I shouldn’t have felt such immense satisfaction that she’d approved of something I’d done.

Liam held open the passenger door of his truck and helped me inside. As he came around to the driver’s side, I searched my phone for the Backstreet Boys playlist I’d compiled earlier.

As soon as he sat down and started the ignition, I connected my phone with his CarPlay and the opening lines of “Quit Playing Games with My Heart” started playing through the truck’s speakers.

“Does that mean you’d rather listen to music than talk?” Liam asked.

It was almost embarrassing how easily he read me. “It’s all Backstreet Boys music,” I said, pretending I’d misunderstood.

He put the truck in Drive and backed out of the driveway. “It’s not working, you know.”

“What isn’t?”

“Keeping your distance.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to sound indignant.

“I think you do. So, what am I missing? Are you dating someone back in Oregon?”

“No. I’m not.”

When I didn’t elaborate, he said, “Is it because I’m your mother’s doctor?”

“It’s not personal. It’s just that I’m going back in less than two months, and I don’t need any complications.”

“I think it’s too late for that, don’t you? I mean, your mother, sister, and niece are here in South Carolina. You probably don’t want to hear this, but they all need you.”