Ivey Pierce is an explorer, and thanks to her career as a wildlife biologist, she does not stay stationary for long. But when her parents die in a terrible accident, and her childhood home is left vacant for two years, she returns to the tattered me...
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THE WEEKEND PASSED and the remnants of my hangover were gone but the conversations Weston and I had were fresh in my mind. It felt good to tell him about my parents instead of wondering what he already knew.
I was thankful for his story about the hospital. Death was brutal, no matter how close you were to the passing person, and Weston reminded me I was not alone in grief.
I tucked my backpack—which housed my parent's research and camera—inside the boat and started the engine. Weston's house was dark, and his car was missing, yet I saw Masie's face in the window and waved as if she knew I was saying hello.
Since I fell behind on the project Larry assigned, I spent the morning completing a large chunk of the paper and forwarding it to the magazine team. I had time to myself before dinner and was eager to take more pictures for my parent's journal.
The discontent over their secret Clifton research slowly morphed into excitement I forgot was possible to feel, especially toward work. Even if nothing were to come of the journal, working on it made me feel a part of their legacy, and it made me feel closer to them.
The current yanked and pulled at the boat. My grip on the wheel tightened as I slid through rougher waves toward the Marshlands. When the bow thudded against the mud, my shoulders slumped in relief, and I wiped the saltwater from my face.
I spent the next hour taking photos and notes on different plants and specimens. The sky slowly shifted from a misty blue to a dull grey. I checked the radar. A storm was brewing, even though it was not supposed to earlier, and I was on land likely to flood with the downpour.
I hustled around for ten minutes, gathering as much information as possible, and hopped back in my boat. The engine roared over the crashing waves, the mainland grew closer, and the Lincoln residence came into view.
It looked even more grandeur now than it did in my memory.
A figure crouched by the shore, holding a basket. From the short dark hair blowing beneath the floppy hat (which protected her from nothing and was instead there for aesthetic), I knew it was Nora herself. I hadn't seen her since the last meeting, before I learned about Zoe's history with Weston and before she warned me about her motherly instinct.
She stood, waving me in her direction. I could see her lips moving but could not make out what she was saying, so I slowed, and my boat drifted toward their dock from the current.
"Ivey is that you? I can spot your parent's boat a mile away!" she shouted.
"Hello, Nora."
She clasped a hand to her heart. "It's going to storm, Hun'. Do you wanna come inside before it hits? You can park in our boat garage."
"Thank you for the offer, but I should head back."
"Nonsense, come and have tea!"
Like a child being told what to do, I drove toward their boat garage. The door rolled open and I pulled in to meet Nora.
