Page 57 of Summer Light on Nantucket
For a moment, she felt like a young girl again.
Sandy arrived in her handsome black Toyota RAV4 and high-fived Blythe as she got into the car.
“Ain’t it grand to be alone, without any men around,” Sandy said as she drove away from the town.
“How are the girls?” Blythe asked.
“Lara’s competing in the club tennis tournament, and Anne isteaching sailing at the yacht club and sailing when she’s not working. I know they come home to sleep, and sometimes they raid the refrigerator, but mostly they’re out living their lives.”
“My lot are at the beach, too,” Blythe said.
“Okay, good. Now, talking about our families is banned for the next few hours. We’re solo for a while.”
At Dionis, they lugged their gear out to the beach and found a nice empty space. The day was perfect, hot and clear, with only an occasional breeze. The shoreline was spotted with other people, swimming, sitting in beach chairs, lying on blankets to tan.
“Let’s deal with this later,” Sandy suggested, dropping her beach bag and umbrella onto the sand.
“Great!” Blythe anchored the blanket to the sand with her cooler and joined Sandy as she raced into the water.
They both screamed, “It’s cold!”
Sandy was content to paddle and float near the shore. Blythe was not a strong swimmer, but she loved floating, with her eyes closed and sounds muted by the water. It took her a few moments to surrender, but soon she was relaxed, supported completely by the transparent magic of what she could not hold or control, the sea.
Later, they dried off and ate lunch beneath the beach umbrella. They talked about books, television shows, clothes, food.
Blythe took a deep breath. “Sandy, I want to ask your advice about something.”
“I’m all ears,” Sandy said. She took another long pull of cold water and stuffed the empty bottle into her backpack. “Go.”
Nervously, Blythe folded her paper napkin into smaller and smaller squares. Finally she met Sandy’s eyes and blurted, “Just before we came to Nantucket, my friend Jill and I were shopping at Copley Place in Boston. We accidentally spotted a couple right there in the mall, crushed up together, kissing passionately. They were kind of tucked into a corner, but we could see through the shop windows. Jill and I both watched them and we realized the woman wasTeri.Bob’sgirlfriend. We didn’t know who the man was. But we were both certain it was Teri.”
Sandy frowned. “That’s bizarre. I’m not Teri’s biggest fan, but I can’t believe she’d be kissing another man out in public.”
“I know. I agree. But I can’t stop wondering about it. I’m thinking I should talk to her, alone. Just to hear her deny that was her.”
“Why would you believe what she said?” Sandy asked.
Blythe sighed. “That’s a good point.”
“Did you take a photo?”
“What? No!” Blythe slapped her hand to her forehead. “So stupid! I didn’t even think of it! My phone was in my purse. Damn!”
“I think you should confront her.”
Blythe shook her head, unsure.
After a while, Sandy asked, “Could you tell Celeste? Maybe she could confront Teri.”
“I don’t think so. It would only confuse her as much as it confuses me.” Blythe yawned. “The heat is making me drowsy.”
They lay face down on their beach blankets, and for a while they were quiet, enjoying the sun on their backs.
A beach volleyball landed next to Sandy’s head. Two boys raced up, apologizing, spraying sand as they picked up the ball and ran off.
Sandy sat up and drank from her water bottle. “I don’t think I have any kind of solution.”
Blythe sat up, too. She shrugged. “I don’t, either. I have to let it go.”
