Girls of Summer(30)

“Nice meeting you,” Lisa said to Ryder as she moved away.

“Nice meeting you,” Ryder answered. “And nice seeing you again, Juliet.”

Juliet flushed at the warmth in his gaze. She hurried off to speak to a friend. Lisa spotted Mack at the round table with the punch bowl in the middle. She headed his way.

“Hey,” she said. “How are you?”

“Good.” Leaning forward, he said in a low voice, “You look very kissable.”

Lisa grinned. “So do you. But my daughter’s here.”

“And so is mine.”

“I thought I saw her sitting with you. When did she get here?”

“Last night. With her master’s finished, she’s home and looking for a job.”

   “We’re headed into tourist season. She’ll have no trouble finding work.” Lisa turned to search for Beth. “I haven’t seen her for years.”

“She’s there. In the blue dress.”

“Oh, she’s lovely.” Lisa sighed. “Theo’s been in California for seven years. I’m not sure he’ll ever come back.”

“Actually,” Mack said with a grin, “that’s fine with me. I’d like to be the only male in your life.”

Lisa felt herself blush. “Mack—” She wanted to tell him to stop because other people crowded next to the table for punch. She almost hated it when Mack spoke seductively. It reminded her of Erich, who’d been a magician with words and an adulterous husband and a cruelly absent father. She couldn’t say all this to Mack, not here, not now. It almost made her dizzy, feeling so attracted to him and at the same time so frightened.

From across the room, Lisa met her daughter’s eye and understood the slight sideways motion of her head. Time to leave.

“I’ve got to go,” Lisa told Mack. She was aware of several Nantucket acquaintances watching them, so she said politely, “Good to see you.” She slipped from the group and joined her daughter.

“Do you want to say hello to anyone else?” Lisa asked.

Juliet shook her head. “No, thanks.”

They went down the curving stairs, out the tall white doors, and down the steps to the brick sidewalk.

“How do you know Ryder Hastings?” Lisa asked.

“I met him on the boat coming over,” Juliet said.

“He seems nice.”

Juliet shrugged. “His work is certainly important.”

“I wish I had the time to help out.”

Juliet said, “I would help if I spent more time here.”

“You know you’re always welcome.”

The wind was rising, whispering through their hair.

“We should drive out to Surfside tomorrow to see the waves,” Juliet said. Immediately she corrected herself. “I mean, I should. I don’t want to mess up your schedule. I mean, if you’re planning something with Mack.”

   “Oh, I think Mack and I can resist each other for a day or two,” Lisa answered, laughter in her voice.

“Good,” Juliet said churlishly. “Sorry to be so childish.”

Lisa linked arms with Juliet. “You are a child. You are my child. I love you and Theo best of all. You know that.” As they turned the corner onto Fair Street, Lisa said, “Let’s get a pizza and watch a movie tonight.”

“Great idea,” Juliet agreed.





eight


The next morning, Lisa and Juliet drove out to Surfside. The south beach had always been Juliet’s go-to place when she had a problem. The yielding sand, the flashing light of the waves, the whirling wind, all cleared her thoughts.

Today, though, Ryder Hastings’s lecture ran through her mind. Of course when she was a kid in school she’d learned about the ocean, about plastics caught in fish stomachs, in turtle throats. She’d seen films of dead whales with a frightening assortment of human-created debris in their stomachs. She’d seen the birds and fish helplessly trapped in a thick coat of oil in the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil spill. She’d taken tests on the information, and aced the tests, but she hadn’t become a crusader. Looking out at the gleaming blue waves that replenished her soul, she experienced a pang of guilt.

She wondered what her brother thought about all this. Theo lived for surfing out there on the California coast. He must care. Maybe he was involved in some kind of protest or clean-water effort. He could act brainless, but he had a good heart. They talked or texted now and then, but they weren’t close. She kind of missed him. She’d text him sometime, maybe tonight.

   On their way from the beach, Juliet thought about bus schedules to Boston. She’d love to stay on the island, but she really had to get back to Kazaam. Although…she often worked at home when she didn’t feel like fighting through a blizzard, and that was never a problem. Maybe…

When they walked in the front door, Juliet could smell the delicious aroma of tomato, garlic, and olive oil. Her mother’s spaghetti sauce was simmering in the slow cooker.

“That smells fantastic,” Juliet said, giving her mother a hug.

“Thanks, sweetie. I’ve made an extra batch for you to take home.”

But this is home, Juliet thought.

Before she could think twice, she said, “Mom, what if I came here for the summer?”