Page 65 of Golden Girl
Vivi jumps off the ledge of the room. She tries to break through the membrane, but the membrane just stretches like a nylon stocking. Okay, weird. Vivi guides Leo’s hand away from his mouth. Leo stares at his hand as though he realizes he’s being possessed by an external agent. Then his body relaxes and seems to fall into resignation. He dumps out the water and returns the pills to the baggie.
Vivi floats back up to the greenroom, where Martha is waiting. “I should have had him flush them down the toilet,” Vivi says. “Shoot.”
“It’s fine,” Martha says. They both watch as Leo returns the baggie to the nightstand and leaves the room.
Vivi experiences what can only be described as a kind of ecstasy. She used her first nudge! She saved her son from becoming a pill addict! She feels powerful. She feels like a good mother. “I saved him!” Vivi says. “You could see the future. He would have become an addict and spent countless hours drinking coffee in church basements.”
“Let’s not stereotype, please, Vivian,” Martha says. “He would have been okay eventually, but you spared him a struggle. He knows pills aren’t the answer.”
“I nipped it in the bud,” Vivi says. Her self-congratulations have made her forget the other thing that’s bothering her. “Why is he so angry with Cruz? Why does he think Cruz did it? There’s no way Cruz did it.” She pauses. “Is there?”
“I can’t—”
“You can’t tell me, I know.” Vivi sighs. “It breaks my heart that Leo and Cruz are fighting like this.”
“I think you should focus on the good you did your son.”
“What if he needs me again?” Vivi asks.
“Eventually all three of them are going to have to learn to live without you,” Martha says. “All the waywithout you. The summer is going to end, Vivian. Summer always ends.”
Vivi can’t bear to think about it—but then again, she doesn’t have to yet. It’s only July.
Nantucket
Vivian Howe’s last novel,Golden Girl,enters the world on Tuesday, July 13, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Vivi’s publisher, “Mr. Hooper,” launches a coordinated social media effort: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The company puts a full-page ad inPeoplemagazine, an in memoriam to its “golden girl” Vivian Howe. In the center of the ad is a beautiful picture of Vivi sitting in the dunes at Steps Beach, photographed by Nantucket’s own Laurie Richards. Vivi is wearing earrings from Jessica Hicks and a soft, pale sweater woven at Nantucket Looms. The book cover is underneath. It’s a bit of a tightrope walk—are the Mr. Hooper people memorializing Vivi or are they trying to sell books?
Mr. Hooper has also made a sixty-second TV commercial, a montage of Vivi talking about Nantucket and her writing. At the end of the spot is a message that reminds everyone that Vivi has passed away and if they want to own a first edition ofGolden Girl,the last Vivian Howe novel, they’d betterBUY NOW.The spot runs during all the morning shows and millions of people see it.
Savannah Hamilton called Vivi’s publicist, Flor, to say that either she or JP would be willing to stand in for Vivi onGreat Morning USAwith Tanya Price. Flor nixed the JP idea right away—the country doesn’t want to hear a man speaking for a woman (those days are over), and especially not her ex-husband. Savannah, as best friend, might be better but Flor intimates that the only replacement the producers would go for is one of the children. Savannah rules out Leo and Carson right away—they’re both too fragile right now—and when Savannah asks Willa, she declines. She hasn’t been feeling well and she doesn’t want to travel. It’s a busy time at the museum. This, Savannah suspects, is all a way of saying that she’s terrified of going on live television in front of ten million people.
“ButI’mnot terrified,” Savannah said. “I mean, I am, of course, but I’m also willing to do whatever it takes to get Vivi to the top of the list. She didn’t like to say it out loud, but you and I both know, Flor, that it was her lifelong dream to get to number one.”
“Sales are looking good,” Flor says.
“Appearing onGreat Morning USAwould give the book a huge boost,” Savannah says. “I’m willing and able to appear on the show.”
“I’ll check with the producers and circle back,” Flor says, and Savannah, who knows every buzzword and phrase of the business world, understands that’s a no.
Everyone at Mr. Hooper as well as those of us here on Nantucket are holding our collective breath on Wednesday, July 21, at 4:55 p.m., right before the following week’sNew York Timesbestseller list is announced. We want Vivi to do well. The highest she has ever debuted is number two combined / number three hardcover with her previous book,Main Street Gossip.CanGolden Girlmake it to number one? It’s anyone’s guess. The algorithm that theTimesuses to determine where books land on the list is the biggest mystery in all of publishing.
Here on Nantucket, Savannah and JP and Willa gather around the kitchen island in Savannah’s house on Union Street, watching the screen of Savannah’s laptop. Flor has promised she’ll e-mail the list the instant it comes in.
It’s five o’clock. Savannah has champagne chilling in the fridge.
She refreshes her browser. Nothing yet.
At 5:01, JP says, “I remember the first time one of Vivi’s books hit the list. It was…”
“Along the South Shore,”Savannah and Willa say at the same time.
“I knew that. I was working at the wine store. What number was she then?”
“Fifteen,” Willa says. “I was horrified because I thought that meant she’d come in last.” She shrugs. “I mean, her namewasall the way at the bottom.”
“And thenThe Angle of Lightdebuted at number seven,” Savannah says. “I took Vivi to the Galley to dinner to celebrate.”
