Page 56 of Summer Light on Nantucket

“You should go to YouTube and watch videos by 2Cellos.”

“Twocellos?” Holly’s eyes went wide.

Was there anything more endearing than seeing a friend being interested in your child? Blythe was flooded with affection for the man next to her. For a moment she thought she might burst into tears. Holly was a generally happy girl, but only Celeste seemed to connect with Holly like Nick was doing now.

If sweet, imaginative Holly liked Nick, couldn’t Blythe like him? Publicly? Bring him to meet her children as Blythe’s boyfriend?

Behind Holly’s head, Sandy mouthed “Wow!” at Blythe.

Nick and Holly continued to discuss music—cello songs,as Holly called them.

Blythe just sat there smiling.

Their drinks arrived and the waiter asked for their dinner orders, breaking up the musical discussion. Sandy mentioned the trouble the Steamship Authority was having with employees, and everyone chimed in, recounting their most horrible incidents on the ferries. This led to the discussion that happened every year about how the island was changing and what could they do to make people on electric bikes stay off the sidewalks and who owned the biggest yachts in the harbor.

“Speaking of change,” Blythe said, “I’ve decided to teach next year.” She’d broken the news to her children one evening while they were all home for dinner. They hadn’t been too surprised becauseshe’d often substituted over the past few years. Miranda had found a way to suggest she get her own car, so she could help do errands and take her siblings to play dates.

“I’ll think about that,” Blythe had promised.

Now Hugh said, “Good for you. Schools need good teachers. And teaching has changed, too. Schools started using Chromebooks about ten years ago. Now add TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, ChatGPT.”

Before Blythe responded, Daphne spoke up. “Mom knows all about technology. She’s learned everything from us.”

Blythe wondered if she’d been accidentally transferred to heaven.

Their food arrived. Everyone ate steadily, realizing that the light in the sky was fading. They passed up dessert and went out to the lawn to watch the fireworks.

The first fountains and pinwheels exploded in the sky, a starburst of sparkles.

People cheered. Blythe watched the sky. After a moment, she leaned toward Nick and they stood with their shoulders touching.

summer heat

In the summer, over the lazy span of days, there was always laundry, mostly beach towels and bath towels. Blythe enjoyed this humble task. The warmth of a towel taken from the dryer. The pile of folded towels, like a cotton rainbow.

In the kitchen, Brooks was helping Miranda pack sandwiches, small bags of chips, and a banana or pear, into the brown paper bags that each child would tuck into their backpack. They filled thermoses with cold water, exchanging sultry glances as they worked. They were in that state of romance when they would have exchanged sultry glances if they’d been digging ditches. When all lunches were made, the couple planned to walk together down to Steps Beach, with backpacks full of beach towels and food and sunblock.

Carolyn’s mom picked up Holly and took the girls to Surfside Beach. When they called, Blythe would pick them up and drive them home.

Daphne spent the mornings at Maria Mitchell and in the afternoon her friend Lincoln biked out and met her at the Madaket Beach.

Teddy played tennis with his friends at the club and often joined others to crew on a sailboat. He promised Blythe he always wore a life jacket. She didn’t press the issue. She had her spies at the club, friends who looked out for one another’s children.

It was July, and summer unrolled before them like a golden carpet.

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One morning, Sandy called.

“Blythe, want to go to the beach today? Just us girls? I’ve got green grapes and cheese and a beach umbrella.”

“That’s a brilliant idea! I’ve got crackers, a million cold cans of fizzy fruit drinks, and caramel chip cookies.”

“I’ll drive. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“I’ll be ready. I’ve just got to put on my bathing suit.”

It was exactly what Blythe needed, she decided. Time for herself to swim and sunbathe, time to talk with her good island friend. She hurried upstairs and slipped into her Speedo, hurried downstairs and filled a cooler full of ice, drinks, and a couple of peaches. She flapped on her straw beach hat, double-checked that she had sunblock, and chose from the dozen sets of sunglasses she and the girls kept in a bowl by the front door. Her colorful beach bag, woven in Guatemala, held her small wallet with credit cards and phone. From the pile of clean beach towels in the laundry room, she collected her favorite, a long thick cotton towel striped navy blue and white.

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