Harper sat up on the bed to face Mamaw. This was too important for idle chatter. “You’re not leaving Sea Breeze,” she said firmly. “This is your home.”
“I appreciate you saying that, but I really should give you and Taylor your space. You don’t want an old woman hanging around.”
“Don’t be silly. Of course we do. Mamaw, you are Sea Breeze. Don’t you know that?”
Mamaw’s eyes moistened and her lips trembled with emotion. She looked at her hands in her lap. The large mine-cut diamond that had been her engagement ring shone against her pale skin. “I’ve made plans. . . .”
“Change them. Aren’t you the one that’s always telling us to welcome change? You only planned to move because you couldn’t maintain Sea Breeze any longer. You don’t have to. I’m here. And after we’re married, Taylor will live here. Sea Breeze is in good hands. You have nothing to worry about any longer. Stay here, Mamaw. With us. Where you belong.”
Her eyes were as bright as a bird’s. “If I did, I can’t stay in this room. It’s the master bedroom. Where you and your husband should sleep.”
“It will always be your room.”
Mamaw shook her head firmly. “No. Not any longer. I would feel uncomfortable in here, especially after you’re married. And”—a gleam of amusement brightened her blue eyes—“I’ve always thought your room would make the best nursery.”
Harper smiled at the thought. A nursery . . . “But, Mamaw—”
“No argument about this. I’m quite firm. But . . .”
Harper leaned forward.
“Since you want me to stay, I confess, I would be very happy to. To stay at Sea Breeze would be such a comfort.” A glint of coquettishness sparked in Mamaw’s eyes. “And it would keep me close to Girard.”
“Mamaw . . .”
“Perhaps I can suggest a compromise. I could move into the cottage.”
Harper hadn’t considered this possibility. In her mind, Mamaw was always ensconced in the main house. Her house. The cottage had belonged to Lucille, and Harper had assumed she would keep using it for visitors. Yet, she thought, that arrangement had a certain serendipity.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel you have to move out of the house.”
“Quite sure. I’ve always doted on that cottage. Living there, I will have some degree of privacy. As will you.”
“We will be nearby. And you’ll join us for dinners.”
“Some dinners,” Mamaw replied sagely. She smiled, and her expression was contemplative.
“Then it’s settled.”
“If you insist.” Mamaw smiled. “Now”—she clapped her hands together—“I have something I want to give you.” She looked down at her hands. “I know that you love this ring.” She indicated the diamond on her hand. “It’s been in the family for generations. It’s believed to be the ring that the Gentleman Pirate, your ancestor, gave to Claire. It’s as pure a diamond as you’ll ever find. Flawless.” She smiled warmly at Harper. “Like you.”
Mamaw slipped the ring from her finger. “Back when I’d asked all you girls to choose something you loved from Sea Breeze, I recall that this was all you wanted. As you don’t have an engagement ring . . . here.” She placed the ring in Harper’s palm. “I want you to have it.”
Harper gasped. “I couldn’t. I have Sea Breeze.”
“You saved Sea Breeze for all of us.”
“It wouldn’t be fair to the others.”
“For once, Harper, think of yourself.” Mamaw slipped the ring onto Harper’s bare finger. The faceted diamond sparkled in the morning light.
“Do you like it?”
Harper gazed at her hand. “Oh, yes.”
“Then it’s yours, dear girl. With my love.”
“Thank you.” Harper almost squealed, flopping back against the pillows and staring at the ring on her hand with glee.
Mamaw sat back against the pillows and said with satisfaction, “No thanks necessary. Imogene and I had already discussed this.”
Harper made a face and turned her head on the pillow to look at Mamaw. “Granny James will be cheesed off that you’re moving into the cottage. She loves that cottage. She’ll fight you for it.”
Mamaw’s laugh was a pure thing, as full of light and mystery as the prisms of color dancing on the walls from the diamond. “I’m counting on it!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Carson’s bags were by the front door. Beside them sat a few more boxes of Dora’s belongings, ready to be carted off to her new house. It was a time of leave-takings. But tonight the women of Sea Breeze were having a farewell dinner. No boys allowed.
Mamaw strolled through the house, flicking on lights, watching the golden light spill out onto the polished floors and cast shadows on the walls. In her mind she heard the voices of the past. So many years spent in this dear house. So many memories. She meandered through the rooms, letting her fingers glide over furniture, her gaze catching a favorite painting, lampshade, figurine, as she made her way to the back porch.
She expected to find the girls sitting on the black wicker chairs, sipping drinks and chatting like magpies. They never seemed to have a shortage of things to talk about, she thought with a chuckle. Stepping out on the porch, she paused, hand on the door. Candles were glowing on the table but no one was there. Now where did they get off to?
The sound of high-pitched laughter caught her attention. Looking past the porch down to the dock, she spied the shadowy figures of three women clustered there. Laughing and talking, free as you please. Smiling, Mamaw moved to stand at the edge of the porch to watch them.
Her summer girls, she thought, her chest expanding.
Little did they know that she’d been watching them carefully all summer, as she had every summer since they were young girls. This summer especially. She watched as the women ventured out to the lower deck and slid their coltish legs into the water. Mamaw didn’t know what they talked about. She didn’t need to. It was enough for her to know that they shared their problems and struggles, their hopes and dreams, with each other, together under the southern stars.
Ah, girls, she thought, bringing her hand to her face. Could they ever possibly know how the sound of their laughter brought her such joy?
She used to think of her summer girls on the beach, holding hands together as they ran into the surf. Now when she thought of them together, she’d always think of them sitting on the dock, shoulder to shoulder, staring out at the Cove. As they were tonight.
Mamaw felt her heart expand to take in the panorama of another glorious sunset. Were there sunsets better anywhere else in the world? she wondered. She didn’t think so. A sunset in the lowcountry was moody and sultry. The reds tinged the sky like blood after the day’s battle. The golds were transcendent, settling over the horizon like hems of the angels. Some said the colors were surreal because of the gas from the detritus in the marshes. Mamaw didn’t believe that. Each time she saw one, she felt it was a gift from God to his favorite children. Those he blessed to live in this paradise. The sight had the power to fill her entire soul with shimmering light and fill her with hope.
As the sky deepened, the creek wound its way through the shadowy cordgrass like a translucent snake, sleek and seductive, and full of mystery. She sniffed the air, stirred by the pungent scent of salt, fish, and that mineral-tinged, soul-sucking pluff mud.
Lifting her face to the sunset, Mamaw said a prayer of thanks as the earth hushed around her at this twilight benediction.
“Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to live another day.” Then she smiled with introspection. “Another summer.”
For indeed, this summer had ended. But there was no sadness here. It was the beginning of a new era. Mamaw clasped her hands together before her. There would be joy in this house again. Weddings and baptisms. Birthdays and anniversaries. And, she knew, too, funerals. She took comfort in knowing that her memory would live long and as teeming with life as these winding creeks in the minds and hearts of
Dora, Carson, and Harper. Her family, she knew, was the greatest treasure she could leave behind.
But today was for the living!
Loud laughter and squeals brought her attention back to the dock. She squinted in the dimming light. The three women were scuttling down to the lower dock, laughing. Eudora, Carson, and Harper. For all his capricious ideas, Parker had been wise to name his daughters after great literary figures. It gave them each something to live up to. And in her book, her granddaughters were her heroines. She’d never known women with more heart. Or who understood more fully where their home was.
She watched as they stood together at the edge of the dock, holding hands, a lowcountry sunset before them. Mamaw’s breath held, knowing she’d keep this image in her heart forever. Then, with a joyous shout, the girls leaped together into the Cove.
Mama’s laughter joined theirs to be carried off on a breeze and join the universe.
“We did it, Lucille. Our summer’s work is done.”
Suddenly she felt young again, free of her burdens. Like the young girl she once was who had run down this same slope to leap into the Cove. Kicking off her shoes, she hiked up her skirt and hurried down the slope to join her granddaughters.
“Wait for me, my dears! I’m coming!”
Acknowledgments
At the close of the Lowcountry Summer trilogy, I thank again Dr. Pat Fair at NOAA for her continued mentorship on all things related to the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Thanks, too, for reading the manuscript for accuracy, for brainstorming possibilities, and especially for the incredible experience of monitoring the health of the Charleston resident dolphins. That final scene with Delphine was inspired by that glorious release into the Charleston estuarine waters.
Heartfelt thanks to my wonderful home team: Angela May, Kathie Bennett, Buzzy Porter, and Lisa Minnick for your unflagging support. And to my sisters: Marguerite Martino for talking through characters, James Cryns and Marjory Wentworth for guiding the poem, and Ruth Cryns for being the Thelma to my Louise. Love and thanks to the Gems for their inspiration: Leah Greenberg, Linda Plunkett, Emily Abedon, and Susan Romaine.
A special thanks to everyone at the South Carolina Aquarium. Your staunch support is always deeply appreciated. And especially for the glorious launch party for this book. I can’t thank you enough.
Thanks as well as to all my friends and to the beloved dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center, Florida—especially Tursi, Jax, and Rainbow, my inspirations. I’m proud to be associated with you.
I’m fortunate to have the brilliant support of the fabulous team at Gallery Books: Lauren McKenna, Louise Burke, Jennifer Bergstrom, Jen Long, Liz Psaltis, Jean Anne Rose, Elana Cohen, Diana Velazquez, and everyone who supported this trilogy. A special thanks to my agents at Trident Media Group: the incomparable Kimberly Whalen and Robert Gottlieb, Sylvie Rosokoff, Adrienne Lombardo, Laura Paverman, and Tara Carberry. And to Joseph Veltre at Gersh.
A special nod of thanks to Judy Fairchild at Dewees Island, Shane and Morgan Ziegler at Barrier Island Eco Tours, and Amy Sottile at Wild Dunes.
As always, I close with thanks to Markus. Keep the light on.
GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE
The Summer’s End
Mary Alice Monroe
Introduction
In The Summer’s End, the third installment in Mary Alice Monroe’s Lowcountry Summer trilogy, a remarkable summer is coming to an end and the women of Sea Breeze struggle with impending decisions. Harper blossoms over the summer in the natural rhythms of the island, quietly exploring secret ambitions. When an unlikely stranger knocks on her door, she opens to the possibility of love and searches deep to find the strength to decide her own life’s course. Dora struggles to find the balance between her newfound independence, her son’s needs, and the attentions of one very dedicated suitor; and Carson is faced with a tragedy that threatens to upend everything she’s worked hard to achieve. The summer girls are adrift but Mamaw, usually their guiding force, mourns the loss of her dear, longtime friend Lucille.
Looming over them is the impending sale of the beloved Muir family home. The “Summer Girls” are poised for leaving. As the season changes, the sisters draw on the wisdom of their grandmothers, their abiding love for one another—and some much-needed inspiration from a beguiling dolphin—to weather the shifting tides. Together they embrace how lives can change over one magical summer.
Discussion Questions
1. The book opens with the ladies of Sea Breeze mourning the loss of Lucille, whose presence is felt throughout the book despite her literal absence. How does the loss of Lucille lead the ladies to the next step in their lives?
2. Harper’s core issue is her relationship with her mother, Georgiana James. Her mother is controlling over Harper’s career and her personal life. Harper questions the existence of a mother’s “unconditional love.” What are your thoughts about Georgiana’s mothering? Is there any justification for her behavior? Do you believe in unconditional love?
3. While in the attic, Harper finds the trunk Mamaw gave to her and her sisters to store their treasures at the end of their childhood summers. Do you think the girls have changed much over the years? If you were to go through a box of treasures from your past, what might you find?
4. “What a wonderful book!” is how Mamaw responded when young Harper presented her with a story she’d written and illustrated herself. Why do you think that positive reinforcement was not enough for Harper to overcome Georgiana’s criticism of her daughter’s writing?
5. Harper claims that Carson is jealous of her family wealth. Do you think that is all there is to it? Does Harper do anything to invite Carson’s jealousy? There is often wealth disparity in families. Discuss possible ways for families to adjust.
6. Harper and Taylor decide to get engaged after only a few weeks together. Are you surprised at the speed of this decision? Do you know of anyone who married quickly? What do you think it is about Harper and Taylor that instantly drew them together? Do you believe in love at first sight?
7. Carson agrees to take the film job in California at Blake’s urging, and promises to return. Theirs has been a turbulent relationship. Do you agree with that decision? Do you think Carson is equipped for this new phase of her life? Are you optimistic about her future well-being or their relationship?
8. Compare and contrast Mamaw, from the South, and Granny James, from England, and their reactions to Harper’s engagement. Do you agree with their responses? Why or why not? Finally, at the book’s end was there a “winner” to the tally of arguments, as Carson quipped?
9. Mamaw tells Carson, “The secret to happiness is to embrace the humility to accept what comes and the courage to continue on your life’s path with an open heart.” Compare this with what Carson told Blake, “. . . when Delphine looked at me, I didn’t see forgiveness. For her, the past was already forgotten. Delphine lives in the moment. All I saw in her eyes was love. Acceptance. And joy. She was so happy to be back home. She showed me what release meant.”
10. Discuss who changes the most from the beginning to the end of the trilogy—The Summer Girls, The Summer Wind, and The Summer’s End. Who has made the toughest decisions? Which character did you relate to the most and why? Where do you see these characters in a few years?
11. Throughout the trilogy the reader has journeyed with the dolphin Delphine, through connection, injury and healing, and finally release. Discuss how the story of the dolphin parallels the three novels in the trilogy.
12. While cleaning Lucille’s cottage, medicine bottles were collected in a box to take to the pharmacy for disposal. Blake had told Carson how damaging it was to the local water quality for people to toss their unused medicines into the toilet. The medicine is not completely filtered out in the water filtration plant. This pollution is one of the reasons dolphins are getting sick in the wild. Discuss where you can safely take unused medicine in your community.
13. Discuss how dolphins are a sentinel speci
es. As mammals, they are our siblings in the sea. What does it mean to the human population if dolphins are getting sick?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Have a Lowcountry-themed book club meeting. Serve sweet tea or rum and/or bourbon drinks, and good lowcountry food: shrimp and grits, ham and biscuits, barbecue! Volunteers can present biographies of the three revered Southern authors the sisters were named after: Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, and Harper Lee. Wear hats!
2. Visit the website www.autismspeaks.org to learn more about the autism spectrum and different fundraising or awareness-raising events your book club can participate in.
3. Taylor takes Harper to Charleston for a poetry reading. Consider local spoken word/poetry readings as a book club outing.
4. Taylor is a participant in the Wounded Warrior program—a program for which the real-life Joan Mehew won the Carry Forward award in 2013. To learn more about the vision and purpose of the Wounded Warrior project, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
5. To discover more about Mary Alice Monroe and her books, read her blog, view a list of her upcoming author appearances, and more, visit www.maryalicemonroe.com.
AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY BARBARA J. BERGWERF
MARY ALICE MONROE is the New York Times bestselling author of many highly acclaimed novels. She is also an active conservationist who lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
Visit her at www.maryalicemonroe.com.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/Mary-Alice-Monroe
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
Facebook.com/GalleryBooks
@GalleryBooks
Also by Mary Alice Monroe
LOWCOUNTRY SUMMER TRILOGY
The Summer's End Page 34