to begin the game.”
As she spoke, she handed out small brown paper bags, in case they found two or more prizes. Ari hid a smile, thinking how cleverly her grandmother had dressed, with several strands of glittering beads and an enormous diamond brooch. Many of the children were slack-jawed at the sight of the room with its fireplace and owl andirons and the mantel with the old marble clock and heavy silver candlesticks. Ari and Eleanor had removed anything breakable. Still, the heavy antique mahogany table with winged lions for legs was startling and impressive, and on the coffee table, the enormous geode, cut in half to expose glittering amethyst crystals, caused much whispering.
Cal took over, splitting the teams in half, making sure the two boys who could be the most trouble were not on the same team, and started the search. Ari and Sandy went up to the second floor to keep an eye on the children. At first, the Beach Camp kids were quiet, awed by the size of the old summer house and its many rooms. Then someone on the first floor shrieked in victory, and the second-floor children went mad, racing into the bedrooms and bathrooms, crawling beneath beds, bumping into furniture, giggling and arguing and shrieking.
The greatest attraction of the day was the basement. A few years ago, Eleanor had had a room fitted out for exercising. One wall was mirrored. She had a small exercise bike, a rowing machine, and a shelf of rubber weights and bands, none of them very heavy. The boys mostly took over the bike and rowing machine, while some of the girls used the bands to tie around their waists in a bow so they could admire themselves in the mirror and others used them for a tug-of-war. After a fairly long, very noisy while, they were sent to the rest of the basement to find a brown paper bag with their name printed on it, and inside, pretzels and raisins. Then they were channeled back upstairs.
Later, the children ate macaroni and cheese and buttered green beans. Finally, they gathered their loot and raced through the still-pouring rain out to the vans. As they left, each child, prompted by Ari, Sandy, or Cal, shook Eleanor’s hand and said, “Thank you.”
Ari was last to leave. She had to meet the Beach Camp at the community room for story time and games.
“You were wonderful,” she told her grandmother. “You really saved the day.”
“I enjoyed it,” Eleanor said. “But the moment you leave, I’m going to my room to take a nap.”
Seventeen
Saturday morning, Eleanor was still in bed when her granddaughter slipped into the room and put a note on her bedside table.
“Good luck,” Eleanor said, her voice croaking, because she hadn’t had her coffee yet.
“Thanks,” Ari said, and hurried away.
Eleanor lay for a moment, wondering what exactly good luck would mean for Ari, who was taking the six-thirty car ferry to Hyannis and making the short but crowded drive to Boston, where Peter was taking a summer-semester law review class at Harvard. The drive that should take ninety minutes could take hours, depending on the vacation traffic. Peter had not agreed to meet Ari partway, in one of the towns just outside of Boston. He’d insisted she come into Cambridge and meet her at a small café in Harvard Square.
What would Peter say when he found out Ari was pregnant? For that matter, what did Ari hope Peter would say? What did Eleanor hope would happen? She couldn’t imagine.
Eleanor tried to still her thoughts and fall back into the oblivion of sleep, but no, she was awake. She rose, pulled on a loose sundress and no bra—the joys of not wearing a bra were extreme—dropped her cellphone into her pocket, and went out to the kitchen to fire up the Keurig. It was a sunny day. She’d drink her coffee out on the deck.
She sat in her favorite wicker chair for a while, soaking in the sun, savoring the day, the fresh air, the blue ocean extending farther than she could see. It was both a blessing and a relief to be at this place in her life. In spite of an aching back and fickle joints, she relished old age.
Her cell buzzed. It was only a few minutes after seven. Ari would still be on the car ferry. Without looking, Eleanor said hello.
“Eleanor. Do you know where Alicia is?” Phillip’s baritone voice cracked with emotion. Anger? Concern?
“Good