Girls of Summer(88)

“I know,” Lisa said warmly. “And the bathroom is wonderful—”

   Theo settled in his straight-back chair, even though it wasn’t the kind of chair to settle in. It had a caned seat, and part of the caning had ripped and one small piece was poking into his thigh. He was aware of how Mack kept shooting looks at him, but the looks weren’t like bullets, they were more like those little circles beside exam true-and-false questions. Or, maybe, those asterisks that could almost be stars. Mack knew by now that Theo was a good worker who always showed up on time, never backed down from a difficult job, and got on well with the crew. He didn’t think Mack knew anything really bad about him, because Theo hadn’t ever done anything bad unless he thought about how drunk he got in college. But Mack hadn’t seen him then.

The fact was that Mack had been good to him these past few weeks. He’d trusted Theo to be a good worker, and he’d taught Theo about a hundred thousand things to do with carpentry. But that didn’t mean Mack would want a guy like Theo, who didn’t even have a profession, to move in with his only daughter. Also, his mom’s question hung in the air: Where would they both live?

While Juliet paused to sip her wine, Ryder said, “Lisa, I’d like you to know that I’ve asked your daughter to marry me, but she has declined.”

Lisa cocked her head. “Oh?”

“I did,” Juliet declared. “But he didn’t actually propose. And I didn’t actually decline. I want to start a new website business of my own. That will take time and concentration. I have to wait to think about marriage.”

“While you’re thinking about it,” Lisa said, “Mack and I have our own announcements to make.” Lisa took Mack’s hand. “We’re going to get married.”

“Oh, Mom,” Juliet cried. “This is fabulous! Wonderful!” Jumping up, she threw herself on her mother and kissed her cheek. “Hooray! I want to be your bridesmaid.”

“And I’ll give you away,” Theo told his mom.

   “And I’ll give you away,” Beth told her dad.

Lisa said, “That sounds perfect. We’re going to have a huge event. We’re waiting until January so we can organize a proper ceremony and reception.”

“So you’ll live together?” Beth asked. “Where?”

“That depends,” Mack said. “Where will you and Theo live together?”

“Wait,” Juliet said. “What? Theo, you and Beth are moving in together?”

“Yeah,” Theo told her, and he couldn’t help grinning like he’d scored a major touchdown.

“Where are you going to live?” Mack asked.

Man up, Theo told himself. “What we thought…and we haven’t had the chance to talk with Ryder about it yet, obviously…was that we would live in the apartment over Ryder’s garage. Just for a while, until we sort out a better place to live.”

Juliet snorted. “Yeah, because it’s so easy to find a year-round place anyone can afford on this island.”

Theo ignored his sister. He’d had years of practice. “What do you think about that, Ryder?” Theo asked. “We’d pay you rent, of course. Whatever you ask.”

Ryder smiled. “Theo, it would be great with me if you both lived there. I travel so much, I’m seldom at home. My real home base is in Marblehead, about forty-five minutes from Boston. It would be helpful to have you two there keeping an eye on things. I certainly wouldn’t charge you rent. I have a caretaker for the main house, but it would be good to have you two living there, too.”

“Cool,” Theo said. “Beth’s committed to her job at Ocean Matters, and I—” Theo looked at Mack, handing the decision to him.

“I asked you to work for me this summer,” Mack began, and stopped.

Theo’s heart froze.

“And I’ve had it in the back of my mind to ask you to join my crew permanently. But you know, Theo, if you move in with Beth, I won’t favor you over the others. I won’t pay you more or give you the easy work.”

   “Well, that’s too bad, Dad.” Beth laced her words with sarcasm. “Because that is the only reason Theo has for wanting to marry me.”

Mack cocked an eyebrow at his daughter. “I suppose that’s true,” he agreed in a terribly serious tone of voice.

“Oh, Dad,” Beth said, smiling back.

“Hang on a minute,” Juliet said, in her most professional voice. “Let me get this straight, Mom. You are going to marry Mack in January. In the meantime, you’ll live all alone in this house and Mack will live all alone in his house and Beth and Theo will live all squeezed up in a tiny little one-bedroom apartment.”

“It’s so not tiny,” Theo said.

“It isn’t,” Beth agreed. “It’s a beautiful space, with an incredible view of the water.”

“Still,” Juliet said.

Theo met his sister’s challenge. “So where are you going to live while you start your new business? I mean, obviously, you’ve got your apartment in Cambridge. But also obviously, you’re all charged up about Ocean Matters, so I assume you’ll be coming down to Nantucket now and then. Where are you going to stay?”