Trick of Light (The Sutton Book Club 2)

Chapter 3

Rod never imagined he’d have a college degree. That was the sort of thing other people—smarter people, organized people—were allowed to have, not him. It was surreal, now, to slide the framed college diploma over the nail in his study and step back to make sure it hung straight. Was this his life? His heart swelled with pride.

Just two months ago, he’d graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in social work. By mid-May, he’d been offered his first job in the field—and starting this week, he was making use of it all over Nantucket Island. He met with struggling parents, recovering drug addicts, angry married couples, and veterans, helping them inch through their problems and the day-to-day minutiae that often felt that much heavier when emotional or family problems swallowed their concentration.

It was surreal to be back on Nantucket after three years away. He’d enjoyed his time at the university, endless studying, and concentration. But nothing was like stepping out the front door of his home and breathing in that fresh island air.

It was surreal, too, to have his house back. His daughter had lived there with his grandson while he’d studied, and he’d visited frequently on weekends to ensure she had the help she needed. He hadn’t wanted to lose touch with island life completely. But now, his daughter and grandson had officially moved into a place on their own. And Rod was back in the home he’d raised her in—an older man, ready for the next phase of his life. A man who’d seen things and had to swallow his pride and grow up very quickly.

Rod drove his pickup across the island to the coastal home of veterans Doug and Ben. Doug was in his nineties, a veteran of World War I, while Ben was in his forties, a veteran of Afghanistan. A chance encounter at the Sutton Book Club had ultimately brought the two of them together. Ben had been Doug’s carer ever since, but rumor had it they’d nearly lost their home recently.

Rod was friendly with them but didn’t know them well. He was apprehensive as he mounted their porch steps and rang the bell. When Ben opened the door to let him in, Rod was surprised to see that the downstairs was fresh looking, with new wood and bright paint. Where had they gotten the money?

“Morning!” Ben said, beckoning for him to join. “Doug’s still getting ready. Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea?”

Rod stuttered nervously. This was one of his first house calls, and he wanted to appear brave and sturdy like the sort of man people like Doug and Ben could trust.

“I’d love a cup of coffee,” Rod said finally. “Thank you.”

Rod followed Ben to the kitchen, which was sparkling clean. Rod had trouble understanding why he’d been hired to attend to Ben and Doug. They seemed to be doing all right on their own.

Ben didn’t wait long to confirm this. “When I asked for help, I had no idea that God was already answering my prayers,” he explained as he passed the cup of coffee over the counter.

“It looks remarkable in here,” Rod said.

Ben smiled, and his eyes were dreamy. He suddenly looked much younger than his forty-something years.

“Have you heard of the Sutton family?”

Rod’s throat tightened. “Yes. I was raised here and knew all the Suttons before they moved away.”

“You haven’t heard? They came back.”

Rod set his mug on the counter and gaped at Ben. Was he dreaming?

“They were all here,” Ben explained, “because Esme went missing after Larry died.”

“Esme is missing?” Rod was flabbergasted. In the midst of his personal chaos—moving back to the island and focusing on his career—he’d missed a great deal.

“She’s back,” Ben assured him with a wave of his hand. “But Victor and Rebecca were looking for her like crazy. They didn’t know what to do.”

Rod’s heart beat too quickly, and he felt frantic. “Victor was here?”

“Everyone seems most surprised by that,” Ben said. “He’s not very popular around here.”

“No. He’s not.”

Memory throttled through Rod. He drank half of the cup of coffee, scalding his tongue.

“You know, he abandoned his family,” Rod said. “After they lost their son.”

Ben’s face darkened. “It sounds like a horrible time.”

Rod felt very stiff.

“But Victor is the reason our house stopped falling apart,” Ben said. “He donated some very old books to us. World War II memorabilia. And he’s been here almost every day, fixing up odds and ends. Rebecca hardly recognizes him.”

Ben spoke of Rebecca as though he knew her. Rod was reminded of the college students he’d been surrounded by. Rod had been able to read them easily. It had always been obvious who they were in love with and angry with. Ben was falling in love with Rebecca. That was clear.

Rod remembered that last January, Rebecca’s husband had died in a car accident up in Maine. He’d learned about that during one of his spring visits to Nantucket. Somebody had mentioned it to him at the grocery store, and he’d felt a horrible ache in his chest. He’d been helpless.

“The others were here, too,” Ben pointed out. “Bethany and Valerie.”

Rod’s knees swam beneath him, threatening to give out. “The whole family. Wow. But I take it they went back to where they came from?”

“Bethany’s in Savannah, I believe. And Val’s in California.”

Rod curled his fingers over the countertop and counted to five. His heart thudded as Ben told him another anecdote about the Sutton family. About the playful nature of Esme and Victor’s newfound friendship and Rebecca’s three children, all on the island, enjoying their first Nantucket summer.

Rod had the strangest feeling that he’d time traveled. He felt out of place.

After Rod finished his house call, chatting with Doug and Ben about how he could help them (not very much, apparently, now that the Suttons had saved the day), he drove around the island, checking in on other clients. Eventually, he met with Samantha Coleman for a brief coffee. Sam was a longtime social worker who specialized in those who struggled with addiction. When Rod had admitted his interest in her career, she’d urged him to go to college and do what he wanted. “We need more people in this field,” she’d said. “Nantucket seems like an affluent and wonderful place on the surface, but so many people are struggling. I’d love your help.”

“Tell me,” Sam said over coffee, her eyes bright, “how is your first week?”

Rod explained what he’d done so far, rubbing his palms together nervously. He did not mention the Suttons. He didn’t want to complicate the situation by giving more space for it in his mind.

“It sounds like you’re off to a brilliant start,” Sam assured him. “I’m sure you feel nervous. But all that goes away soon.”

After they finished, Rod checked his phone to find messages from his daughter. At twenty-four, she hardly ever picked up the phone to call and instead sent an endless stream of text messages. It made his head spin.

Instead of texting back, he called her. Renee answered on the third ring.

“Hey! How’s it going?”

Renee sounded snappy and bright. She’d likely been awake since six that morning, tending to her son and preparing for her work as a marketing coordinator for a luxurious hotel. What, exactly, a marketing coordinator did was beyond Rod. It sounded fancy when she talked about it, though.

“On my way home, actually,” Rod explained. “Finished up all my house calls. Now I have an hour or two of admin and am free.”

“Can’t believe you’re done with school already,” Renee said. “Three years flew by.”

“They always do,” Rod affirmed.

“Listen, I wanted to know about tonight,” Renee said. “Are you joining Felix and me for the fireworks?”

Rod burst into laughter. He’d completely forgotten it was the Fourth of July. As a social worker, he couldn’t take holidays off, unlike everyone else, and Nantucket summers meant perpetual American flag decorations from the harbor to the Historic District. He hadn’t noticed a difference.

“I’d love to,” Rod assured her. “Meet later for dinner?”

“Felix and I request bratwursts and hot dogs,” Renee said. “With extra ketchup.”

Rod chuckled. Felix was much like every other three-year-old. He liked hot dogs, ketchup, and not a whole lot else. Eventually, Rod hoped to help Renee broaden Felix’s palate a little by including vegetables and fruits. They hadn’t had luck so far.

Nearly four years ago, Renee returned home from college due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes were all online, and the world was frightening and dark. Rod had been extremely pleased to have her back. But not long after her return, she’d stumbled into the living room, sobbing. She was pregnant. It wasn’t planned. The father was an islander named Vinny who’d spent the majority of their high school careers yanking her around—breaking up with her and getting back together as though it were all for sport. Obviously, Rod wasn’t his biggest fan.

But when Renee brought Felix into the world at the beginning of 2021, Rod’s heart burst with love. He’d promised to do everything in his power to help her. And he’d offered up his home for her and Felix, despite his plan to graduate from the University of Massachusetts by the spring of 2024.

Everything had fallen into place. Well, mostly. Renee and Vinny were on-again, off-again, as usual. Rod begged the universe to keep them “off” forever. But Renee said she still loved him. He couldn’t fight that.

Sometimes Rod wished he could chat with Renee’s mother about this. He wondered what she would say and what advice she would give. But it was impossible.

On his way home, Rod swung through the grocery store to purchase brats, hot dogs, potato salad, and a bag of salt-and-vinegar chips. Rod initially showed Renee the flavor when she was eight or nine, expecting her to spit them out or wrinkle her nose. Instead, she’d fallen in love. A friend of Rod’s had said, “Of course she loves them. She loves everything you love, Rod. You’re her everything.” Rod’s heart had swelled.

Renee and Felix arrived at ten after six. Felix hustled around the kitchen, babbling about something that had happened today at daycare, while Renee split open the hot dogs and cracked open a beer. Outside, fireworks had already begun to explode due to overeager tourists who’d probably been drinking all day. It wouldn’t be dark for hours.

“Boom!” Felix echoed, raising his fist.

“You excited, buddy?” Renee asked, picking him up.

“Fireworks!” Felix cried. “Yes!”

Renee and Rod chuckled. It was the first time Felix could fully participate in the holiday, and they realized they were in for a truly sensational year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas would be that much better. And it was only the beginning. The next ten years would be action-packed.

Sometimes, Rod wondered if Renee wanted to have any more children. He imagined himself overwhelmed with a few other grandchildren, their laughter filling his living room, their toys getting underfoot. He told himself to be grateful for what he had.

Over bratwursts and hot dogs, Rod told Renee a bit more about his first few days as a social worker. Renee listened intently and nodded along.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she said. “You’re forty-three and at the beginning of a brand-new career. You could do this for the next twenty-five years!”

Rod smiled. Given how fulfilling the job already was, he planned to do it as long as his legs supported him.

“People rarely do a job they like,” Rod said. “I feel lucky.”

“And they’re lucky to have you,” Renee said.

As the light dimmed outside, Renee and Rod loaded Felix in the car and drove to the beach that overlooked the fireworks. It swarmed with tourists and locals alike, carrying foldable beach chairs and coolers and calling to one another as darkness fell. Rod carried Felix, not wanting him to get lost in the crowd.

As they headed for the water”s edge to set up their chairs, something caught Rod’s eye, and he turned his head to find Esme. She had her head back, and she was cackling happily. Beside her was, impossibly, Victor Sutton. It had been nearly thirty years since Rod had seen him in the flesh, but Rod would have recognized him anywhere. His heart skipped a beat.

Was it possible that Esme was laughing at something Victor had said? Didn’t Esme remember what Victor had put her through? Couldn’t they feel his betrayal like a crater between them?

But what did Rod know about divorce? He’d never even gotten married. He’d hardly gotten close to anyone in decades. A woman had been interested in him at the University of Massachusetts, a professor a few years younger than him. She’d asked him out, which Rod had appreciated. He liked how bold she was. But when they were out at dinner, Rod had no idea what to discuss. He sat there, his heart thudding, trying to remember what people spoke about during dates on television shows. All he could think of was Seinfeld—which wasn’t exactly the number-one most romantic television show of all time. Ultimately, he’d disappointed both of them with his lack of “game,” and the professor had avoided him for the rest of the semester.

Sometimes Rod wondered if he’d wasted his life. But when he looked at Renee and Felix beside him, he remembered that that was impossible. He had the two of them. What more could he need?

That night, fireworks exploded overhead, flashing gorgeous lights through the night sky. All of Nantucket raised their faces to the immaculate display, thanking their lucky stars for another year of American freedom. Now that he was a college graduate and back on Nantucket full-time, Rod had so much to be grateful for. He held Felix’s hand and blinked away tears.