Page 12 of A Winter's Miracle

Anna tipped herself into the chair beside Scarlet, and Scarlet wrapped her lovingly in the softest blanket.

“I can’t believe you’re still here,” Anna breathed as she settled in. “I imagined you off in Manhattan, having the time of your life.”

Scarlet cackled and placed a square of cheese on a cracker. “The idea of going back to Manhattan right now literally freaks me out. That last semester was grueling. And besides. Now that Dad and Mom are building a new house down the water from here, these are the last months I’ll ever really live at The Copperfield House.”

Anna’s heart panged with dread. “I guess that was always going to happen. We can’t physically live under one roof forever.”

“I’ll be just down the water,” Scarlet assured her, her eyes softening.

Anna grumbled and rubbed her temples. “I’m sorry. My emotions are all over the board. I have no control anymore. And being with Violet nonstop…” She sensed herself in dangerous territory.

“It’s okay,” Scarlet said quietly. “I mean, I think I know what you want to say.”

The tightness in Anna’s chest loosened. “Is everyone talking about it?”

“Grandma is generally outraged,” Scarlet admitted. “She thinks you need more time to yourself. Aunt Alana and Aunt Ella think Violet has a loose screw.”

“And my mother? What does she think?”

“She hasn’t said anything in front of me,” Scarlet said. “Which was tactically smart. Obviously, I’m not keeping their secrets to myself.”

Anna laughed into her mug of tea so that steam rolled across the table. “I want her to be comfortable here.”

“But you don’t want her to be so involved with your life that you can’t breathe anymore.”

“Something like that,” Anna said with a laugh. “Maybe it’ll calm down after the baby comes.”

“It might get worse,” Scarlet said, wincing.

Anna filled her mouth with tea and set the mug back down.

Scarlet nibbled another square of cheese thoughtfully, her gaze out the window. A sharp blast of wind crashed against the porch, making the glass rattle in their panes. Anna wanted to know every thought she was having, every creative impulse she experienced. She wanted Scarlet to guide her back into the beauty and freedom of being a young twentysomething with still so much to lose.

“Now that you’re back, are you diving back into Nantucket nightlife?” Anna asked.

Scarlet chuckled. “Why? You want to go out after the baby comes?”

“I don’t think I’ll be free for a while,” Anna said with a laugh.

Scarlet looked deflated. “There’s a party at a beach house this weekend. A few islander guys are throwing it and hosting a few local bands. It’ll probably be run-of-the-mill, but I’ll make an appearance, I guess.” She chewed her lower lip. “I ran into that new guy in the residency yesterday. His first name sounds like a last name?”

“Smith,” Anna said. Her heart jumped into her chest and then returned to its original position.

“Right. Anyway, I realized he was about our age, maybe slightly older, so I asked what brought him to The Copperfield House, what he’s working on, that kind of thing.”

Anna hadn’t seen Smith have a conversation with anyone at The Copperfield House. “What did he say?”

“Just that he’s working with your mom to write a memoir,” Scarlet said. “And that he doesn’t know anyone here. So I invited him to the beach party this weekend.”

Anna’s head was suddenly fiery with jealousy. She sipped her tea, imagining Scarlet and Smith laughing together around a firepit with a five-foot-tall flame. She imagined Smith touching Scarlet’s back delicately and gazing into her eyes.

“I told him it would be good to meet people on the island,” Scarlet explained, “since it sounds like he’ll be here for the better part of a year. But he looked at me like I was an alien. He says he doesn’t ‘do’ parties anymore, whatever that means.”

And just like that, Anna’s fiery jealousy dissipated. She took a piece of cheese and nibbled on the edge. “That’s weird.”

“Right?” Scarlet laughed. “He looked at me like I was crazy for asking.”

“He keeps to himself.” Anna shrugged.

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