Chapter 10 #2
Under her breath, Laura said, “You have to expand your stomach if you’re going to live here. Grandma feeds everyone till they’re stuffed. And the problem is, it’s all so delicious, you really can’t say no. It’s impossible.”
Stevie laughed, thinking of her typical meals of frozen dinners, sandwiches, pieces of toast, and cans of beans.
As Greta ushered them to the dining room, she called out through the house, alerting anyone home that it was time to eat.
Ella sidled up beside Stevie, grinning. Stevie could still see the twenty-year-old that Ella had once been, the bouncy and excited and musically arrogant young woman.
Life had had its way with both of them, Stevie knew.
But Ella had found her family again. Ella had landed on her feet.
* * *
Hours later, after what felt like the most nourishing and flavorful French dinner of Stevie’s life, and countless conversations and bouts of laughter, Stevie, Ella, and Will set up on stage at a little venue in Nantucket’s Historical Society.
It felt impossible that the already stuffed night wasn’t finished just yet.
Just as Alana had suggested, not many were at the venue tonight.
It was mostly Nantucket locals eager to get warm over a couple of beers as yet another snowstorm raged outside.
But as Stevie finished adjusting the microphone, more and more people wandered into the bar, filling in the gaps and beaming up at them.
It didn’t take long for Stevie to realize that they were Copperfields, each and every one of them.
She glanced back at Ella and raised her eyebrows.
“You really have a crew, Ella.” She laughed.
Ella shrugged. “We couldn’t get rid of them if we tried.”
Although they’d warmed up only minimally, Stevie found it easy to slip into Ella and Will’s music.
Soon, she and Ella were harmonizing, their voices lifting into the rafters while Will lost it on the drums, moving seamlessly over bass, snare, and hi-hat.
It was Stevie’s fourth performance in a week, which was the kind of record she hadn’t enjoyed since she was twenty years old.
It reminded her what it meant to be alive and take chances.
As she finished their final song with a rattling cry, every person in the audience got to their feet to applaud.
Ella and Will came to the front of the stage to take Stevie’s hand and deliver a funny group bow.
Stevie spotted Laura, not far from the stage, filming the entire thing.
Laura beamed over her screen, gazing at her mother.
Stevie felt a rush of resentment, one that she immediately swallowed down.
Just because Ella had a nice relationship with her daughter and Stevie’s daughter refused to talk to her didn’t mean that Stevie needed to carry ill will toward any of them.
Jealousy was a powerful thing.
After their performance, Ella suggested they stick around for a while to watch a few of the other musicians.
Stevie agreed, too exhilarated from their show to go back to her room at the Copperfield House residency.
Plus, she hadn’t had the chance to properly catch up with Ella yet.
She sensed they had a thousand things to say to one another.
One after another, the other Copperfields abandoned the venue, passing by Stevie and Ella to wish them well and congratulate them.
Bernard, Ella’s father, was fast-becoming Stevie’s favorite.
He grinned happily, his cheeks bright red behind his large beard.
“That was the very best gig I’ve ever attended,” he said.
“And I’ve seen Bob Dylan fifteen times!”
Stevie laughed. “You can’t compare us to one of the best musicians of all time.”
“I can, and I did!” Bernard saluted them. “I look forward to many more performances, Miss Stevie. Good night.”
Stevie laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. She wondered what it had been like for Ella to grow up in a family like this: a family that put art and music and writing above everything else. Had it been nourishing? Had it forced Ella to put music first at every turn?
“What are you thinking about?” Ella asked, tilting her head back. Her face was shiny from sweating on stage.
“I’m thinking about how much I like your family,” Stevie said, blushing.
“It’s really wonderful. Your parents are so supportive, smart, and fun.
And your daughter…” She let her gaze flutter to the ground.
“She seems to really love you. She seems to want to spend time with you. I mean, she filmed our entire set.”
Ella furrowed her brow and seemed to take a second to make sure they were alone. “Laura doesn’t really want to be here. I mean, it’s complicated, and we’re working through it. But what you saw tonight isn’t the full story.”
Stevie was caught off guard. She hadn’t expected such darkness, such sorrow, not after the night they’d just had with the Copperfields.
Ella’s smile had fallen completely. She busied herself with one of the venue’s napkins, tearing it at the edges. “Laura came home for Thanksgiving and was clearly very upset. We couldn’t figure out what was going on. Finally, she broke down and told me she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s baby.
“What’s more, she dropped out of grad school, presumably because she couldn’t carry all of it at once. Needless to say, I freaked out. She came home with us, but I’m not sure that’s what she wants. A young woman like Laura needs to feel like her life is her own.”
Stevie groaned and put her face in her hands. She was inundated with memories.
“I know,” Ella murmured. “I was hesitant to tell you. I know how similar it is to your story.”
“It’s just wild that stories repeat themselves over and over,” Stevie said. “Poor Laura. Where’s the guy?”
“He’s in Brussels,” Ella explained. “He took a job over there and left before he knew about the baby. Laura refuses to tell him about it. She doesn’t want him to abandon his life and resent her and the baby.”
“I can understand that, too,” Stevie said, her throat filling. It really did sound so similar to her own story, a story that had defined her life. “Do you think I should talk to her?”
Ella grimaced. “What would you tell her?”
Stevie laughed. “Honestly? I don’t know if I could tell her anything good.”
“Oh, Stevie.” Ella squeezed her hand. “What’s going on?”
Because Stevie found herself at this moment of tenderness, she couldn’t imagine lying to Ella or backing away. Her vision clouded over. And she found herself in the landscape of just a few months ago, damaging the last connection she had to the one she loved best.