by Grace Palmer
“You should have come to me or Pete if Grady was confiding in you. You are not his parent or anyone he should trust. You’re a stranger! You don’t give my son advice, okay?”
Rob’s jaw clenched hard. A vein in his neck bulged.
Holly didn’t know what he was going to say. But she knew she didn’t have time for it.
With a wave of her hand, she moved Rob aside and stormed past him, climbing in the car and driving away without looking to see where he was.
She didn’t care either way. The only time Holly wanted to be informed of Rob’s movements was when he decided to move out of her house.
Until then, she wanted to pretend he didn’t exist.
21
Mae
114 Howard Street
The day visible to Mae through the double-hung living room window was gray and forlorn. The usual blue skies were darker than they should be at this hour, fleecy clouds heavy with rain curtaining the sun.
A fact that only served to make time appear to be passing even slower. Mae kept thinking it must be early evening, at least, only to look up at the clock above the fireplace and remember she hadn’t even eaten lunch yet.
Mae watched Dominic lick his finger and turn the page of his book slowly. In no hurry at all to rush from one page to the next.
Just as he’d been in no hurry to do anything at all the past two days.
Since they’d woken up Monday morning, Dominic hadn’t done a thing beyond pour himself a cup of the Snickerdoodle-flavored coffee Rose preferred and drop down into the white fabric sofa in the living room with his book.
Three hours later, he hadn’t moved.
Mae was going batty.
“This house is so noisy,” she said, voice soft. A book sat in her lap, but she hadn’t opened it yet. “It’s funny that I must have gotten used to all of the creaking and banging while I lived here, but now it’s unfamiliar.”
“The inn makes a lot of noises, too,” Dominic murmured, brow furrowed as he read. He picked up his coffee and took a sip.
It was the same cup he’d made hours earlier. It must be stone cold, but he didn’t seem to mind or even to notice.
Mae could not possibly fathom how he was able to sit in such contentment, oblivious to her racing thoughts and drumming fingers only two cushions away.
“I can never tell whether a noise is the house or the guests.”
Guests. Goodness, how she missed those.
People to tend to. To talk with. To occupy Mae’s time and attention and care.
Dominic nodded and kept reading, his eyes scanning across the page at an unflappable pace.
At least if he’s reading, he won’t stumble upon one of my lifelong secrets, Mae thought, surprising even herself with the bitter edge in her head.
She wasn’t really worried Dominic would go snooping and discover Christopher’s mobile, especially since he seemed content to remain stationary.
And she was fairly certain she didn’t have any other secrets lying around the old house.
Still, Mae couldn’t push the thought from her mind that Dominic would learn about Christopher and be upset with her for keeping the secret.
He’d revealed the loss of his daughter to her early on in their relationship. It would have been a great time for Mae to confide in Dominic, but she hadn’t even confided in her own children yet. So she’d remained quiet.
Now, it felt too late.
Mae sagged back against the couch, her head resting on the cushion, and closed her eyes. She wished she could nap. She’d just never gotten the hang of it.
“I forgot Susanna would be at nursery,” Mae said, opening her eyes. “Or daycare. Or preschool. I’m not exactly sure what they are calling it anymore. But I thought she’d be home all day.”
“I love her, but I’m glad she’s not,” Dominic laughed. “After Saturday, I’m spent. My arm is still sore from playing bocce ball with Grady.”
“From losing bocce ball with Grady,” Mae reminded him with a tease on the edge of her voice.
He hummed and turned the page of his book. “I’ll challenge him to a rematch next time they come over. And I won’t take it easy on him.”
“I’m sure they’d love to come over for dinner.” Mae brightened at the thought. “Maybe tonight.”
Dominic let out a long whistle. “Kind of last minute for our hosts. Maybe next weekend?”
Oh, right. Not her house. She shouldn’t be inviting guests for dinner.
What would Mae do until next weekend?
Rose and Brent were at work, Susanna was at nursery, and Mae didn’t feel it was appropriate to do any cleaning or organizing in someone else’s home.
Even if it had been hers for decades before, Mae was a guest now.
Besides, Rose had only just started to become comfortable with Mae staying in the house. She didn’t want to undo their progress by overstepping the woman’s boundaries.
But she also couldn’t spend another minute sitting still, her conversation with Brent replaying in her mind on a near-constant loop.
She needed stimulation. A change of pace.
Something.
Anything.
“Let’s go out for lunch,” Mae said, jumping up from her spot on the couch.
He jolted in his seat, startled by her outburst, and looked up at her as though he’d forgotten she was in the room.
Mae wasn’t offended by it. She knew how drawn into a good book he could get. Unfortunately for him, she didn’t have the same ability. She needed to seek out entertainment.
And he would be recruited into the shenanigans whether he liked it or not. Such was life with a hummingbird.
“Didn’t we bring some things from the fridge at the Inn? Can’t we just make something from that?”
Usually, cooking would be the perfect thing to keep Mae busy. But it wasn’t enough now. Not when the only person she’d be making food for would be content to eat silently with a book held open in front of his face.
“I never get to go out for lunch. I’m always busy cleaning up after breakfast at the inn and seeing people off to their afternoon activities. This is a rare opportunity to see what downtown is like in the middle of the day. I, for one, would relish a field trip.”
“You’ve lived here your whole life. Surely you’ve been downtown for lunch.”
Just last week with Debra for a red wine on the waterfront deck of a new brewery, as a matter of fact. But Mae didn’t see the point in reminding Dominic of that.
“Come on. One hour. I promise your book will not run off in your absence.” Mae plucked the spine of the book gently from between Dominic’s tight grip, moved his bookmark into place, and set it on the side table. “There is more than one way to relax. I think a date night—well, a date day, I suppose—could do you some good.”
Dominic smirked as he lifted himself to standing. “I appreciate the way you’re trying to reframe this outing as a favor to me. As if you aren’t crawling out of your skin with boredom.”
“You noticed and didn’t say anything?” Mae swatted his arm playfully.
He shrugged. “I was going to soak up my down time as long as possible. I’m surprised you made it this long, honestly.”
As it turned out, Dominic wasn’t as oblivious as Mae had thought.
She’d have to remember that.
Downtown Nantucket
“Park here,” Mae said, pointing to a curbside space in front of The Rust Bucket.
“You want to go to a bar for lunch?” Dominic asked, pulling into the space. “Before noon?”
She laughed. “No, I want to avoid driving through the summer crowds downtown. Driving through a throng of tourists is not a good time for anyone.”
Dominic shuddered, expression pinched. “‘Throng of people’ is quite possibly my least favorite phrase in the English language.”
“Oh, quit your fussing and come along.”
The outer rim of downtown was frequented more by locals than tourists. On th
e narrow brick sidewalks, Mae and Dominic passed lawyers’ offices, an orthodontist and an optometrist, and the imported carpet store with a five-figure price tag hanging from a beautiful red and gold rug in the window.
It was easy strolling at first. But as they neared the center of downtown, the crowds began to pick up. Mae could hear the hum of people talking and laughing and the soft sound of music playing through speakers.
“The Book Corner is open,” Dominic said, pointing to a red brick building on the corner, large windows facing out at each cross street, stuffed with towering book displays. He picked up his pace slightly, hustling ahead of Mae. “I ordered something that should be in by now. I’ll only be a minute.”
“And I’ll turn into a bird and fly down the road to find where we should eat,” Mae teased, looping her arm through his and reining him back to her side. “If we’re out of here in a minute, I’ll eat my hat.”
“That would save us money on lunch,” Dominic said, sounding every bit serious, though there was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
Mae sighed. “Fine. Go. But I’m starting my watch!”
The book shop was large, but the space was broken down into three separate rooms, giving each one an intimate, homey feeling. Small coffee tables stacked with books for sale sat in the middle of rings of tall-backed arm chairs. Themed shelves lined the walls, festooned with little telltale knickknacks—hearts hovering over Romance, a rocket ship hurtling through Science Fiction.
Dominic walked into the store and marched straight to the front desk, ringing the bell for assistance.
Other patrons were milling around the store, with a few clustering around one section in particular. Above the shelf in question, a sign read: “Set in Nantucket.”
The store owner, Mr. MacDonald, was in the midst of three customers, all middle-aged women with armloads of bags and souvenirs. He was directing them to one book in particular.
“This is the book you’re looking for,” Mr. MacDonald said, holding it up.
Mae recognized the cover immediately. And, just a few feet away as he waited for the clerk to return with his order, she saw Dominic did, too.
Probably because it was his name splashed across the cover.
“A film crew is on the island right now making the movie based on this book. The author lives here in town. If you’re lucky, you might get an autograph.”
Mr. MacDonald turned Dominic’s book so the cover faced out and set it back on the shelf.
When he then glanced up and saw Dominic standing aghast at the counter, he grinned. “In fact, here is the author right now. What luck!”
Dominic glanced at Mae as if she could get him out of this. But short of faking a medical emergency, Mae couldn’t think of anything.
Besides—Dominic was going to meet fans of his books. It seemed like a dream come true, no?
“Would you sign a copy for us?” a red-haired woman pleaded at once, holding out a book and a pen she’d dug from her purse. “We can’t wait to read the book.”
“Maybe you should read it before you ask me to sign it,” Dominic said with a nervous laugh. “It might not be any good.”
“They wouldn’t make it into a movie if it wasn’t good,” a dark-haired woman with a beauty spot above her lip said.
Mae didn’t like the way the women were looking at Dominic. She walked over and squeezed Dominic’s arm. “Sign their books, honey.”
Maybe she imagined it, but Mae thought she noticed the dark-haired woman’s eyes narrow.
As soon as he finished signing the books, Dominic dodged their follow-up questions and hurried away. Outside, he let loose a sigh. “You don’t think this movie will get too popular, do you?”
“I’m not sure. Would that be a bad thing?”
“I’m not sure,” he echoed. “I’d like to be able to go to my favorite book shop without running into fans.”
Mae looped her arm through Dominic’s. “Again, would that really be a bad thing? Don’t most authors want to be famous?”
“Not this author. Besides, they hadn’t even read the book yet. They weren’t really fans.”
“They were at a bookstore, in case you didn’t notice, darling. I’m sure they like to read. And as handsome as you are, your face is on the back of the book, not the front. I don’t think you have to be worried about getting mobbed by paparazzi anytime soon.”
Dominic grimaced. “Don’t even joke about that. What a horrid concept. Paparazzi,” he growled, lip curled like he wanted to spit on the cobblestones.
As they ambled north, the road widened, making room for cars to park along the edges of the road, though every space was filled now. The sidewalk widened, too.
People window shopped at the brick-front businesses and sat on park benches licking ice cream cones they’d picked up from one of the ten different sweets shops along Main Street.
Banners hung from the forest green lampposts advertising the weekend farmer’s market. And even though the sky was gray, the day was warm enough that many restaurants still had tables and chairs set up on the sidewalks.
“Are you thinking we’ll go to Little Bull?” Dominic asked. “We haven’t been in a while.”
“We went last week, silly. And Sara brought us food just a few days ago,” Mae countered. “Besides, every time we go, Sara covers the bill and gives us her best table. I don’t want to steal more business from her than I already do. Maybe a sandwich?”
“I could eat a sandwich.”
“Brent told me Eddie’s Sandwich Shop named a sandwich after you since you put them in your book. Come to think of it, the movie is going to film a scene there, too,” Mae said.
Dominic groaned. “Maybe not sandwiches then. Also, maybe we should move? I hear Greece is lovely this time of year.”
“Come on. Enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame, Dom.” Mae shook his arm. “And I don’t think the Sweet Island Inn would work as a business idea if it was no longer on the island.”
They kept walking, each of them tossing out lunch ideas the other turned down.
Dominic balked at the street-style taco shop and clutched at his chest dramatically. “I still have heartburn from the tacos Rose made for dinner last night. The woman loves her spice.”
“Pasta, then? There’s a lobster macaroni-and-cheese at Antonio’s that I love. And they always play romantic Italian music. That’s as close as you’ll get to traveling outside the island for a while, I’m afraid.”
He mulled the idea over, pursing his lips. “I think we’ve reached an accord.”
“Finally.” Mae tugged him forward, her stomach rumbling.
But a block later, they were stopped.
A wooden barricade blocked the street. On the near side, a large crowd of people milled about, all craning their necks for a view of whatever was going on.
“Is there a parade today?” Mae wondered, looking around for a sign or banner to explain the gathering.
“It would be a short parade to stop right in the middle of Main Street.” Dominic stretched onto his toes with no luck. “Should we turn around? Maybe look for something in the other direction?”
“Not after it took us fifteen minutes to agree on lobster mac-and-cheese,” Mae groaned. “No, we brave the crowds and push on.”
The barricade only blocked off the street. The sidewalk was still accessible, aside from the crowd of people standing in the way.
“Excuse me, excuse us,” Mae said over and over as she pushed her way through down the sidewalk, Dominic trailing right behind her.
Then a hand reached out and wrapped around Mae’s arm. She startled, but turned to see her friend Lola standing there, a grin on her face.
“Did you come to see the excitement?” Lola asked, tipping her head towards the road. “I would have thought you two would have a front row seat!”
Lola had a folding chair with her, a bottle of water, and her phone in her hand, the camera app open and ready.
“What excitement?” Mae asked. “Wha
t is this?”
Lola looked from Mae to Dominic, shocked they didn’t know. “The movie! They are filming right now. ‘Establishing shots’ is what I’ve heard, though I can’t see enough to know any different. I would have assumed you two would be the first to know since you’re the big author,” she said to Dominic.
Much to his horror, her voice was plenty loud enough to be heard over the hum of the crowd. Dominic seemed to shrink at her words.
“I had no idea,” Mae said, turning to Dominic. “Did you know? Did anyone tell you about this?”
He shook his head, his shoulders lifting until they nearly covered his ears. It only got worse as the people nearby turned towards them to scrutinize Dominic.
“Is that him? Is that the guy?” came whisper after whisper.
Finally, someone spoke up. “You’re the author?” an older woman demanded, a shawl pulled over her shoulders despite the warm day. “Of the book being made into the movie?”
Dominic started to shake his head, but Lola jumped in to answer for him. “He is! Dominic O’Kelley. The man himself.”
The whispers grew, and Mae could tell the information was spreading. Slowly but surely.
Dominic wrapped his hand around Mae’s elbow. “Come on. Let’s turn around.”
“Maybe I could get an autograph?” the woman said, turning to dig in her bag for what Mae assumed was a copy of Dominic’s book.
Mae tried to tug him forward. “We’re only a block from Antonio’s. If we keep going—”
“Let’s go back,” Dominic said, his voice the equivalent of a signal flare flashing through the sky.
Mayday. Help. SOS.
Mae leaned forward. “You talked with Joey about the movie at the party. You were excited about it. Why is this different? I’m sure we could go behind the barricade if we found the director. Get out of this crowd so we could see the action.”
“I know Joey,” he said. “I don’t know these people. I don’t want to see the action. I want to go.”
His cheeks were flushed, eyes wide, and Mae’s heart tugged.
She nodded. “Okay.”
