Surfside Sisters(57)
“Oh,” Keely said. “Wow.” She took a sip of champagne. “I don’t know where to start, Fiona. I mean, I welcome any suggestions about my book. You are one of my agents, after all. But somehow you’ve gotten Gray all mixed up with my novel.”
“No, you’ve gotten Gray all mixed up with your novel. You’ve lost the magic in your novels.”
“Okay. I get that. But I don’t think it has anything to do with Gray.”
“Really? I think that if Gray were the best man for you, you would be happy, and your writing would soar, instead of crashing.”
“Crashing. That’s a little harsh.” Keely shook her head. “And I am happy.”
“I think you miss your island.”
Keely sat back, surprised.
“Look. Your first two novels were set on Nantucket. They emanated a kind of light and spaciousness and pleasure that made readers want to be in the book. What you’ve done with this new novel is missing that.”
“Okay,” Keely said slowly, thinking it through. “I can see that.”
“So I think you need to go back to Nantucket.”
Keely smiled at the thought. “Just like that?”
“Why not? It wouldn’t be permanent. You could live with your mother. Walk on the beaches. Bike out to the Sankaty Head lighthouse. Watch the ferries arrive.”
“But Sun Music is set in New York.”
“Maybe it shouldn’t be.”
“It would mean major changes to set it in Nantucket.”
“But you can do it.”
Keely nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
The waiter arrived to take their order.
Fiona said, “Okay. Lecture over.”
Keely smiled. “Good!” She was relieved to have the hard business talk done, and glad not to talk about Gray any more, because she was so totally confused about him.
After lunch, Keely walked out into the bright light of a spring afternoon and on a whim, headed for Central Park. Her mind was churning, and her heart…well, her heart hurt. She knew that Fiona’s advice was spot on. She knew she’d lost the magic, but the difficulty was that she didn’t think returning to Nantucket would restore the magic to her writing. Or to her life.
She didn’t know what could restore the magic.
She found a bench across from the Bethesda Fountain, her favorite place in all of this brightly lit city. She loved the Angel of the Waters, and she could certainly use an angel in her life right now. She sat by the fountain, her thoughts tumbling, until the sunlight slanted in a different way. It was growing late. She rose and walked to the subway, got off at Fifty-ninth Street, and like an automaton, made her way to her building and up the four flights of stairs to her apartment.
She let herself into her apartment, locked the three thousand locks, and dropped her bag on the sofa. She’d had her phone turned off in the restaurant. She leaned against the kitchen sink, filling a glass with water. She curled up on her sofa and turned on her phone.
Gray had called twice, leaving a message both times, asking her to call.
She hit Call Back, and Gray answered at once. “I’ve had an idea.”
“Really. I wish I had one.”
“Seriously, this is a big deal idea.”
Keely laughed, thinking he’d take her for a ride in a balloon, or fly her to Paris for the weekend. “Tell me.”
“I want to take you to Connecticut this weekend. We’ll stay with my parents. They want to meet you, and I want to show you where I grew up.”
Keely was speechless.
“Good idea, right? I’ve got Friday off. We can drive up Friday morning and have the weekend to kick around in Mystic.”
“Mystic,” Keely said. How she loved that name. “That’s on the water, right?”
“Right, and we’ve got a boat, but it’s too cold to go for a sail. Still, the town is historic, and they’ve got Mystic Pizza, and a museum…”
“It sounds wonderful, Gray. I’d love to go.”
“Good. We’ll go.”
“What should I take for a weekend at your parents’?” Keely asked.
“Casual clothes,” Gray answered. “Jeans, sneakers, sweaters. It’s spring, but it will be cool up there. Maybe a nice shirt for the evening.”
“Tell me, Gray,” Keely said, her voice teasing, “are you wearing sneakers?”
She was rewarded with a low laugh. “What? You think I don’t wear sneakers?”
“Do you?”
“All right. You’re right. I wear leather loafers. But I do have boots up at the Connecticut house for riding.”
“Of course you do,” Keely said, her voice affectionate. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Instead of packing, Keely sank down on the bed with her hands folded at her lips, almost as if she were praying. This weekend was a huge step for Gray, and for Keely. She felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders—Gray was opening up to her. He was taking her to meet his parents, the mother who had never recovered from her miscarriages, who couldn’t show affection to Gray. How would she react to Keely? What could Keely do to show his parents how much Keely admired Gray?