Summer with My Sisters

by Holly Chamberlin

  “Yes?” Poppy prompted.

  “Well,” Allie said, “I like it here in Yorktide. I like the peace and the quiet and the beauty. I like that in five minutes I can be picking apples or having a gourmet dinner dockside. And I also like being close to you and your sisters and Freddie and Sheila and Jon and his family. I like Julie, the little I know of her. And Billy and Sophie and—”

  “And Dan?” Poppy asked. “Why, Allie, I do believe you’re blushing!”

  Allie put her palms against her cheeks. “At my age? Ugh. Anyway, I know it sounds—unexpected—and it is quick, too, but . . . Honestly, I’m not trying to be a selfless savior type. It’s just that Dan and I have spent a fair amount of time together in the past few weeks and I really like him. Who knows, maybe my friendship can help make him strong again. I really believe Dan wants to regain his independence and be present for his daughter.”

  “And for you, as well?” Poppy asked gently.

  “I hope for me, too,” Allie admitted. “But I’m willing to take a chance. I have no expectations. If he doesn’t feel the same way about me in the end . . . Well, at least I’ll know my heart isn’t dead after all. And that I’ll have done a good thing by being a friend in need.”

  “You’re a brave woman, Allie.”

  Allie laughed. “Brave or crazy, which is pretty much the same thing.”

  “When it comes to love, I think you’re right!”

  “So, you’re totally committed to setting up the charity? You know it’s going to be an awful lot of hard work, not to mention the steep learning curve involved.”

  “I know, but I’m one hundred percent for the idea. It’s odd. Being an advocate for the homeless is the last thing I ever dreamed I’d become, and yet, it feels right. I’ve been so lucky in my life, Allie, in spite of losing Mom and Dad. It’s time I started to give back. And who knows where it will lead me? I feel excited about the future for the first time in my life, not intimidated by it.”

  “That’s the spirit! Now, you’ve solved the problem of the meaningful career . . .”

  “Back to the subject of love?” Poppy couldn’t restrain a big smile, nor did she want to. “Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve solved that, too.”

  “Jon Gascoyne?”

  Poppy laughed. “Who else? We’re in love and I feel ridiculously happy. You know, I came back to Yorktide after my father died sort of dreading everything. And yet, this summer—this summer with my sisters—has turned out to be the most important few months of my life.”

  “So far,” Allie pointed out.

  “Yes,” Poppy agreed. “So far!”

  Epilogue

  FROM THE JOURNAL OF FREDDIE ROSS

  I have to admit that back when Annabelle died after her cruel battle with cancer, I had my doubts about the survival of Oliver and the girls. I didn’t think for a minute that they would succumb to something as ridiculous as a suicide pact or go completely off the rails and join a cult dedicated to the cultivation of—I don’t know, of magic beans that sprouted dollar bills. But I did worry. Not that I let Oliver and the girls know my concern. Only Sheila was privy to my troubled thoughts. It was just that the Higgins family was so tight. So—well, it’s not a word I like to use very often, but they were so perfect, or damn near to it.

  But in typical Higgins fashion they pulled through. Of course father and daughters grieved. But they went on and you could even say that in some sense they flourished. At least, neither Sheila nor I were able to detect any seriously suspicious or worrisome behaviors. If Oliver curtailed his travels and stuck closer to home, it was, I believe, more about his desire to spend time with his children than the result of a debilitating depression. Poppy took herself back to Boston, did her job, and paid her rent. Daisy and Violet continued with school and favorite activities, if in a somewhat more subdued fashion than usual.

  And then, three years on, Oliver died and the world shook again. I was the one to find him, thank God, as it would have been dreadful for one of the girls to come across their father in such a state. Dead. His heart had never been good. Neither had his father’s before him. It was only a matter of time and Oliver had known that. His will and wishes had been firmly and legally in place for years. Still, and I would never admit this to Daisy, who in spite of her razor-sharp mind is quite the romantic, but for a while I, too, wondered if Oliver had died of a broken heart. Sentimental nonsense, of course.

  Anyway, when the girls were left orphaned, when Poppy was summoned back from Boston to be the de facto head of the Higgins family, I girded my loins (so to speak) and anticipated—what? Chaos? Emotional breakdowns? Bad behaviors? Sheila, who has a lot more faith in the basic strength and goodness of human nature than I do, told me that I was being unfair to the children of my old friend. Have faith, she said. Have hope.

  So I did. To the best of my ability. And look what happened. Yes, there was some moaning and groaning. Yes, there was some testiness and even minor, sporadic chaos. And yes, there was the upsetting fact that none of us, not even Sheila, saw just how badly Violet was handling the loss of both parents. But in the end—by which I mean the present time, a full year after Oliver’s death—all has come right. Poppy has found her purpose in life, and what a good and meaningful one it is, to be devoted to relieving the plight of homeless families. Equally as important, she’s found love with a person of substance who loves her unreservedly. Jon Gascoyne proposed to Poppy last Christmas (with his grandmother’s engagement ring) and they are set to be married this October, after which Jon will move into the house on Willow Way and I daresay that all will be well. Already Violet has benefited from her monthly visits (supervised by Poppy, still a skeptic) to a certified psychic; she hasn’t had an anxiety attack since February and has become friends with a girl her own age, new to Yorktide and a fellow other-world enthusiast. (Interesting note: Violet saw this girl from a distance last summer, when she and Sheila attended one of those ghastly craft fairs. The friendship, Violet says, was in the stars.)

  As for Daisy, she seems happier than she has been since before the death of her beloved father. Having Sophie as a friend and classmate is certainly part of it, and let’s be frank—once Joel is off to college in the fall, Daisy will need a friend to hand. (By the way, Joel won that prestigious scholarship to study with the pros at the Berklee College of Music. I foresee big things for that young man.) And Sophie has proved a good friend to Daisy. She and her father (and more on him in a moment) are still bunking down with Billy Woolrich but are planning to move into their own rental by summer’s end. They see a family counselor once a week (I help with that expense; the way I see it, it’s an investment) and in my humble opinion (backed by Sheila’s less humble opinion) they are well on the road to healing the damage done to their relationship by that tragic car accident and its dreadful aftermath. In fact, it’s fair to say that I feel very proud of all four girls—young women—though I have no right to take pride in them, not being in the least responsible for their remarkable survival of the almost unbearable loss of family and, in Sophie’s case, home.

  As for the restoration of Dan Steuben’s career, well, his suspension from the practice of the law should be reversed later this year if he continues clean and sober, which I have no doubt that he will. It means too much to him—being a father for his only child—to fail again now. He works for me as a clerk and over the months I’ve been introducing him to my clients in the hopes that before too long I can finally retire (something Sheila has been pestering me to do for years now) and hand over the practice to Dan.

  Maybe the most interesting personal development to have come out of this past, turbulent year has been the nascent romance between Dan and Poppy’s friend Allie. I must admit that when Allie decided to buy a house in Yorktide last fall I had my suspicions about her motives. Well, actually, it was Sheila who suggested to me the idea that Allie was a wee bit smitten with Sophie’s father. It seemed to the both of us the height of foolishness to pin one’s hopes on a relation
ship with someone who had been so badly damaged and who was still in such a precarious emotional and financial state. But we said nothing and watched and hoped and I am now prepared to say that our concerns, while to be expected, seem to have been unnecessary. As I said, the romance is nascent, but it’s definitely there and Sophie seems to find in Allie a true friend so . . . Well, who knows? One can only hope.

  And get dressed. Poppy is hosting a party at the house on Willow Way this evening to celebrate Dan’s forty-fifth birthday. The usual suspects will be present, including, if you can believe it, Nico, and a few other locals with whom Dan and Sophie have become friendly. Sheila says I’m to wear something “special,” but I’ve never been sure what exactly that means, so I’ll perform my usual helpless act and in the end she’ll pick out my outfit. Works every time.

  Please turn the page

  for a very special Q&A

  with Holly Chamberlin!

  Q. Let’s start with an obvious question: Do you have sisters?

  A. No! I have one brother, almost exactly two years younger than me. I certainly know a lot of sister groups, though! And unlike the Higgins girls, I am lucky enough, at the age of fifty-two, still to have my parents in this world.

  Q. How did you decide to write a story about a homeless runaway and her experience with three orphaned sisters?

  A. It does seem rather Dickensian when you put it that way! I suppose I was interested in the idea of exploring characters who, for very different reasons, suddenly and traumatically find themselves without a traditional family structure, by which I mean one or two responsible parents in the home. None of the young women we meet in the book anticipated the losses they would come to experience and each deals with the losses in a unique way. Also, the fact that the Higgins family is financially secure while the Steuben family is not allowed me to talk about some of the basic tenets of a decent life, which most of us tend to take for granted—enough food and water; a secure place to sleep, keep ourselves clean, and store our possessions; a decent education; a job that pays enough money to allow one to meet daily needs as well as to save for the future.

  Q. Serious topics, and yet the book is also hopeful and at times, even humorous.

  A. Well, it’s pretty hard to keep the human spirit down for long and I tried to demonstrate this with having each main character simply go forward—spend time with friends, enjoy food, pursue hobbies and jobs, while at the same time adjusting to new and difficult circumstances. Ian was good for a chuckle, as well as to illustrate Poppy’s positive growth over the course of the book. And if some readers find the ending too happy and upbeat, well, I remind them that this is fiction, where, unlike in life, good things can happen simply because we want them to!

  Q. Any thoughts about your next book?

  A. Thoughts, yes, though the thoughts are preliminary. I will say that I’ll be trying my hand at creating a teen character quite different from the ones I’ve created in the past few novels, one much harder and more experienced, and without the whimsy and sweetness and even innocence many of my teens have displayed. She’ll be a sympathetic character of course—and that’s part of the challenge I’ll be facing, to balance her toughness with likeability.

  Q. What will you do if one day the ideas stop coming?

  A. That will never happen. My ability to execute ideas might fail, but not my ability to find them!

  A READING GROUP GUIDE

  SUMMER WITH MY SISTERS

  Holly Chamberlin

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The suggested questions are included to enhance

  your group’s reading of Holly Chamberlin’s

  Summer with My Sisters !

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. The book begins some time after the major, life-changing events in the lives of four young women, the most recent being the passing of Oliver Higgins. Though each character is still grieving, each has had time to move past the initial brutally painful phase of loss and begin to adjust to the new reality. Talk about some of the ways in which grief affects and even determines choices and behavior. For example, Poppy wonders if the grief she felt after her mother’s death contributed to her making the poor choice of Ian as a friend and lover. Evie/Sophie runs away from her aunt and uncle’s house after her cousin’s careless remarks regarding the father /daughter dance highlight her own sad situation. Daisy tells us that both she and Violet refused grief counseling after the death of their mother. Do you think they should have been made to talk to a counselor? Do you think the experience of counseling after that first death might have better prepared them for the loss of their father? Or do you think that both children and adults alike should be left to find their own way through grief, supported only by love?

  2. Secrecy is an important theme of the book. Evie/Sophie keeps secrets in order to protect herself from being discovered as an underage runaway. Violet keeps the fact of her panic attacks to herself so as not to trouble her sisters. Allie says that everyone keeps secrets about themselves and their past and doesn’t see it as a big deal. (Recall that though she has known Poppy for some time it is only during the course of this story that she reveals the fact that her parents are still alive.) As for Poppy, she keeps to herself the fact of Jon’s kiss because she wants to cherish it all on her own. When is keeping a secret (one’s own) justifiable and when—if ever—is it not? Daisy and Joel are in a different situation. They are asked to keep Evie/Sophie’s past a secret (unaware that they are being told at least a partial lie). How does this prove dangerous or potentially so? Poppy tells Daisy and Joel that in spite of their good intentions they were irresponsible to make such a promise to Evie. Do you agree?

  3. With which Higgins sister did you most identify? For which sister did you feel the most sympathy? Poppy—beautiful and privileged, but racked by self-doubt and worried that she will never live up to the example set by her parents. Daisy—intellectually inclined and at times overly concerned with the welfare of others. Violet—an old soul who passionately believes in the sanctity of all life and of a world beyond what we can see. Do you have a favorite sister and if so, why?

  4. The Higgins sisters share a strong sense of the duties involved with hospitality, something they learned from their parents. Talk about the varying reasons for the sisters welcoming their three very different houseguests—Allie, Ian, and Evie. When is it acceptable to ask a guest to leave one’s home? Certainly, no one would question Poppy’s decision to toss Ian back to Boston! But consider Evie. Poppy tells Jon that though she knows Evie can’t stay at the house on Willow Way forever, she would be very reluctant to ask her to leave before Evie had found good year-round employment and a safe place to live. Think back to the conversation between Poppy and Jon in which they talked about the natural hesitation one would experience before inviting a homeless person—child or adult—into one’s home. Where does concern for one’s self and one’s family at the expense of others less fortunate become selfish or wrong? Does it ever?

  5. A popular adage tells us “home is where the heart is.” While most people would agree that this is true to a great extent, talk about the importance of an actual, physical place that one can call home. When is an actual, physical place alone not enough to create a home? On a related subject, consider the importance of personal possessions and the value we place upon them. Daisy thinks about how much “stuff” she has and how much she takes it for granted. Evie/Sophie tells us that before the accident she never realized how good and comfortable her life was, and that once having had possessions makes it that much more difficult to live without them. While few people would argue that material objects alone bring happiness or stability, talk about how items such as family relics and photographs and jewelry associated with special occasions hold great and tangible meaning.

  6. Joel expresses the opinion that when Evie/Sophie lied to him and to Daisy, she made them somehow complicit in the lies. Both admit to being a bit angry about this, though they also admit to understanding why their frie
nd felt the need to lie repeatedly. Talk about how lies vary—from socially “required” lies to white lies; from intentionally damaging lies to lies meant to protect the liar or the one being lied to. How is telling a lie different from keeping a secret?

  7. The character of Dan Steuben might be said to have “fallen through the cracks.” While Summer with My Sisters is a work of fiction and not a detailed study of a social system erected to help people in various stages of need or distress, talk about how a person such as Dan—fairly privileged and successful—might descend to the state of losing all and becoming homeless. How might he have been allowed to become addicted to painkillers? How might friends and colleagues have failed to see or perhaps chosen to ignore warning signs of addiction or depression? On a related note, just after Evie/Sophie runs away from the Higgins home, Violet suggests that no one really looked at Evie/Sophie. In a way she might also be referring to her own situation. If Violet’s friends or family had really looked at her, do you think they might have detected her inner distress? How difficult is it to discern another person’s true state of mind if they are determined to keep it hidden? Can a “witness” be blamed after the fact if she didn’t know what she was witnessing?

  8. Jon tells Poppy that he doesn’t believe total independence is always a good thing. Talk about independence and interdependence. Is total independence possible, given that we exist in community even when we attempt to turn our backs on it? Daisy notes that if something bad happens to Evie/Sophie while she is on the run, it will negatively affect everyone with whom she had been in close contact. Consider Evie/Sophie’s fear of being too closely known, and thereby losing (at least until she turns eighteen) what autonomy she has achieved. And then consider her terrible loneliness and isolation, and her need to reach out to Daisy. Remember that before Jon, Poppy had never been in love. Might that have something to do with her not being ready for or understanding the need for interdependence?