SOMEWHERE by the Sea

Vee

After describing her evening with her new friends to Gabby, the gregarious lady invited Vicky and Sandy to dinner at the B & B the next week. As it turned out, most of the residents were out that evening, with only two elderly sisters from Tyler, Texas remaining for dinner. Everyone sat at one end of the table with Gabby in her usual place at the head, and Baxter, who generally sat at the other end, now beside his mother. Gabby patted the chair on the other side of her and motioned for Faith to sit directly across from Baxter.

At first, the conversation mostly praised the fabulous supper of pot roast, red potatoes and huge slices of onions, all simmered in delicious brown gravy, with side dishes of fried asparagus and sautéed mushrooms. Faith bit into a fluffy homemade biscuit while listening to Vicky mention the upcoming street fair and the booth she would be manning to promote the museum. Sandy interjected that she also had a booth.

Baxter sipped his wine and asked Vicky, "Are you going to display any of your paintings at the booth? The ones showing different timelines are fantastic."

His question captured Faith's attention. She knew Vicky was artistic, but she didn't know she painted.

"No. I haven't painted for a few months, and although I love it, I've been experimenting with different mediums, the latest being clay sculpting." Vicky grinned. "And frankly I'm making a mess of it."

Suddenly, Faith remembered the timeline paintings she'd seen at the local gallery with the artist's signature rendered simply as "Vee." She chanced a question. "Are your paintings in the gallery downtown?"

Vicky's grin widened. "Guilty."

"And do you sign them as Vee?"

"Guilty again."

Faith thought about the painting of the boy and dog. "Maybe you can tell me about the boy and dog. When I saw the painting I wondered if they lived here because I met the boy my first day in Somewhere. But I haven't seen him since then. He said his name is Owen and he was tossing a Frisbee for his dog. The Frisbee landed at my feet–" She stopped talking when Vicky's fork clattered to her plate. She glanced around the table. Everyone except for the sisters was looking at her like she'd grown two heads.

Vicky jumped to her feet and rushed from the room.

Faith looked at Gabby whose mouth was gaping and then glanced at Sandy whose eyes were bulging. She exclaimed, "What? What did I say?"

Baxter said, "Faith, may I speak with you in the other room?" Her gaze met his, and in his eyes she saw the same anger she'd initially witnessed the day he'd rescued her from the storm. His chair scraped the floor as he scooted it back. Faith glanced once more around the table and into the incredulous eyes of everyone except the sisters, who were looking curiously from her to Baxter.

Faith's own chair sounded loud in the silent room as she pushed away from the table to follow him.