A Nantucket Wedding(63)

“Aren’t you a clever girl,” Jane said. She knelt down to the children’s level. “Well, guess what. I have secrets for you.” She gathered her niece and nephew close and whispered to them.

“YAY!” Luke shouted.

“You are the coolest adult in the world!” Alice added.

The two children raced down the steps, across the deck, and down the sandy path to the beach, where two giant inflatable water toys waited: a white unicorn with a pink mane and a dragon. In minutes they were bobbing in the shallows, screaming with joy.

“Jane, what wonderful presents!”

Jane grinned. “Method in my madness, kid. I brought a couple for Poppy’s kids, too. Now we can talk.” She unfolded her beach chair and set it next to Felicity’s.

“All right, spill.”

“Last weekend? When you all weren’t here? Ethan was here. And so was I. So he invited me out to dinner and…” Jane spoke with mischievous slowness, drawing out each word.

“And?”

“And we ate at the Boarding House. The food was excellent, and the drinks—”

Felicity slapped her sister’s shoulder. “Stop that. I don’t need to hear about the food. What happened? Did he kiss you?”

Jane laughed. “Um, yeah. He kissed me. A lot. In fact, he drove me out to a secret spot on the moors, off on a dirt road where nobody ever goes at night. I had the top down on the convertible, and the air was warm, and Ethan and I had a good old make-out session. Better than anything I ever had in high school. We reclined our seats, and Ethan moved over on top of me, and—”

Felicity’s heart clutched. “Oh, please, Jane, no. Don’t tell me you had sex with him.”

Jane drew back. “Why not?”

“Why not? Because you’re married. It’s one thing to flirt with a guy, even kiss him, and it’s such a boost to the ego to have him pursue you. But it’s wrong to have sex with him. If you’re married, you’re supposed to be faithful.”

    Felicity burst into tears.

“Oh, honey.” Jane put a consoling hand on her sister’s arm but Felicity shook it off. “Is Noah sleeping with Ingrid?”

Angrily, Felicity brushed the tears off her cheeks. “Maybe, I don’t know, but the point is, Jane, you shouldn’t be having sex with Ethan when you’re married to Scott! No matter what Scott’s doing, you should be faithful to your husband!”

Jane sat back in her beach chair and took a moment. She waved at the kids, who were gleefully butting into each other with their inflatable creatures. When Felicity had stopped crying, Jane said quietly, “No, we didn’t have sex. A park ranger came along and told us to leave. That spoiled the mood, and I thought it would make a funny story. I told you how it is with Scott and me. We may be headed for divorce. I can’t imagine how we’ll resolve our differences. Right now we are diametrically opposed. And it was delicious to have such a sexy man wanting me.”

“I hope you and Scott don’t get divorced.” Felicity reached out and took Jane’s hand. “I think you’re a really great couple.”

Jane squeezed her sister’s hand. “I get how you feel about marriage, but I honestly can’t promise anything.”

Felicity sighed. “I know I was laughing about Ethan flirting with you, but having sex is taking it to a whole different level, Jane, and I know what I’m talking about. Noah says he hasn’t had sex with Ingrid yet, and for some odd reason, I believe him. If he does have sex with her…how can I stay married to him? And what about the children?”

“At least Noah is here now,” Jane reminded her sister. “He’s here and it’s going to be a gorgeous weekend, so he can relax and enjoy his family. He’ll remember how important his home life is. Try not to worry, at least for this weekend.”

“Okay, then, you stay away from Ethan so I won’t have to worry about you.”

    Jane shook her head ruefully and held out her hand. “Deal. Shake on it.”

They shook and Felicity hugged Jane. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now let’s go for a swim.”



* * *



—

Lunch was late, and afterward the children, sun-stunned from the water, collapsed on the sofa in the den, watching television. The adults lingered at the table, idly chatting, picking red grapes and cherries from the fruit bowl.

“Will you be able to come here for a weekend or two in August?” Alison asked Noah.

Felicity froze. She’d never asked her mother to inquire about Noah’s plans, and why was she asking, anyway, what did it matter to Alison? Noah hated to be put on the spot.

“I’m not sure,” Noah answered. “My work is in a crucial stage right now.”

“I’m asking because I’d love for you to see the hotel where our wedding and the reception will be,” Alison explained with a smile.

“It’s sublime,” Jane chimed in. “Heavenly.”

Noah frowned. “I’d like to see it, but I don’t know when I’ll find time to get back here.”

David spoke up. “Look, why don’t I drive you out to the hotel today, Noah? In fact, the manager is a friend of mine. He might let us use a couple of kayaks. We can explore the head of the harbor and get a beer after.”