Summer Island

Nora laid a hand against Rubys cheek. “You could travel the world and you wouldnt find a better man than Dean Sloan. ”

“Hes not the problem. I am. ”

“Your whole life has been tangled up with Dean. When someone pinched him, you got a welt in the same place. Hes a part of you, Ruby, like it or not. Being afraid of him is like being afraid of your own arm. Just let go. Have fun. Let yourself remember the good times, not only the bad. ”

Ruby looked up at her. "I want that, Mom. I want it so much

The sailboat honked its horn again.

“Grab the picnic basket,” Nora said, pointing to the pile of supplies on the kitchen table.

Within minutes, they were headed down the path to the beach. Nora moved as fast as her crutches would allow.

The sailboat was tied down. Dean was on the bow, holding the two ropes that held the boat against the dock. “Welcome aboard. ”

Nora handed her crutches to Ruby and stepped carefully onto the boat, trying to ensure that her cast didnt leave a mark on the teak decking. When her balance was steady, she took her crutches and tossed them onto the settee belowdecks. Limping awkwardly, she sidled around the giant silver wheel and sat down beside Eric. A pillow rested behind his stocking capped head and a thick woolen Navajo blanket covered his body. Although he was smiling, he looked terribly pale and weak. The shadows were purple beneath his eyes. His lips were chapped and colorless.

Nora was shocked by his appearance. He looked so much worse than the last time shed seen him. It wasnt Eric; this gaunt, too-fragile man was a whittled down version of him, perhaps, but when she looked into his huge, sad eyes, she saw the spirit that cancer couldnt touch. With exquisite gentleness, she curled an arm around him and drew him close.

He rested his head against her shoulder; shivering a little. “You feel good,” he murmured.

Dean started the engine. Ruby untied the boat and jumped aboard; they motored out of the bay, and when they passed the tip of the island, Dean rigged the mainsail.

The boat immediately heeled starboard and caught a gust of wind, slicing through the water.

Eric pressed his face into the wind, smiling brightly.

Nora tilted her head against his and stared out atthe lush, green islands. Ruby was up on the bow of the boat, standing in the wind. Nora didnt have to see her daughters face to know that she was grinning.

Dean hurried below decks. When he came back up, Robert Palmers “Addicted to Love” blared through the speakers.

On the bow, Ruby moved her hips to the beat. Nora imagined that she was singing-off key-at the top of her lungs.

There was a pause between songs, and the silence seemed endless and perfect, a moment trapped in a time that was somehow both then and now: Dean at the wheel, Eric and Nora sitting on the aft deck, Ruby poised at the bow, always eager to see where they were going.

Nora felt the hot sun on her cheeks and heard the loose flapping of the ties against the mast.

“Im glad youre here,” Eric said. She smiled at him. "Where else could I be?

You and Dean and Ruby . . . youre the best parts of my life. Ill always remember my dark-haired boy. Every time I turned around, you were there, grinning up at me, saying, “What are we gonna do next, Miz Bridge?” It seems like only yesterday you were sitting at my kitchen table with your banged-up elbows on the pink placemat. God, the time goes so fast . . .

“Too fast. ” Erics gaze was steady.

Noras throat closed up, but she refused to let him see her cry. Gently, she touched his face.

Eric turned away; she could tell that he was collecting himself again, distancing himself from the truth theyd dared to touch upon.

He looked at Ruby, standing on the bow, then at Dean. They were the full boat-length apart, each trying not to get caught staring at the other. “You think theyll figure it out?”

“I hope so. They need each other. ”

“Take care of him for me,” Eric said in a throaty voice, wiping his eyes with the edge of the blanket. “I thought Id always be there for him . . . my baby brother. ”

You will be. "

Eric laughed and wiped his eyes. “God, were out sailing and we look like we just watched Brians Song. ”

Nora laughed and wiped her eyes.