Page 4 of A Nantucket Wedding

“Well,” Jane mused philosophically, “nothing lasts forever. Everything changes. So you don’t have crazy monkey sex but you have two beautiful children.”

Felicity smiled. “You’re right, Janey.” She gave her sister a spontaneous sideways hug. “And what about you?”

“What do you mean?” Jane bent to pick up a small rock and toss it into the ocean.

“You know what I mean. Do you still think you won’t have any children?”

Jane tensed. She wanted to talk about this with someone, but it was hard to say the words. Jane had always been the straight-A, smart, achieving older sister. Felicity had always been the beauty. If Jane confessed her problem, she would seem less than perfect. Plus, she wasn’t completely sure Felicity could keep a secret. And yet, something about the high blue sky and vast azure water opened her heart. Right now, here, with the sunlight all around her, she could trust. Shewouldtrust.

“Sometimes, Filly, I do wish I had a child—”

Felicity shrieked. “Oh my God!”

“Settle down. You’re overreacting. I only saidsometimes.”

“But this is HUGE!”

“I know. But I only started thinking about it…” That was a white lie. She’d been thinking about it constantly for months.

“What does Scott think?”

“He says no. Absolutely not.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m not totally there yet. I might change my mind.”

“Oh, Jane, it would be so wonderful—”

“Really. I don’t want to talk about it. Not another word.”

Felicity clamped her hands over her mouth and staggered in and out of the waves, pretending to struggle to keep from talking.

“You goofball.” Jane linked arms with her sister and turned her around. “Let’s go back to the house. I could use some sunblock.”

“Me, too. I’d forgotten how bright the sun is near the water.”

For a while they walked in a companionable silence, the sand warm beneath their bare feet, the waves whispering as they reached the shore.

“This is nice,” Felicity said. “Being with you. Here.” She yawned a huge jaw-cracking yawn. “I could lie down right on the sand and fall asleep.”

“You should take a nap when we get back to the house,” Jane suggested.

“A nap! In the middle of the day! That would be the height of luxury.” Felicity laughed. “To tell the truth, having a nice long nap right now, without anyone wailing for me or crawling into bed and kicking my stomach—”

“Noah kicks you in the stomach?” Jane asked jokingly.

“No, silly! I meant Luke. He doesn’tmeanto kick me, but he’s only five, he’s trying to snuggle. Oh, and I do love my snuggle bunnies. Sometimes they climb in bed with me and the three of us cuddle like bears in a cave.”

“Where’s Noah?”

“Oh, he gets up early. He works even on Saturdays. I wish he wouldn’t but I know how much he wants his company to be a success.” Sounding wistful, Felicity added, “He does cuddle with us on Sundays. Or, I should say, the kids cuddle with him. They’re always so excited to have time with him, they just adore Noah, and they’re bothfascinatedby his bristly morning beard. Luke will touch it and cry, ‘Ow!’ and they all laugh like crazy.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Jane dropped her sister’s arm and began the single-file trek back through the low shrubbery up to the house.

In the kitchen, Jane filled a glass with artesian water from a bottle. Felicity, who thought such luxuries were wasteful, filled her glass from the tap at the sink.

Footsteps came from the hall.

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