Home for the Summer

by Holly Chamberlin

  “Of course you don’t.” Phil smiled. “Just step back a bit, Ruby. Give Frieda some space. She’s a big girl. She’ll figure it all out. As you’ll figure out your own romantic life.”

  “Promise?” Ruby asked, remembering the look of relief that had come over her young patient’s face when she had promised him a bright future she had no right to promise.

  Phil sighed. “Though I have absolutely no authority over you or the future, and therefore my promise means nothing, I promise. And Ruby?”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t keep George waiting for much longer.”

  Ruby managed a smile. “I won’t,” she said. “By the way, how much did that milk glass vase cost?”

  Chapter 47

  The idea of cleaning every facet of every individual piece of crystal on the massive chandelier Phil had recently brought to the shop ordinarily would have sent Bella into deep shock. But this morning she had readily accepted the assignment and in wiping each pear-, marquise- and kite-shaped crystal drop with a clean, damp cloth Bella was finding a strange sense of peace. She realized the sense of peace probably wouldn’t last much longer, but she was grateful for what she could get.

  “How’s Jack doing?” Phil asked.

  And there goes the peace, Bella thought, noting Phil’s suspiciously casual tone. “I don’t know,” she said. It wasn’t a lie. She didn’t know.

  “I thought he and your mother were friends.”

  “No,” she said, staring hard at a crystal drop. “They’re not friends.”

  “Oh,” Phil replied. “That’s too bad. I thought they were getting along pretty well. Such nice people, your mother and Jack Tennant. Both have been through so much.”

  Phil walked toward the office at the back of the shop and Bella stood there, damp cloth in hand, feeling more than slightly guilty, which was probably what Phil had intended. The fact was that her mother had looked kind of sad in the past few days, something anyone who knew her well would have noticed. Bella suspected she knew why; she suspected that her mother had ended things with Jack.

  Bella had thought it would make her happy, but it hadn’t. And Phil must know what had happened; why else would he have mentioned Jack? And if Phil knew then her grandmother knew, too. Everyone must think I’m a total creep, Bella thought. If it had been the other way around, if she had been the one to die and Ariel the one to live, would Ariel have stopped their mother from doing something that made her happy? No, Bella thought. Ariel was just a better person than I am, plain and simple.

  “How is that chandelier coming along?” Phil called from the back of the shop.

  Bella startled at the sound of his voice. “Okay,” she called. “It’s coming along okay.” And she got back to wiping dust off crystal drops.

  * * *

  At four forty-five Clara showed up at Wainscoting and Windowseats. But this was the first time she actually came inside rather than waiting for Bella on the sidewalk.

  “Phil,” Bella said, leading Clara forward, “this is my friend Clara. Clara, this is Phil.”

  Phil inclined his head politely. “Hello, Clara. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Clara murmured what might have been something like “hi” and Bella wondered why she had bothered to come into the shop if she was going to be all shy about saying hello.

  “Is it okay if I go now, Phil?” she asked. “I know it’s only ten minutes to five, but there haven’t been any customers in almost an hour.”

  “Which doesn’t mean there won’t be any in the next ten minutes,” Phil pointed out, “but sure, go ahead. You did an excellent job cleaning that crystal chandelier. Frankly, I was dreading the task.”

  Bella grinned. “Thanks, Phil. See you tomorrow.”

  The girls left the shop and Bella unlocked her bike from the old-fashioned hitching post.

  “He seems a lot nicer than my boss,” Clara said as they began to walk away from Wainscoting and Windowseats, Bella pushing her bike along.

  “Phil’s a lot nicer than most people,” Bella told her. “Sometimes I don’t know how he does it. You should see some of the customers we get. If they’re not whining about not being able to find exactly the fabric they want they’re demanding he meet with their interior designer and ‘set him straight,’ whatever that means. And yet Phil never loses his temper.”

  “Let’s go back to my house,” Clara suggested suddenly.

  Bella, wondering if Clara had heard anything she had just said, hesitated. She wasn’t in the mood to smoke pot and she assumed that was what Clara would want to do. Smoking pot was, well, it was actually kind of boring. It wasn’t like actually doing something, like playing soccer or reading a book.

  “It’s such a nice afternoon,” she said. “Why don’t we walk over to that little park in the center of town instead? There’s a guy who sells Italian ices from one of those old-fashioned pushcarts. Phil said the coconut is awesome.”

  Clara stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “I’m not in the mood for Italian ice. Look, my car is in the lot behind that gift shop, Buttons and Bows. We can stick your bike in the trunk.”

  Bella considered. There was no reason she couldn’t say no if Clara offered her a hit of a joint. No reason whatsoever. But she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to say no to Clara. There was something about Clara that made it hard for Bella to resist her suggestions. She wished she knew what it was.

  “All right,” she said reluctantly. “We’ll go back to your place.”

  Clara beamed. “Great. You’re the best, Bella.”

  No, Bella thought, following Clara to her car. I’m not the best. I think I’m responsible for my mother doing something that’s making her miserable. And I think the people I love the best know about it.

  Chapter 48

  “I’ve got some big news, Ruby, so hold on to your hat.”

  Ruby and George were in her kitchen; while Ruby prepared a bunch of green beans for cooking, George leaned against the sink, watching the process.

  “If I was wearing a hat I’d be gripping it,” Ruby said. “What’s going on?” Had he gotten that raise he was hoping for and deserved? Scored tickets to a concert by his favorite chamber music quartet? George loved chamber music.

  “You know that guy in Accounting, the one I play golf with occasionally?”

  Ruby smiled. “Of course. Ted, the guy who’s been wearing the same old tweed jacket for the past ten years.”

  “That’s the one. Well, seems a friend offered Ted his family’s cottage on Monhegan Island for next Thursday and Friday nights. Ted already has plans, so he offered the cottage to us. After checking with the owner, of course. Isn’t that fantastic? We can head out early Thursday morning, catch the ten thirty boat from Port Clyde or even the seven o’clock boat if we get up before dawn, and be on the island before noon. Or earlier if we take the first boat, but maybe that’s being unrealistic. It will take about two and a half hours to get to Port Clyde from here. Anyway, we don’t have to head back to the mainland until Saturday afternoon. There’s a boat at twelve thirty and one at four thirty. Round-trip tickets are only thirty-five dollars and I can book them ahead online. I’m sure you can get someone to cover your shifts, Ruby. You’ve come to people’s rescue often enough. Well, what do you think?”

  All the while George had been talking, his excitement patently obvious, Ruby’s stomach had been sinking. If only George hadn’t proposed, she thought, they could go away for a quiet romantic holiday without her fearing she would be pressed to give him an answer.

  “Ruby?” George asked. “You in there?”

  “It was very generous of Ted to offer us the cottage,” she said carefully. “But I’m not sure it’s a good thing that I leave Frieda and Bella just now.” The moment the words were out of her mouth Ruby knew how absolutely lame they sounded.

  “It’s only for two nights, Ruby,” George said reasonably. “We could leave the island early Saturday if you wanted.”

  Ruby put d
own the small knife she had been using to top and tail the beans. “Still,” she said, “Frieda seems troubled and Bella . . .”

  George sighed. He went over to the table and took a seat. “Ruby,” he said, “have you given any further thought to our future? It didn’t escape me that when I was talking about a vacation in Quebec next year you were pretty much checked out.”

  Ruby lowered her eyes to the cutting board. “How can I think about making a decision to marry or even to travel,” she said, “when I’ve got to focus on my family?”

  George was silent for a moment before going on. “Speaking of family,” he said, “have you told Frieda I asked you to marry me?”

  “No.” Ruby shook her head. “She has so much on her mind.”

  “Come and sit down, Ruby,” George said quietly. “Sit close to me.”

  Ruby hesitated for a moment and then went over to the table and sat in the chair next to George’s. He reached for her hand.

  “I feel like you’ve put our relationship on the back burner this summer,” he said. “I’m not saying I need all of your attention, but I don’t like feeling as if I’m being ignored.”

  “I’m not ignoring you!” Ruby said, aware she was speaking a bit too loudly. The lady doth protest too much, methinks. “You come over for dinner with us. We have lunch together at the hospital when we can. I know spending the night together has become a bit tricky this summer, but we talked about that before Frieda and Bella came to stay with me.”

  George squeezed her hand. “I’m not complaining about a lack of sex, Ruby. What kind of guy do you think I am? Although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to our spending two nights alone on Monhegan. And sharing meals is all well and good, but when was the last time we really talked, just you and me, and not about what’s going on with Frieda or Bella? When was the last time we watched a movie together or read aloud from our favorite funny bits of Dickens? When was the last time we went for an early-morning walk on the beach?”

  Ruby couldn’t answer those questions. It had been too long; that much she knew.

  “It’s just that I feel frustrated by the distance that seems to have opened up between us,” George went on, his voice soft but urgent. “It’s not a huge distance, but people can drift apart so terribly easily. If you want to know the truth, Ruby, I’m a bit scared right now. I’m scared of losing you and not really understanding why or how it happened.”

  Ruby returned the warm pressure of George’s hand. “I’m sorry, George,” she said. “I really am. Please, just give me more time.”

  “I’ll never be the one to walk away from us, Ruby, so I guess I have no choice. Take all the time you need, but please don’t ignore the question.” George released her hand and got up from his chair. “Are you absolutely sure about getting away together? Because I’ll need to tell Ted one way or the other.”

  Ruby swallowed. “I’m sure,” she said. “Please give him my gratitude.”

  “I’ve got to get back to the hospital. Good-bye, Ruby.”

  And then he was gone from the kitchen, leaving Ruby alone and feeling as much like a craven coward as she had ever felt.

  “Hi.”

  Ruby startled. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she said to her daughter.

  “I just saw George on his way out. Are things okay between you guys, Mom? He seemed, I don’t know, tense or something.”

  “It’s nothing,” she said. “We had a spat. It was my fault. Sometimes I can be a pill.”

  “Hmm. Well,” Frieda said, going to the fridge, “I can’t force you to tell me what’s up. But if you do want to talk, I’m here.”

  I’m keeping a secret, Ruby thought, watching her daughter pour a glass of iced tea. Frieda is keeping a secret. For all I know Bella is keeping a secret, too. Ruby got up and went back to the cutting board. The problem with keeping secrets as well as with avoiding important issues, she thought as she picked up the knife, was that it was very hard work. And it made you feel lousy.

  Chapter 49

  Ruby opened the front door the following day to find Phil holding out a white cardboard box.

  “I saw these strawberry muffins at the bakery,” he said, “and I thought of you. I know how you love muffins.”

  Ruby smiled and beckoned him inside. “The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach. Thank you, Phil. Can I send one home with you?”

  “I bought a few for myself, too. No, these are for my three favorite gals.”

  “Thank you, again. Have a cup of coffee?” Ruby offered.

  “Sure. I don’t think I’ve said no to a cup of coffee more than two or three times in my life.”

  Ruby led them to the kitchen, where she put the box of muffins on the counter and switched on the coffee maker, already primed to brew a fresh pot. Phil took a seat at the table, and as he did Ruby noted a look of concern on his face.

  “What’s up?” she asked. “Thinking deep thoughts?”

  “Deep, no,” Phil said. “Serious, maybe.”

  “Spill,” Ruby commanded.

  “Well,” Phil began, “I’ve been thinking about Bella and that girl she’s been spending so much time with, the one who works at The Flipper.”

  Ruby frowned. “And?”

  “Well,” Phil went on, “some of Bella’s natural enthusiasm has returned, which is a good thing, and it might be because she feels that in Clara she has someone she can talk to, but . . .” Phil shrugged. “I have a strange feeling about the girl, but it’s based on nothing more than meeting her for about a minute when she came by the store the other day. Bella introduced us and Clara was virtually tongue-tied. It can’t be me. I’m not intimidating.”

  “Have you heard anything around town?” Ruby asked, bringing two hot coffees to the table and remembering that only the day before she had been wondering what secrets Bella might be keeping from her family. “Any rumors about Clara coming out of The Flipper?”

  “Not a word. That doesn’t mean nothing’s being said, just that I’m not aware of it. The people who frequent the nightclubs around here aren’t really my crowd. They’re all no older than thirty.”

  Ruby sat next to her friend. “Maybe I should ask George if he’s heard anything. Or one of the members of my reading group might be of help. Cassie’s always got her ear to the ground.”

  “I wouldn’t launch a formal investigation, Ruby,” Phil said, “not based on my random hunch.”

  “Phil, your so-called random hunches are always right on the money.”

  Phil smiled. “I do what I can. Seriously though, Ruby, don’t worry. We’re all keeping an eye on Bella. Nothing bad will happen.”

  “From your mouth to God’s ears. You know, I’ve told Bella she can bring Clara around anytime, but she said Clara is shy—which might be why she was tongue-tied meeting you. I don’t know how she handles being a waitress at one of the most popular joints in town if she’s shy. But why would Bella lie?”

  “She’d lie if there was something about Clara she didn’t want you to find out,” Phil said. “Or Bella might just want to keep Clara all to herself. Maybe she’s got a girl crush, though personally I can’t see Clara’s appeal. She has no real affect. Is that a terrible thing to say?”

  “Not if it’s true.” Ruby shook her head. “Bella was never drawn to retiring or self-effacing people before. The friends of hers I’ve met over the years have all been the life of the party, especially that girl Kerri. Total sunshine. But things are different now, aren’t they? Bella is different. None of us are who we were before the accident. I’m still reminding myself that this family is a new family and we’re living in a new world now, one where we don’t yet know all the rules. I’m not even sure we know the language in which the rules are written!”

  “I will say that Bella looks much better than she did when she first arrived.”

  “I think so, too,” Ruby agreed. “At least her appetite seems to have returned. She finishes her dinner and I’m sure she’ll devour one of
those strawberry muffins the moment she gets home.”

  Phil raised an eyebrow. “That Clara whatever her name is could use some fattening up.”

  “Phil, be nice,” Ruby scolded. “Maybe she’s just naturally thin.”

  “Maybe,” Phil admitted. “But she looks unhealthy to me, you know that sort of attenuated look people who are on extreme diets get. They don’t look fit; they look—strained. The veins on her arms stick out. The skin around her eyes looks papery and thin, at least, in my opinion.”

  “Hmm. She could be ill. I wonder if she’s seeing a doctor.”

  “I have no idea and even if she isn’t under a doctor’s care and should be there’s nothing either of us can do about it. Not only is she eighteen—according to Bella—but we barely know her.”

  “Still, I wonder if I should ask Bella if her friend is okay.”

  Phil raised an eloquent eyebrow. “Why do I think you wouldn’t get a straight or a true answer to that question?”

  “You’re probably right,” Ruby admitted. “Well, I’ll try to keep a closer eye on Bella from now on.”

  “So,” Phil asked, “have you given George an answer to his question?”

  Ruby’s conscience squirmed. She couldn’t admit to Phil that she had turned down a romantic vacation with George. He would call her on the lame excuse she had given and she didn’t think she could bear the shame. “Not yet,” she said. “But I will. Soon.”

  “Swear it, Ruby,” Phil said, reaching for her hand.

  “I swear,” she said, giving it to him. “Really.”

  Chapter 50

  The girls were in Clara’s small bedroom at the back of the cottage on Valley Road. Clara was half lying on the bed, her shoulders against the wall. She hadn’t suggested they smoke pot and for that Bella was grateful. The smoke hurt her throat too much and the last time—the day Clara had come into the shop and met Phil—she had felt a little bit nauseous after two hits. Not much was worth the risk of throwing up. Correction. Nothing was worth the risk of throwing up.