Chapter 24
Chapter 24 — The Night Before
Alex wakes to find Jessica gone from his cabin, with a note on his pillow. He works with Gene on the Danforth deck project, and Gene subtly probes about Alex's situation with JJ. Alex returns to the commune to find Eleanor preparing for their evening by giving him specific instructions about where to meet her. JJ finally breaks her silence with Alex in a brief, loaded exchange by the hot tub. Maya tells Alex she's leaving the commune in two weeks for a job in Portland, which forces him to confront the summer's approaching end. Alex prepares for Eleanor's evening, showering and changing, and walks to the designated meeting spot at dusk. Eleanor is waiting.
Alex woke at five. The cabin was gray. The bed was half-empty. Jessica's side was still warm but she was gone. A piece of paper lay on the pillow. Small handwriting. Neat. The kind of handwriting a nurse would have.
Thank you for letting me stay. I left before anyone saw. That's not shame. That's privacy. There's a difference. I'm learning it. — J
He folded the note. He put it in the drawer with Eleanor's note from the week before. He had a collection now. Notes from women. He didn't know what to do with them. He wasn't the kind of man who kept letters. He was becoming the kind of man who kept letters.
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