By Virtue Fall (The Shakespeare Sisters 4)

2

Two households, both alike in dignity

– Romeo and Juliet

‘Hey bud, d’you want an ice cream?’ Ryan eased the truck forward, crossing the four-way intersection. ‘There’s a really cool place over there, we used to go there when I was a kid.’

Charlie looked suddenly interested, the way he always did whenever Ryan mentioned his childhood. ‘What was your favourite ice cream?’ he asked.

‘Pecan and maple syrup,’ Ryan said smiling. ‘It was sickly as hell but tasted so good. I wonder if they still serve it?’

‘That’s what I want to order.’ Charlie looked resolute. ‘I love pecans.’

The fact was, Charlie loved nearly every food he tried. He’d grown up learning about different tastes and cuisines, joining Ryan regularly on his travels from the time he was a baby.

‘Pecan and maple it is, then.’

Ryan still couldn’t get over how strange it was to be back in Shaw Haven after all these years. There were a few changes – a micro brewery on main street, a new art gallery on the waterfront – but at its heart it remained a sleepy harbour town. Full of painted houses and salty air, Shaw Haven had been here for centuries, ever since the first Shaw had stepped off his boat and laid claim to this land on the edge of Chesapeake Bay.

Being here felt like stepping back in time.

Ryan pulled the truck into the parking lot beside the parlour. There were only a couple of spaces left. Everybody must have had the same idea.

When they were inside, Ryan looked around at the plastic checked tablecloths and the mismatched chairs. They looked old, familiar. He was shocked by the way it made him feel like a kid again. It was almost fourteen years since he’d last set foot in Shaw Haven – and he thought he’d left the town and the way he’d felt about it behind for good.

And he had. At least until now.

‘Can I help you?’

Ryan blinked, focusing on the woman in front of him. She was smiling broadly at him, holding an ice cream scoop in her hand.

‘Do you have pecan and maple syrup?’ he asked.

‘Sure, you want a cone or a bowl?’

He turned to Charlie, who was staring at the huge glass freezer full of plastic tubs, the colourful ice cream flavours looking enticing. ‘What do you say, bud?’

‘Can I have a bowl?’ Charlie asked quietly. He’d never been a brash kid, in spite of his father’s outgoing nature. His face usually held a serious expression, as if his brain was full of thoughts he couldn’t quite work out how to express. Before he’d started at Surrey Academy they’d insisted on testing him – and it hadn’t come as a huge surprise that he was already scoring well into third grade school levels, even though he’d never been in formal education before.

‘Make that three scoops,’ Ryan said, giving the woman an easy smile. ‘And two spoons, the kid might need a little bit of help.’

The woman laughed as if Ryan had told her the funniest joke ever, fluttering her eyelashes rapidly at him. His cheeks flushed.

The after-school rush meant the only free seats were in the far corner, and they headed over there, Charlie gripping tightly to the round colourful tub

of ice cream, while Ryan carried their spoons. They’d almost made it to the empty table when a woman and her child got there first, pulling two of the four chairs out.

He recognised her right away. Only had to glance at the cloud of red hair to know it was Poppy Marshall’s mom.

Ryan looked around, hoping to spot somebody who’d almost finished, planning on hovering until the table was vacated. But everybody seemed to have arrived at the same time – it was natural really, since they’d all come from school – but unless they sat down soon Charlie’s ice cream was going to melt.

Ah, what the hell.

‘Can we sit with you?’ he asked, looking at the two empty chairs next to Poppy and her mom.

She turned around to look at him. Christ, she was pretty. Not that he was surprised, Thomas Marshall always did like the best in life. Why would his wife be any different?

‘Um, yeah, sure, please sit down.’ She gestured at the two seats. Charlie immediately chose the one next to Poppy, leaving Ryan to sit next to her mom.