Nicholas Sparks - The Last Song

And the wedding. It was easy for Will to ask her to come, to assume it was no big deal. But she knew that Susan didn’t want her there, and the last thing she wanted was to be some sort of distraction. This was supposed to be Megan’s day.

Reaching the back porch, she was about to step inside when she heard the rocking chair squeak. She jumped back in terror, only to see Jonah watching her.

“That. Was. So. Gross.”

“What are you doing out here?” she demanded, her heart still racing.

“Watching you and Will. Like I said, that was really gross.” He made a point to shiver.

“You were spying on us?”

“It was kind of hard not to. You were right there by the workshop with Will. It looked like he was practically squishing you to death.”

“He wasn’t,” Ronnie assured him.

“I’m just saying how it looked.”

She smiled. “You’ll understand when you’re a little older.”

Jonah shook his head. “I understand exactly what you were doing. I’ve seen movies. I just think it’s gross.”

“You’ve already said that,” she pointed out.

That seemed to stop him for a second. “Where’s he going?”

“Home. He’s got to work tomorrow.”

“Are you going to watch the turtle nest tonight? Because you don’t have to. Dad said that we could watch it tonight.”

“You convinced Dad to sleep outside?”

“He wants to. He thinks it’ll be fun.”

I doubt it, she thought. “It’s fine with me.”

“I’ve already got my stuff ready. Sleeping bag, lantern, juices, sandwiches, a box of Ritz crackers, marshmallows, potato chips, cookies, and a tennis racket.”

“You’re going to play tennis?”

“In case the raccoon comes. You know. If it tries to attack us.”

“It’s not going to attack you.”

“Really?” He sounded almost disappointed.

“Well, maybe it is a good idea,” Ronnie agreed. “Just in case. You never know.”

He scratched his head. “That’s what I thought, too.”

She pointed toward the workshop. “The window looks beautiful, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Jonah said. “Dad wants to make sure every single piece is perfect. He makes me do some pieces two or three times. But I’m getting pretty good.”

“It looks like it.”

“But it gets hot. Especially when he runs the kiln. It’s like an oven.”

It is an oven, she thought. But she didn’t correct him. “That’s too bad. How’s the whole cookie war going?”

“It’s fine. I just have to eat them when he’s napping.”

“Dad doesn’t nap.”

“He does now. Every afternoon, for a couple of hours. Sometimes I have to shake him pretty hard to wake him up.”

She stared at her brother before peering through the window into the house. “Where is Dad, by the way?”

“He’s at the church. Pastor Harris came by earlier. He’s been coming by a lot lately. Him and Dad like to talk.”

“They’re friends.”

“I know. But I think he just used that as an excuse. I think Dad went to play the piano.”

“What piano?” Ronnie asked, puzzled.

“It got delivered to the church last week. Dad’s been going over there to play.”

“He has, huh?”

“Hold on,” he said. “I’m not sure I was supposed to tell you that. Maybe you should forget I said it.”

“Why shouldn’t you tell me?”

“Because you might yell at him again.”

“I’m not going to yell at him,” Ronnie protested. “When was the last time I yelled at him?”

“When he was playing the piano. Remember?”

Oh, yeah, she thought. The kid had an amazing memory. “Well, I’m not going to yell at him.”

“Good. Because I don’t want you to yell at him. We’re supposed to go to Fort Fisher tomorrow, and I want him to be in a good mood.”

“How long has he been at the church?”

“I don’t know. It feels like hours. That’s why I was out here. I was waiting for him. And then you showed up with Will and started making out.”

“We were just kissing!”

“No, I don’t think so. You were definitely making out,” Jonah said with conviction.

“Have you had any dinner yet?” she asked, eager to change the subject.

“I was waiting for Dad.”

“Do you want me to make you a couple of hot dogs?”

“With ketchup only?” he pressed.

She sighed. “Sure.”

“I thought you didn’t even like to touch them.”

“You know, it’s funny, but I’ve been handling a lot of dead fish lately, so a hot dog doesn’t strike me as all that disgusting anymore.”

He smiled. “Will you bring me to the aquarium one time so I can watch you feed the otters?”

“If you want, I might even be able to let you feed them.”

“Really?” Jonah’s voice rose with excitement.

“I think so. I’ll have to ask, of course, but they let some of the student groups do it, so I don’t think it would be a problem.”

His little face lit up. “Wow. Thanks.” Then, getting up from the rocking chair, he added, “Oh, by the way, you owe me ten bucks.”

“For what?”

“Hello? For not telling Dad about what Will and you were doing. Duh.”

“Are you serious? Even though I’m going to make you dinner?”

“Come on. You work and I’m poor.”

“You obviously think I earn far more than I do. I don’t have ten dollars. Everything I’ve earned has gone to help pay for my lawyer.”

He thought about that. “How about five, then?”

“You’d take five dollars from me even though I just told you I don’t even have ten dollars to my name?” Ronnie feigned outrage.

He thought about that. “How about two?”

“How about one?”

He smiled. “Deal.”

After making Jonah his dinner-he wanted the hot dogs boiled, not microwaved-Ronnie headed down the beach, toward the church. It wasn’t far, but it lay in the opposite direction from the route she usually walked, and she’d barely noticed it the few times she’d passed it.

As she approached, she saw the outlines of the spire silhouetted against the evening sky. Other than that, the church disappeared into its surroundings, mostly because it was so much smaller than either of the homes flanking it and had none of the expensive details. The walls were made of clapboard siding, and despite the new construction, the place already looked weathered.

She had to climb over the dune to reach the parking lot on the street side, and here there was more evidence of recent activity: an overflowing Dumpster, a fresh stack of plywood by the door, and a large work van parked near the entrance. The front door was propped open, illuminated by a soft cone of light, though the rest of the building looked dark.

She walked toward the entrance and stepped inside. Looking around, she could see that the place had a long way to go. The floor was concrete, the drywall looked only half-complete, and there were no seats or pews. Dust coated every exposed two-by-four, yet straight ahead, where Ronnie could imagine Pastor Harris preaching on Sundays, her father was sitting behind a new piano that looked utterly out of place. An old aluminum lamp attached to an extension cord provided the only illumination.

He hadn’t heard her come in, and he continued to play, though she didn’t recognize the song. It seemed almost contemporary, unlike the music he usually played, but even to her ears it sounded… unfinished somehow. Her dad seemed to realize the same thing because he stopped for a moment, appeared to think of something new, and started over from the beginning.

This time, she heard the subtle variations he made. They were an improvement, but the melody still wasn’t right. She felt a rush of pride that she still had the ability not only to interpret music, but to imagine possible variations. When she was younger, it was this talent above all else that had amazed her father.