Page 156 of Summer After Summer

“But have you—”

I cut him off, exasperated. “What are you trying to say, Fred? Are you worried she’s some gold-digger after my sister?”

Fred doesn’t say anything, just stares back grimly.

“She’s a lawyer. Successful by the looks of it.”

“Appearances can be deceiving.”

“Honestly? Who cares? If Charlotte is happy, what does it matter?”

“I just think you should be careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

“Not always.”

We stare at each other, neither of us saying what we want to. This is what there is between us. Undercurrents, tensions, things that mean one thing and are said as another.

“Just because you’re disappointed about your own love life …”

Fred arches an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I heard about Lucy and James.”

“I see.”

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“No.”

“Come on, you guys were dating, and your friend swoops in and … Plus, I thought James was still mourning Fanny? So much for lifelong devotion …”

Fred looks me directly in the eye, stopping my thought in its tracks. “Olivia, I could not care in the least what Lucy and James do. No, that’s not right. I’m happy for them. James is important to me, and Lucy is a great girl. I hope they’ll be happy together.”

His voice is full of emotion, but I can’t quite tell what it’s directed at. Me, them, himself?

“Who’s going to be happy?” Wes says, putting his arm around my shoulders and holding me close to him.

“Lucy and James,” I say.

“Ann was telling me about that. How delicious.” He laughs, but he’s the only one. “What? Not a good story?”

“It was rather sudden,” I say. “And she’s recovering from a concussion.”

“Proximity, illness, James fretting over her. It’s like something out of a romance novel, them alone in that massive winery … Anything could happen. Right, Fred?”

“Wes …”

“What? Fred and I are friends now.”

“You are?”

“We fought it out and made up, didn’t we?”

Fred nods slowly. “We did.”

“And where was I when all this happened? The makeup?”

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