Girls of Summer(83)
“I used your landline to reach Juliet and your mother,” Beth told him. “They’re safe. They were piling sandbags at the Island Home.”
“Look, Beth,” Theo said in a rush, “I’m glad they’re safe, and I’m sure your father is, too, but can we not talk about anyone else right now? Because I have something to say and if I don’t say it now, I might lose my nerve.”
“Okay, Theo.” Beth folded her hands in her lap and looked at him questioningly.
“Beth.” Theo started to sit down, but stood up again. He was too nervous to sit. “I was thinking in the storm…I’ve been in love with you for years. And you have been in love with me, too, right? So, the thing is, I want to be with you.” Pacing around the table, because his nerves wouldn’t let him stand still, he said, “I want to be with you every day. I lost you when you went with Atticus, and I almost lost you again in the harbor, and I want to be with you all the time, and I don’t want you living in another man’s apartment, and I promise I’m capable of settling down—you should ask your dad! He’ll tell you I’m a reliable worker.”
“He already has told me that,” Beth said softly. “He’s said—I think these are his exact words—that you’re a good, strong, congenial employee.”
“He said that? Man, that’s brilliant. You know, Beth, your father is the best. He’s patient, and he’s got a sense of humor, and he doesn’t mind showing me what to do, and—”
Beth cocked her head. “I thought we were talking about you and me.”
Theo stopped pacing. “We were. Well, I was. I wasn’t very smooth about it, and I’m not really sure what I mean.” He stopped talking fast and took a deep breath, gathering himself. “I love you. I’ve loved you for years. I want to live my life with you. I want you to be the last thing I see every night and the first thing I see every morning. I want to take care of you when you’re sick. I want to stay in bed with you on Sunday afternoons in the winter and, well, you could read and I could watch football. What I mean is, could we…move in together? And maybe someday, if you don’t think I’m a total slob, we could get married?”
Beth rose and faced Theo. “Wow. This is a lot. Living together…” Beth paused and studied Theo with an appraising look. “Theo, I like the thought of living with you. I can imagine coming home at the end of the day and telling you about the highs and lows, and hearing about your day, too. And sleeping with you all night would be heaven. But I don’t want to get into the whole making a nest thing. I don’t want to choose a china pattern and decide on the color of our sheets. I’ve worked hard getting my master’s degree, and I want to start a career, accomplish something, do work I love—like working on Ocean Matters. Getting married, keeping a house, all of that homemaker stuff isn’t what I’m interested in now.”
“I totally get that, Beth. I’ve got to concentrate on work, too. Your dad knows so much I want to learn—”
Beth interrupted. “And living together is full of practical stuff, like buying toilet paper and taking out the trash.”
“I can do that,” Theo said.
“Can you cook? Can you agree to make dinner half the time?”
Theo frowned. “I’ve pretty much microwaved over the past few years.” Seeing Beth’s face, he added, “But I can learn. I will learn. And you know what? I’ll do half the cooking, and I’ll make you such fine dinners you’ll be glad to live with me.” His eyes lit up. “I made an amazing meatloaf for my mom the other day. Just ask her.”
Beth laughed. “I have a feeling it’s going to be an adventure, living with you.”
“So you want to do it? Move in together?”
Beth smiled. “Of course I do.”
Theo swept Beth up in his arms and swung her around in a circle. Beth folded her arms around his neck, leaned back her head, and laughed. Their eyes met, and they kissed for a very long time, then pulled apart, expecting the door to open any moment.
“We’ve got to get our own place,” Theo said.
“And soon,” Beth agreed. Softly, she added, “But let’s go to my place now. For a while.”
Theo looked puzzled.
“So we’ll be all alone.” Beth gave him a look.
“Yes,” Theo said, his voice husky. “Let’s go.”
thirty-two
After the sandbag brigade was dismissed, Ryder and Juliet went to Ryder’s house on the harbor. He showered and changed clothes in his bedroom, and Juliet showered in the guest bedroom and wrapped herself up in the big white fluffy robe hanging on the shower door. The shawl collar of the robe warmed her neck, making her feel cozy and cared for.
She went down the stairs to the den where Ryder had started a fire. His family’s summer home was a typical old Nantucket sprawl, large and drafty with old sofas, threadbare Persian carpets, sweet old appliances, and a sense of comfort and welcome.
“I love this house,” Juliet said.
“So do I. The view is magic, not that I get to enjoy it often. But look how high the water is. We used to have a beach. Now the water is almost to the house. Someone two houses down has plans to raise his house on stilts like Florida houses. I don’t have the time to focus on that. I don’t want to sell the house, but I can’t live here full-time, either.”