"I should check on the girls," Gabby said. "Maybe we can chat more tonight—at the bonfire."
I sighed. "The bonfire, right."
Gabby gave me a sympathetic smile. "It will be fun. You just need to stay in the present, Willow. Nothing is the same as it was. Time didn't stand still."
That was probably true for most people, but I'd spent ten years trying to move on, and I was right back where I started.
Chapter Five
Gabby was right. Time had moved on. The beach by the Belle Haven Lodge was nothing like where we'd had our teenage bonfires, I thought, as I walked from the lodge parking lot to the sand Tuesday evening.
I'd gotten a cab to the beach. My parents and sisters had taken the two cars we kept on the island, and they'd all seemed to have other things to do on the way to the bonfire, so I'd been left on my own. That was not unusual. I was often left behind, but I didn't really care. I wanted to make my stop at this bonfire as brief as possible.
This beach was wide and flat, which differed from Miramar Beach where we'd held our teenage bonfires. That beach had been secluded and accessed by a steep trail, which made it more difficult for adults and sheriff deputies to patrol. Not that the sheriff or his deputies had ever been that interested in stopping our fun. As long as we weren't drinking and driving or being totally stupid, they left us alone.
I wonder now if the sheriff had changed his attitude after Melanie's disappearance, if the kids who came to visit the island after that had been held more accountable.
Probably not. Our freedom had come because our parents had money and the locals wanted to keep the summer visitors happy. Melanie had told me that bonfires weren't allowed outside the summer months, even on warm spring days. There had been different rules in the summer because the tourist money kept the locals going for the rest of the year.
That was one reason Drake had been so angry after Melanie vanished. He'd thought the sheriff was going easy on interrogating the rich summer kids. He'd thought someone was being allowed to get away with…I didn't even want to say the word. I preferred to think of Melanie as just being gone. I didn't want to consider how she might have been hurt, how she might have been killed.
The word hit my head before I could stop it, and my steps faltered. I drew in a breath and let it out, wanting to drag my mind back to the present. But the present wasn't any more relaxing than the past. Despite the change in bonfire location, I still felt a sense of dread.
It wasn't just that Melanie had disappeared after one of our bonfires; it was that the night she'd disappeared I'd been completely wasted, and I'd blacked out. I had never regained my memories of that night.
Drake had accused me of lying, of knowing more than I was saying, but I didn't know more. I wished I did. And I wished I wasn't here right now, having to relive the worst night of my life.
But this night wasn't the same as that night, and I needed to focus on the differences. The Belle Haven Lodge had set up the bonfire with an eye to luxurious comfort. There were Adirondack chairs all around the fire pit with thick, colorful blankets hanging off the back of each chair. There were also beanbag chairs and fluffy towels on the sand for those who wanted to stretch out.
To the side of the fire pit were two long tables, one a cocktail and coffee bar, the other filled with snacks and all the makings for s'mores. Two waiters were moving through the crowd to deliver drinks. A musical trio was playing beachy music, and a few couples had already kicked off their shoes to dance in the sand.
This was definitely not the down and dirty Saturday night bonfire scene of ten years ago, where we'd filled soda cans with vodka, danced to loud, dirty music, and looked for someone to make out with under the shadows of the trees.
That there weren't a lot of trees here should have also made me feel better. There was nowhere to hide, no danger lurking in the shadows. This night would not end in disaster.
A waiter offered me a choice of champagne or wine. I waved him away, thinking once again how different everything was and yet how it was also the same. Alcohol had always played a role in our bonfires. And while I'd started out too scared to drink much, by the end of that last summer, I'd been doing shots.
That was partly Melanie's doing. She was younger than me, but so much more of a party girl. She was always telling me to stop taking pictures at our parties and start experiencing them.
I shouldn't have listened to her. Maybe if I had stayed in the shadows, looking at my life through my camera, I would have seen something that would have made a difference. But that last night, I'd put my camera down and picked up a drink, and I'd decided not to be the shy, good girl anymore.
What a mistake that had been.
I let out a sigh as I glanced around the group. My parents and the Chadwicks were sitting by the fire along with the Connellys and the Hamiltons. The younger generation was mostly standing or flopped on blankets on the sand. Kelsey and Gage got up from one of those blankets to dance, and they looked happy.
Kelsey wore a bright red slip of a dress under a white leather jacket. Gage wore dark jeans and a button-down shirt. They'd obviously gotten past whatever had been bothering them. Now they were smiling and laughing. It felt like the old days, but this time in a good way.
"Willow?"
I turned to see Jenny Nolan, who was not only Kelsey's wedding planner, but a long-time friend. We embraced, and for the first time since I'd arrived on the island, I lost the chill that had clung to my skin. But that was Jenny. She'd always been a great hugger, an empathetic soul. As we broke apart, she gave me a warm smile.
"It's good to see you, Willow."
"You, too. How are you?"
"Busy," she said with a laugh. "Your mom and Kelsey are keeping me on my toes."
"I don't doubt that."
"What do you think of the bonfire?"
"It's…different."
"That's a good thing, right? We host these bonfires for almost every wedding now. Kelsey was a little worried about having one, but I assured her it wouldn't feel like the old days."
"It's definitely more sophisticated than the ones we used to have."
"I'm glad you think so," Jenny said with relief. "I thought if anyone would care, it would be you."
"You were right. I'm trying to be positive and happy about all this, but it's difficult. It's the first time I've been back since Melanie…"
"I know. We've missed you."
"I've missed you, too. So, you're a wedding planner now. What's that like?" I was eager to change the subject.
"Busy. I don't just plan weddings; I also do corporate events."
"I'm surprised you're working for a competitor to your parents' hotel." Jenny's parents ran the Baker Street Hotel downtown, which had been in their family for generations.
"Their hotel only hosts small private dinner parties, so the Belle Haven Lodge is not in competition. My parents are happy I left Seattle to come back to the island to work, so it's all good. Anyway, I need to check on things, make sure everyone is happy. I hope we can catch up later, Willow. I'd love to know about your life in San Francisco."