Page 48 of A Novel Summer
“No problem. Your hair looks really long.”
Colleen nodded. “It’s growing like weeds. I think it’s a pregnancy thing.”
Shelby suggested they go down to the beach. They’d missed the sunset, but there was a bright crescent moon and her phone told her it was a breezy seventy-five degrees. She packed a tote with towels and water and cookies from Connie’s Bakery. Outside, she heard the Miley Cyrus song “Party in the USA” playing at a nearby restaurant’s outdoor seating.
“I should do more things at night,” Colleen said, kicking back on the oversize towel, resting on her elbows. “Maybe I wouldn’t feel like the summer was passing me by.”
“If it’s any consolation,” Shelby said, arranging herself a few inches away, “I’m not going out much, either.”
Colleen seemed dubious. “Really? That’s not what I’ve heard.”
“What do you mean?” Oh—of course! Doug mentioned seeing her on the beach with Anders.
“Okay, I went out last night. But it wasn’t a big deal.”
Colleen shook her head. “I can’t believe I had to pry it out of you.”
“I hardly call that a ‘pry.’ I would have told you. I’ve just been busy. And more focused on the store than my personal life.”
“Do you have any idea how bored I am? It’s your job, as my friend, to keep me posted about things like this. At least one of us has a life this summer! So what’s going on?”
Shelby felt herself flush. “I’m not sure. Something, I think. But who knows. Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I have good news about the bookshop: Justin changed his mind about Land’s End using this space for events.”
“Really?” Colleen said, sitting up straighter.
Shelby nodded. “He still has to get it past the committee or whatever, but I get the sense it’s a done deal.”
“What changed his mind?” Colleen said.
Shelby shrugged.
“Maybe he wants to impress you.”
Shelby rolled her eyes. “Absolutely not. And it doesn’t matter why; it’s great for the store.”
“Great for the store, and good timing. With my parents coming to town for the baby shower I feel like I need something to make them bullish on the store. They’re certain Hendrik’s Books is a sign we’ve stayed too long at the party.”
“I don’t know why they feel that way.” Shelby scooped up sand with her nails and rubbed it between her fingers nervously. She closed out the “drawer” every day, and the store seemed to be doing okay, as far as she could tell.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s not even rational. But I’m getting a lot of ‘We told you so’s.’”
Shelby frowned. She was surprised to hear that. “What about Anders’s book event? Were they happy about that?” They’d sold out of the inventory they ordered for his reading, and theCape Cod Timescovered it. Shelby emailed a link to Annie and Pam.
“I think their attitude is, we need those numbers once or twice a week, not once a month. And yeah, partly it’s my fault for not being more aggressive scheduling events. But the tourist traffic had always been enough—more than enough. It’s like, everything’s changing and at the worst possible time.” She put her hand on her belly and lay flat on her back, looking up at the stars. Shelby followed her gaze. The constellations were like old friends she hadn’t seen since she moved to Manhattan. She turned to Colleen, propped up on her side, resting on one elbow.
“The summer just started,” she said. “Let’s look at July Fourth as the real starting mark. The past few weeks have only been a warm-up.”
Colleen nodded, but didn’t seem convinced. “I’m sorry to put this all on you. I know you have your own work. It’s just... I don’t know what I’d do without you.” A foghorn sounded in the distance.
“You don’t have to think about that,” Shelby said, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere.”
At least, not yet.
Thirty-Four
Carmen heard sobbing down the hall. She’d been headed to her bedroom to fold laundry, but instead did an about-face and walked to Mia’s.
The door was closed, and Carmen knocked. When there was no response, she turned the knob and walked in to find Mia sitting on her bed with printed pages spread out in front of her.
