Lydia
Main Street sparkled. Dozens of small twinkling Christmas trees lined the sidewalks and a thirty-foot extravaganza tree towered at the top of the street in front of the Pacific Bank.
This part of Main was blocked off to cars so people could wander at will, pausing to gaze at the clever shop windows.
Women wore cute fuzzy ear warmers and faux fur coats or flowing capes.
Men wore bowlers or beanies or red-and-white stocking caps.
Everyone talked at once except for those who were screaming with laughter.
It was possible a few had been overserved.
“I’m off to find Sheila,” Lucas said, and hurried away.
Daniel stopped in front of Mitchell’s Book Corner. “I have to go in.”
“Absolutely!” Florie pulled him into the book-hungry crowd.
Lydia took Jari’s hand. “Come check out this building on Broad Street.” They walked three short blocks down Centre Street to the corner where the brick town hall faced the whaling museum.
Across the street was a handsome two-story brick building.
A dark green and gold quarterboard hung above the high doors of Parsons Insurance Company, Est. 1943.
“This is your father’s company, yes?” Jari asked.
“It is. His company and my grandfather’s company and my great-grandfather’s company.” The two tall glass windows on either side of the high front door encased elegant displays of fresh pine boughs and laurel around wide white bowls full of exquisite glass ornaments.
Jari stood with his head tilted back, looking up at the sign. “You are proud.”
“I’m so proud!” Lydia agreed.
Jari nodded. “I have seen statistics. Around twenty thousand people live on this island all year long. Thirty thousand more have summer homes of extreme size and decoration. Your father must have an interesting client list.”
“He does.”
“Do people like your father?”
“What?” Lydia made a little snort. “Of course they like my father. He and his father and his grandfather have lived on this island and owned this company for years and the business is highly respected. But more than that, Dad is committed to the town. He’s coached Little League baseball, and he was treasurer of St. Paul’s Church and he attends every town meeting. ”
“Does he have competitors?”
“Obviously he does. That’s only natural.” Lydia took Jari’s hand and began walking with him up Broad Street. “I don’t know if you can understand, but on Nantucket you can dislike somebody’s politics or business practices, but you’ll still go out on a rainy night to help hunt for their lost dog.”
“Do many people have dogs that get lost?” Jari asked.
“Jari, that was a metaphor, an example. Yes, there are a lot of dogs. But only a few get lost. People would help search for a lost cat, too, or, I don’t know, if someone’s ancient grandmother wandered off, we would all help find her.”
“Maybe the town should purchase some drones. They would expedite the discovery of the lost grandmother.”
Lydia took a breath. “That’s a good idea, Jari, but the point is—Never mind. Come on. I want you to see the Jared Coffin House all decorated for Christmas. It was built in 1846 by a whaling ship captain.”
Holding hands, they strolled past the Brotherhood of Thieves and Bookworks and stood before the Jared Coffin House, a handsome brick hotel with its cupola and chimneys rising over the town.
Jari nodded. “It is elegant.”
Lydia gave a quiet sigh of relief. She realized she was afraid that Nantucket would seem boring to Jari, who had grown up in the capital city of Helsinki and often traveled in other countries.
She felt proud of her town as they walked.
There were no skyscrapers, no posh resorts on the waterfront, no neon lights, which were banned from the island.
Instead of chain stores, intimate restaurants and island-owned shops lined the streets, and small trees bordered the sidewalks, sparkling with lights and decorations made by schoolchildren or island foundations.
The aroma of hot chocolate or mulled wine spilled out from the open doors of boutique clothing and jewelry shops.
Clusters of people crowded in and out, Christmas Stroll bags in their hands.
Lydia brought Jari to the center of the town. The public library, the majestic Nantucket Atheneum, towered across from the small cozy post office.
Snow had fallen on and off all day. Now lazy flakes whirled down from the sky, landing on the wide steps to the magnificent library and the garden benches and Lydia’s and Jari’s coats.
The old-fashioned streetlamps cast a gentle glow on the library garden.
Crowds were still strolling, passing by in Christmas-colored clumps of chatter and laughter.
“Let’s just stand here a moment,” Lydia said.
They gazed up at the historic building with its elegant columns and enormous, glorious Christmas wreath. The vault of dark sky rose above it, brilliant with stars.
Lydia said, “I grew up spending all Saturday in this garden or in the library. I was an avid reader, and my happiest hours were spent looking through the treasure trove of books to find the perfect book to read and then sitting on a bench out here and reading right in the middle of the whole world. I was so happy here.”
Jari nodded. “You were lucky.” After a moment, he asked, “Is the library computerized?”
Lydia rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Of course it’s computerized.” Glaring up at Jari, she realized he was smiling. “You know that already, don’t you? I bet you checked the town out online.”
“You’re right. I do know about the town and the island. But it is different to be here in person. It is very beautiful. It is gemütlich. Warm. Cozy. Nice feelings.”
Jari wrapped an arm around Lydia and pulled her to him. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. “Like this. Like me with you.”
“Lydia! Is that really you?”
Lydia was swooning at Jari’s romantic declaration when a woman darted out of the crowd, walking as fast as she could with a backpack weighing her down.
No, Lydia realized. It wasn’t a backpack. It was a BabyBjorn baby carrier.
“Kendra?” Lydia barely spoke the name before one of her old friends smothered her in an embrace.
“How are you? Are you back here for good? Is this your husband?” Kendra had never been reluctant to ask questions.
Laughing, Lydia asked, “Kendra, why do you have a baby on your back?”
Kendra turned around. Lydia came face-to-face with a bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked, chubby baby boy who wiggled with such delight at the sight of Lydia he almost exploded from the backpack.
“Oh my God!” Lydia instantly morphed back to a teenager. “Oh, Kendra, is this your little boy? He is so adorable! Kendra, he is so fat! Who is his father? When was he born?”
“Lydia, you rat, I emailed you all the information. I married Dougie—”
Lydia clasped her hands to her face. “You married Dougie? I’m screaming!”
“You should see him now. He’s the high school history teacher and soccer coach.”
“Dougie teaches?”
“You haven’t seen him in years, have you?
He, like, went to Hamilton and shot up to six three and came back all smart and gorgeous.
Two years ago, he graduated, returned to the island, came to my house, knocked on my door, and said he was sorry he was such an asshole but could we try again and we did and we’re married! ”
“I’m so happy for you!” Lydia was crying and she didn’t know why.
“Call me sometime!” Kendra said. “I’ve got to meet him at the wharf—you look fab!” Kendra dashed away.
Lydia just stood there for a moment, catching her breath.
She looked up at Jari. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you. Kendra is impetuous.”
“You are crying.” He almost sounded concerned.
“I miss her so much. I’m sorry I’m crying. I don’t want to cry.” Talking about crying made Lydia cry harder.
“I see a bench in the library garden. Let’s sit.” Jari gently wrapped his arm around Lydia and walked with her to the bench.
For a few moments, they sat in silence, sheltered by snow-sprinkled trees.
Lydia glanced at Jari. Was he bored?
“Jari,” she asked softly, “what are you thinking?” She knew men hated being asked that question, but she thought he might talk here, in this private space.
Jari kept his arm around her shoulders. “Do you know you have never told me about Kendra or your house or family? Do you know how fortunate you are? You grew up on this island with married parents and a brother and a sister and friends. Your family has unusual celebrations—”
“The Stroll isn’t unusual,” Lydia said defensively. “It doesn’t happen in every town, but—”
“The Daffodil Festival?” Jari turned Lydia toward him. “A parade along roads blooming with thousands of flowers? That’s almost pagan.”
“Well, okay, that’s—”
“I have looked at your town’s calendar. You have something called the Scallopers Ball. And the Turkey Plunge. You have golf tournaments and summer galas and book festivals and film festivals and charity triathlons. You have this library! And you can walk to it.”
“Not everyone on the island can walk to the center of town…”
“Oh, then you drive what, ten miles? Fifteen? You have three lighthouses and world-class restaurants and seals.”
“If you’ve seen one seal, you’ve seen them all,” Lydia joked. She closed her eyes, trying to understand him. “Okay, Jari, you have a family—”
“Lydia.” Jari took her hands and held them tightly, as if anchoring himself. His gaze was aimed at their hands. He could not look her in the eye.
“My parents are very rich. My father is extremely intelligent. My parents divorced when I was seven.”
“Oh, Jari,” Lydia began, but Jari kept speaking, as if he couldn’t stop.
“My stepmother is a witch. My father cares about nothing but work. He has turned into one of his own bots. My brother Aaki wants to inherit the company and I hope he does. He works constantly, travels constantly, has no wife, no children, and his only home is a sterile modern apartment in Helsinki. My sister’s in Monaco with her own family.
My other brother rebelled. He works at a reindeer farm far north in Rovaniem.
He never visits the family. I have visited him.
I find him mentally unbalanced, but he seems happy.
Our family hasn’t been together since we were children. ”
“I’m sorry, Jari. You told me your family wasn’t close, but I didn’t realize…what about friends when you were growing up?”
Jari shrugged. “I went to a private elementary school. A private high school in Switzerland. A private college in London. When I wasn’t studying business economics, I was at my father’s factory, analyzing data.”
What could she say? She was stunned. “Your father’s company…you know so many people.”
“I was always surrounded by people, and always lonely.”
“Oh, Jari. I didn’t realize.” This was so much to take in. This was a special moment, and she didn’t want to ruin it. Lydia took a deep breath for courage. “How would you like to live your life, Jari?”
“I would like a family. I would like to live someplace between a city and a reindeer farm. With a woman I love and our children.”
For a moment, Lydia sat quietly in the shelter of the library garden, with the snow glittering down, turning their coats and hats and hands white. Gently, she asked, “How would you work?”
“I do most of my work on my laptop. I could do that anywhere. Also, I could still travel. Maybe you could come with me sometimes.”
Maybe, Jari had said. Sometimes. “Jari, if I stay with Golden Resorts, I’ll be managing the resort in Arizona.”
“Of course.”
Of course? Lydia waited for him to say more. It was like being on a Ferris wheel that had stopped at the top of the circle.
Jari stood up and held out his hand to her. “It is cold, only sitting. Let’s walk.”