Page 16 of Summer Light on Nantucket

“Very good, thank you.”

He showed them to a round table for six. Celeste was already seated there, at her preferred spot in the corner. She always asked for this table because she was slightly deaf and the large dining room, even with its high ceiling, was noisy. Anyway, it suited her, and she probably knew, although she’d never say so, that she enjoyed being enthroned at the large table, with its white cloth, shining silver, and candles. Both Daphne and Teddy had been blessed with the same dramatic dark eyes and hair that Celeste had passed along to her son, Bob. Miranda and Holly had Blythe’s less intense coloring, light brown hair and eyes. Celeste wore a turquoise silk dress and a lime silk jacket. She worehermother’s silver earrings and necklace. Blythe had seen pictures of Celeste when she was young, and she had been breathtaking. Even now, she hadn’t acquired too many old-age wrinkles and lines, but her skin was speckled with brown spots. They were not malignant, she had told her family, so she wasn’t going to bother with them. Her entire beauty regime was washing her face and smoothing on Pond’s Cold Cream.

Now Celeste rose from her chair to embrace her grandchildren, one by one. When they finally took their seats, the four children fought—ina quiet, pleasant way, to sit next to their grandmother. Miranda and Teddy, the oldest, won, but then Teddy took pity on his little sister and gave Holly his seat. He and Daphne were doomed to sit on either side of Blythe.

The waiter arrived and handed them menus. Before they could check the offerings, they were deluged by a wave of summer friends. Holly jumped up to talk with Carolyn, and Daphne left her chair to make a quick visit to Lincoln’s table. The other kids teased Daphne about having a boyfriend, but Lincoln, handsome as an angel, had come out a couple of years ago. Daphne had bonded with him over the problem of rising seas, and everyone hoped they would provide the solution. Teddy talked with his grandmother, and Blythe was left with Miranda, who had mastered the blank fifty-yard stare.

Celeste and Blythe each ordered champagne, as they always did the first meal of summer.

“And for you?” The waiter smiled at Miranda. He was tall, handsome, and tanned, with a strong Southern accent.

“Maybe a glass of tonic over ice?” Miranda was implying, Blythe knew, that her usual tonic drink had gin in it.

“Of course,” the waiter said, smiling.

For a few seconds, the waiter and Miranda locked eyes.

Bless you,Andrew,Blythe wanted to say, because if Miranda could flirt with Andrew, whose name and town were printed on a white club label on his jacket, then Miranda wasn’t completely obsessed with Brooks.

“So, Andrew, you’re from Charleston,” Blythe said.

“Yes, ma’am, I attended UVA and I’m going into their business master’s program.”

Blythe said, “That’s impressive.”

“Thank you. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

“Mom,” Miranda whispered. “I don’t need you to find guys for me. I’m with Brooks, remember?”

“Miranda, I’ve always talked with the summer staff. I want them to feel at home.”

“Find one who’ll feel at home with Daphne,” Miranda muttered.

Holly and Daphne returned to the table in time to give Andrew their orders and then Daphne shared the latest news from Lincoln about the various storms that had flooded the island. Friends in Polpis, on the inner harbor, had had water up to the decks of their summer cottages. Not for the first time, boys had paddled kayaks down some of the streets in town. Blythe shared what she’d read in various island newsletters about possible solutions, and there had to be solutions because, if not, so many of the town’s structures were doomed to become submerged, slowly, but absolutely. Because the yacht club was on the water—of course it was, that was the purpose of the yacht club—this was a problem of monumental importance. All four children talked at once, offering their visions of a deluged and ruined Main Street and what the town ought to do to prevent this.

“It is happening sooner than we think,” Celeste told them. “I belong to a committee exploring various possibilities for saving the town. Unfortunately, there are many committees like ours, and none of us has a solution. I’m going to Boston for a few days in September to attend a conference on rising seas.”

“Cool,” Teddy said.

Celeste patted her mouth with her napkin, effectively hiding her smile, but her eyes danced with mischief. “I’ll be going with my new friend, Roland Wilson.”

All four children glanced at one another, unsure what to do with this information.

“Is his wife coming, too?” Daphne asked.

“Roland’s wife died a few years ago. She was a lovely woman.”

For a long moment, everyone was quiet, assessing this information.

Holly broke the silence. “Is he yourboyfriend?”

At that moment, Andrew arrived at the table. He set drinks beforethem all, then stood with his notepad. “May I ask who is signing tonight?”

“I am,” Celeste replied.

The table was hushed as Celeste signed the ticket. Andrew asked if they were ready to order.

“We are,” Blythe said, trying to give her children a moment to recover from their grandmother’s news—and needing a moment herself.WasRoland Wilson Celeste’s boyfriend? If so, what on earth did that mean?

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