“I missed you, too.”
She lay down next to her, knowing she’d finally be able to sleep.
Fifty-Eight
Shelby woke up to her phone ringing. It was almost ten-thirty in the morning, not an unreasonable time for someone to call. But Shelby slept restlessly. Yes, she’d solved one problem by canceling her book—the most important one. Colleen was grateful and seemed ready to move on. But now she’d created another one: her career was uncertain.
Hunter, sprawled out next to her, groaned and put a pillow over her head. It took Shelby a beat to remember what she was doing in her room and their late-night conversation. She answered her phone.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Carmen Lombardo said, her voice energetic and upbeat.
“No, not at all,” Shelby said, sitting up. Hunter grunted with annoyance.
“A little birdie told me you’re back in town. And I just can’t let you leave this time without thanking you in person for your help with Mia.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Shelby said. But she agreed to stop by for coffee. How could she not? She just hoped Mia would be there—that she’d forgiven her for telling her secret. And yes, deep down she hoped Justin would be there, too. Even if he wasn’t, it would feel like he was there. The Lombardo house, was, after all, his childhood home. Going there, saying goodbye to Carmen, was probably a fitting place to end her summer in Provincetown. And maybe then she could finally move on. For real this time.
The Lombardo house hadn’t changed a bit since the last time she was there. The kitchen had the same farmhouse sink, the same cherry table, and the same framed mosaics from Mia’s middle school art classes.
Carmen, wearing a floral T-shirt and jeans, greeted her with a hug, ushered her to the eat-in table, and brought over two mugs of coffee.
“After Justin told us about Mia, we were completely consumed with finding specialists and getting her help. When the dust settled, I realized I hadn’t had the chance to thank you. And you were gone by then. I should have called.”
“Oh, no worries,” Shelby said. “I’m glad I was able to find out what was happening. How’s she doing?”
Carmen smiled. “Good. I feel like I have my daughter back.”
Shelby glanced at the swinging door that led to the dining room and the rest of the house.
“Is she home? I’d love to see her. She wasn’t very happy with me when we last spoke.”
“Oh, hon, she’s with friends.” Carmen frowned.
“I feel bad. She thinks I betrayed her secret. I guess I did.”
Carmen shook her head. “You would have been betraying her bynottelling us. Someday, when you have children of your own, you’ll understand that.”
Children of her own. It was hard to imagine ever making the right choices that would lead to having someone in her life with whom she wanted to have a baby. She could barely keep her friendships from blowing up.
“You’re probably right,” Shelby said. Carmen started to say something, then stopped. Shelby had the odd feeling that Carmen knewhersecret, the unspoken shadow that followed her all summer: she might have made a mistake in breaking up with Justin. But it would remain unspoken; letting that out in the open would be more terrifying than telling Claudia she was canceling her book.
“How long are you staying?” Carmen said after a silence.
“Just a few days.” Shelby drained her coffee. She should get going.
“But you’ll come back next summer?”
“I really don’t know.” Shelby hadn’t thought that far ahead, but realized in that moment that no, she wouldn’t be back. She needed to move on—emotionally. Creatively, she’d find another muse, follow a different path to a story far outside her own life. And she’d do it not just to avoid hurting her friends, but because if she wanted to keep growing as a writer, she had to leave her comfort zone. If the Woodstock teaching job came through, it might be exactly the change she needed.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I hope you do,” Carmen said.
The back door opened, startling them both. Justin walked in.
“Oh!” he said, stopping short in surprise. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Not at all,” Carmen said with a wave, as if the two of them having coffee together in the kitchen was routine.
He looked at Shelby, and she offered a small smile. Her heart picked up an extra beat. He was dressed in a faded T-shirt and blue board shorts. He dropped his keys and phone on the counter and leaned against it facing them.
