The Homecoming. Robyn Carr

said, looking down shyly. Shy was never a word people used to describe Iris, because she had learned to compensate in high school. She could fake confidence she didn’t really have.

      Iris knew even buying a prom dress would be tough for Rose. Prom wasn’t far off and Pretty Petals was only closed on Sundays so they went right away. They were just going to look around, decide if they should drive farther than North Bend, see what was out there. But they found a dress right away and fell completely in love. Iris didn’t think she’d ever stumble on a dress that she didn’t feel fat or pale or stupid in, but she did. It was dark purple and sleek, making her height feel like an asset. It took every ounce of her willpower to keep from running next door to tell Seth about it.

      At school on Monday morning she could hardly stop beaming. Books clutched against her chest, she went straight to his locker. “Hey,” she said.

      “Iris! You’ll never believe it. I made up with Sassy! We had a long talk and decided we both deserved another chance. So—we’re going to the prom.”

      Iris couldn’t move. Her mouth stood open, her eyes watered and she felt all color drain from her face.

      “What?” Seth said. “I mean, she’s got the dress and everything. And she really wants another chance.”

      “Don’t you remember?” she asked in a whisper before she could stop herself. “You don’t!”

      “What?” he asked again.

      “You said you wanted to go with me. You said we’d have more fun anyway,” she said quietly.

      He rubbed his hand around the back of his neck and shook his head uncomfortably. “I sort of remember. I was just really mad. And I was kind of drunk....”

      “Kind of?”

      “Okay, I was drunk. I probably said a lot of things I shouldn’t have. But you understand, right? God, Iris, good thing you got me out of there before something worse happened.”

      And then, like magic, Sassy was standing with them. Pretty, slim, sexy Sassy, threading her arm through Seth’s, smiling beautifully, her large blue eyes twinkling.

      “Hey, see you later, Iris,” he said. “I gotta get to class, but I’ll catch ya later, right?”

      She didn’t respond. She just stood there. Seth put a hand on Sassy’s shoulder and steered her down the hall. The warning bell rang—one minute to class. Just enough time for Seth to get Sassy to her class and then take off at a dead run for his own.

      Iris didn’t go to class. She went to the girl’s restroom, to a stall in the back. She stayed while the final bell rang. He sort of remembered? Obviously, he didn’t remember much of anything. He didn’t remember that he needed her, that they did it, that he helped himself to her virginity. He sort of remembered talking about prom, but he’d been trashed, blabbering, was somewhere between furious and whiny and obviously not sober enough to be serious. Iris hated him. But at the moment, she hated herself more. Why hadn’t she realized he was sleepwalking through a haze of beer? Or something?

      Maybe he wasn’t sure it was her. Maybe he not only couldn’t remember what he said but who he was with. There were a lot of kids at school who drank at every party, but Seth wasn’t one of them.

      She spent about half an hour in the bathroom. Then she went to her locker, got her books and walked home. He’d come around later. That’s how it was with them—if he didn’t come looking for her, she’d go looking for him. But she made a pledge to herself—she was done talking. No one would ever know. Oh, she could get mad, fight with him about it, but if she did that, she would only end up humiliated. If anyone found out they’d only say, “You hear about Iris? Thinking Seth would take her to the prom instead of that hot Sassy?”

      No, that wasn’t happening. She’d tell him he was an ass, accept his apology and then never talk to him again. She’d always thought Seth was special. Different. But he was just a dick.

       Three

      Seth’s days were long, but that was by choice. Thunder Point was his town and he had a terrible fear of missing something important. He didn’t have hard days, just long ones. He was scheduled to work five days a week from nine to five, but he started much earlier. He was usually in his office by six in the morning, while the next deputy didn’t come on duty until eight. And he didn’t leave Thunder Point before six or seven each evening. Until he got the lay of the land and figured out when the town was busiest, when there was potential for problems, he was there. Not always in uniform, but always ready. The office was closed Saturday and Sunday with a deputy or two on duty or on call in the evenings. Being on call on a quiet evening was the prime job in a quiet little town—you could go to a movie with your family and chances were good you wouldn’t be called out and you were still getting paid.

      Seth was usually in town on the weekend, as well, for a couple of hours, maybe more. Not only was he trying to learn the town, he was trying to become the familiar face. To that end, he hung out a lot. He did about five hours a day of management, which included paperwork. He spent the rest of the time driving around, having coffee, grabbing a meal, talking to people on the street. He ran into folks at Cooper’s on the beach, Waylan’s, Cliffhanger’s, Carrie’s, the diner and the service station.

      The service station was now called Lucky’s and the new owner, Eric Gentry, was a heck of a good guy and he’d turned that old wart of a gas station into a showplace. It was completely remodeled down to new pumps, and in addition to the extended maintenance shop he had added a classic car restoration garage including a paint bay. And the place was as clean as his mother’s kitchen. Eric’s equipment was new. It was no longer the greasy, run-down old shop of Seth’s youth.

      “Every time I come to this place I wonder what happened. It’s nothing like the garage I spent half my life in. We all worked for my dad growing up. Forget labor laws, he had a broom in my hand when I was ten.” Seth laughed at the memory. “He said if he didn’t pay me it wasn’t against the law and he wasn’t a man to break laws.”

      “That sounds like Norm,” Eric said. “He must be glad to have you back in town.”

      Seth raised one eyebrow. “Does he seem happy?”

      Eric laughed. “Well, no. But he must be....”

      “Yeah, I don’t think so. My dad and I have what you’d call a prickly relationship.”

      “I have to admit, he’s good with the customers,” Eric said. “How is he with your brothers?”

      “He’s easier on them. But I was a big disappointment to Norm. I was supposed to have a big pro-football career, make lots of money...”

      “Norm had his eye on your money?” Eric asked, sounding surprised.

      “Nah, he has money. No one on earth knows how much, but he’s always been a miser, and he was real proud of the fact that this station was paid off when he put it up for sale.”

      “And he asked a high price, too,” Eric said. “The station needed a lot of love, but the land it sits on is prime land. It was covered with junk, but it’s a good plot. It allowed me to expand. So if it wasn’t money?”

      “I think it was bragging rights,” Seth said. “I was all-conference in high school, went to the U of Oregon on scholarship, was on the shortlist for the Heisman, took a pro contract with the Seahawks, played about an hour the first season and then, bam. Car accident. Football over forever.”

      “How can a guy be mad about a car accident? Was it your fault or something?”

      Seth shook his head. “Miraculously, it was not my fault, but I was speeding. I was cited for speeding, but the other guy blew a stop sign. Thing is, we might not have been so badly injured if I hadn’t been going too fast, so even though he caused the accident, I still feel responsible. Wrong place, wrong time, young guy who felt bulletproof