Free The Body in the Kelp by Katherine Hall Page Page A

Prescotts and Roger and Eric, then she realized he didn’t really know these people and it all meant nothing to him. Tom started to tell Faith about the difficulty he was having keeping his Ecclesiastes study section on the path; the incipient power struggle between this year’s conference chairman and the recently named next year’s; and the distracting presence of a certain lady from Minneapolis—distracting of course not to moi, Tom protested a bit too much to himself, but some of the other men—when he also realized how boring it all was when you weren’t there. Of course, Faith would have been even more bored if she had been there. And so they talked at cross purposes for a while, tried to explain, then Faith said, “Tom, I love you. Is that it? I mean isn’t that why you called?”
    â€œIn a word, yes. And I love you. And I miss you. You do sound like you’re having more fun. And getting better things to eat.”
    â€œThink of it as good for the soul, and I’ll make it up to you when you get back. The things to eat and especially the fun.”
    â€œI hope you’re thinking of the same kind of fun I’m thinking of,” Tom commented.
    â€œAbsolutely, brisk swims in the ocean followed by volleyball
and ten-mile hikes. Isn’t that what you Fairchilds call ‘fun’?” Faith teased.
    â€œWatch out, sweetheart, or I’ll hold you to it.”
    â€œOh, Tom, I almost forgot. I had a letter from Hope on Friday. She and Quentin are going to be visiting friends in Bar Harbor and wondered if we wanted company over Labor Day weekend. What do you think?”
    â€œI think I don’t want any company but yours, but you know I love your sister dearly, and if there were the slightest chance that our example of connubial bliss would nudge the two of them toward the altar, I’d take it.”
    â€œGood. I already said they could come.”
    â€œDammit, Faith! What did you ask me for if you had the whole thing decided?”
    â€œI wanted to hear what you would say and it was what I thought, so there’s no problem. Besides, you always like Quentin after the first shock of the new wears off and he forgets he’s flawless.”
    â€œThat’s beside the point.”
    â€œAre we quarreling?” Faith asked. “I hope not, because it’s horrible enough on the phone.”
    â€œNo, not quarreling. It’s just necessary that I occasionally try to cling to what’s left of my independence.”
    â€œOh, Tom, this is silly. All right. It was a little high-handed of me.” She paused. Tom didn’t say anything. “Okay, even very high-handed and I promise faithfully, don’t laugh, to consult you first in the future about house guests. And when you see the wonderful box lots I got at the auction, you’ll let me do anything I want.”
    â€œI do anyway, but promise me that you’ll leave at least one box for me to go through myself.”
    â€œBetter, I’ll give you two. I bought four, so that’s fair. You can have the tools and one that looks like old games. I thought your family might like them.”
    â€œThat’s terrific, Faith. Now I have to go, honey. A group of us are going to Portsmouth for dinner at The Blue Strawberry.”

    â€œSounds tough, Tom.”
    â€œBelieve me, Faith, after a week of this food, we deserve it.”
    â€œI’m sure you do. Just make sure any legs you encounter under the table belong to it.”
    After some more of this nonsense, they hung up and Faith went back to the yard. Ben was still napping. Must be all the sea air, she thought. She had noticed that the locals touted it as either invigorating or soporific depending on what the situation called for. Just another one of those charming contradictions that seemed to crop up on Sanpere.
    No sooner was she outside than she decided to go in. She felt at loose ends. Pix had invited them