Page 8 of Trick of Light

Nearly four years ago, Renee returned home from college due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes were all online, and the world was frightening and dark. Rod had been extremely pleased to have her back. But not long after her return, she’d stumbled into the living room, sobbing. She was pregnant. It wasn’t planned. The father was an islander named Vinny who’d spent the majority of their high school careers yanking her around—breaking up with her and getting back together as though it were all for sport. Obviously, Rod wasn’t his biggest fan.

But when Renee brought Felix into the world at the beginning of 2021, Rod’s heart burst with love. He’d promised to do everything in his power to help her. And he’d offered up his home for her and Felix, despite his plan to graduate from the University of Massachusetts by the spring of 2024.

Everything had fallen into place. Well, mostly. Renee and Vinny were on-again, off-again, as usual. Rod begged the universe to keep them “off” forever. But Renee said she still loved him. He couldn’t fight that.

Sometimes Rod wished he could chat with Renee’s mother about this. He wondered what she would say and what advice she would give. But it was impossible.

On his way home, Rod swung through the grocery store to purchase brats, hot dogs, potato salad, and a bag of salt-and-vinegar chips. Rod initially showed Renee the flavor when she was eight or nine, expecting her to spit them out or wrinkle her nose. Instead, she’d fallen in love. A friend of Rod’s had said, “Of course she loves them. She loves everything you love, Rod. You’re her everything.” Rod’s heart had swelled.

Renee and Felix arrived at ten after six. Felix hustled around the kitchen, babbling about something that had happened today at daycare, while Renee split open the hot dogs and cracked open a beer. Outside, fireworks had already begun to explode due to overeager tourists who’d probably been drinking all day. It wouldn’t be dark for hours.

“Boom!” Felix echoed, raising his fist.

“You excited, buddy?” Renee asked, picking him up.

“Fireworks!” Felix cried. “Yes!”

Renee and Rod chuckled. It was the first time Felix could fully participate in the holiday, and they realized they were in for a truly sensational year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas would be that much better. And it was only the beginning. The next ten years would be action-packed.

Sometimes, Rod wondered if Renee wanted to have any more children. He imagined himself overwhelmed with a few other grandchildren, their laughter filling his living room, their toys getting underfoot. He told himself to be grateful for what he had.

Over bratwursts and hot dogs, Rod told Renee a bit more about his first few days as a social worker. Renee listened intently and nodded along.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she said. “You’re forty-three and at the beginning of a brand-new career. You could do this for the next twenty-five years!”

Rod smiled. Given how fulfilling the job already was, he planned to do it as long as his legs supported him.

“People rarely do a job they like,” Rod said. “I feel lucky.”

“And they’re lucky to have you,” Renee said.

As the light dimmed outside, Renee and Rod loaded Felix in the car and drove to the beach that overlooked the fireworks. It swarmed with tourists and locals alike, carrying foldable beach chairs and coolers and calling to one another as darkness fell. Rod carried Felix, not wanting him to get lost in the crowd.

As they headed for the water's edge to set up their chairs, something caught Rod’s eye, and he turned his head to find Esme. She had her head back, and she was cackling happily. Beside her was, impossibly, Victor Sutton. It had been nearly thirty years since Rod had seen him in the flesh, but Rod would have recognized him anywhere. His heart skipped a beat.

Was it possible that Esme was laughing at something Victor had said? Didn’t Esme remember what Victor had put her through? Couldn’t they feel his betrayal like a crater between them?

But what did Rod know about divorce? He’d never even gotten married. He’d hardly gotten close to anyone in decades. A woman had been interested in him at the University of Massachusetts, a professor a few years younger than him. She’d asked him out, which Rod had appreciated. He liked how bold she was. But when they were out at dinner, Rod had no idea what to discuss. He sat there, his heart thudding, trying to remember what people spoke about during dates on television shows. All he could think of was Seinfeld—which wasn’t exactly the number-one most romantic television show of all time. Ultimately, he’d disappointed both of them with his lack of “game,” and the professor had avoided him for the rest of the semester.

Sometimes Rod wondered if he’d wasted his life. But when he looked at Renee and Felix beside him, he remembered that that was impossible. He had the two of them. What more could he need?

That night, fireworks exploded overhead, flashing gorgeous lights through the night sky. All of Nantucket raised their faces to the immaculate display, thanking their lucky stars for another year of American freedom. Now that he was a college graduate and back on Nantucket full-time, Rod had so much to be grateful for. He held Felix’s hand and blinked away tears.

Chapter Four

Summer 2009

The Waterstone-Sutton wedding was deemed the ceremony of the summer in Savannah, Georgia. Everyone in the upper echelon of society was invited—including politicians, musicians, actresses, important businesspeople, and their very rich and sophisticated children. After all, Nick Waterstone was the son of the city’s most esteemed surgeon, practically Prince Charming himself. He was going to be someone special. He was their brightest star.

It was said that his bride was a medical student in her own right. Not as brilliant as the Waterstones, of course. But maybe she would become a gynecologist or a children’s doctor, as women were meant to (if they didn’t become a nurse, which seemed easier for everyone to handle).

Bethany was not immune to these conversations. They seemed to happen all around her, at every restaurant, in the hospital’s halls, and in Nick’s family home. Despite everyone’s doubt of her medical abilities, she floated on a cloud of joy. After Nantucket, she’d never imagined herself falling in love again. Yet here she was, about to marry into Savannah's most prestigious medical family. Nick was terrifically handsome and generally good to her. It was beyond her wildest dreams.

Bethany was twenty-eight and a year into her surgery residency at a Savannah hospital. Nick was in the midst of his residency, as well, at the same hospital where his father worked. It pleased Bethany that they didn’t work side by side at the same hospital. She wasn’t sure their relationship could withstand that kind of competition. Moreover, her soon-to-be father-in-law wasn’t entirely keen on hiring females. Despite his appreciation for her grades, he didn’t think she had the wherewithal to handle a “high-stress” surgery. Bethany tried not to let this get to her. He was just a grumpy old man. And she was going to be a great surgeon one day! She knew it. She could feel it.

The wedding was set for a sunny Saturday in May—just before Savannah fell into the depths of summer when the heat and humidity draped over everything and slowed everyone down. On the morning of the ceremony, Bethany woke up in the apartment she’d shared with Nick for the past year and a half and ran six miles through blissful morning light. Other runners waved hello to her and smiled, and she wondered if they could see the joy on her face. Could they tell she was getting married today?

Nick had spent the night at his family home, upholding old traditions of not seeing the bride before the ceremony. Bethany bubbled with expectation at home alone, making herself a smoothie and listening to the radio. A few friends texted to ask how she was feeling, and she wrote back right away, saying she could hardly wait.

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