Page 22 of Summer Rush

“Pizza or pasta!” Alyssa cried.

“Ugh. It never changes,” Maggie said, heading toward the staircase before turning back to wink at Janine and Alyssa. Who in their right mind could resist pizza or pasta? Janine hadn’t raised her daughters to think that way. They knew to appreciate the finer things in life. They knew to eat divine dishes, engage with gorgeous music, to say yes to dessert. Even Maggie, the more health-conscious of the two, had gotten ridiculously good at baking on her quest to create the finer things in life herself.

Downstairs in the foyer, right before they entered the splintering heat of the August afternoon, Janine laced her fingers through her girls’ and said, “I love you, you know.”

And together, in unison, her girls looked at her and said, “We love you, too.” And there, beneath the Italian sun, Janine felt weightless and alive, apt to float along the canals of that gorgeous city for the rest of her days.

ChapterTen

Elsa knocked on Nancy’s office door at ten-thirty in the morning and, upon entering, beamed through the shadows, clearly eager for Nancy’s gossip regarding Kostos. But since their third, fourth, and fifth dates, Nancy had kept quiet— not wanting to taint such a gorgeous time. For reasons she still wasn’t sure of, she and Kostos had still not kissed nor slept over at one another’s houses. But that, she felt, was okay. She was just grateful for the attention, for the floaty feeling that kept her adrenalized throughout the day.

“Good morning! Tonight, Bruce and I are going to have a spontaneous barbecue at our place,” Elsa said. “Do you want to join?”

Nancy’s chest opened up at the thought. It had been ages since she’d seen some of the members of the family, probably since their goodbye brunch for Lucy, and she was ready to sit, drink wine, watch the sun slip into an orange sea, and celebrate another beautiful summer’s day.

“I would love it,” Nancy said. And then, for reasons she would never be sure of, she heard herself ask, “Do you mind if I bring a friend?”

“We would love it! Please, bring him by. I ran into Henry the other day, and he said Kostos is clearly smitten with you.” Elsa did a little dance in the doorway.

“Goodness, the gossip on this island is out of control,” Nancy said, her stomach filled with butterflies.

“We all love you,” Elsa reminded her. “And yes. We’re all just a little obsessed with each other, aren’t we?” She smiled. “Oh! I meant to tell you. We hired Stan Ellis to do some repairs downstairs, if you want to say hello.”

“Very much so!” Nancy stood up immediately, surprised to hear Stan’s name again. Nearly two years ago, Stan had saved Nancy and Carmella during a hurricane, whisking them to safety as the floods and winds had come. That particular storm had destroyed Stan’s home, and Nancy had offered him a room at the Katama Lodge and Wellness Spa until he’d been able to restore his place along the water. During that time, Stan and Nancy had become fast friends, frequently playing cards and listening to music. They’d even watched a film together once, seated only a few feet apart on Nancy’s office couch as her computer had streamedLove, Actually. Stan had cried.

Stan’s life had never been easy. Since Nancy’s arrival on the island, she’d known of the disaster of Stan’s life, which had happened back in 1996. At the time, Stan had been having an affair with a married woman named Anna Sheridan, the mother of Susan, Christine, and Lola Sheridan. Late one night, Stan had wrecked their boat, and Anna had drowned— abandoning her children and her husband and leaving Stan in the wrong.

As a result, Stan had been something of a pariah on the island for decades. But Nancy knew what it was like to have made many, many mistakes. She didn’t hold it against him, especially now that she knew the goodness of his heart.

Nancy padded downstairs to find Stan atop a ladder, investigating the hanging light fixture in the hallway nearest the library. Not wanting to startle him, Nancy waited for a little while, watching as he fiddled, before she finally cleared her throat and forced his eyes toward her.

“Nancy!” Stan’s smile was immediate, and he abandoned his work and hurried down the ladder to hug her. “It’s been a little while, hasn’t it?”

“It sure has,” Nancy said. “Where have you been?”

“It’s just been so nice, having my home back,” Stan admitted. “Tommy’s been over frequently, fishing with me this summer. I suppose I’ve let the days get away from me.”

“I can understand that.”

“Of course! You’ve got that big house filled with people.”

Nancy winced. “Right now, I’m an empty nester, I’m afraid.”

“You’re kidding! Everyone left?”

“My daughter and granddaughters are in Italy right now, and everyone else has moved out,” Nancy explained. “I feel like a ghost in that big, old place.”

“Goodness.” Stan hesitated, and his eyes glistened in a way that made Nancy question, not for the first time, if Stan had feelings for her.

But that was impossible. They’d been friends for two years at this point. They’d been there for one another through frantic, truly terrible times. That negated any romance.

Besides, she was already falling for someone else.

“Thanks for coming in to do some work,” Nancy added, taking a small step away from him.

“This place was my home for a little while,” Stan said. “I’m happy to keep it up any way I can.”

“I hope it was okay for you, living here.”

---