Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
R eese and Oriana were at the edge of the ferry with Peter, Tyler, and Benny. The three grandsons couldn’t get enough of peering out across the water and watching the water froth in a single enormous wake out behind them. Benny begged to be picked up and put on Reese’s shoulders. Reese agreed and then was forced to carry all three of them up there, taking turns to make sure nobody had more time than the others. Oriana finally called it after ten minutes of this, saying, “Your grandpa has a bad back.” This wasn’t entirely true, but Reese’s shoulders had begun to ache, and he was grateful.
Joel and Lauren were inside the ferry with cups of coffee. Alexis hadn’t been able to come to the party at the last minute for work reasons, but she sent her love.
Reese could see Joel and Lauren through the window at a little table. Joel was looking at his phone, and Lauren read on her e-reader. To anyone else, they probably looked like a typical married couple on vacation. But Reese knew better.
He also knew Joel hadn’t looked at him since they’d met at the ferry. He was still unhappy about what had happened yesterday with Carlotta’s code. Reese was flummoxed. He wanted to take him aside and apologize again. But what good would it do?
It seemed Joel wanted to stay angry.
“Is everything okay with Joel?” Oriana asked under her breath. She looked skittish.
“It’s fine. We’re fine.”
Oriana gave him a look that meant she didn’t believe him. “It’s all new for both of you. You need to be patient.”
But there was so much Oriana didn’t know. She didn’t know about their spats. And she didn’t know that Lauren was cheating on Joel. Reese felt the complications of the past few weeks press against his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
They reached Nantucket. Downstairs, they scrambled into their vehicles and waited for the traffic to inch out of the boat. Joel followed Reese en route to the Jessabelle House. Oriana remained quiet and thoughtful in the passenger seat. If Reese had to guess, he’d say she was brainstorming ways to force father and son to get along better. She was a problem solver to a fault.
The party was already in full swing when they arrived. Soft rock music swelled over the veranda and out across the bluffs, and beautiful Colemans were splayed across the railing or seated at gorgeously decorated tables filled with flowers and little candles. At the bottom of the veranda steps, Reese heard Lauren mutter to Joel, “Now this is a party.” But she said it as though accusing Joel of not throwing parties for her. Reese had to stop himself from spinning around and asking Lauren if she cared about anything except wealth.
Sam pierced the Coleman crowd to greet them. She wore a soft cream tank top with a pair of linen pants, and her blond hair caught the bright sun. “You made it!” She hugged her Aunt Oriana first, then Reese, Joel, and Lauren. The kids had already scampered off to play with some other kids down below the veranda, where several adults stood with drinks, shifting their weight and making sure everyone played safely. A soccer ball flew through the sky.
“Grab whatever you want to eat and drink, and let me know if you need anything,” Sam was saying. “And Oriana! I’m begging you to tell me where you got your outfit.”
“Only if you tell me where you got those pants,” Oriana said.
Lauren and Joel broke off to order cocktails from a bartender behind a little bar area. Reese watched them go as his heart thundered with sorrow. That’s when he spotted Hugo, Meghan’s husband, in the corner chatting with Darcy and the twentysomething Reese remembered from the beach. He thought his name was Steven.
Reese had always liked Hugo. After so many years of Oriana and Meghan’s thick-as-thieves relationship, Reese and Hugo had become almost like brothers. Reese cut through the crowd to grab a beer and sit with them. Darcy smiled happily. “Happy Solstice!”
Reese clinked his beer with her wine and clapped Hugo on the shoulder as he sat down.
“Steven was just telling me about his tour,” Hugo exclaimed. “And Darcy here is headed to Rome!”
Reese grinned. “It’s going well with Carlotta, then?”
“It’s all so surreal,” Darcy said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the ride.”
Reese remembered reading that Carlotta’s boyfriend Bobby’s recent legal troubles had involved him “allegedly” stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a previous business associate. That, and he was in the midst of a messy divorce and had been for the better part of eight years. From what Reese gleaned online, it was unclear which party kept the fight going for so long.
But he didn’t imagine Bobby Ringmaker was such a kindhearted guy. He supposed that suited Carlotta. She wasn’t particularly kindhearted herself.
He was suddenly stricken with fear. What if Darcy can’t take care of herself?
But he brushed this thought aside, remembering how frustrated Joel had just been yesterday when he’d assumed he was less intelligent and less organized than he really was.
Reese scanned the party and listed the Coleman family members and their partners: Sam and Derek; Hilary and Marc and their daughter Aria; Roland and Estelle; Grant and Katrina. Others streamed over the veranda and back down again; drinks were poured; hors d’oeuvres floated in all directions. Reese ate his fair share of shrimp and feta-filled phyllo brad and mini cheesecakes.
Hugo grabbed them both another drink and asked in a low voice, “How is it going with you and Joel?”
Everyone was dying with curiosity. And for good reason.
Reese chose his words carefully. “It hasn’t been without its bumps.”
“That’s to be expected,” Hugo said.
Reese raised his shoulders and turned to find that Joel was seated by himself. Lauren was nowhere to be found. Joel stared into space and wore a sorrowful expression. Reese inhaled sharply. Did they get into a fight? Did Lauren leave? Did Lauren tell him about the other guy?
Reese’s mind raced. “Maybe we should invite him to the table?”
“Of course!” Hugo cried.
Reese got up on shaking legs. Why does your son make you so nervous? But as he moved across the veranda to nab him, Joel got up and moved over to the bartender to order another drink. It wasn’t clear if he’d seen Reese. Maybe it was an accident. But it still felt like a smack.
Reese bowed his head. All he had to do was keep going. All he had to do was ask.
But that’s when Darcy appeared beside him. She looked effervescent and a little bit drunk. Reese had to guess she’d had a few drinks with Carlotta that afternoon. Carlotta was never one to turn down a good time.
“Thank you again for the connection you made between me and Carlotta,” Darcy was saying. “I think you might have changed my life? Fingers crossed.”
“Ha. Fingers crossed.” Reese’s hands were throbbing. He wondered if he needed a glass of water.
Darcy followed his gaze across the veranda to find Reese. Her own face turned the color of ash. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Reese could hardly hear her. He was flowing through the depths of his own desperation.
“Does Lauren know someone with a motorcycle? A guy on the Vineyard?”
Reese turned and stared at her with surprise. Darcy pressed her teeth into her lower lip.
“I’ve made a mess,” Darcy said after a pause. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Reese’s thoughts raced. “Did you see Lauren with a guy with a motorcycle?”
Darcy nodded tentatively.
Reese wove his fingers through his hair. You were right about her. You knew she wasn’t meant for Joel. You knew she wasn’t honest.
“When did you see them?”
“It was the same day we ran into you guys at the beach,” Darcy said. “I’ve been worried about it ever since. I hoped I was wrong. But I wasn’t. Was I?”
“I don’t think so.”
Darcy rubbed her forehead. Joel’s drink was finished, and he turned on his heel and immediately pegged Darcy and Reese, staring at him. His expression was sour, but he fixed it as he approached to say hello to Darcy.
“How is it going with Carlotta?” Joel asked.
Darcy looked sheepish. “I love her. She’s intense, but I think it’s good for me.”
“Fantastic.” Joel eyed Reese and said, “That just goes to show how much we know about anything, huh?”
Darcy tilted her head and shifted her eyes from Joel to Reese and back again. She was no idiot. She knows we hated her idea. She went pale.
Reese couldn’t believe Joel did that. It seemed clear he wanted to hurt Reese however he could.
“I’d better get back to my boyfriend,” Darcy stammered. “Good to see you, Joel.”
Darcy ducked away and fled through the party to find Steven. Reese’s heart blasted against his rib cage.
Before he could stop himself, he said, “Why did you have to say that?”
Joel raised his shoulders. “What are you talking about?”
Reese flailed his arm back toward Darcy.
“Come on. She already knew that app wasn’t something for us.”
Reese’s blood pressure spiked. He gaped at him. There was something twisted behind Joel’s eyes. Something that reminded Reese of that long-ago day ten years ago when everything had changed.
Something inside him broke.
“Do you know Lauren’s been running around with a guy with a motorcycle?” Reese rasped just loud enough for Joel to hear.
Joel’s jaw dropped with surprise. All the color drained from his cheeks. Just behind him, Hilary burst with laughter at something Aria said, and the song shifted to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” which blared from the speakers. Reese’s chest felt rattly and wrong.
“You didn’t know,” Reese said quietly. “Did you?”
Joel looked as though he couldn’t speak. He drank his cocktail as his eyes skated across the party. He seemed to be hunting for his wife.
Reese’s heart flipped over. He reached out to touch his son’s shoulder, but Joel jerked back. His eyes were wet, and he was blinking very fast.
Suddenly, Oriana appeared with a gin and tonic and a big smile. “How are you liking the party?” It was as though she’d sensed the metaphorical fire and wanted to come throw water on it.
Joel remained quiet. He couldn’t even drum up words to respond to his mother. “Excuse me,” he said, then sliced through the crowd to get to the house.
“What happened?” Oriana whispered.
“I’ll explain later,” Reese said.
Reese went after Joel, ducking through little groups of Colemans, ripping through jokes and monologues until he reached the shadowed living room. Joel had his forehead on the cool of the wall. It looked as though he was focused on his breathing.
“Joel?”
Joel raised a finger to tell him to wait. Reese hung back and crossed his arms over his chest. Every second seemed longer than a minute; a full minute felt like an eternity.
It was clear the cat was out of the bag. Reese had let it out. He felt shattered with guilt. But isn’t it better that Joel knows now?
“Can I get you a glass of water?” Reese asked.
Joel shook his head. He still refused to speak. Reese wondered if it was better to leave him alone and call him tomorrow. They could hash it out. Reese could help him with the divorce process. They could take turns watching the children. Reese had already been a stay-at-home dad. There was no reason he couldn’t be a part-time stay-at-home-grandfather. In fact, he thought he’d kind of like it.
But all at once, the side door opened, and a child was screaming. Alarm rocketed through Reese. It was Peter. He held his mother’s hand with a death grip and limped into the living room with blood pouring out of his nose and down his leg. The blood was cherry-red; it looked almost fake. Joel was on his feet in a flash.
“What happened, buddy?” He sounded tremendously kind and gentle. He sounded like Reese once had.
Peter struggled to tell the story, so Lauren filled in for him. “He was trying to play soccer with the bigger kids.”
“Oh no, buddy.” Joel bent down to take the scream-crying little boy in his arms and carry him to the bathroom. His shirt was dotted with blood.
Lauren hurried after him and kept her hand on Peter’s shoulder. Reese remained in the living room like a fool. His heart thudded. That woman is cheating on you! She doesn’t respect you! But of course the only thing that mattered right now was Peter’s health.
Marriage was complicated. Children complicated it to the nth degree.
Reese remained outside with Hugo and drank a glass of white wine mixed with sparkling water. He watched the back door, waiting for Joel, Lauren, or Peter to return. Tyler was still unencumbered, racing around the grass with his cousins. Benny was there, too. His shirt was torn.
“You seem really contemplative today,” Hugo said after a few failed attempts to make conversation. “You can tell me if there’s something wrong.”
Reese sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if we can ever rectify the mistakes from the past.”
Hugo understood him immediately. He’d made numerous mistakes himself. And he’d almost paid for them last year when Meghan threatened to leave. It had nearly shattered Oriana’s heart. She and Reese had celebrated their reunion joyously. Hugo and Meghan’s love was their own love, but it was also part of the foundation that made Oriana and Reese’s love so strong.
But Hugo had also been around ten years ago to know the depths of confusion Reese and Joel now waded in.
Suddenly, Joel, Lauren, and Peter were on the veranda. Peter was eating a red popsicle, and his eyes were red but no longer weeping. Lauren left the veranda to collect Tyler, who put up a fight and begged not to go. But it was time for the young family to take their children home.
Reese shot up and weaved through the party to reach Joel. He was telling Samantha how grateful they were to have been invited. “I hope we can make it next year.”
“I remember having young children. I know how it is,” Sam said.
Joel spotted Reese and frowned. Reese felt so awkward. He touched the back of his neck. Sam remained between them, presumably because he’d accidentally cornered her.
“You can leave Tyler here if you want,” Reese stuttered. “We can take him back with us to the rental house. Benny’s coming, too.”
“We need to go home as a family.” Joel said it sternly.
Reese pressed his lips together. Sam either pretended to or really saw someone she wanted to speak to and excused herself.
Joel’s voice was low. “There’s a lot you don’t understand, Dad. About anything.”
Reese was quiet for a second. “Then let me in. I care about you. I love you. I want us to be closer.”
Joel shook his head almost imperceptively. “It was a mistake to come back here.”
He turned on a heel and headed for Oriana in the corner, whom he kissed on the cheek. He exited the veranda, gathered his family, and headed out. From the veranda, where he felt sick to his stomach, Reese could hear the sound of his engine and the creak of his tires.
Suddenly, Darcy stood in front of him. She looked stricken. “I’m so sorry! Did I cause that?”
Reese’s heart melted. There’s so much she doesn’t understand. But that was what Joel had told him, too.
“His kids are tired. Peter got hurt,” Reese said.
Darcy furrowed her brow. “But what about the motorcycle guy?”
Reese shrugged. Darcy continued to peer at him intensely, as though if she stared long enough she would dig the truth out of him. But Reese had never understood enough of the truth to be totally honest with himself or anyone else about anything that had happened or anything that happened now.
So he said, “I’m going to get a slice of angel food cake. You want one?”
The strawberries and cream were distracting on such a glorious summer’s day.
Tomorrow, he’d deal with his heartache. Tomorrow, he’d apologize again.