"No. I can't talk to Gabby. She and I are not close anymore."
I was surprised by that piece of news. "Why not? You've been friends forever, and you both live here now. The island isn't that big."
"Big enough. There have always been two parts to this island, and Gabby is now ensconced at Chambers' Point in a house her husband designed just for her. She's not the girl who used to work at the ice cream store, even if she is the manager now. She's changed. There's an enclave of wealthier families who don't just come in the summer anymore. They live here year-round and work remote, like Gabby's husband, Preston. She's part of that crowd. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. I also didn't tell Gabby because she's a Chadwick. She's Carter's sister-in-law. I didn't want to put her in the middle."
"So, you put me in the middle."
"I had to tell someone."
"Why would Kelsey marry Gage if she was with Carter?" The question had been rolling around in my head ever since Jenny started talking.
"Gage is much more successful than Carter. He has money, fame, and he's better looking. Maybe Kelsey just got caught up in the idea of being Gage's wife. They're the golden couple. Everywhere they go, cameras follow. Kelsey might not have felt she could walk away from all that."
"Maybe." I drew in a tight breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm my racing pulse. But it didn't help. Panic was surging through me. "This is feeling like the last time."
"It's not," Jenny said forcefully. "It can't be. There's no sign that anything bad happened to Kelsey."
"We didn't think anything bad had happened to Melanie, either, but no one found her, and no one ever knew what happened to her."
Jenny bit down on her lip, an old habit that also reminded me of the past. "The year after Melanie disappeared, I used to think I'd see her in the woods. Sometimes, I'd run after what I saw. I even accosted a stranger once. It was never her. Still, I kept hoping. I'm sorry. I'm not making this better."
"Nothing will make this better until Kelsey comes home."
"You're right. I wish we weren't having this conversation, that we were just old friends catching up, Willow. When Kelsey is back, I hope we'll have a chance to do that." She gave me an uncertain look. "Unless you'd rather not."
I looked at her in surprise. "Why wouldn't I want to catch up?"
"When you left ten years ago, you never looked back. You didn't keep in touch with any of us. I know Melanie was your best friend, but I thought we were close, too."
Guilt ran through me. "We were close, Jenny. You were just a huge reminder of the worst night of my life. I couldn't handle it."
"I told myself it was something like that, but it was still sad."
"I'm sorry."
"You wouldn't have come back at all, if it hadn't been for this wedding, would you? Your parents still come here almost every year, sometimes for a month at a time. Brooklyn and Kelsey have been back, but not you."
"It's different for me. I let Melanie down. I was too flattered by Ben inviting me to party with him and his friends that I turned my back on my best friend. I drank too much, and I didn't meet her when I was supposed to. She was alone and vulnerable because of me."
"We all made bad choices when we were teenagers. No one blames you, Willow."
"Drake does."
"Well, he blames everyone, most of all himself. I have some guilt, too. You weren't the only one drinking and being stupid that night. I never even noticed that Melanie wasn't at the bonfire. What kind of friend does that make me?"
Her words made me realize that the burden I'd been carrying wasn't mine alone. Maybe it would have been better if I'd kept in touch, if I'd shared my grief with the girls who'd also loved Melanie. I certainly hadn't been able to share it with anyone in my family.
"Anyway," Jenny said. "I should get back to work."
We left the treehouse and walked down the path together. "You said your mom had a hip replacement?" I asked as we passed by Jenny's mom's house.
"Yes. It was a relief when she finally got it. She could hardly walk for a couple of years. It got so bad my dad needed help, which was why I left Seattle and took the job at the lodge last year."
"I'm sure your parents appreciated that."
"They did. And I felt better being able to help them. Plus, I have to say it was nice to be back on the island. I thought I would miss the city. I'd been in Seattle since I graduated from college, but when I stepped off the ferry fourteen months ago, I realized I was home."
"I didn't know you lived in Seattle that long."
"Yep. Far enough away to be away, but close enough that I could get home easily."
"You don't find the island too quiet now that you're here full time?"
"It's just the right amount of quiet." She gave me a small smile. "I know what you're thinking. How are you going to meet a man on this godforsaken island?"
I smiled as the familiar words resonated within me. "You, Melanie, and Gabby said that a lot."
"It's probably something I'll ask myself down the road. But right before I left Seattle, I had gotten out of a tricky, not-so-great relationship that went on far too long, and I'm not looking to rush into another one."
"I can understand that." I hesitated, then plowed ahead, needing information that Jenny might have. "Did you see Drake much when you were in Seattle?"
"I wouldn't say a lot, but we went out now and then, usually when one of our mutual friends was in town."
"Were you surprised that Drake came back to the island this week?"
She let out a long sigh as she gave me a troubled look. "No. He's obsessed with getting justice for Melanie. I wish he would have stayed away, but he's still desperate for answers."
"I'm afraid he's going to ruin the wedding."
"He won't do that. Drake is a good guy, Willow. His anger is just a cover for his broken heart and his tremendous guilt. He always saw himself as Melanie's protector, and he failed her. He has trouble living with that." Jenny's phone rang. She looked at the number and then sighed. "Another Bridezilla gone amok. I will call her back later." She slipped her phone into her bag. "What about you, Willow? Is there a man in your life?"
"No one serious."
"But you're dating?"
"I've had a lot of first dates."
"Been there," she said with a commiserating glance. Then her expression turned serious. "I hope Kelsey is back by the time you get home, and we can forget we ever had this conversation. I would never have said anything about Carter and Kelsey otherwise. I just kept thinking about it after I heard she was missing. Are you going to say anything to Carter?"
"I don't know."
"You don't need to mention I told you… Oh, never mind." She waved her hand. "Do what you need to do."
"I will. Jenny, I think you should tell Ben this story."
She immediately shook her head. "I don't know for sure they were doing anything more intimate than walking into a hotel together. Let's give it a little time. I can't imagine that Carter would hurt her, and we don't want to point Ben in the wrong direction. I also don't want Kelsey to think I betrayed her."