Gabby shook her head, and I said, "No, thanks."
As he left, Gabby said, "Preston doesn't like to talk about Melanie, either. He can't stand how sad I get when her name comes up. I can't believe it will be ten years this August. Melanie never got to grow all the way up. She missed so much."
My heart tore at her words. For the first time, I felt like someone else was sharing my pain.
"Jenny and I probably cried every day that first year," Gabby continued. "We'd get our hopes up with every wild rumor about Melanie being spotted in Seattle, Bellevue, or even in LA. We kept thinking maybe she'd run away, and one day she would come back. Sometimes, I still want to believe that."
"Me, too. But it's not true. There's no way Melanie would stay away this long."
"You're right. But she was so restless and out of sorts that summer."
"Yes, she was," I agreed. "She wanted to be done with high school. She wanted to be leaving for college, going somewhere else."
"There was definitely a lot on her mind that she didn't want to talk about it. Instead, she'd scribble away in her diary. Do you remember that?"
"I do. She hated the diary at first and then she was always writing in it."
"Jenny and I looked for her diary after she disappeared," Gabby said. "So did the police. No one ever found it."
"She must have had it with her that night."
"I guess we'll never know what happened to Melanie."
"I don't think the diary would have given us that answer."
"It might have given us a clue. I thought she might have been seeing someone. Do you know if she was hooking up?"
"No, she wasn't involved with anyone. We were all just hanging out together."
"Not just hanging out," Gabby said dryly. "There was some messing around at many a Saturday night bonfire."
"Well, sure, but I don't remember Melanie spending a lot of time with anyone in particular."
"You would know. You two were together a lot."
I sensed some jealousy in her words, which surprised me. "I guess we were. Did you feel like we were excluding you?"
"Maybe a little, but I know it wasn't on purpose. You two were just on the same wavelength. It was like you could finish each other's sentences. Anyway, it doesn't matter." As she finished speaking, Gabby's gaze drifted to her husband, who was talking to Rachel. A frown brought her mouth downward.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"What?" She gave me a distracted look.
"You look upset."
"Oh. I'm fine. It's just… I'd forgotten how pretty everyone is." She gave me a sheepish smile. "Sometimes, I wonder why Preston picked me. He could have had any girl he wanted. Now his brother is marrying a supermodel. Kelsey is gorgeous. Rachel is attractive, too. They both look so sophisticated, not frumpy, and squeezed into their clothes."
"They're attractive, but Preston loves you, Gabby. You two have a beautiful family together."
"I know. It's just that being a mom, being home with the girls, I feel like I've lost sight of the world outside this island. Not that I don't love it here, I do. And my mom needs me to help her run the ice cream parlor, so I need to be here. But with everyone coming back and looking so good, it reminds me of how small my world has become."
"Maybe you need to take a break. You could come visit me in San Francisco."
"That would be fun, but it's difficult to get away. I don't know if I have the energy to make it happen. But thanks."
"It's an open invitation." I sipped my water, then added, "Did you know Drake is back on the island?"
Uneasiness ran through her eyes. "I heard he was coming, but I haven't seen him."
"He was sitting at a table on the patio at the Crab Pot when we got off the ferry. Kelsey gave him a big hug and invited him to the wedding."
Surprise raised Gabby's brows. "What? Why would she do that?"
"I don't know. I haven't had a chance to ask her. But it's a horrible idea."
"What did Drake say?"
"That he'd love to come, which makes no sense. Drake was convinced that someone from our group knew something about Melanie's disappearance. He was so angry with Gage; he broke his nose."
"I remember that. But Gage knew nothing. No one did." Gabby gave me a thoughtful look. "You don't think anyone did, do you?"
"I don't know. It's strange that Melanie could disappear with no one seeing anything, but I also can't imagine anyone doing anything to hurt her. Have you and Preston ever talked about it?"
"No. Preston and I didn't start dating until almost three years after Melanie disappeared. She wasn't at the center of conversation anymore." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I hope Drake doesn't come to the wedding."
We both turned our heads as Kelsey let out a sudden squeal. For a second, I thought something else must have broken, but then I saw Gage Chadwick storm across the patio and sweep Kelsey into his arms for what felt like a dramatic movie kiss. They were so beautiful with their golden hair, perfectly fit bodies, and incredibly attractive features. They were the golden couple.
"I thought you weren't coming until tonight," Kelsey said when Gage finally let her breathe again.
"I couldn't stand being away from you another second, so I hired a boat to bring me here," he replied.
"I'm so glad. I missed you."
"You have me now," he said, kissing Kelsey again. Then he turned to the rest of the group. "Let's get this party started."
Laughter followed his words, and it reminded me of how often Gage had been the leader of our group. Everyone followed his cue. Kelsey seemed brighter, as if Gage's arrival had taken away all her worries.
Gage had never had that effect on me. He'd had little time for me, and I'd never had much time for him. We hadn't been enemies, but we hadn't been friends.
"They're so perfect together," Gabby said. "Preston said they're going to have a TV show."
"I heard something about that, too."
As Gage and Kelsey moved around the patio to say hello to everyone, they eventually got to me and Gabby. I stood up and gave Gage a brief hug, feeling awkward, but we were going to be in-laws, so I needed to get over that.
"Hello, Gage," I said.
"Willow. You look good. It's been a while."
"It has. Congratulations."
His smile sparkled as he glanced down at Kelsey. "I'm the luckiest man in the world."
"I'm the luckiest girl in the world," Kelsey returned.
As Gage put his arm around Kelsey's thin shoulders, it occurred to me that Kelsey's smile was nowhere near as dazzling as her groom's. There was something off. I just didn't know what or how serious it was.
"Kelsey," I said impulsively. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
She hesitated as her gaze met mine, but then she shook her head. "Later, Willow. Gage and I want to say hello to everyone."
"Okay, sure." I told myself everything was fine, but I didn't believe it.