Page 17 of An Island Summer
“No sense worrying about that until it happens.”
The hostess returned with their drinks, setting Meghan’s in front of her—a short, chunky glass with whipped cream, a sprig of mint, and an orange slice. “This is the Island Delight: vodka, our house citrus liqueur, simple syrup, and orange juice.” Tess’s drink was just as beachy. “And yours is the Moonlight Shores: pomegranate and lime juices with orange liqueur and rum.” The hostess slid two pieces of paper their way, topping each with an ink pen. “I’m Meredith. Just shout if you need me. Tabitha will be with you in about ten minutes.”
“Thank you so much,” Meghan said, stirring the small straw to mix in the alcohol before taking a gloriously sweet sip of the citrus nectar. “Well,” she said, holding up her glass. “You certainly came through with the opportunity of a lifetime. Cheers.”
With a laugh, Tess toasted her. “To new experiences.”
“To new experiences!”
“I told you it was fate!” Tess nearly sang as she took Meghan’s hands, spinning her around the tiny living room of Pappy’s cottage, rousing Charlie and making him bark.
“We start tomorrow,” Meghan told her, still completely disbelieving, handing her the uniform secured in a clear plastic package. “You are a star for finding that job for us.”
“I’m so glad we both got it!” Tess hugged the package to her chest. “Tabitha seemed so nice in the interview. Aaaand did you see those delicious plates of seafood they were serving? Oysters on the half-shell and that salmon salad? I’m going to spend all my tip money on lunch and dinner takeout. I just know it.”
“And we get rotating days off and we don’t have to be there until ten every morning. I’ll have loads of time to read and relax.”
“Yes!” Tess said, tossing the uniform on the kitchen table. “We’ll actually have time to take walks, go out for coffee, make friends.”
“That makes me think of Rupert,” Meghan replied, remembering how happy the old man was to see her.
Tess stuck her face in Meghan’s line of view. “By ‘friends,’ I meant people under the age of a hundred.”
“I’d love to be able to stop by and see Rupert. Even if it isn’t based in reality, it’s probably the best he feels all day when he thinks he’s talking to Hester Quinn.”
“But what about Toby?” Tess asked.
“Toby doesn’t strike me as the most social of people—he’s kind of quiet, very different from Rupert. Maybe he simply doesn’t understand what it feels like to need that level of interaction.”
“True,” Tess agreed.
“What if I just decided to visit Rupert on my own? The hospital staff knows I’ve been there before; I’m on the visitor’s list now.” She leaned against the kitchen table and folded her arms. “And if Toby gets wind of it, I’ll have had more great meetings with Rupert by then and he’ll see how it helps him.”
Tess stared at Meghan. “Can I ask you something seriously?”
“Sure.”
“Are you spending your time in fantasy land with ol’ Gramps to avoid facing your own future and figuring yourself out?”
“Of course not,” Meghan said defensively, but she hadn’t considered it until now. Was Tess right? “I feel good when I can make someone happy,” she said honestly.
“Suit yourself,” Tess said, evidently letting it go.
“If I’m going to see Rupert, I need to do a little research on Hester Quinn,” she said, waggling a finger at her computer on the table. Under Tess’s scrutinizing eye, she went over and grabbed her laptop, sunk down into Pappy’s worn leather sofa, and kicked her feet up on the coffee table.
“So, you’re not a chef; you’re an actress now,” Tess said with a giggle, before plopping down beside her.
“At least for an hour a day, I am,” Meghan said with a grin. She opened the laptop and set her fingers on the keys. “Hester Quinn,” she said aloud as she typed the name into her search bar. With a few clicks, she brought up an article.
Hester Quinn (June 5, 1922–September 7, 1995) is an American bombshell actress known for her roles in the 1945 movieWhen the Sun Rises, which won her an Oscar, and the timeless comedyPretty Girls, starring opposite Cary Grant. Her early career began on stage, where, despite her undeniable beauty, she played countless gritty characters, her most notable, homeless woman Mitsy Bradford in the playThe Olive Branch, for which she received a coveted Tony Award. Her performances demonstrated her innate ability to tap in to the human spirit. She was a sought-after movie actress for only around ten years when roles began to dwindle as she retreated to a life of seclusion in Brentwood, California. She died of natural causes at the age of 73. She never married and has no descendants. The whereabouts of the assets from her estate are unknown, as she kept her affairs out of the public eye entirely, but her contribution to film can still be felt today.
“I wonder what Rupert would think if he read this?” Tess asked. “How would his mind process it?”
Meghan shook her head, considering it.
“Would it sink in that he couldn’t be married to her?”
“I have no idea,” she said, wondering if seeing Rupert was a good thing after all. But her thoughts went back to the happiness on his face whenever he saw her. That was all that mattered.
