Page 100 of The Book of Summer

“Bessie, that you?” her dad bellows.

He is grumpy and short of breath. Bess imagines him pacing by the picture window in his office, glaring out over the Charles River.

“Yep!” she says. “Who else?”

“How are you?”

“I’m pretty go—”

“Glad to hear it. Listen, I need you to pick me up at the airport.”

“The airport?” Bess says, blinking. “What airport?”

“Nantucket! What’s wrong with you? Are you drunk?”

“What? No! It’s only noon! So, wait. You’re coming? Here?”

The phone buzzes in her hand. Has Evan texted her back?

“Yes of course I am!” Dudley says. “It’s my niece’s wedding. Seriously, what is wrong with you?”

“Oh… right. Sorry.”

It hadn’t occurred to Bess that her dad might come for the event, even though Aunt Polly is his sister, Flick his niece. She’s his very favorite niece, at that—his favorite in the whole family, no doubt. He likes her ambition, drive, and custom-made herringbone pantsuits. Bess should’ve guessed he’d show. Dudley Codman always comes through. Old Dudley-do-right-eventually.

“Um, okay,” Bess says. “When? Tonight?”

“Sunday. I’m taking the late flight. Six forty-five. Cape Air. I’ll be staying one night. At the Wauwinet.”

“I’m happy to get you,” Bess says. “But, Dad, wouldn’t you rather have Mom pick you up?”

“Your mother?” He snorts. “Elisabeth, that woman once showed up at the airport on a fucking bike.”

Bess laughs.

“Yeah,” she says. “Been there.”

“So you’ll do it, okay good, speaking of your mother,” Dudley says, spitting sentences like he’s checking them off a list, or shooting them from a gun. “You guys ’bout packed?”

Bess clears her throat.

“Sorta?” she says.

“‘Sorta’? Bess, you’ve been there a week. What the hell have you been doing if not packing? In case I haven’t mentionedyou could die.”

“I know. It’s just, well, some things are packed.”

“Some things.”

“It’s been busy. Two town meetings in the past three days.”

“Christ, say no more.”

Bess can almost hear his eyes rolling.

“Your mother told me about the geotubes,” he says.

“She did?”

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