Chapter 8
2013
Nate was obviously in his element as Ness and Rosalie followed him through the old orchard and into the formal gardens. A lot of progress had been made in the restoration of the formal, English-style garden already. Rosalie dropped her backpack and began poking around the foundation of a gazebo at the edge of the orchard. Ness heard a buzzing sound and looked around to locate the source. She quickly realized it was coming from the pocket of Rosalie's bag. She could hear Nate and Rosalie's voices drifting back toward her when she reached her hand to retrieve what she was sure was Rosalie's cell phone.
"…1920's…Japer Cullen period…"
The phone had stopped buzzing when she finally got it out, but Ness gasped when she registered the missed call listed on the screen.
"Ness, is this original 1920s construction?" Rosalie called, indicating the gazebo she was inspecting. Ness jerked her head toward Rosalie's question, still clutching the phone in her hand. Rosalie sighed and stopped talking when she saw Ness's perplexed expression and the object in her hand. She frowned and huffed, kicking grass at her feet.
"Sorry, I heard your phone buzzing, so I grabbed it. You have 11 missed calls from Royce King," Ness formed this as a statement not a question because it was obvious from Rosalie's response that she was fully aware of the calls from Royce. Rosalie had closed the distance between them and grabbed the phone out of her hand. She stuffed it back in the backpack pocket.
"Yes," she said shortly, offering no more.
"Are you going to speak to him?" Ness asked hesitantly. Talking about Royce made her think of Jake and how and when she would see him again.
"I don't know," Rosalie said closing the topic brusquely. "Let's finish the tour." Nate was watching the girls with trepidation. "So, what about the construction?" Rosalie asked again.
"Umm…" Ness glanced at the carvings and the fastenings. "I think it probably is 1920s," she finally decided.
"If Jasper built it, he might have based it on the gazebo on the beach," Rosalie mused, staring at the gazebo and tapping her chin.
"Do you guys want to go down there?" Nate asked, interrupting her reverie. His eyes were on Ness anyway. Both girls quickly agreed, and Nate led them down an overgrown path past the garden. The sound of the waves got much louder as they crested a low rise covered in sea grass. The path narrowed and disappeared over a lip of land. Ness approached the edge and looked over onto the beach. Rosalie was already clamoring down the embankment to the sand. Nate waited for Ness.
As she gazed over the sand, a feeling of panic and forbidding gripped her, and the nausea from before returned. Ness shook her head to try and clear it. She did not want to go down onto the sand, and she didn't understand her reaction. Nate misunderstood her hesitation and touched her arm.
"I'll hold your hand and help you down," he offered. She looked up into his face to see him watching her intently. She pulled her arm away from him; her skin stung where he had touched her. She rubbed the spot absently and looked away down onto the beach. His intense regard made her uncomfortable.
"I'm all right. Let's go," she insisted starting down the path without waiting for him. She heard his soft agreement behind her and felt bad. She didn't know why she'd been short with him. Rosalie was calling to the two of them impatiently from below. It occurred to Ness that they would have to build a boardwalk with stairs to allow tourists to get to the beach once the area was restored.
Once she had her footing on the sifting sand, Ness spotted Rosalie pacing off a small area on the far end of the beach. She headed in that direction. Nate was following her quietly, probably afraid she would snap at him again, she realized. The light suddenly got dimmer, and she looked up to the sky.
"There goes the sun," Ness commented as a large gray mass blotted out her view of it. Nate looked up and back the way they came and frowned.
"There's some fog forming at the cape, too," he said. "That's pretty strange. The same thing happened to me the last time I came down here. Rosalie's team should probably stick to working here in the middle of the day. I guess it's a fog prone area." Ness murmured agreement. They reached Rosalie, and she was standing with her hands on her hips surveying the area surrounding her.
"This area has the look of a previously excavated area when compared with the rest of the beach," she told them. "They would have had to dig to dirt underneath the sand in order to pour a foundation, and this area appears sunken to me. What do you think?" she turned to Ness and Nate.
"Yeah, I see what you mean, but after so many years it's hard to say," Ness told her. Nate was paying little attention and watching apprehensively as a low mist settled on the ground. Rosalie dug her foot into the sand in the center of the area of interest. She kicked some sand toward the water.
"I think we'll start here," she decided, and as the words left her mouth, Ness felt cold fingertips on the back of her neck. It sent a chill through her body, and she shivered so violently that she stumbled. When her head went down, she felt breath in her ear.
"Help me find her," a whispering voice demanded, and suddenly, the beach was completely engulfed in a misty fog. Nate was instantly at Ness's side. He gripped her arm, stinging her skin again, and helped her to her feet.
"Are you all right, Ness? What happened?" he asked worriedly as he helped her brush sand off her knees. Ness looked wildly around but she was alone with Nate, and there had been no one else with them a moment before. The beach wasn't exactly easily accessible, so she didn't see how anyone could have followed them without their knowledge.
"Good lord, where did this fog come from?" an invisible Rosalie called before she materialized next to them.
"This happened last time I was down here," Nate told them with what Ness thought was chagrin. He was looking around uneasily, and Ness remembered that he had heard someone else when he was down here before.
"Did you guys here someone talking before?" Ness asked them. They both looked at her blankly and shook their heads.
"Did you hear something?" Nate asked her, glancing around. Ness understood why he was doing it. She didn't feel like they were alone either.
"Yeah, I thought I did, but I was probably just scared by the fog," Ness said. "It rolled in so suddenly," she explained.
"Let's go," Nate insisted and gestured for the girls to go ahead of him back to the path. Oddly, as they scrambled back up to the lawn, they climbed above the fog, leaving it on the beach. It was a great relief to Ness, and she felt better almost immediately. She was still very uneasy. As they made their way back toward the marina side of the island and the ferry landing, Rosalie fiddled with her phone. Nate fell into step beside Ness.
"There's something about that place…" Nate commented, letting his observation trail off. Ness agreed, and Nate cleared his throat to speak again. "Umm, after all that excitement, I'm pretty hungry. Would you want to grab some dinner? I mean, Rosalie is welcome to come, too, or whoever…" Nate trailed off again, and Ness looked at him in surprise. Was he asking her out? She felt a surge of pleasure, but then instantly recalled Jake. She couldn't lead Nate on when she was really interested in someone else. But she'd need to be careful since she really did enjoy his company. It was a new dilemma for Ness. But she didn't need to reply, because Rosalie came to her rescue when she turned back to the pair.
"Okay, I think Royce has groveled enough. I'm going to meet him at the Pub in a little while, but I'm not going alone. Ness, you're going to have to come with me," Rosalie insisted. Ness shrugged helplessly at Nate, and his face fell. Ness hardly noticed as her thoughts immediately focused on the possibility of seeing Jake again.
"Another time," he muttered. "I'll see you girls later, I see someone I need to talk to before I leave," he told them and moved away into the crowd at the dock they were approaching. Ness stared after him, feeling unsure.
"What just happened?" Rosalie asked. "Did I say something wrong?" Ness shook her head.
"I think he just asked me out," she admitted.
"Oh my, we need to talk!" Rosalie trilled excitedly, grabbing Ness by the elbow and pulling her close. Ness giggled and gave into the girl time, forgetting all about her unsettling experiences as the ferry pulled away from Cullen Island. Only later would she recall that although she was engulfed in gray when she heard the voice on the beach, she had the strangest sensation that the speaker was the man she imagined in the foyer of the house.
The girls returned to the house and got ready for another night at the Pub. Ness really wanted to ask what had happened with Royce, but Rosalie kept the conversation steered away from that topic and firmly on Ness's interaction with Nate. Ness sighed but complied when Rosalie asked for a word for word recap.
"Hmm, I definitely think he's interested," Rosalie concluded. "What are your thoughts? It might piss off Serena, but then again, she's so far up Embry's ass she might not even notice. She's pretty self-centered, if you didn't realize." Rosalie was an inch from the bathroom mirror, applying eyeliner, but her mouth twitched, belying the sarcasm in her comment. Ness was ready to go and seated on the closed lid of the toilet. She snorted but hesitated before answering Rosalie. Finally, she gathered her thoughts but decided to be noncommittal.
"Well, he's definitely nice and very interesting. I guess he's handsome, too; he has a really great smile. But, I'm not sure…" she trailed off and pictured Jake in her mind's eye. Rosalie had turned away from the mirror and was watching Ness with narrowed eyes as she stared off into space.
"I recognize that look, you know," Rosalie accused. Ness startled and turned her attention back to Rosalie who was tucking her compact into a clutch purse. Rosalie jerked her head toward the front of the house indicating they should leave. Ness obediently stood and followed her out of the bathroom and into the hall towards the door, apprehensively waiting to hear what "look" Rosalie recognized.
"You're into another guy," she said with confidence. "Since I haven't seen you around any other guys and you haven't mentioned any guys from home, I'm going out on a limb and guessing it's Royce's friend, Jake." Ness looked away guiltily but secretly pleased she could now discuss this issue freely.
"I hang around with Emmett," Ness retorted defensively.
"Ha!" Rosalie crowed taking Ness's response as acknowledgment. The idea of Ness and Emmett together was ridiculous in her opinion. "Now, Jake is a handsome guy. He might be a little slick, though. What do you know about him?" Ness shrugged.
"I've talked to him a few times. He seemed really friendly. Last time we were at the Pub…" Ness hesitated before continuing, hating to refer Royce and Rosalie's argument. Rosalie rolled her eyes, indicating that Ness should just keep talking, so she went on. "Anyway, he said he wanted to talk to me again before I left, but I didn't get a chance," Ness finished.
"Well, we shall see," Rosalie sing-songed. "I'm sure he'll be there tonight. You'll have to let poor Nate down easy though. He is a sweet guy, and I need his help with setting up the dig!" Ness looked away, not comfortable with Rosalie's attitude. It seemed her friend had a bit of a selfish streak. She decided to change the subject.
"Rosalie, I hate to pry, but could you tell me what happened with Royce?" Ness asked timidly. Rosalie huffed and was silent for a few moments. The only sound was the click of her heels on the sidewalk. Ness's wedges had rubber soles and were quiet. Finally, she answered, and her attitude was much more subdued.
"We were getting along really well, but things were getting a bit too heated for public," Rosalie explained. "Royce suggested we go to the restrooms and continue, and I said no, of course! How disgusting, right?!" Outrage tinged Rosalie's tone. Ness gasped, shocked by Royce's crassness. She wondered why they were even considering heading to the Pub tonight. Rosalie saw the revulsion on Ness's face and quickly rushed on.
"He was kidding!" she insisted. "He just got upset that I thought he was serious about something so gross. I hurt his feelings." Ness watched Rosalie's face carefully and concluded that she truly believed what she was saying. However, it didn't sound right to her. She remembered Royce's anger, and the way he had dumped Rosalie on the floor when he stood up. They were just down the block from the Pub, though, and there was no way she could convince Rosalie to leave or stay away from Royce now. She'd just have to keep a close eye on her. In fact, she could ask Jake about Royce. She smiled to herself, pleased with the plan.
When they walked into the Pub, Ness spotted Royce and Jake at the bar immediately. As usual, the bar was crowded by men dressed in military whites. Royce was looking at the door and saw them enter, but Jake was further away with his back to the door, talking to a dark-haired girl dressed in whites. Ness was surprised; she hadn't realized there were any women with the Navy group. Ness stood awkwardly just inside the door, waiting for Rosalie to lead her over to the men, but Rosalie tugged her towards an empty pub table in the middle of the room. She didn't look at Royce. Ness didn't think games were a good idea, but she recognized that Rosalie knew a lot more about men than she did. She climbed onto the high stool without comment.
Royce made it to the table before the waitress. Ness noticed his blonde hair was perfectly styled despite the fact he probably had to wear a cap on his way over. He smiled at both of them even though his attention was fixed on Rosalie.
"Hello, Rosalie. Hello, Ness. Thanks for coming tonight. You both look lovely." Ness fought the urge to roll her eyes. She could not detect a bit of sincerity in Royce and couldn't believe Rosalie was falling for this. "Rosalie, could I speak to you in private?" he asked. Rosalie glanced at Ness in silent question. Ness sighed and nodded that she would be fine by herself. Rosalie and Royce quickly moved to a nearby table for two and sat heads together talking quietly. A waitress approached, and Ness ordered a beer. She tried to surreptitiously glance over at Jake but found he was looking right at her. Their eyes met, and he started through the crowd to where she sat alone at the pub table. Ness felt a blush creeping up her face, and her stomach clenched in nervousness as he approached.
"Well, hello, again," Jake greeted as he slid onto the chair Rosalie had vacated. "I missed seeing you again the other night. You ducked out awfully quickly." Ness struggled to string words together in his presence. He made her feel so nervous!
"Yeah, sorry, I had to take Rosalie home," she told him. He nodded and waited for her to say more. She wracked her brain for more conversation. "Um, I guess Royce got really upset?" Wow, what a scintillating conversationalist she was. Jake frowned and glanced at Rosalie and Royce, still murmuring to each other at the nearby table.
"I'm not completely sure about that guy," he mused. "I'd never met him before we got up here, and the more I get to know him, the less I like him. He seems a bit entitled." It was Ness's turn to frown as Jake confirmed her concerns.
"Should I be worried about her?" she asked. Jake shrugged.
"Probably not. It's not like it would be anything more than a summer thing, right?" Jake gave her that wide, dazzling grin. "I hope you don't think all Navy guys are like him." Ness's heart rate sped as she once again struggled to think clearly in his presence. His comment bothered her. Did he consider her only summer fling potential? But they would be living near each other next year, so it was different for them, she remembered.
"No," she replied softly, casting her eyes down at the table to stay focused. "I don't think that."
"Hey, do you want to take a walk down to the water front?" Jake asked suddenly after a brief but loaded silence. "It's kind of loud in here." He was looking at her intently, and Ness let herself look back up into his eyes. Her breath caught, and she was about to answer when they were interrupted.
"Hey, Ness, I'm looking for Serena. Have you seen her?" Ness turned toward the speaker, startled out of her hypnotized state. Nate was standing next to the table, waiting for her to answer. Ness was surprised by the determined look on his face. Gone was his usual shy demeanor. He glanced at Jake, and Ness didn't miss the loathing in that look. Ness felt a rush of annoyance. Was Nate really trying to ruin her evening with Jake?
"No, I haven't, Nate," she snapped and turned slightly, hoping he'd understand the dismissive gesture. But, he didn't leave.
"I'm worried about her. She's not answering her phone," he persisted. Ness felt a flicker of concern temper the annoyance. Serena hadn't been home when she and Rosalie were there. In fact, she hadn't seen Serena since yesterday. Maybe Nate had a legitimate worry. She opened her mouth to deliver a kinder dismissal, but Jake beat her to it.
"Dude, she's obviously not here," he said shortly. "She's probably off somewhere with Embry. Those two have really hit it off, and she's all he talks about now. Why don't you go look for her somewhere else?" Nate's lips drew into a thin line at the blatant blow off, and he stood up even straighter. He looked over at Ness one more time before nodding at her and stalking off without a reply. Ness watched him walk out in astonishment, and then turned back to Jake who was grinning widely as if nothing had happened.
"So, how about that walk?" he asked. Ness gave him a reproachful look and turned to see Nate slamming the door to the Pub behind him as he exited.
"What?" Jake asked her with a mocking smile. "Did you want to help that loser look for his spoiled sister?" Ness sat unsurely and unable to answer, surprised at the change in Jake's demeanor. Finally, she gathered enough courage to speak but stumbled on her words.
"Well, I guess not. I mean, she's probably fine like you said. But, Nate's worried. And he's not a loser," she insisted feebly. Jake's expression softened a little. He reached across the table and touched her hand where it rested next to her beer glass.
"Hey, rain check, okay? It looks like Rosalie and Royce are ready to go. We've got early class, anyway," Jake said conciliatorily. Ness glanced over at the couple, surprised when she realized they were standing next to the small table for two, obviously saying good-bye to each other. Royce leaned in and gave Rosalie a chaste kiss on the lips.
"Okay," she agreed in a voice little above a whisper. She felt very uncomfortable with the events of the evening. Rosalie appeared next to the table, and Ness indicated she was ready to go. They stood, and Jake leaned over to kiss her cheek.
"See you soon, Ness, and I'll hold you to that rain check," he said in parting, heading back toward the bar to cash out. As Rosalie and Ness turned toward the exit together, Ness noticed the dark-haired girl in uniform seemed to be watching them closely. Ness pushed the lingering qualms about Jake aside and allowed Rosalie's cheerful and optimistic chatter lull her into a sense of well-being as they returned to the house.
FYI, it looks like the chapters will start alternating 1901 and 2013 viewpoints from here on out. From the outline, I'm estimating approximately 20 chapters and an epilogue.
Thanks for reading! EG
