Page 42 of The Summer Club

“What is it?” she asks.

“Mother, you must realize the irony of what you’re saying.”

She does not.

“The way Dad’s family treated you. Do you not realize it’s exactly how you’ve treated Cora all these years?”

“Ridiculous!” A plume of frustration rises within her. Clearly, Charley has not heard a word of what she’s been saying. The sacrifices she’s made; the rationale for her gifting the house to Sydney. “You were on a carefully crafted path to an Ivy education. To practicing medicine! To steering clear of all the Darling family expectations and forging your own way. And you gave all of it up because of her situation!”

Charley shakes his head. “Mother, that choice was mine. And though I’m sorry it disappointed you, it was the best choice I’ve made. I enjoyed working for the family foundation and later I loved my career in teaching. But most of all, I love the family Cora and I have made.” This last part he emphasizes with a firmness of tone she is not used to.

Tish sets her teacup down. She is not prepared for this rebuttal from her only child. His accusations are simply not true. “Charley, please. Unlike what your grandparents did to me, I have never objected to Cora’s background. What I objected to is that Cora took advantage of you. She saw a young man of means. Poised for a bright future. While she was on a path of ruin.”

Charley pushes his plate away, his eyes filling with what Tish recognizes as sadness. She had wanted him to understand. But somehow she’s made things worse.

She cannot give up now. “You must listen, dear. I have only ever tried to protect you. From your grandparents’ rigid expectations. From a life that would have made you dependent on them. That’s why I wanted you to go away to Yale. Have a good career. Be your own person and lead your own life, unlike what happened to me.” Does he not see all that she did? If she cannot make him understand this, then all of it has been for naught.

To her great relief Charley reaches across the table. “Mother, I hear the sacrifices you had to make back then. But it’s not like that now. You don’t need to protect Riptide or me from anything or anyone. Certainly not from Cora or Andi and Hugh. They are family. And if you’d just let them in, you’d see that.”

She does not have the heart to tell him why she cannot let Cora in. Because the truth is, Charley has always loved Cora. Tish knew it from the first time she saw them together at Charley’s ill-fated graduation. The problem was, Cora had not loved him.

Not in the way her beautiful, wonderful son deserved to be loved. Not in the way Morty had loved her and she him. It was one thing to miss out on Yale and a career in medicine. It was another, entirely, to miss out on requited love.

If he has not figured this out by now, she does not want to break his heart. Instead, she tells him this: “Riptide was the last place your father, you, and I were together. It was our haven. That’s why I’m leaving it to Sydney. To preserve a little bit of that. To honor it.”

“That doesn’t mean it has to go to Sydney, Mom. This could divide our whole family. I know that’s not what you want.”

Family. It is what binds them and yet it is the one thing they cannot seem to agree on. “Family is blood, Charley.” Cora may have lured her son away, may have convinced him to take on her children and care for all of them years ago. But it does not mean Tish has to hand over Riptide to her too. Cora can’t possibly appreciate what Riptide meant to her, to Morty. It’s all that’s left in the Darling trust and, as such, Tish wants it to stay in the Darling family.

With nothing more to say, Tish steers her gaze across the tearoom. She sighs heavily, her breath an audible wheeze. The hard truths of their conversation have exhausted her.

Her son is an intelligent man, a good husband and father. Is it possible they are fighting for the same thing? It’s exasperating. She’d hoped today would clear the air between them, but apparently that will take more time. Something she does not have a lot of left.

Cora

“One more week until the wedding!” Sydney bounded down the stairs like she used to as a teenager and they all looked up from their various posts in the kitchen.

“Cool. And my dad arrives tomorrow,” Molly echoed. “He’s coming to take me to the Vineyard.”

Cora noticed Hugh and Andi exchange one of their twin looks, though Cora wasn’t sure if it was about the wedding or Andi’s ex. “That’s wonderful, Syd. When does James arrive?”

Sydney was all smiles, barely able to contain herself. “He’s been working on this huge project, but he’ll be here two days beforehand to help with final details. And hopefully relax!”

“It’ll be good to see him,” Hugh said. Cora had to wonder how much her son meant that. They all liked James immensely, always had, but the sudden giving away of Riptide had sent ripples through the family that Cora knew were not finished. In fact, she fully expected a squall to blow through before it was done with them. James’s arrival would inspire a slew of questions that she knew Sydney did not want to entertain. Tish had done a number on them. She returned her attention back to the honeydew melon she was slicing to take down to the beach. If only they could all just get through the wedding.

“While he’s here I want to wrap up the wedding plans.” Sydney looked at her siblings. “Which should relieve you of most of your duties. Be happy.”

Andi reached around Cora and popped a piece of melon into her mouth. “Does that mean he’ll do my dress fitting for me? Since I’ve arrived, all I’ve done is eat. I’m worried it’ll need to be let out.”

“Very funny,” Syd said. “That’s still on for three o’clock today. You girls good with that?”

Molly was good with all of it, which Cora adored watching. She perked up at the mention of the bridal boutique. “Ooh, Aunt Syd, can we look at floral headpieces or tiaras while we’re there? I saw this picture on Instagram of a bridesmaid’s headband. It looked so pretty. You have to see it.”

As she whipped her phone out of her back pocket, Hugh elbowed her. “Aren’t you a flower girl?”

Molly screwed up her face. “Junior bridesmaid. Oh, my God. I’m not a kid.” As Hugh held up his hands, Molly turned her focus right back to her aunt. “So, Aunt Syd, can we look at headpieces? I want to look my best.”

Andi smirked. “Because, let’s be honest, Aunt Syd’s wedding is really your day.” Which made everyone chuckle because it clearly wasn’t inaccurate.

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