Page 46 of Summer Longing
“I’m going to see if Rachel needs help with dessert,” Elise said, standing up, hoping to end the conversation.
“Good idea. I’ll join you,” Fern said.
As they cut across the lawn to the house, Elise said, “That was irritating.”
“Oh, you know Clifford.”
“It’s like, the second you rent out your house, it’s suddenly up for grabs. I told you this was opening a can of worms.”
Fern stopped walking and took her hand. “Hey, we’re on the same side. No one is selling the house.”
Elise nodded and smiled. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’m just a little edgy.”
“Well, there’s a lot going on,” Fern said. “But we’ll figure it out.”
Inside, they found Rachel at the kitchen island, its surface covered with enough dessert for twice as many people as there were at the party: cream puffs, butter cookies, the mixed-berry pie she and Fern had brought from Connie’s Bakery, lemon squares, two other pies, and some sort of pudding.
“Oh, hey, you two. Before I forget, I baked extra of these for you to take home.” Rachel reached for a cookie tin on the counter. “They’re called lavadores, and they traditionally go with tea.”
“Rachel, you shouldn’t have,” Elise said. “Really, you have no idea how much I—we—appreciate your help with Mira. I should be baking for you.”
The French doors opened and closed behind them. Marco carried in some empty plates.
“Are you guys heading out?” he said, setting the plates down in the sink.
“No,” Fern said. “Just getting an early peek at dessert. By the way, again, we’re sorry about letting Jaci spend time at the tea shop and babysitting when you needed her. We didn’t realize it was such an issue, though we probably should have guessed.”
Marco shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I don’t know what’s with her this summer. She’s acting like it’s a punishment to be here.”
“Don’t be too hard on her,” Elise said. “She’s still just a kid.”
“I appreciate that. Actually, Jaci aside, I wanted to speak to you both. Do you have time to talk tomorrow afternoon?”
Fern and Elise glanced at each other. Elise felt a sudden unease. Was this about Mira? With that simple question, she realized how precarious her happiness actually was. They had a secret—a big secret. And with that secret, a lot of hurdles in front of them.
“Sure,” Fern said. “Come by the shop anytime.”
“Can you meet me at the dock? I want to show you something I’ve been working on. I have a business proposition for you two.”
In her relief, Elise said loudly, “Oh, that’s great!” Fern looked at her like,Are you okay?
He smiled. “All right, then—to be continued tomorrow. Ready to rejoin the festivities?”
They followed him back outside. Fern reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. Elise told herself to relax. They would figure things out together the way they always had. There was no point worrying about what-ifs when this night was perfect.
And yet, as she rejoined the party and took her seat just as Rachel emerged from the kitchen with the first tray of dessert, she couldn’t deny the fact that no matter how much she wanted to believe she was on solid ground, she knew it could shift at any moment.
In the flickering candlelight of the backyard table, Ruth hid her disappointment when Olivia abruptly stood up and left with terse goodbyes.
Ruth had been midconversation with Lidia and Manny Barros, one of those couples who somehow managed to make it all work. They’d been married for thirty-five years and had two great kids and what seemed to Ruth a remarkably retro-style division of labor: Lidia was and had always been a homemaker; her husband managed the boatyard.
“Sometimes I help with the bookkeeping,” Lidia said. “But, really, my focus has been the children.”
“And the kitchen,” Manny added, giving her an affectionate pat. From another man, this might have sounded sexist or patronizing. But Ruth could see from the look in his eyes it had been delivered with adoration. He looked across the table at his children, Marco and Jaci, with the same devotion. Ruth experienced, deeply, the fractured nature of her life in a way she hadn’t in a very long time.
“Speaking of the kitchen, I’m going to help Rachel with the dishes,” Lidia said.
“I’ll join you,” Ruth said. Movement. Busyness. Motion was the antidote toemotion.
