Page 18 of A Novel Summer
He pushed the thought away.
The problem, he realized, was that his mother simply hadn’t spent enough time around Kate. He’d have to do something about that.
They had their routines, Carmen and Bert. It varied from season to season, but in the summer, it went something like this: Tuesday was their weekend. It was the only night they trusted their kitchen and the front of the house to run smoothly without them.
After dinner with the kids, they drove their open-topped Jeep to Herring Cove beach, parked in the lot, then walked their oversize blanket to a spot near the water. The blanket was one of her favorites, Turkish cotton, purchased at a now-defunct store called Loveland. Stores came and went in PTown, just like people. She and Bert were among the few who stayed, year in and year out.
Sunsets on Herring Cove were like a magic trick in the sky. Relaxing on the beach among her neighbors and watching nature’s light show was usually enough to make her forget any worries. Not tonight.
“You’re quiet,” Bert said. She knew it was his way of asking what was wrong. If he just came right out and said,What’s wrong?she’d reflexively reply,Nothing.
“I’m thinking about Mia,” she said. “Every time I try to talk to her about college, she shuts down. We’re running out of time.” Summer went quickly. In the fall, she’d have to start doing her applications. She had friends whose children were already working on their essays.
“She mentioned it tonight—how the bookstore job would look good on her application.”
“That’s a smoke screen. She just wants any excuse to work there.”
“There’s time,” Bert said, reaching for her hand. He wasn’t necessarily the calmer of the two them, but he did tend to see things in reductive terms. As far as he was concerned, there was time until the applications were actually due.
“At this point, I’d settle for an opinion about where she’d like to go.” Carmen didn’t understand why this was so much to ask. Mia loved books. So why did she hate school?
“Frankly, I think the more immediate worry is Justin,” Bert said.
She knew why he felt that way. Shelby Archer. As Justin’s father, Bert was more of a confidant to their son. He’d no doubt heard a lot more about their son’s heartbreak three years ago than she had. Around her, Justin always put on a brave front. So maybe it was easier for her not to feel cynical about Shelby. They’d been so young! But whenever she said that in Shelby’s defense, Bert replied, “Wemanaged to make it work.”
It was true. They’d met at the same age as Justin and Shelby. But unlike Carmen in her early twenties, Shelby had professional dreams—and the maturity to know that a serious relationship might not be compatible with her ambition. She wished her own daughter had some goals for the future.
“Maybe having Shelby back is a blessing in disguise,” Carmen said. “She sets a good example for Mia.”
The truth was, Carmen had enjoyed getting to know her that one summer. She was able to talk to her in a way she didn’t connect with her own children. Justin was good kid, but as a boy he’d always been closer with Bert. And Mia, once such an easygoing child, saw her now as someone to rebel against. But Shelby had seemed to genuinely enjoy Carmen’s company, asking her about cooking and the restaurant business and her early years on the Cape. Shelby confided in her about her rootless childhood, admitting that she didn’t have a great relationship with her own parents but hoping that might change one day. Carmen had been impressed by how focused she was on having a career and financial independence.
Carmen liked to think of herself as having been mature for her age when she met and married Bert. But she didn’t think she’d ever had such concrete goals. She’d just stumbled along, lucky to find the right partner and willing to figure it out from there. Shelby wanted to figure it out first, then find the right person. She couldn’t blame her. Really, it made Carmen respect her.
Bert cast her a sideways glance. “Weset a good example for Mia. Things might be bumpy with her right now, but don’t lose sight of that.”
He leaned over and gave her a kiss. She hoped he was right. But just in case it turned out he wasn’t, she was keeping her eyes open for another way to reach Mia. And she couldn’t help feeling that might have something to do with Shelby Archer.
Fourteen
The day was muddled from the start. A customer was already waiting outside Land’s End when Shelby unlocked the door. She’d overslept. Last night, just as she was drifting off, Noah called to say he missed her. He didn’t exactly apologize, but he made it clear her wanted to see her and get back on track.
“I’m away for the rest of the summer,” she’d said, as if distance was the only problem. She didn’t have the energy to get into it late at night, to explain that she could never look at him the same after he acted like a jealous child. But even without having a whole long conversation, the call kept her awake for hours. She didn’t know what upset her more: the fact that Noah blew up their relationship for such a ridiculous reason, or the fact that she missed him so little, she had to wonder what she’d been doing with him in the first place. But then, she handled most breakups with ease. Justin had been the most difficult. Ironically, distancehadbeen the only problem. Ultimately, a breakup was a breakup, no matter how easy or heart-wrenching. It was an ending.
The first customer in the store was a man in his forties, sunburnt and balding, dressed in a striped shirt, denim shorts, and suspenders.
“Let me know if I can help you find anything,” Shelby said.
He walked to the new-release table, then turned to her.
“There’s a book... I don’t remember the title.”
Shelby nodded. “Okay. Is it recently published?”
“I’m not sure, but the cover is blue.”
Shelby waited for more information to go on, but that was apparently all she would get.
There were countless books with blue covers. When he realized she had no idea what he was looking for, he said, “Is Colleen here? She’ll know what I’m talking about.”
