“It’s not Compass Place, it’s Compass Bay. It’s small. Just sixteen cottages and they’re all on the beach. I think they all have balconies or porches or decks or something that overlook the water. There’s a restaurant, a bar, a pool, a dock, and kayaks, and snorkeling, and… and whatever you want, I guess.”

“I wouldn’t mind another drink like this,” Jed said, thumbing through the printout, pausing to admire a young blond in a very skimpy swimsuit before continuing. “You say this place has room for us the last week of February?”

“Yes. In fact, I already made reservations. Two deluxe cottages for two people. They have queen-size beds-”

“In-room safes, refrigerators, CD players, air-conditioning, ceiling fan, handmade batik fabrics, and original art by local artists.”

“Huh?”

“Just reading the publicity. The rooms sure seem attractive. Wood walls, high ceilings, lots of bright colors.” He glanced up at his wife and smiled. “I’m really looking forward to this.”

“I just hope Kathleen and Jerry are as enthusiastic as you are.”

Kathleen and Jerry had been even more enthusiastic than Jed. Kathleen and Susan went shopping in the resort departments of Bloomingdale’s and Saks and came home with armfuls of brightly colored shorts and tops. Kathleen bought a gorgeous turquoise bikini. Susan stuck to her black one-piece suit, hoping the brilliant pareo the saleswoman had shown her how to tie around her hips would add an element of dash while covering her cellulite. They both had new straw beach bags, and Susan had bought an amazing Kaminski raffia hat with a wide, droopy brim.

The weather had worsened, and Susan’s preswimsuit diet was undermined by the baking she had done to keep depression from the door during the repetitious winter storms. Jed and Jerry were overwhelmed by a project at the advertising agency where they both worked. Kathleen was busy straightening her home for the arrival of her in-laws, but she and Susan spoke on the phone daily, both women claiming to be anxious for the days to pass until they left. A last-minute problem at the office caused Jed to delay his departure by twenty-four hours. He suggested that Susan go on ahead with Jerry and Kathleen, but she decided that beginning their romantic vacation alone wasn’t an option. That’s how they had ended up arriving this evening, a day after the Gordons.

Susan continued her questions. “So you haven’t gotten any hints that Jerry and Kathleen aren’t getting along?”

Jed drained his drink, and before he could answer, a good-looking black woman appeared and suggested a refill. “Yes, thank you.” He accepted her offer. “And is there any chance that the kitchen is still open? Our plane was late and we haven’t eaten much more than pretzels all day long.”

With a promise to find them some nourishment, the waitress hurried off, and Jed was left to answer his wife’s question. He sighed deeply before doing so. “You know I don’t notice the things you do, hon. But, yes, I have noticed that something is bothering Jerry. But I don’t know that it has anything to do with his marriage. At least, he hasn’t said anything to me that would lead me to think that. But he’s been distracted at work and sort of standoffish, I suppose you could say.”

Susan had no intention of letting that stand unexplored. “What do you mean? Exactly how has he been acting?”

“It’s hard to explain. It’s not like there’s anything specific. If you hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have said anything at all. We’ve been working very hard; maybe he’s just tired. We’re none of us as young as we used to be.”

“You said standoffish. What did you mean when you said standoffish?” she continued to probe.

“Look, I probably shouldn’t have used that word. We’ve been working together almost constantly for the last month and a half. Maybe Jerry’s tired at the end of the day. Maybe he just isn’t interested in sitting in the bar car and chatting after a long day at the office.”

“Like you and he have been doing for decades,” Susan pointed out.

“People change,” was his brief reply. “Look, Susan, you’re not going to ruin our vacation worrying about someone else’s marriage, are you?”

“No, of course I’m not! But maybe we can help them out,” she suggested.

“How?” Jed sounded hesitant.

“By showing them just how happy we are after all these years,” she suggested, reaching out and squeezing his knee.

She could see his smile in the moonlight. “Sounds good to me.” He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose.

A large tray of grilled shrimp, tiny crab cakes with a fruit coulis, and gorgeous tropical fruit kabobs with a dipping sauce was placed on a small table pulled up by Susan’s side. Two fresh drinks appeared as well.

“This looks delicious,” Jed said. “Thank you. Can you just add it to our bill?”

“Of course. What is your room number?”

“It’s… to be honest, I don’t know. Susan?”

“I don’t know, either. We’re in the red cottage with the wooden rooster over the door,” Susan added.

“No problem. You must be the Henshaws. Welcome to Compass Bay.”

“Thank you. Perhaps you’ve met our friends? The Gordons? Are they in the cottage next to ours?”

“The Gordons? The man with the young wife?”

“I… I suppose you could describe them like that.” Susan had never thought of her friends in those terms. Jerry had lost his first wife and their two children in an automobile accident a few years before Kathleen had come to Hancock. She was over a decade younger than he, but the difference in their ages somehow rarely came up.

“They are in the cottage on the way to you-the first one in line-the blue one next to the gift shop. They went into town for dinner, I believe. I guess Mrs. Gordon is feeling better.”

“What do you mean? Was she ill?”

“I ran into her early in the evening. She was sitting alone in the gazebo.” The woman nodded out to sea, and Susan realized she was referring to the straw-roofed platform over the water at the end of the long dock. “I thought she had been crying, but she said she had a headache. I tell her of the island remedy we all use. I guess it worked.”

“Crying?” Susan repeated the word.

“What’s the island remedy?” Jed asked, ignoring his wife.

“Rum. My grandmother says rum can cure everything. I guess it worked for your friend.”

“I guess it did,” Jed said.

“I’ll leave you now… unless you think you’ll need something else.”

“No, we’re just fine, thank you.”

Susan waited until they were alone together before speaking. “Jed, she said Kathleen was crying.”

“Susan, she said she thought Kathleen had been crying. That’s all. Now, try this delicious shrimp and have some more punch. Whatever is going on with Jerry and Kath can wait until morning.”

TWO

Susan dug her toes into the sand and leaned back against the stone retaining wall that prevented Compass Bay from washing into the sea. Without waking Jed, she had gotten dressed and slipped out of their cottage. Now she wished she had paused long enough to grab her watch. The sun was rising to her right, and she could feel its heat on her cheek. The water was washing back and forth on the sand, but she slowly became aware of other sounds-cooking sounds. She got up as the lure of coffee became more compelling than the sea.

The dining area had been closed when they arrived last night, but now it was bustling with activity. Waiters in black slacks and white shirts were setting tables with bright-colored linens and heavy pottery. Two young men in swimsuits were raising gaudy umbrellas above tables on the patio overlooking the ocean. The scent of coffee brewing wafted from the kitchen, mixing with the salty air. Susan wandered toward its place of origin.

One of the young men dropped his umbrella and hurried to her side. “May I help you?”