Page 55 of A Novel Summer
He nodded and swept his hand out in front of them as if to say,Lead the way.
“Oh—you mean...introduce you?” Hunter had only spoken to Kate a few times, once at the Bollard at the start of the summer when she’d been with Justin, and then the night of Anders’s book reading. She looked elegant, dressed in a white linen dress and black ballet flats, her straight hair tucked behind one ear. “Okay. Sure.”
They approached Kate and it was clear she immediately recognized Anders, but not Hunter, which was embarrassing since Hunter was supposedly making the introduction.
“Anders Fleming,” Kate said, extending her hand. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said.
“I was at your book reading a few weeks ago but didn’t get a chance to say hello.”
Probably because Shelby whisked him away to dinner, Hunter thought. She wondered if Anders and Shelby had spent more time together, but doubted it. Colleen said Shelby was hunkered down like a hermit writing a new book.
“I heard you’re teaching a semester in Boston this fall,” Kate said.
“That’s right,” Anders said, smiling. “And speaking of Boston, I remember visiting the original Hendrik’s on my first book tour. It was a highlight of my year.”
Hunter cleared her throat, and interjected with “Good to see you again, Kate.” Kate turned, her eyes flickering with recognition but clearly not placing her. “I’m friends with Justin,” she added.
At the mention of his name, Kate consulted the slim Cartier watch on her wrist. It was yellow gold on a black snakeskin band. “I actually need to excuse myself. I stopped by to say hello to Mimi, but I’m meeting Justin at the fireworks. And I’m late as it is. Hunter, nice to see you again. And Anders—we’d love to have you come into the shop and sign some books.”
“Anytime,” he said, smiling.
Hunter was not sorry to see her go. The big bay windows displayed the sun beginning to set over the ocean.
“I’ll be right back,” Anders said before slipping away in the crowd. Hunter hugged her arms in front of herself, feeling suddenly alone and out of place and thinking maybe she should just go to the fireworks. But then Anders reappeared, holding two flutes and a bottle of champagne.
“Shall we venture down to the beach? I could use some fresh air.”
Shelby poured herself a cup of red sangria and watched Mia opening copies of the book to the title page, making sure the signing line moved efficiently. What was she going to do? Telling Carmen Mia’s secret would be a betrayal of Mia’s confidence. But Carmen already knew something was wrong. In a way, she’d made a promise to Carmen first—that if she learned what might be bothering Mia, she’d let her know. Well, tonight’s little bombshell more than qualified.
“Nowthisis what I call a great use of beach space.”
She turned around. Justin was unusually dressed up, wearing a powder blue oxford shirt and khaki pants. Carmen was close behind, carrying a plate covered with aluminum foil and making a beeline for Mia. “My mother felt compelled to bring Mia a piece of anniversary cake. There was no reasoning with her,” he said with a shake of his head.
That was right: it was his parents’ anniversary. That summer they’d been together, they’d included her in the big dinner party in the restaurant’s outdoor space. There’d been two long tables covered with white cloth. She had a vivid memory of how, by the end of the night, they were splattered with red wine stains. She’d contributed to the mess after knocking over her own glass. The Lombardos didn’t bat an eye and simply offered her a refill. When the first firework cracked in the sky above, Justin squeezed her hand under the table.
She felt a lump in her throat.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here to see for yourself,” she managed to say.
“Me, too,” he said, giving her a smile. She thought about Hunter’s recrimination earlier that day. If even part of what she’d said were true, then she owed Justin an apology.
“Justin, this might sound out of the blue. But I’ve been thinking and I just wanted to say, I’m sorry about the way I handled things three years ago. I think I was just so focused on what was ahead of me, I didn’t give enough respect to...what we had.”
His smile faded and his dark eyes registered something she couldn’t decipher. He seemed almost angry for a second, but it was so fleeting she might have imagined it. Or misread it.
“It was a long time ago, Shelby,” he said, looking into her eyes.
“Oh, I know. I’m not suggesting that it’s on your radar or anything. I just felt...it needed to be said.” She smiled to lighten the mood, to show it wasn’t a big deal.
“I’m with Kate now, and it’s good,” he said.
“Of course. And I’m happy for you.” See, all the drama was a product of Hunter’s imagination. Justin wasn’t thinking about the past.
And neither was she.
Thirty-Nine
