Page 103 of Summer Light on Nantucket

“I don’t know about that.” Teri faced Kate, her brow furrowing in sorrow. “Why didn’t you tell me this, Kate? Why didn’t you tell me what your mother and Blythe knew about me?”

Bob’s color was fading, but his cheeks were still red. “Furthermore, Kate, why didn’t you tellme?”

Kate shook her head. “I’m sorry. I apologize. I thought that Blythe was making it up and I didn’t want to upset you.”

Blythe burst out laughing. “This family should come with an instruction manual.”

Daphne, the family’s private detective, asked, “Have you seen him since then? ThisDamonyou kissed.”

Teri smiled at Daphne. “No, sweetheart, I haven’t. No communication of any kind. You’re welcome to check my phone.”

“Damn,” Teddy said. “That’s invasion of privacy.”

“I think I need a drink,” Celeste announced.

“I think Teri and I need to go somewhere to be alone,” Bob decided. “Teri, let’s walk down to the lily pond.”

Teri nodded, smiling up from under her lashes in a shy Di moment.

Bob and Teri held hands and walked out the front door.

Everyone else stood in the living room, as if frozen by the sudden silence.

Blythe spoke up. “Let’s go out to the garden, everyone.” She used her sweet but tyrannical tone of voice.

“I’ll make tea,” Celeste said.

“I’d prefer wine,” Blythe told her. “And lemonade for the others.”

“I need Scotch,” Kate huffed. But she joined them at the patio table where they discussed in great detail how quickly summer was coming to an end.

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A few years ago, Daphne had named this golden stretch of summer “The Days of the Lasts.”

The last time they would catch a movie at Dreamland, dine at the Brotherhood, bike out to Cisco, eat Moors End’s fresh corn on the cob, return books to the library, spend an afternoon sailing. For Blythe, it was the last time she and Sandy spent a day at the beach, perfecting their golden summer tans and gossiping about their own lives and everyone else’s. The last time she would give her family thick beefsteak tomato slices with mayonnaise on Something Natural’s Portuguese bread. For Daphne, it was the last time she’d spend with Lincoln, whose family was moving to Chicago. For the first time, Teddy would kiss Scarlett, and right in front of Holly, who would tell everyone in the family and on the entire island.

It was the last time Blythe’s children would squeeze their feet into shoes they’d grown out of over the summer. The last time they wouldall have dinner at the yacht club with Celeste—and the first time Blythe invited Nick to join them.

One morning, all the kids headed off to the beach. Blythe picked her brightest flowers from her garden, put them in a jug of water, and took them with her to visit Celeste.

The older woman was sitting in her backyard with an embroidery hoop in her hand.

“You look well,” Blythe told her, kissing her cheek.

Celeste motioned for Blythe to pull a patio chair closer. “Thank heavens you’ve come. I’ve got things to tell you.”

“Really? Tell me!” Blythe leaned forward.

“I don’t know why I’m whispering. They can’t hear me. I mean my son and Teri. They called to tell me that Bob has an appointment with a physician at Mass General. He’ll be at the hospital this morning, and then they will stay at his Boston condo for a couple of days, until—drumroll, please, he’s recovered from surgery.”

Blythe gasped. “He’s having a vasectomy reversal?”

“He is. Apparently, the surgery will take around four hours.”

“You Benedicts love visiting the hospital,” Blythe joked.

“He says he’ll have to lie around with ice packs and ibuprofen for a few days, and Teri will wait on him hand and foot.”

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