tall Bloody Mary, “are you all right, Ari?” When she hesitated, he clarified, “About Peter, I mean. Sad thing, breaking an engagement.”
“I’m fine, Dad.” Ari put her hand on his. “Please don’t worry. I don’t know if I was ever seriously in love with Peter. We were close because we’d met in camp and again here on the island and at university. It seemed kind of destined, but all last year I was filled with dread. I don’t know why I let it go on so long. I guess I didn’t want to disappoint Peter…and Mother was so happy about it all.”
“If you think you’ve done the right thing, then I think you’ve done the right thing,” her father said.
“I love you, Daddy.” Ari kissed his cheek.
Before they could say another word, Ari’s tennis friends came flying over, like a flock of exotic chattering birds in their colorful summer dresses. Ari stood up to hug them. They discussed summer plans and plotted get-togethers for the days they all wouldn’t be working. As Ari settled back in her chair, she saw Michelle and her family come onto the porch. There was her brother, Beck, with his broad shoulders and blond hair. Ari forced herself to focus on Michelle, and when she did, Michelle winked, as if she knew exactly what Ari was thinking.
Ari pretended she was fascinated by her family’s conversation. A moment later, she saw Michelle walking toward their table.
“Don’t get up,” Michelle said, but of course Ari’s father and uncle rose politely while Ari introduced them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Michelle said. “Ari, we’re having a party at our house next Saturday evening. I hope you can come.”
“I’d love that,” Ari said. “Thanks.”
As Michelle walked away, Ari’s mother said, “How nice.”
Ari rolled her eyes.
In the afternoon, they headed back to Eleanor’s house. Ari’s parents and uncle got ready to leave. After their dinner in town Friday night, the waiter had handed Eleanor a bag containing the rest of the chocolate cake. While the others bustled around packing up, Eleanor sat at the kitchen table, dividing up small triangles and slipping them into plastic bags.
“Honestly, Mother, I don’t need to take that home,” Alicia said.
“I’ll eat whatever’s left!” Ari announced, throwing herself down at the table and grabbing a fork.
“We’ve just had lunch!” her mother objected.
Feeling mischievous, Ari said, “I’ll call this my English tea.”
“Oh, you,” her mother said, which was what she always said when she couldn’t come back with an appropriate response.
An emotion like love, but also like pity, swept through Ari. Alicia looked tired, older and duller than usual. Her father looked tired, too, but he always did. Uncle Cliff, on the other hand, looked like he’d just slapped his face with an upmarket men’s cologne.
“You people are so slow,” Uncle Cliff moaned. “I’ve got to make my plane.”
Ari’s father stood up. “He’s right, Eleanor. We need to go.”
In an awkward bundle of hugging and saying goodbye, Ari’s mother, father, and uncle went out the door and got into their cars.
Ari and Eleanor stood on the front porch, waving. It was very quiet when the other three were gone.
“Well, they’re off!” Eleanor threw her arms high in the air. She wore a loose cotton sundress and sneakers. “We can relax! I’m going for a nice long walk. Ari, you’re free to do whatever you want except go with me. I’m up to my chin in togetherness and need some time alone.”
“I’ve got some texts and emails from friends I want to answer,” Ari said. Also, she thought, she might just take a nap. She had to work tomorrow.
Six
Monday, after Ari took off for her first day of work, Eleanor drove into town to exchange books at the library. She went to the grocery store and the liquor store. Then, when her tide chart indicated the tide was at its lowest, she drove to the Jetties Beach parking lot, put on her waders, and tromped through the sand down to the water’s edge. The jetties made a calm channel for boats entering Nantucket harbor. They were made of boulders and rocks stacked together like walls. Sometimes the tide was so high they covered everything but the top bit of the rocks. Sometimes the tide was so low a person could walk a few yards out into the water, and Eleanor knew of a special place past the third boulder where mussels gathered in colonies, clamped onto the rocks, ready to be picked.
There they