Summer on Highland Beach

Chapter Twenty-Three The Rumor Mill

July 2022

“I must admit, I’m surprised you asked me for lunch today.” Christine’s pearly whites beamed from across the table.

Guilt swirled in Olivia’s stomach. After being confronted by Christine on the Fourth of July two weeks ago, Olivia had decided to never speak to her grandmother again.

But she couldn’t shake the advice that Lauren had given her last week to ask her family questions, and those questions required privacy. That was the only reason she met up with her grandmother at her home rather than in a restaurant.

“I’ll be honest... I have a lot of questions about the past. So if you aren’t comfortable being asked some of those questions, I’ll leave.”

Christine took a deep breath. “It’s fine. I knew the day would come when you’d want to know more about your father.”

Olivia shook her head. “Whatever I need to know, I trust my parents will tell me.”

“Oh, well, yes, I suppose so. But I meant Chris.”

“I know a lot about Chris through my mother.” And oddly enough, through Omar. “I want to know about Indigo.”

“I-Indigo?”

“Yes. I know this may be tough to understand, but the letter in the newspaper is disturbing. And then there’s the fact that I look just like her and someone is determined to use my face to stir controversy. So yes, I want to understand.”

And perhaps Christine’s memories held the key to figuring out who was behind the articles about their family’s history.

Christine’s thin lips curled into a sneer. “I don’t think discussing my daughter will accomplish anything.”

“There is someone out there who doesn’t care for this family.”

“This family?”

“The Douglass-Jones family. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had someone following me and taking my picture without permission. Someone wouldn’t have posted anonymous comments to insinuate that the family is into illegal activity. Then there’s—”

“We have broken no laws.”

“Of course,” Olivia quickly agreed. She believed Christine on that point. Her grandmother was far too smart, and too prideful about her family’s legacy, to ruin the family name.

Christine stared at Olivia for a full minute. Olivia held her gaze, fully embracing the discomfort of the moment. She’d learned long ago that sometimes silence made people fold. Christine was no pushover, but Olivia needed to show her grandmother that she wouldn’t back down.

“You’re a Douglass-Jones, too,” Christine said in an “admit it” tone.

“I am.”

“Do you want to know the secret of success in being a matriarch in the Douglass-Jones family?”

Olivia nodded.

Christine grabbed her crystal glass. The look of longing on her face as she glanced into the glass made Olivia realize that she wished it were wine instead of water.

Christine sipped before speaking. “My mother told me the secret is to be the glue. To hold the family together, no matter what. If you must lie, so what? If you must suffer in silence, so be it. But you must never, ever, let someone threaten your family. It’s especially important to lift up our Black men. No matter the sacrifice to your head and heart.”

Christine returned her drink to the table and stared down at the place setting as if to gather herself. She finally refocused her attention on Olivia. “I was top of my class, I’ll have you know. In undergrad and in law school. Higher than your grandfather, Daniel, for that matter. Higher than Alan. But I...” She meshed her lips together, shaking her head. “I had to seal the deal. Secure the line. Be with someone of my caliber.” She wiggled her fingers.

“You see, Daniel was dating someone he really liked. What was that girl’s name?” She pondered, then snapped her fingers. “Oh yes. Renée. She had his nose wide open. And we were all friends. But she was on a scholarship. And his family wasn’t a fan. Mine was of the same accord. They all had plans for Daniel and me to marry, and they’d hoped we would come together naturally over the years. But that didn’t happen.”

“They just expected you to figure it out?”

“We ran in the same circles. We’d known each other since birth, so yes. They thought two attractive people who grew up together would want to marry.” Christine rolled her eyes.

“What about you?” Olivia asked her grandmother.

“What about me?”

“You liked someone else, too, didn’t you?”

“Hmm. Yes.” She nodded. “But Mother told me I had to make that sacrifice, and so I did. To be fair, Daniel did the same. So we just sort of switched.”

“Switched?”

“Alan dated Renée. A temporary thing, of course. Then I dated Daniel. We decided to be mature and make the best of things. After a while, I didn’t have to pretend with Daniel. I grew to adore him and eventually love him in time.” She stiffened her lips, her shoulders, maybe even her resolve.

“When I became pregnant shortly after our marriage, I had to sacrifice my dream of becoming an attorney to take care of my growing family.”

Olivia leaned back in her seat, letting her grandmother vent.

“So I had my two brilliant boys and then, four years later, I had my precious girl. And she was perfect. She had a will of steel that matched my own,” she said in a tired, yet proud, voice.

“And secretly I rooted for her to have a different outcome than I had. I prayed my baby didn’t have to sacrifice her brilliant light to prop up a man. I thought if anyone could escape the expectations for the Douglass women, it would be Indigo. She would figure out a way to make this life her own. One that honored her family but kept her individuality. A scholar and an athlete.” Christine’s eyes misted over.

“But then around twelve, during what I thought was puberty, she became different. Sullen. She wasn’t the bright ball of energy that talked a mile a minute. She would go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. I... I couldn’t reach her. I couldn’t break through that dark storm that clouded her hearing and her sight.” She shook her head and rubbed her forearm. “I didn’t understand the self-harm, and I thought it was a cry for attention. So, I... I did what my parents did when one of us kids acted out. I froze her out. I had to ignore her so she could understand that her dangerous ultimatums wouldn’t work on us.” Tears seeped down her cheeks.

“But it wasn’t a silent threat. It was a cry for help. I know that now. I know better now. And I didn’t listen to my baby’s cries.”

She ducked her head into her hands.

Olivia stood, walked around the table, and sat in the seat near her. She grabbed and held Christine’s soft, ageless hands.

“Did she have any friends?”

“She did until the beginning of high school. They just... they didn’t really understand her, either. They couldn’t swing with the highs and lows. Well, except that little girl from the summer she died. She was visiting family for the summer. I... can’t remember her name.”

“Hmm.”

“Why the hmm?”

“Maybe she knows something we don’t. It would be good to have a name.”

Christine shrugged wordlessly until her eyes went sharp. “Alan may remember.”

“Alan?”

“We were friends at the time, but he excelled in researching a person’s background. I asked him to look into her background. He thought I was ridiculous, of course, and initially refused, but he promised he would look. But then with everything that... that happened, it no longer mattered.”

“Of course.”

“Did that... did I answer your questions, dear?” Christine asked, her voice exhausted.

Though Olivia wasn’t totally satisfied with her grandmother’s answers, she didn’t want to overtax her with questions that could become triggering.

Christine exhaled. “Well, then. Now I’d like to eat.” She seemed to gather up her usual regal air and cloak herself in it like an invisible barrier. She waved to the other side of the table.

“Then let’s eat.” Olivia returned to her seat across from Christine and cut into the Thai salad. When her phone buzzed, she pushed the Silent button.

“Are you visiting your sister this summer?”

“You know, I think I may,” Christine answered in a measured voice. “And maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder for Alan.”

“Are you and Alan having issues?”

“We’re fine,” Christine answered in a high-pitched voice. “But he seems distracted, and downright irritable lately. If it wasn’t for him doing all of this for my son, I’d thwack him across the head.”

Olivia laughed, despite the heaviness of the conversation. “Well, I’m sure it will pass over.”

“Oh, it better, because my patience is running thin, honey.” She flicked her hand. “And how are you and that man back in Sag Harbor?” She scooped some rice into her mouth and chewed. “Garrett, was it? I’m sure he’s awful lonely without you.”

Olivia cleared her throat and smiled. “He seems to do just fine.” She didn’t want to have this conversation with Christine, who probably had a nice and tidy dossier on Garrett.

She steered the conversation into safer waters and told Christine about her plans to visit London, Paris, and Greece.

“They’re calling it ‘revenge travel,’” Christine said. “People wanting to make up for all the time lost during the pandemic.”

Just as they finished their lunch, Alan opened the door. “Christine?”

“In here.”

“Good. I need some sugar. I ran all the way to DC for this...” His voice trailed off when he noticed Olivia.

He held a small brown package with a large RX label.

Is it her medicine?Alan stood too far away for Olivia to clearly read the label.

Christine exhaled. “We have company,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

She waved a hand, shaking her head. “Can you just... put that on my desk, please?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, Alan, I’m glad to see you. Christine and I were having a conversation about Indigo, and she said you may know her friend from the... well, from the time before she passed.”

Alan scrunched his face. He glanced at Christine, and a silent conversation seemed to take place between them. “Is there a... a reason you want to know?”

“Because she may have understood the circumstances behind Indigo’s death and—”

“No.” Alan crossed his arms and shook his head. “You don’t need to drag Christine into that mess.”

“But you investigated that girl?”

“I followed up. And I’m telling you, she’s not worth the trouble.”

Hands on the table, Christine pushed herself up. “Alan, I can’t believe you.”

“You told me to investigate it, and I did. But there were a... myriad of other things going on. We almost lost you to grief, and I’m not... dealing with that shit again.”

Olivia’s eyes widened at his exclamation.

“Is that what my grief is to you?” Christine demanded. “Shit?”

“That’s not what I mean, my love. But you could not handle any more. Trust me.”

“I can handle things just fine. The Douglass-Jones women have been doing so for centuries.” Christine’s eyes welled with tears. “Olivia, if you’ll excuse me, I need to gather myself.”

Then she stopped just before the stairwell and swung her attention back to Olivia. “Don’t forget what I said. The secret to keeping the family together. Don’t let anyone, especially a man, make you feel weak. You’re stronger than you know.”

Christine stormed upstairs.

“Oh God.” Alan rubbed at his temples. “I knew this would come back to bite me in the ass.”

“Then why did you lie?”

“Olivia, with all due respect, you just got here, and the issues in the Douglass-Jones family run deep. There are lots of people who will lie and drag your name in the mud. And this community, every single resident, has done their part in protecting what’s ours. I am no different. Now,” he crumpled the brown bag in his hand, “I need to see to my wife.”

“Okay, Alan. I’m sorry if my questions caused you harm.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault,” he assured her,“...but that woman.” He muttered that last part to himself, but not low enough.

“I’ll tell you what,” Alan said. “Let me speak to Christine, and then I’ll give CJ a call. I’ll let him decide what to do next.”

Olivia stood. “Sorry to leave this mess behind.” She waved at the dirty dishes.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. I always do.”

Olivia had no doubt he was referring to more than the dishes. But then Christine’s words echoed in her head. Maybe she didn’t need Alan as much as he thought? Olivia had a feeling Christine could take on the world if she needed to.