Page 18 of One Weekend On Mackinac Island
“I’m not?”
Tria cried out, “Yes, you are!” eliciting laughter from the crowd.
“You are, but that’s not why I know that you are the one who stole the rings.”
The worry on Stephanie's face was evident, her lips pressed tightly together. Anxiety etched lines onto her forehead, and her eyes darted around frantically. I could only assume she was searching for an escape.
“You’ve been spoiled rotten since the day you were born.” Another gasp rang out among the crowd. This time from Stephanie’s own mother. “They gave you everything you ever asked for. Toys. Cars. Clothes.” I looked pointedly down at her feet. “Shoes.”
Stephanie took an involuntary step back. “That’s a very distinctive pair of shoes you're wearing,” I commented. With a collective, comical slump, all heads bowed, their gazes directedto the ground, fixated on Stephanie’s feet. The sneakers were black with an overlay of black lace. The sole, stark white against the lace, had a scalloped edge that created a dramatic contrast. Camouflaged in the lace was the brand name?Chloe. I could only imagine the price tag for the over-the-top design to be well above five hundred dollars.
“So distinctive, I recall clearly seeing them as you ran away after robbing my safe and pushing me down.”
“I didn’t . . . I don’t?”
“Oh, give it up, Stephanie. It’s over,” Scott muttered, his tone one of total disgust.
Mrs. Chambers’ voice was sharp and unforgiving as she asked, “What did you do?”
“I had to!” The words burst from Stephanie like a gunshot. “Todd is mine. You’ve practically told me that from birth. He should be marrying me. Not that bitch.”
“Stephanie,” her dad admonished, his words carrying a weight of disappointment.
“He’s mine. You promised me we’d marry. It was all arranged. That’s what you said,” she shouted at her parents.
“That was just wishful thinking on our part. A mistake, apparently,” lamented Mrs. Chambers.
“Where are the rings?” Mr. Chambers asked.
“No! It’s mine. My ring. Todd can’t marry her without them, right Todd? That’s what you said yesterday?”
I recalled Todd foolishly asking me if I remembered the rings and making an offhand comment about not being able to get married without them. Who knew the crazy bitch would take them to heart?
“You’re bat-shit crazy,” Todd declared. “Nothing would ever stop me from marrying Tria.”
“No! You can’t?”
“That’s enough, Stephanie,” her dad cut in, grabbing her by the arm. To my parents, he continued, “I’m sorry about this. I promise we’ll take care of it. We’ll find the rings and get them to you as soon as we can.”
The Chambers left with a still sputtering Stephanie and a collective sigh of relief seemed to be released from the crowd.
“Shouldn’t we call the police?” Tria asked in a hushed voice, the shock evident in her lower tone.
“Let’s see what her parents do about the situation first,” my dad suggested.
“Please tell me we can finally cut ties with that terrible family,” my mom asked and all us “kids” looked at her in shock. “What? Where do you think Stephanie learned to be so malicious? Her mom is just as awful. We only stayed friends with them all these years because we thought you were close to Scott and Stephanie.”
“Oh, my God, Mom. They are both horrible.”
“We’ve hated them for years,” Tria added.
“Can we talk about the kayak thing now?” Dad's question was met with the most beautiful sound: the laughter of the people I loved most in the world.
I felt his presence again before his arms wrapped around me from behind. “My Kit,” he murmured, the words brushing against my skin like a whisper of heat. “That was badass.”
A goofy grin spread across my face, inordinately pleased with myself. He nuzzled my neck, but my dad's stern voice interrupted, silencing any further intimacy.
“Wait . . . what’s going on here?” His voice boomed across the deck, a deep and resonant sound that seemed to shake the very planks beneath our feet. I pulled my eyes away from Owen, only to find him staring at us with his mouth hanging open in shock.
