He had resumed his search when Revvy caught him by the arm. “Hey, Nick. We’ve been lookin’ for ya.”

“Hey, man. Did all of you come—waste all that gas to drive from Savannah?”

Revvy laughed. “Yeah, thought we owed it to Mrs. Reynolds to show up—seein’ that she’s done so much for us—you know, bringing you and all.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Well, Brenton and Norah snuck off somewhere. I’m sure Mrs. Reynolds does not want to know where. And Revvy is off flirting with her daughter. Sure she doesn’t wanna know about that, either.”

“No, I’m sure she doesn’t.” Nick laughed. “Have you seen Mrs. Reynolds?”

“Yeah, she’s around here somewhere, all dressed up, serving food and stuff. Wouldn’t have recognized her at school all dolled up like that.”

Nick punched the side of Revvy’s arm. “I wouldn’t be ogling the teacher now.”

“No ogling. Just an observation. I did meet your wife, though. Think she might have been a little confused by how I knew you—or else she’s a little sloshed.”

Nick groaned. “I hope she’s just confused.”

“Hey, man, I really think this buckthorn thing will save the island.”

“We’ll see. It’s always a toss of the dice. I wish we had just one more thing—”

“Maybe we can get Reese to take us out there again.”

“Yeah, let’s see what happens with this. Then we’ll ask.” Revvy grabbed Nick’s arm and pointed to a stout man in a shiny suit with a red tie. “See that dude?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the owner, or CEO or whatever, of Stevenson and Sons. The guy who Mr. Reynolds works for—”

“Stay away from him, Rev.”

“Well, I think I might have goofed up a little, pissed Mrs. Reynolds off.”

“You didn’t say anything to him, did you?”

“Just told him his client is ruining a national treasure.”

“Man, there’s a place for that.”

“Yeah, that’s what Mrs. Reynolds said.”

“Rev, go have a good time. Get a free beer.”

Nick caught a flash of silver out of the corner of his right eye. He turned as Amy backed out of the kitchen, her hands underneath a tray of something he thought was called pigs-in-a-blanket—the ever-present party food.

He absorbed her beauty in the few moments he was permitted to stare unobserved. Her hair fell on bare shoulders, save for the thin straps that somehow held up the remainder of what looked to him like a luxurious nightgown, an outfit she should only wear in private. His legs felt loose, as though his knees had somehow dissolved, leaving him without the ability to move. “Want.” He couldn’t find another word, much less a coherent sentence, as she turned and saw him.