Page 5 of Chasing the Horizon

Valerie looked fondly on those days of being single and brokenhearted with her mother in the big city. They’d been all the other had.

At the time, Valerie had wondered if they’d ever see the rest of the Suttons again.

At the time, she’d thought,Maybe we don’t need them anymore. Perhaps we never did.

Victor was behind the grill, flipping chicken burgers with a subtle shake to his wrist. He handed Alex a Diet Coke and asked Valerie how she was feeling.

“Great, Dad,” Valerie answered honestly, surprised at how open she felt with him.

“Brilliant. Because we have quite a task to do.” Victor furrowed his brow. “I told you we might have an in with a great publisher? Julia Copperfield’s publishing house?”

Valerie nodded, remembering Julia Copperfield, one of the literary members of the elite and artistic Nantucket family—a family with struggles similar to their own.

“She wants us.” Victor snapped his fingers. “Can you believe it?”

Valerie laughed and high-fived her father. “I guess that means we’ll have to really write the thing.”

“No question about it. You can’t get out of it,” Victor said.

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Esme was on the porch with her ankles crossed. When Valerie approached, Esme drew her into an embrace and filled her a glass with homemade apple cider. Valerie wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and let herself fall into the sounds of her family, her mother’s laughter, and the children screaming and playing near the sand. The sensational smells of barbecue, the salty air, and the apple cider filled the air.

Valerie observed her mother, who was watching Victor with a soft expression.

“You’re really in love with him again, Mom?” Valerie breathed, not wanting anyone else to hear.

Esme took a sip of apple cider and nodded. “That road trip changed my life, honey. It forced me to learn and grow in ways I thought I was too old to.”

Valerie touched her mother’s hand. She wanted to tell her not to rush into anything, to listen to her heart and mind as she entered this new phase. Esme’s second husband had died in the spring, and it was only autumn now.

But maybe Esme’s feelings for Victor had always been with her. Perhaps they’d lay dormant, waiting for Victor to prove himself to her.

“You deserve happiness, Mom,” Valerie whispered.

“I’m only happy if my children are happy.” Esme eyed her. “You’ll understand that well soon.”

Valerie bit her lip to keep from saying,I hope you’re right.

She didn’t want to jinx anything. But she didn’t want to show how fearful she was.

The fear, ironically, could become the very thing that ruined her. She couldn’t have that.

“Oh!” Esme surprised her, clapping her hands together. “But your father has agreed to go to couples counseling. Can you believe that?”

Valerie’s eyes widened with shock. “You’re kidding.”

Esme nodded. “I told him it was important. That I wouldn’t get back together without it. Of course, getting him to listen to reason is almost impossible. It’s like pulling teeth. He’s been taking patients, helping them, and validating their problems all these years. But it’s so hard to get him to validate his own.”

Valerie watched her father flip burgers, chatting with Alex, waving his free hand around as he said something about the Red Sox, his favorite team. Alex was an active listener, eager to please Victor and chat about sports, which was nothing Valerie ever wanted to do. It was hard to imagine her father in a room with a therapist, playing the role of the patient. But if he was willing todo that for her mother, perhaps his “growth” would really stick. Maybe they could really trust him.

She hoped so. She really did.

Chapter Three

It was late when the barbecue finished. A full yellow moon lurked in the October sky, illuminating the faces of Victor’s grandchildren as they tried to squeeze every last drop of beauty from the day. Victor sort of remembered that from his youth at the enormous Sutton House—gorgeous star-filled nights with fireworks and bonfires and melted marshmallows and his mother saying,All right, just one more song.They’d always sung around the bonfire, their voices carrying over the island in a way that made Victor think of magic.

Soon, Rebecca and Bethany called his grandchildren in, telling them it was time to take showers and get ready to sleep. Now that it was clear the girls weren’t headed back to where they’d previously built their lives, Bethany and Rebecca had bought homes of their own on Nantucket. But Victor liked that they stayed over often and didn’t mind lingering until morning so they could have breakfast together.

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