Page 44 of Summer Longing
She shook her head but couldn’t resist smiling. “I guess I deserved that.”
“I’m just teasing. But I hope you change your mind and come out on the water one day. It would be a shame for you to spend time in this town and not experience the best part of it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Ruth felt fluttery with happiness. She didn’t know if it was the attention from Tito or the homemade food; most likely, it was the fact that, seated at a table full of other people’s family, she had her own by her side.
Amelia stood. “Now that everyone’s here, I’d like to make a toast,” she said. “To the start of another beautiful summer.”
“To the summer,” the guests echoed, raising their glasses.
Ruth smiled at Olivia, but her daughter looked away.
How ironic that Olivia had had to travel to Provincetown to find the two best-looking straight guys she’d ever met.
She’d started the evening sitting between Rachel’s husband, Luke, and Amelia. Luke was friendly and talkative; he’d asked a lot of questions about her life in New York. “How long are you staying in town?” he said.
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” she said.No matter what. “So you and Rachel live here year-round?” It was inconceivable. What on earth could you possibly do with your time during the cold in a place like this? She could barely imagine staying here more than a few weeks even during the peak beach season.
“Yes. During the school year I teach at the University of Rhode Island.”
“Oh? What do you teach?”
“Urban planning.”
She nodded, not exactly sure what that entailed. “This is a great house.”
“Thanks. It’s my father’s. His health isn’t great, so he moved out west for the dry climate.”
A few more guests arrived, and everyone shifted around the table to accommodate them. Marco ended up on Olivia’s other side. He made no acknowledgment of the fact that they’d met the other day at the house. Was it possible he didn’t recognize her? Or did he simply not care? It struck her, as she pondered these two options, thatshecared. That, to be honest, she had agreed to come to the party just in hopes of seeing him again.
It was ridiculous.
Trying to get her head right, she focused on the food in front of her. She clicked back into professional mode and, recognizing the social media moment, snapped a photo of the charred roasted red peppers and posted it.
Marco turned to her with an odd look.
“It’s for Instagram,” she said.
He shook his head. “I thought that stuff was for teenagers.”
Olivia crossed her arms. “My whole job is based on social media. It’s an enormous industry.”
“Oh, well—that’s interesting,” he said, though she could tell he thought just the opposite.
It grew dark; candles were lit. The food kept coming: rice baked with lobster and shrimp; stewed green beans; a roasted chicken; shrimp grilled with garlic and cilantro. The wine flowed, but she abstained. She was taking enough ibuprofen to kill a horse, and still her back seized every time she stood up and throbbed when she was sitting down. How was she going to drive in the morning? Twenty-four hours hadn’t given her one bit of improvement.
Rachel, her hosting duties on hold during the main course, sat next to Luke. He put his arm around her. While the table buzzed with chatter, they bent their heads together and talked mostly to each other. It was their own private party.
The sight of their easy, profound intimacy in the center of that joyous, crowded table made Olivia feel very, very alone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Elise hadn’t wanted to go to the party. She and Fern didn’t have anyone to watch the baby, so they would have to take her along, which would inevitably bring up more questions. But shutting themselves in the house all summer was not an option.
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly concerned about what people think,” Fern said. “You were the one who told me not to worry.”
Elise had yet to tell her about the visit from Brian Correia. She also hadn’t told her about Bianca spying on Shell Haven.
“Let’s just go out and relax with our friends tonight,” Fern said. “We need it.”
