Girls of Summer(24)

Through the window, Juliet could see the lights of the town and the cheerful blink of the stubby Brant Point lighthouse. The ferry slowed and groaned as it turned toward the dock.

“I’d better get organized,” Ryder said. “It was nice talking to you.”

“Nice talking with you, too,” Juliet said.

It didn’t take long for her to close her computer and slide it into her backpack. She pulled on her leather jacket. Ryder Hastings had already headed toward the stairs, and she was glad. He was too everything for her, too old, too posh, too just plain much.

The ferry butted the dock, bounced, butted again. Chains clanked, men yelled orders as the crew roped the ramp safely to the boat, and passengers filed off one by one. Juliet was several people behind Ryder, so she took her time getting off, letting others go in front of her. She wanted to see who picked Ryder up, who greeted him, perhaps with a hug and a kiss.

She was pleased to see Ryder walk over to the taxi stand and climb into a Chief’s Cab. It was ten-fifteen, and the streets were dark, but Juliet’s home was only a few blocks away on Fair Street. She walked. She liked walking through the small town. All the shops were closed, but laughter came from the Brotherhood restaurant and a kid on a skateboard whizzed down Centre Street. She smiled. Here the sidewalks were clear and dry. Possibly, just when everyone thought spring was here, a week of tempests would blitz the island. But tonight it was only cold and windy.

   She passed her mother’s shop, turned down Fair Street, nodded hello to the handsome stone Episcopal church, and kept on walking toward her home, where she’d bet her mother was lying in bed with a cup of hot cocoa and a good mystery. She had her own key, but she didn’t want to alarm her mother by just walking in the door, so Juliet dug out her phone.

“Hi, Mom, hey, you sound out of breath.”

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Great. I’m on Fair Street. I’ll be home in about a minute.”

“You what?” Her mother clicked off.

Odd. No point calling again, she was almost there.

Juliet put her key in the lock, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Immediate bliss. Warmth and the perfume of flowers. She called, “I’m home!”

“Hello, darling, what a surprise!” Lisa wore khakis and a light blue sweater with a swirly scarf. She looked exceptionally pretty, and her cheeks were suspiciously red.

“Are you okay, Mom?” Juliet walked forward to embrace her mother. “Do you have the flu?”

Her mother laughed, a little hysterically, Juliet thought.

“No, dear, I’m fine. I was just…um, you know I’m having work done on the house, and with this wind I thought I heard a, um, loose window, so I called Mack Whitney, you know, Beth’s father, well, he’s the carpenter who’s helping renovate the house—and he came over to help. Otherwise, you know, I’d be worried all night. Come meet him.”

   Her mother took her hand and pulled her into the living room where a handsome man sat on the sofa, looking as if he’d been there for quite a while.

Mack rose and shook Juliet’s hand. “It’s nice to see you.”

“Hello, Mr. Whitney,” Juliet said politely. She could feel her mother’s eyes on her, imploring her to be good. “I thought I’d surprise my mother and come home sort of spontaneously.”

“Well, you achieved that goal,” her mother said with a laugh. “Mack, I think we left your coat in the kitchen.”

“Right,” he said. “Right.” He strode into the kitchen, came back, slipping his arms into his coat as he walked. “So, Lisa,” he said, “I think those shutters are fastened now. They won’t slap against the house like they were doing.”

“Thanks, Mack. I’ll see you and the guys tomorrow morning.”

Juliet kept her eyes on her mother as Lisa walked Mack to the front door. When it was shut, she waited a few beats, and then said, “You said you had trouble with a window and he said you had trouble with shutters. So which is it? Or are you sleeping with him?”

Lisa hesitated. She walked into the living room and sat down, patting the chair across from her. She didn’t speak until Juliet dumped her backpack and sat down.

“Mack is the general contractor here. We’ve become good friends.” Lisa blushed crimson. “Actually, it’s true, we’re dating, seeing each other, whatever it’s called now.”

“But, Mom, I’m pretty sure you’re older than he is.”

“I am older than he is. By ten years.”

“Oh, Mom!” Juliet stood up as if to walk out of the room. Instead, she sat back down. “Mom, are you sure this is wise?”

“Wise?” Lisa smiled. “Why are you worried about that?”

“Because you’ve got to know he’s going to drop you for someone younger and you’ll get your heart broken and I don’t want you to be hurt.”

   Lisa leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and tightened her lips. “Somehow you’ve managed to be both loving and insulting at the same time. Look, Juliet, all this is really none of your business. You don’t want me checking on who you’re sleeping with. You’ve been out of this house for almost ten years. I don’t break into your apartment at ten o’clock at night, do I?”