Page 41 of Songs of Summer

Before long, the blankets were peppered with the early arrivals, cousins of Jake’s and Renee’s, college friends, and a few of her best mates from the law firm she had worked at for twenty-odd years. Renee and Jake had been stingy with the off-island guest list, not wanting to deal with housing and feeding too many nonnatives, but more generous with the local invitations.

Captain Jake and Professor Paul got into a complex discussion about the mathematical metaphors inMoby Dick, to which Beatrix couldn’t help adding her two cents. The married professors had big plans to coauthor a book about mathematics in literature during their upcoming year abroad.

“We’ll both be overseas,” Bea explained. “I’m running the Kenyon-Exeter program in Southern England and Paul is taking a sabbatical to research and work on our book.”

“Wow. There’s enough material on that for a book?” Maggie piped in from the sidelines. The three of them turned their heads to see that the olive-skinned, curly-haired young woman was glued to their conversation, while the others her age were playing kadima and KanJam. Bea kindly widened their circle so that Maggie would feel included. Maggie smiled and shifted her stance.

“Yes, Tolstoy writes about calculus, and bothUlyssesandFinnegans Wakereference geometry. And there’s much more,” Beatrix explained.

“Bea is a literary virtuoso,” Paul boasted, patting his wife’s leg proudly.

Veronica had slithered in quietly, taking her place on one of the beach blankets. She had been flying under the radar all day, possibly in deference to her sister, the matron of honor, possibly because Shep had told her the truth about her invitation.

A football flew over their heads and Matt dove for it.

“Why have you been hiding this one from us, Matty?” Jake joked.

Jake still called him Matty, and Matt didn’t bother correcting him. It was pointless. Jake did not seem to be one for change.

“I wasn’t hiding her. Just wasn’t sure she could make it here until the last minute.”

“Where did you two meet?” Jake continued.

Matt sat down in the sand next to Maggie while goading her like one of those old couples inWhen Harry Met Sally.

“You tell them, honey.”

“No, you!” she goaded back.

“OK. We met at the Austin Record Convention. It’s a huge show, three hundred vendors. Maggie had a booth, and I was shopping.”

“Yes, we argued over the price of an album. What was it again?” she asked Matt.

“Miles Davis,Kind of Blue.”

“Of course. He tried to undercut me. But it didn’t work.”

“She was very forward. Said I could have it for a little over my price if I bought her dinner!”

They all turned to Maggie and nodded in approval at herchutzpah. Except Veronica. Veronica came close to her, advancing toward her from every angle, like a moth to a flame. She stared right into her eyes.

“Do I know you?” she asked with a hint of suspicion, adding, “You look so familiar to me.”

“I sat behind you on the ferry,” Maggie responded, without missing a beat.

Beatrix looked at her watch and shot from her seat.

“Time to start the paella!” she announced.

“Would you like help?” Veronica offered.

Paul nudged his wife.

“Sure,” she conceded, “that would be great.”

The two walked off the beach together, leaving everyone in the know both worried and hopeful.

Track 21

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