Page 23 of The Book of Summer

“Let me apologize in advance,” she starts.

“No apology necessary, but I am curious as to what errand of mischief brings you to my father’s doorstep. Given your apparent shock in seeing me, I can’t really flatter myself into thinking you’ve come to pay me a visit.”

“Uh, no.”

Bess snorts, eyes glued to the floor. Staring at Evan Mayhew is like looking directly into the sun: awful, beautiful, and damaging at the same time.

“I’m an emissary of my mother’s,” she explains.

“Emissary or adversary. When it comes to Cissy Codman, a person can only be one of the two.”

“Oh, come on, she’s not that bad.”

“Bess, your mother is terrifying.”

“She’s not terrifying.”

Bess looks up and feels the burn of Evan’s dark brown eyes. He surely knows about the divorce. He probably cackles about it behind her back. Then he goes to bed with some sort of wife or girlfriend or a rotation of models.

Then again, the more likely scenario is that he doesn’t think of her at all.

“Cissy is… spunky?” Bess says. “A go-getter.”

“Didn’t she once shoot Michael Kennedy in the kneecap?”

“It was RFK Junior and it was an accident. She said he deserved it.”

As Evan laughs, Bess stiffens. No. Uh-uh. No way. She will not allow herself to relax into that easy, distant sound.

“Yeah, so my mother issued a TRO against your dad,” Bess says, murmuring, letting her voice get lost in the light streaming through the kitchen window.

“Beg pardon?” Evan leans toward her. “She issued a what?”

“Temporary restraining order,” she says, louder this time. “I’m supposed to make sure Chappy received it.”

“Oh yeah.” Evan laughs. Again. Again and again. “He got it all right, as your mother is well aware. She watched the whole thing from the captain’s walk.”

“Thecaptain’s walk?” Bess says with a quack. “It doesn’t even have stairs anymore. How’d she get up there?” She shakes her head. “Forget it. I don’t want to know. Good God, Cliff House is going to be the death of me.”

“Only if you’re not careful. So, why are you here? When your mother already knows about the TRO?”

Bess sighs.

“The thing is… the problem, you see. Chappy violated it this morning. Allegedly.”

Bess holds up air quotes long after the word has been spoken.

“Allegedly.” Evan smirks. “How so?”

“He sneezed or farted near the property or something,” Bess says with another sigh. “Anyway, I’m not here to quibble over the details and I fully recognize the ridiculousness of the situation. But your dad is very obstinate and peevish…”

“He’speevish?”

“Yes. Very much so. Hear me out. Cissy and Chappy, they have their little repartee, their back-and-forth.”

“That they do.…”

“Their saucy insults and middle fingers.” Bess lifts one, as if to demonstrate.

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