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" Mornings at Sweet Hart&amp;#039;s were usually slow, so Clare was getting some special orders filled between walk-ins. When the phone rang, she answered it absentmindedly. It was Lexi.  &amp;quot;Lexi, hey, listen, I&amp;#039;m busy \u2014 &amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I know, Clare, but we have to talk.&amp;quot; Lexi&amp;#039;s voice was shaky. &amp;quot;Look, I&amp;#039;m coming over right now.&amp;quot; The phone went dead.  The door opened and a young mother with a little boy wandered in. The child&amp;#039;s eyes grew large at the sight of a chocolate whale.  &amp;quot;Whatever you want, Forest,&amp;quot; the mother said.  Then Lexi burst in. She wore a gold tank top and a gauzy skirt, her blonde hair pulled back. She looked like a goddess.  &amp;quot;Clare! Listen, I&amp;#039;ve got to \u2014 &amp;quot; She went quiet when she noticed the mother and child, then continued, more quietly. &amp;quot;Listen, Clare, I can&amp;#039;t stay \u2014 I have to open my shop \u2014 but I didn&amp;#039;t want you to hear it from anyone else.... I slept with Jesse last night.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;What?&amp;quot; Clare stared. Lexi&amp;#039;s words weren&amp;#039;t making any sense.  &amp;quot;On the beach. He was surfing. I was having some wine. We \u2014 it just happened. And maybe, well, maybe I&amp;#039;ll see him again....&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Cool!&amp;quot; The boy dropped the chocolate whale on the floor as he spotted a bag of chocolate pennies. His mother gazed down at the mess he&amp;#039;d made, then turned and led him out the door.  &amp;quot;Well, that was nice,&amp;quot; Lexi said. She turned to Clare, wringing her hands nervously. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t want you to be mad, Clare. Look, you only broke off your engagement to Jesse a few days ago. I know how happy you are now with Adam, but if you want me to stop seeing Jesse, I would understand.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Seeing Jesse?&amp;quot; Clare frowned. &amp;quot;Do you mean sleeping with Jesse? Getting serious with Jesse?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t know, Clare. I&amp;#039;m not sure of my feelings and I don&amp;#039;t have a clue about his.&amp;quot; Lexi put her hand on Clare&amp;#039;s arm. &amp;quot;What I do know is that I don&amp;#039;t want to lose your friendship again.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m over Jesse. Completely. But still, it just seems...so weird.&amp;quot;  Two women carrying capacious beach bags entered the store.  &amp;quot;Can we talk later?&amp;quot; Lexi asked.  &amp;quot;Sure,&amp;quot; Clare agreed, and it was with relief that she turned her attention back to her customers. A few hours later, when Lexi had a moment to herself, she stepped out the back door of her boutique and into the fresh air. Scanning the horizon, she admired the yachts floating in the harbor, and let her eyes rest on Jewel Chandler, staring out toward the ocean, watching and hoping for her father&amp;#039;s boat.  Lexi wondered where Jewel&amp;#039;s father was now. Tristram Chandler&amp;#039;s boat had washed up on a shore in Maine a few weeks earlier, but there&amp;#039;d been no sign of Tris. Lexi hoped he was alive and safe somewhere. Often she said a little prayer for him. She remembered how infatuated she&amp;#039;d been with him as a girl.  And now, was she just infatuated with Jesse Gray? Was she in love with Jesse? Was he in love with her?  She closed her shop at 5 and climbed to her crowded apartment on the second floor, where she unpacked the day&amp;#039;s deliveries. The work was engrossing, and she was glad; it made it impossible for her to think about Jesse or Clare. In fact, when Jesse knocked on her back door, it took her a moment to think who it could be.  &amp;quot;Hey, babe.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Jesse!&amp;quot; She said with a smile. &amp;quot;I lost track of time. Come in.&amp;quot;  Jesse followed her up the stairs. She studied him, gauging her responses to his presence. The man was gorgeous. When he turned and looked at her, the sexual attraction shot through her.  &amp;quot;Wine?&amp;quot; she offered. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t have any beer.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Wine would be good.&amp;quot; He collapsed on a chair.  Lexi poured the wine and sank into a chair across from him. &amp;quot;Jesse, I told Clare that...we&amp;#039;re seeing each other.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Oh, yeah?&amp;quot; His voice was light, but he dropped his eyes.  &amp;quot;She wasn&amp;#039;t mad or upset, but I think she feels a little funny.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;So do I,&amp;quot; Jesse said honestly.  Lexi reached over to hold his hand. Touching him made her entire body go warm. &amp;quot;We don&amp;#039;t have to be serious, Jesse. We don&amp;#039;t have to talk about love or the future.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;How &amp;#039;bout we don&amp;#039;t talk at all?&amp;quot; Jesse set his glass on the table and rose, pulling her up next to him. They stood kissing slowly, and she touched Jesse&amp;#039;s handsome face as he ran his hands down her back, sliding them into her waistband, his bare palms against her bare flesh. They moved to her bed, stripped off their clothes, and lay together, making love slowly.  Afterward, they lay watching the light slowly drain from the sky. Jesse&amp;#039;s stomach growled. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve got to eat something.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;My cupboards are pretty bare.&amp;quot; Lexi rose and walked naked to the refrigerator. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve got some old Brie and crackers....&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I think I&amp;#039;ll go home, Lex. My mom&amp;#039;s always got some kind of casserole in the fridge for me to heat up.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Sure.&amp;quot; But Lexi wished he&amp;#039;d thought of her hunger, too.  Jesse held her against him. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ll call you tomorrow. I don&amp;#039;t know when \u2014 I&amp;#039;m working 18-hour days.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t worry, Jesse,&amp;quot; Lexi told him, then grinned at her own words. As if Jesse would ever worry about her! Summer deepened. Lexi was always in a rush, too preoccupied to think about love. It was impossible to have much of a personal life if you owned a shop on Nantucket in the summer.  She was glad to have Oksana working for her. Her willowy, graceful Russian assistant worked hard and, on quiet days, filled the shop with song, winging Russian folk melodies through the air.  Jesse was working hard too. But on stormy days, when few customers would leave the coziness of home to explore the shops, he often came by. As the rain pattered against the windows, he and Oksana and Lexi relaxed a bit and compared notes on their days.  Perhaps once a week Jesse spent the night with Lexi in her apartment above the shop. They made love, or had sex \u2014 Lexi wasn&amp;#039;t sure which, and she didn&amp;#039;t want to try to figure it out. It was easy being in the now with Jesse. No pressure. No future. Just today.  As often as possible, if the shop was quiet, Lexi would leave it in Oksana&amp;#039;s capable hands and stroll out to the town pier to sit with Jewel Chandler, who always managed to bring the conversation around to her father. Lexi didn&amp;#039;t mind. She liked hearing about Tris. She liked telling Jewel that she&amp;#039;d known him when he was just a teenager, how handsome and strong and kind he had always been. She liked helping Jewel hope for his return.  Clare felt so new with Adam. He was taller, wider, and more massive than Jesse, making her feel delicate and small. He touched her more than Jesse had \u2014 and he talked to her more, too. He asked about her day, and he listened, he remembered.  When they went to bed, the exhaustion and worries of the day vanished as they explored each other&amp;#039;s bodies. Adam&amp;#039;s hands learned her curves and contours, her silky spots, the places that made her gasp. Clare&amp;#039;s own hands felt new as she knelt over him on hot nights, her naked body sleek with sweat, finding her way along muscles, ligaments, the pads of his fingers and hands, the hard ropes of his veins. She wanted to ingest him. He would flip her onto her back and enter into her, and she would lie very still, feeling the heat and width of him inside her. Then he would shift his hips, slightly, moving even closer to her. And she was gone.  The summer days rolled on like the tides. Business at Sweet Hart&amp;#039;s was good. Occasionally a friend would drop in, sample a chocolate-covered blueberry, then ask, &amp;quot;So, how&amp;#039;s Jesse?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m dating someone else,&amp;quot; Clare would reply. &amp;quot;Someone very different from Jesse.... It&amp;#039;s so new, I can&amp;#039;t talk about it.&amp;quot; And saying even this much about Adam lifted her out of the confusion that had been her life with Jesse into a shining bell of happiness. Clare arrived at the marsh to find Lexi&amp;#039;s Range Rover already parked on the side of the road. Lexi had begged Clare to meet her at Moon Shell Beach, the secret hideaway they&amp;#039;d shared since they were girls. Lexi had something to tell Clare, she said, something she couldn&amp;#039;t tell her anywhere else. Clare had agreed, reluctantly \u2014 she didn&amp;#039;t see the need for all the drama. Now she impatiently shoved her way through the thickets, bursting out onto the beach to find Lexi pacing on the sand.  &amp;quot;Clare! Thank you for coming. You must be exhausted \u2014 &amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I am exhausted. You must be too. So what&amp;#039;s up?&amp;quot;  Lexi looked anguished.  &amp;quot;Oh, stop it, Lexi!&amp;quot; Clare snapped impatiently.  &amp;quot;Clare, I&amp;#039;m pregnant!&amp;quot; Lexi snapped back.  Clare gawked. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s Jesse&amp;#039;s?&amp;quot;  Lexi nodded.  &amp;quot;Well, damn, Lexi. Didn&amp;#039;t you use birth control?&amp;quot;  Lexi looked away, embarrassed. &amp;quot;Not the first time.&amp;quot;  That stung. Clare struggled to still her racing heart. She thought of Adam. That helped. &amp;quot;What are you going to do?&amp;quot; she asked.  Lexi&amp;#039;s voice was low. &amp;quot;Clare, listen. I got pregnant three times when I was married to Ed. And I had three miscarriages.&amp;quot;  Clare&amp;#039;s hand went to her heart. &amp;quot;Oh, Lexi. I&amp;#039;m so sorry.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;So I want to try to keep this baby.&amp;quot;  Jesse&amp;#039;s baby, Clare thought. The baby Clare had wanted so much before she and Jesse lost their way...her dream baby...in Lexi&amp;#039;s arms. A kind of panic struck her. &amp;quot;Lexi, you know what? I can&amp;#039;t do this. I&amp;#039;m not in love with Jesse anymore, and I wish you well, but...I just can&amp;#039;t.&amp;quot; Abruptly, she turned back to the path.  &amp;quot;Clare!&amp;quot; Lexi followed. &amp;quot;Clare, please. I need you.&amp;quot;  Clare turned to look at Lexi. They had been girls together, carrying their dolls swaddled in blankets, solemnly discussing bottles and diapers. Clare felt tears well in her eyes.  &amp;quot;Gosh, Lexi, your baby will be so beautiful.&amp;quot;  Lexi&amp;#039;s mouth trembled. &amp;quot;You think?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Does Jesse know?&amp;quot; Clare asked.  &amp;quot;No, I haven&amp;#039;t told anyone.&amp;quot; Lexi put her hands on her belly. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t know what he&amp;#039;ll do. I don&amp;#039;t know what I want him to do.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Have you talked about marriage?&amp;quot; Clare steeled herself.  &amp;quot;Are you kidding? Jesse has trouble committing to dinner.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;He was always that way,&amp;quot; Clare agreed.  &amp;quot;So I can&amp;#039;t count on him,&amp;quot; Lexi mused. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve got my parents.&amp;quot;  Clare took a deep breath. &amp;quot;And you&amp;#039;ve got me.&amp;quot;  Even on the busiest days, Lexi would find a break to slip out for lunch and walk for a few minutes in the relaxing sun. One afternoon, as she walked past the boat basin and up Main Street, someone grabbed her shoulder \u2014 hard.  &amp;quot;I need to talk to you.&amp;quot; Bonnie Frost stood there, looking strained. Stuffed into his backpack, her son gnawed on his fist, drooling.  &amp;quot;Hi, Bonnie! Hi, baby!&amp;quot; Lexi put her finger up to stroke the baby, but Bonnie jerked away from her as if she were poison.  Bonnie&amp;#039;s face was dark with anger. &amp;quot;I thought I made it clear I want you to stop visiting my daughter out on the pier! I&amp;#039;m worried sick about her, and I&amp;#039;m going to go to court and get you served with a restraining order if you don&amp;#039;t stay away from her.&amp;quot;  Lexi was appalled. &amp;quot;Bonnie, I&amp;#039;m not hurting Jewel!&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re giving her hope that her father&amp;#039;s alive!&amp;quot; Bonnie hissed. &amp;quot;And I&amp;#039;m trying to protect her from getting her heart broken worse than it already is. You&amp;#039;re letting her believe the impossible!&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Bonnie,&amp;quot; Lexi said very quietly, &amp;quot;sometimes it&amp;#039;s okay to believe in the impossible. Sometimes miracles happen.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t be such a fool,&amp;quot; Bonnie snapped. &amp;quot;Tris is dead, and I&amp;#039;m telling you once and for all, leave Jewel alone.&amp;quot; A few days later, Lexi&amp;#039;s mother was paying one of her rare visits to the shop. &amp;quot;Busy morning?&amp;quot; she asked as she strode in the door. Myrna looked good these days, tanned and rested.  &amp;quot;Pretty busy,&amp;quot; Lexi said. &amp;quot;And Oksana hasn&amp;#039;t shown up yet.&amp;quot;  Myrna looked around the shop. &amp;quot;I remember when Dad and I ran our store, our summer help was usually college kids. They always partied too hard and came in late \u2014 with hangovers.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Oksana&amp;#039;s not like that.&amp;quot;  The store phone rang.  &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s probably her right now,&amp;quot; Myrna said.  &amp;quot;Hello, this is Lexi.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Lexi,&amp;quot; a man growled. &amp;quot;Clyde Thompson here. You seen Jesse? He didn&amp;#039;t show up for work today, and I&amp;#039;m shorthanded as it is.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;No....&amp;quot; Lexi&amp;#039;s heart thudded. &amp;quot;Oh, Clyde.&amp;quot; She dropped the phone, reaching for the stability of the countertop.  &amp;quot;What&amp;#039;s wrong?&amp;quot; Myrna grabbed up the phone. &amp;quot;Hello?&amp;quot;  Lexi thought she might faint. &amp;quot;Just tell Clyde I&amp;#039;ll call him back.&amp;quot; Her throat was dry when she said, &amp;quot;Mom, will you watch the shop? I&amp;#039;m going up to the pharmacy \u2014 the one where the Russian women work. They might know something about Oksana.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Of course,&amp;quot; Myrna said. &amp;quot;Go ahead. Take your time.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Thanks. I&amp;#039;ll be back as soon as I can.&amp;quot;  She hurried into the heart of the town, tripping over cobblestones and bricks, stumbling like someone lost. She burst into the pharmacy like a mother throwing open the door to a room where her kid sat smoking pot. Behind the counter was the tall, blonde Sophia. Lexi was trembling as she approached the counter.  Sophia turned her lovely face to Lexi. &amp;quot;May I help you?&amp;quot;  The words came tumbling out. &amp;quot;Sophia, I&amp;#039;m sorry to bother you, but you&amp;#039;re a friend of Oksana&amp;#039;s, and she didn&amp;#039;t show up for work today. Do you know where she is?&amp;quot;  Sophie smiled nervously and reached under the counter. She handed Lexi a white envelope. &amp;quot;Oksana left this for you.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Thank you,&amp;quot; Lexi said quietly, her heart racing.  Two pieces of paper were inside the envelope. The first, in curly script, said only, &amp;quot;Lexi, I am sorry. Forgive me. I fell in love.&amp;quot;  The other piece of paper was covered in Jesse&amp;#039;s scrawl:  Lexi, I&amp;#039;m sorry, but somehow I think you&amp;#039;ll understand. Oksana and I are leaving the island. We&amp;#039;re going to get married as soon as possible, and then we&amp;#039;re going to her hometown. Labinsk \u2014 you can find it on the map \u2014 is in the middle of Russia. I&amp;#039;ll be able to travel everywhere. With my savings I&amp;#039;ll be able to buy a little shop for me and Oksana. I know this seems awful of me, to just leave like this, but the truth is, it&amp;#039;s like in The Wizard of Oz, where the black-and-white world becomes Technicolor. For the first time in my life I know exactly what I want to do. I never meant to hurt you. But I know you don&amp;#039;t love me, not really. We had a good time together, the two of us. I hope your future life is as happy as mine.  Fondly, Jesse  The hurricane started in Florida and screamed up the East Coast like a horde of hellions let loose from ancient myths.  Lexi spent a restless night, her thoughts as turbulent as the wind that battered her windows. When she woke at 6, she saw the rain pounding, the harbor waters tossing beneath a dark sky. Should she open the shop today? Who would come out in this weather?  As Lexi watched, a small figure in a yellow slicker trudged determinedly down the beach. &amp;quot;Jewel!&amp;quot; Lexi gasped. &amp;quot;You idiot!&amp;quot;  Why would the girl go out onto the pier in this storm? In a flash, Lexi knew what Jewel was hoping: so many boats had come in to shelter, perhaps a boat carrying her father would come too.  Thrusting her feet into sandals, Lexi clattered down her stairs and ran out the back door. She called Jewel&amp;#039;s name, but her voice was lost in the wailing wind. Rain soaked her clothes, gluing them to her skin, while the wind yanked at her skirt like grasping hands. Her feet sank into the sodden sand as she raced over the beach. Finally she reached the steps to the pier. She took them two at a time, yelling &amp;quot;Jewel!&amp;quot; Still, the girl didn&amp;#039;t hear.  Suddenly a monumental wall of water reared up, ruthlessly sweeping the girl off the pier and into the heaving waters.  Lexi screamed, and ran.  Clare unlocked Sweet Hart&amp;#039;s and nearly fell inside. It was a relief to get out of the tearing winds, but even inside, the sound of the storm was overwhelming. While her computer booted up, she looked out the window at the harbor. Waves spewed upward like geysers, sending boats and small craft rolling and dropping. The town pier was reduced to a long ledge of gray, drenched with foaming surf \u2014 and a small figure in a yellow rain slicker was staggering toward the end.  &amp;quot;Jewel, what the hell are you doing?&amp;quot; Clare shouted. She had to call Bonnie Frost, tell her to come get her daughter. Then she noticed a woman stumble up onto the wharf. It was Lexi.  &amp;quot;Well, thank heavens for that,&amp;quot; Clare said aloud, relieved.  A violent swell exploded over the pier and surged back. Suddenly Jewel was only a spot of yellow in the frenzied water.  Clare saw Lexi run. Yanking open her back door, Clare raced outside, along the bulkhead and onto the beach. She kept her eyes on Lexi and saw Lexi dive. Clare sprinted down the pier.  Rain stung her eyes as she searched the seething waters. She saw a smudge of yellow. Then she glimpsed Lexi, a blur of blues, lifted up on a wave and slammed into a boat. Clare dove.  The water was alive, churning and bubbling, raging with power. But she spotted Jewel! The girl&amp;#039;s body was being sucked downward by the relentless sea. Clare kicked her feet, struck out with her arms, and fought her way toward the shining yellow slicker.  She saw Lexi flail toward Jewel, grab hold of the girl&amp;#039;s arm.  Clare clawed through the roiling waters. Desperately she reached out. She caught hold of Jewel&amp;#039;s raincoat. Her eyes met Lexi&amp;#039;s. Immediately Clare and Lexi began kicking, making their ascent.  They burst upward, gasped for air, choked on water and together fought through the waves toward a wooden ladder nailed to the end of the pier. While Clare kept a tight hold on Jewel, Lexi pulled herself up the three steps and onto the pier. She reached down with both hands, grabbed Jewel&amp;#039;s shoulders, and, while Clare struggled to push, hauled the child up onto the wet boards.  Suddenly, sirens screamed. Brakes shrieked. The pier shuddered under the weight of men running toward them.  &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ve got her!&amp;quot; A man put his arm around Lexi as another man lifted Jewel away from her. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re EMTs. We&amp;#039;ve got her.&amp;quot;  A moment later, Lexi was lifted up into strong male arms.  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m fine,&amp;quot; Lexi protested. But she wasn&amp;#039;t fine, she knew.  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m going with you,&amp;quot; Clare said, managing to keep hold of Lexi&amp;#039;s hand through all the commotion. &amp;quot;Jewel&amp;#039;s going to be all right. I saw them put her in the other ambulance. She&amp;#039;s okay.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re okay too!&amp;quot; a man assured Lexi. &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;ve got some deep gashes along your left side and \u2014 &amp;quot; He glanced at the other EMT, an older woman, who was packing towels between Lexi&amp;#039;s legs. &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re going to be okay!&amp;quot;  Lexi closed her eyes. She was aware of the movement of the ambulance and of pain, sadness. Her chest heaved with sobs; her entire spirit raged like the storm tearing across the island.  At the hospital, a nurse pierced her arm and threaded in an IV. &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s something going on down here,&amp;quot; a doctor said, removing the packed towels from between Lexi&amp;#039;s shaking legs.  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m having a miscarriage,&amp;quot; she told him. Then the anesthesia took hold, and Lexi sank into sleep.  Clare knew the day started early at hospitals, so she was striding into the Nantucket Cottage Hospital by 8.  She found Lexi sitting up in bed behind a hospital table, staring at a pile of mush in a stainless steel bowl.  &amp;quot;Morning, Lexi!&amp;quot; Clare greeted her.  Lexi was crying. &amp;quot;Do they think I&amp;#039;m toothless?&amp;quot; She covered her face with her hands. &amp;quot;Oh, it&amp;#039;s not the oatmeal \u2014 it tastes fine \u2014 I&amp;#039;m just.... Oh, Clare, I hurt so much. I don&amp;#039;t mean the cuts in my thigh and side \u2014 that hurts, of course \u2014 but it&amp;#039;s my....&amp;quot; She couldn&amp;#039;t go on.  &amp;quot;I know.&amp;quot; Clare moved close to the bed. &amp;quot;What does the doctor say?&amp;quot;  Lexi lifted her head, sniffing back tears. &amp;quot;She said I have to have bed rest. I can&amp;#039;t open the shop. My mom says she&amp;#039;s looking forward to babying me a little.&amp;quot; The word baby caught in her throat.  &amp;quot;Good,&amp;quot; Clare said. &amp;quot;You need someone to take care of you.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Is this a bad moment?&amp;quot; Bonnie Frost stood in the doorway.  Lexi glanced at Clare. &amp;quot;Come in,&amp;quot; she said.  Bonnie shut the door behind her. &amp;quot;How are you, Lexi?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m fine. I&amp;#039;m leaving the hospital later today.&amp;quot;  Bonnie moved closer to the bed. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t know how to thank you for saving Jewel. And you, too, Clare. I&amp;#039;m so grateful.&amp;quot; Her words came out in a rush. &amp;quot;I know you both think I&amp;#039;m a terrible mother, that all I care about is Ken and the new baby, but that&amp;#039;s not true.&amp;quot; Angry tears welled in her eyes. &amp;quot;Jewel&amp;#039;s a very smart girl; she&amp;#039;s precocious, but that doesn&amp;#039;t mean she&amp;#039;s easy to deal with! She always thinks she&amp;#039;s right, but she&amp;#039;s just a child!&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m not judging you, Bonnie,&amp;quot; Lexi said quietly. &amp;quot;Jewel is a wonderful girl. You should be proud of her.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Oh, yes, you see her out on the pier, the devoted daughter with her books and her adult vocabulary, but I&amp;#039;m telling you, she&amp;#039;s a child and she&amp;#039;s a willful one. Do you think she&amp;#039;ll help me with the baby? Oh, no. Do you think she&amp;#039;ll give her stepfather a chance? Not on your life!&amp;quot; Bonnie took a deep breath. &amp;quot;I came here to thank you. But I also came to ask you to help me. Jewel adores you, Lexi. She hero-worships you. It won&amp;#039;t make any difference if I tell her not to hang around with you \u2014 she won&amp;#039;t obey me.&amp;quot;  Lexi gasped. &amp;quot;You don&amp;#039;t want me to spend time with Jewel?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;No, I&amp;#039;m not asking that. I don&amp;#039;t even mind if you talk to her about Tris. Could you just not go out on that damned pier with her anymore? I mean, don&amp;#039;t you feel some responsibility here?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;I do,&amp;quot; Lexi admitted. &amp;quot;And I agree. I won&amp;#039;t go out on the pier with her again. She can come and hang out at my shop instead.&amp;quot;  Clare suggested, &amp;quot;And maybe Lexi could take Jewel to the beach sometime. Lex knows a lot about shells, and marine life....&amp;quot;  Bonnie released a martyr&amp;#039;s sigh. &amp;quot;I guess that would be okay.&amp;quot;  For the first time all morning, Lexi looked happy. The grasses made whispering noises as Clare and Adam wound their way toward Moon Shell Beach. Adam carried the wicker picnic basket while Clare brought the blanket.  &amp;quot;I can&amp;#039;t believe you girls found this place when you were so young,&amp;quot; Adam said. &amp;quot;And no one else I know has ever discovered it.&amp;quot; He sat down next to Clare and rummaged the picnic basket. He set out a plate of cheese and crackers, then some glasses and a bottle of Dom Perignon.  &amp;quot;Champagne?&amp;quot; Clare was surprised. &amp;quot;On a Sunday afternoon?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Well, you did save my sister&amp;#039;s life.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s a gross exaggeration.&amp;quot; Clare flushed. &amp;quot;I just helped her bring Jewel out of the water.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;In gale-force winds. When Lexi was already injured. Also,&amp;quot; Adam said quietly, &amp;quot;I have an ulterior motive.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Oh, yeah?&amp;quot; Clare slid down, letting her head fall back, exposing her neck to the sun. &amp;quot;You going to seduce me? I&amp;#039;ve never had sex on Moon Shell Beach.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Seduction? Later. Proposal first.&amp;quot;  Clare blinked. &amp;quot;Huh?&amp;quot;  Adam wore an almost bashful expression. &amp;quot;Look, Clare. I&amp;#039;ve done a lot of thinking since you went into the harbor like that. I know you and I haven&amp;#039;t been together very long, and I know I might be just the rebound guy after Jesse \u2014 &amp;quot;  &amp;quot;You aren&amp;#039;t,&amp;quot; she told him.  &amp;quot;I believe you. I want to marry you, Clare, and fill a house with children. I don&amp;#039;t want to be sensible and wait until we&amp;#039;re sure \u2014 &amp;quot;  &amp;quot;But we are sure!&amp;quot; Clare laughed. &amp;quot;I mean, I&amp;#039;m sure. And obviously you are, too, since you&amp;#039;re proposing! Adam, I love you!&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;So,&amp;quot; he said, a big grin on his face, &amp;quot;are you saying yes?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Absolutely,&amp;quot; Clare exclaimed. &amp;quot;Yes!&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;In that case....&amp;quot; He unbuttoned the small pocket on his swim trunks and brought out a diamond ring. He held it out to her.  &amp;quot;Oh, Adam.&amp;quot; She gazed down at the diamond as he slid the ring on her finger. Then she launched herself at him so hard and fast that she knocked him over backward. &amp;quot;Oh, I love you! I&amp;#039;ve never been so happy!&amp;quot; Suddenly she rolled off him and held out her hand. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t know what I want to do more, kiss you or look at my ring!&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Kiss me,&amp;quot; Adam told her. And she did. Sunday afternoon, Clare and Adam lay in his bed, lazy after a long session of making love and a delicious nap. They both jumped when the phone rang. Adam lifted himself up on one elbow to look at the caller ID. He frowned. &amp;quot;Logan Airport?&amp;quot;  Clare stretched and yawned. &amp;quot;Pick it up.&amp;quot; She was so relaxed, she didn&amp;#039;t know if she could summon the energy to shower. Perhaps if she made another pot of coffee....  &amp;quot;Holy shit, man!&amp;quot; Adam exploded into the phone. &amp;quot;Clare \u2014 it&amp;#039;s Tris!&amp;quot; Adam threw himself out of bed and began pacing the floor, nodding as he listened. &amp;quot;Thank God you&amp;#039;re alive, Tris, thank God. Yeah, I&amp;#039;ve heard about Sable Island \u2014 it&amp;#039;s a notorious shipwreck site. Man, what an ordeal. Are you okay?&amp;quot; He listened for a while, then said in a quieter voice, &amp;quot;Yeah, well, I guess we kind of thought you&amp;#039;d gone under, Tris. It&amp;#039;s been three months....&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Jewel never thought he died,&amp;quot; Clare reminded Adam.  Adam nodded. &amp;quot;Your daughter waited for you every day at the pier, Tris. She never gave up hope.&amp;quot; Adam&amp;#039;s voice thickened. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m so glad you&amp;#039;re alive. Man, I&amp;#039;m so glad.&amp;quot; He strode into the bathroom, grabbed a handful of toilet paper, and blew his nose. Returning to the bedroom, he said, &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t know, I&amp;#039;ll ask Clare.&amp;quot;  Clare was nearly dancing with excitement. &amp;quot;Ask me what?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Hang on, Tris, let me tell Clare.&amp;quot; Clamping the phone to his chest, he said, &amp;quot;Tris is at the airport in Boston! The captain of the fishing vessel that found him loaned him money for airfare. He&amp;#039;ll land on Nantucket in 45 minutes! He&amp;#039;s been trying to reach Bonnie and Jewel, but all he can get is their answering machine. Do you know where Jewel is?&amp;quot;  Clare shook her head. &amp;quot;I can call Lexi \u2014 she might know....&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Look, man,&amp;quot; Adam said into the phone. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ll find Jewel. We&amp;#039;ll meet you at the airport. Tris, this is a miracle, you know? Yeah, Tris, I love you, too, buddy.&amp;quot;  Adam tossed the phone onto the bed, picked Clare up in his arms, and swung her around. &amp;quot;Tris is alive! It&amp;#039;s amazing, Clare.&amp;quot; Adam pulled on his T-shirt and shorts as he talked. &amp;quot;His boat was wrecked near Sable Island, up in Nova Scotia. He ended up on a smaller island nearby \u2014 people have stayed there before, maybe to fish, because there were a couple of old shacks and some canned goods. But he had no matches, no cell phone \u2014 and then finally just early this morning some Newfoundland fishermen anchored near the island and he got their attention. The captain of the boat gave him some clothes, got him to Grand Manon Island, loaned him some money for airfare. He flew from there to Boston.&amp;quot; Adam looked wildly around the room. &amp;quot;Where are my car keys?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;On the bedside table.&amp;quot; Clare pointed to where the keys lay in clear sight. &amp;quot;Perhaps I should drive?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;No, no, I&amp;#039;m fine.&amp;quot; Adam grabbed up the keys. &amp;quot;Let&amp;#039;s go.&amp;quot;  As they pulled out of the driveway, Clare called around to everyone she could think of, looking for Bonnie and Jewel and sharing the news about Tris. She couldn&amp;#039;t reach Bonnie or Lexi, but she left messages for them, and one with Lexi&amp;#039;s mother, too.  Finally they turned onto the airport road. Adam parked and they jumped out and hurtled toward the arrivals gate, a long room with two wooden benches and a soft drink machine. Windows opened onto the landing field where nine-seater planes sputtered to a stop or lumbered out for takeoff.  &amp;quot;I think this is his plane.&amp;quot; Adam squeezed Clare&amp;#039;s hand.  They watched as the small plane taxied into place. The first person off was a woman with a baby. After that came a man with a dog. And then came Tris.  &amp;quot;Good God,&amp;quot; Adam whispered. The Tris they had known was slender but muscular. The man limping toward the terminal was gaunt. His face was sunken and deeply lined. His red hair was streaked with white. He was 33, but he looked 50.  But when he caught sight of Adam, he smiled, and his eyes brightened, and he looked young again.  &amp;quot;Tris. Hot damn.&amp;quot; Adam grabbed his friend up in a bear hug.  &amp;quot;I thought I was going to die out there, man,&amp;quot; Tris choked out. &amp;quot;I thought I was going to die.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Tris, I&amp;#039;m so glad to see you. I&amp;#039;m so glad you&amp;#039;re alive.&amp;quot; Clare reached out her arms and embraced him.  &amp;quot;Tell me about Jewel,&amp;quot; Tris said.  &amp;quot;Tris, she was amazing. She came every single day to wait for you on the town pier. She never gave up hope, Tris. She knew you&amp;#039;d be coming home.&amp;quot;  Clare&amp;#039;s heart was leaping in her throat as she led Adam and Tris out to Moon Shell Beach. Lexi&amp;#039;s mother had called to say that Lexi and Jewel were spending the day together at the beach. &amp;quot;A special place,&amp;quot; Myrna said, and Clare knew instantly where they had gone. As she and the two men made their way onto the golden sand, they saw two figures kneeling by the water, making a sand castle. Behind them, boats bobbed in the idle blue waters of the harbor.  &amp;quot;Hi, guys,&amp;quot; Clare said, and her voice came out high and squeaky because her heart was pounding so hard.  Jewel turned and looked up. Her eyes went wide. She jumped up, screaming, &amp;quot;Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!&amp;quot; Sand flew up as she ran toward her father. Tris reached out and caught her in his arms and held her to him. &amp;quot;Daddy, you&amp;#039;re home! I knew you&amp;#039;d come home! We&amp;#039;ve been waiting for you!&amp;quot;  Tris hugged his daughter, kissing the top of her head, smelling her, inhaling her, then looking at her face. Adam came quietly to put an arm around Clare, who was smiling through her tears.  &amp;quot;Daddy,&amp;quot; Jewel squirmed, lifting an arm free so she could point to Lexi. &amp;quot;You have to meet Lexi. She helped me hope for you.&amp;quot;  Lexi had been standing by the water, watching. Now she came forward, her blonde hair glowing in the sun.  &amp;quot;Hello, Lexi,&amp;quot; Tris said, reaching out to shake her hand.  &amp;quot;Hi, Tris,&amp;quot; Lexi said, and her smile welcomed him home.  Buy the book! Want to read every juicy detail of Lexi and Clare&amp;#039;s story? Get 35 percent off your own copy of Moon Shell Beach at bn.com/redbook through September 30, 2008. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/love-sex/a3886/moon-shell-beach-three/>