I must have drifted off to sleep, but around five o’clock, just as the sun was beginning to light the eastern horizon on fire, I woke suddenly and decided to use the bathroom. The house was quiet, as the air-conditioning hadn’t kicked into its day cycle yet. The floors were drafty. I thought to myself, Someday, if I ever have any money, I’m going to insulate this place the right way, whatever that meant. Most of the original island cottages had no insulation at all.

I threw a robe around my shoulders and made my way down the hall to the bathroom I shared with Leslie. The door was locked. Something made me look in her bedroom. There she was in her bed, fast asleep. So who was in my bathroom?

Oh, Leslie, I thought, what have you done?

I went back to my room and stood behind my door, peeking through a small opening. In a moment I had my answer as a man emerged, carrying his shoes and tiptoeing as quiet as a little mouse toward the kitchen door. I recognized him, but I didn’t say a word. He was a guy Leslie used to date before she met Charlie. I couldn’t remember his name. When the moment was right, I cleared my throat to mask the sound of him opening and closing the door. He turned around in surprise and I gave him a little wave. If he had awoken the queen, she would’ve kicked his butt the whole way to Charleston. And for as much as I thought it was trashy for Leslie to drag some guy home she hadn’t seen in a thousand years, I did admire her nerve.

Over breakfast Momma said, “Did y’all hear any noise during the night?”

I said, “I slept very soundly. I didn’t hear anything.”

“Me, either,” Leslie said, lying through her teeth.

“Well, I heard thumping—you know, da dump, da dump, da dump. You know, like, you know?”

“Hmmm,” Leslie said and looked at me across the table, crossing her eyes.

I nearly spit my coffee out through my nose.

“Really?” I said. “Could be a mouse in the wall. Or a marsh rat. They always try to get inside when the weather’s about to change.”

“Yes. And the next time I hear sounds like that I’m going to investigate them with my shotgun!” Momma said and looked at Leslie. “You might want to pass that along.”

Chapter 11: The Boys

Hunter asked, “Why do bees buzz?”

I said, “Because they flap their wings two hundred times per second! The flapping makes the buzz sound.”

“They must be very tired at night,” Hunter said.

Chapter Eleven

The Boys

I saw Archie in the driveway on Sunday afternoon. He told me that he’d asked Sharon to marry him. She said yes.

“Well, congratulations,” I said politely.

“Thanks,” he said. “You don’t seem very excited about it.”