Girls of Summer(41)

“Hi,” Theo said, with a smile for Mack. “Nice to see you. You’re Beth Whitney’s dad, right?”

“Right.”

“Could we possibly move out of the hall so we’re not all right on top of each other?” Juliet asked, her voice going falsetto in her strangled attempt to be polite.

“I have to be going,” Mack said. “Working day tomorrow.” He winked at Lisa.

“Thanks, Mack, see you tomorrow,” Lisa said, and suddenly she leaned up and kissed him quickly right on the mouth. She held his gaze for a moment, letting him know what she’d rather be doing.

   Really? she thought, as Mack went out the door. She’d rather be in bed with Mack than spend time with her two children?

Yes, she thought guiltily, she would.

Mack left.

“Let’s go to the kitchen,” Lisa said. “I’m sure you’re hungry, Theo.”

Theo slung an affectionate arm over Lisa’s shoulders. “So Mom’s got a boyfriend, hmm?”

“Yes,” Lisa told him, holding her head high. “Yes, I do.” She detached herself from Theo’s arm, walked to the refrigerator, and surveyed the contents. She’d been eating for one for so many months—years!—except when Juliet or Theo came home, which wasn’t often. “Theo, I can make a Western omelet for you. Eggs, cheese, tomato, and onion. Does that sound good?”

“Sounds great, Mom, thanks.” Theo threw himself into a kitchen chair.

“Do you have enough to make me an omelet, too?” Juliet asked, her voice strained.

“Of course,” Lisa replied cheerfully. As she worked, deftly setting the tomato, cheese, and onion on the chopping board, taking all seven eggs left in their little cups in the refrigerator door and settling them in a bowl, she kept her back to her children. “So, Theo,” she said as she worked, “what a surprise! I don’t know when I last had both of my children here together.”

“Yeah, I’m glad to be home,” Theo said. “I had an accident, got slammed by a wave, had a fractured humerus—”

“Oh, Theo!” Lisa turned from the stove. “Darling, so that’s why you’re wearing a sling! How do you feel now?”

“It’s nothing, Mom, really. I probably don’t even need the sling anymore. I just use it to remind myself to go carefully.”

   “Poor guy. That must have hurt. Were you frightened? Under all that water? You’ll have to tell me about it sometime.”

“I know I don’t want to do that again.” Theo was rubbing his arm, almost proudly. “I’m kind of off surfing. For a while, at least.” He cleared his throat. “I thought maybe I could spend the summer here, get a job, make some money, decide what to do.”

Lisa slowly poured the egg mixture into the cast-iron skillet hissing with hot butter. She lowered the heat, waited a few moments, then added the chopped cheese and veggies. She was glad to have something to focus on, something nurturing to her son, because her immediate reaction, to her own surprise, was certainly not unfettered joy at Theo’s news. And it wasn’t, she mused, only that it would make it difficult for her to be alone in the house with Mack. It was also the knowledge that Theo, being Theo, would expect her to do his laundry, buy his groceries, and cook his meals, as she was doing now.

But maybe this was a good thing. Maybe this was fate’s way of pulling Lisa away from what Juliet considered a disastrous affair. The eggs were done. Lisa hefted the skillet to slide the omelets onto two plates.

“I’m thinking I’ll stay here for the summer, too,” Juliet said.

Lisa almost dropped the skillet. “You’re sure?”

“Well, don’t go overboard with the enthusiasm,” Juliet snapped.

Lisa ignored her daughter’s mood. She knew her children loved each other but most often Juliet acted like a green-eyed cat, jealous of her brother.

“Here we go,” Lisa said to Theo. “Do you want some juice?”

“Mom,” Theo said, “I want a beer.”

“Me, too,” Juliet echoed.

Lisa set the plates in front of her children. “And will there be anything else, sir and madam?” she said, half-jokingly, half-sarcastically.

   Juliet stood up. “I’ll get the beers, Theo. You get the silverware.” Before Theo could respond, she said, “I know you hurt your arm, but I’m sure you can carry two forks.”

Lisa poured herself a glass of wine and settled at the table. Juliet sat at one end, Theo on the other, so she had to turn her head to study her children. Oh, they were so beautiful. Even now, it gave Lisa such a deep, primal pleasure to watch them eating.

“So, Juliet, you decided your job will allow you to be here for the summer?”

“Of course. I’ll go back every now and then for a face meeting.”

“Ah.” Lisa turned toward her son. “And, Theo, I’m sure your employer will be missing you out in California.”

Theo talked with his mouth full. “Haven’t worked for six weeks. Because of my arm. Plus I was bartending and giving surf lessons. Lots of guys can take my place.”

Lisa nodded. So when will I have private time with Mack? she wanted to ask. Instead, she said, “It will be wonderful to have you both here. But you know, I have my shop to run, and summer’s always the busiest time, so I’ll need you to pitch in and help me with the chores. Like buying groceries, cooking, and doing your own laundry. That sort of thing.”