by Nancy Thayer
Beth looked over her shoulder. Alice Cameron, the head of the chamber of commerce, was striding toward her. Her salt and pepper hair, normally coiled into a neat bun on the top of her head, had come loose and flew around her face like loose strings.
“Isn’t this terrible?” Alice cried when she reached Beth.
“It is,” Beth agreed. “The poor shark—”
“The poor shark? Are you kidding me?” Alice’s voice rose several octaves. “Do you understand what this means for tourism? A shark on a Nantucket beach? People will stop coming, our hotels and B&Bs will be empty, the restaurants will have no customers, and think of all the shopkeepers! The island will become a ghost town!”
“Alice, I don’t think that will happen. I mean, the shark is dead. Maybe the currents brought it here from way out in the ocean.”
“Oh, thank heavens, you are brilliant, yes, that’s probably the reason it’s here.” Alice patted her chest to calm herself.
They finally reached the shore where the creature lay, at least fifteen feet long, showing its white underbelly. Its terrifying long mouth was open, exposing rows of triangular sharply serrated teeth.
Already a crowd had formed and Beth saw that the lifeguard and Ryder had drawn a circle in the sand around the shark and were standing sentry.
“Stand back!” Ryder yelled at the mass of people. “Scientists are on their way.”
“You don’t even live here!” a man shouted at Ryder.
The ring of watchers protested, pushing and shoving and cursing. They were an odd group, some dressed for swimming, some dressed for work, all of them enthralled to be so near this notorious creature.
Eddie Boyton, who owned an island outerwear shop, yelled, “This is OUR island, OUR property, and OUR shark!”
A little boy broke with the crowd and ran, zigzagging past the crowd, to touch the shark. The mother screamed as if the shark was attacking her son.
“Stand back!” the lifeguard yelled, deftly and gently scooping the boy up in his arms. The boy burst into tears.
The crowd shouted and waved their arms in the air.
“This could get ugly,” Alice said to Beth.
“Beth!” Ryder yelled. “Anyone who wants to help, come form a protective ring around the shark until Ocearch gets here.”
“What the hell is Ocearch?” called a woman.
“A collaboration of scientists studying the great whites,” the lifeguard told her.
“We don’t need to study them, we need to kill them!” another woman yelled.
Bill Blount, a town resident and working fisherman, strode down between the shark and the crowd. “Leave this poor creature alone! Don’t be so ignorant! Sharks are at the top of the food chain. If we didn’t have sharks eating the seals, human beings would have no fish to eat. Give this animal some respect!”
Prudence Starbuck, her shining white hair piled so high she seemed taller than her true six feet, stomped through the crowd. “I’ll help!”
This drew a number of people to stand guard around the shark. Beth was among them. She didn’t see Theo or Juliet or Lisa although she continued to scan the crowd.
Ryder put his hand to his ear. Not until then did Beth realize he was wearing a Bluetooth device. “Everyone! Listen! Ocearch is coming with a boat. They’ve got a lift to take the shark from the water onto the boat. We need to get the shark out in the water. Who can help?”
“I will!” a man growled.
“Me, too!”
At least a dozen men came forward, and it took all of them to lift and pull the shark into the water.
“Beth,” Ryder said, tossing her his car keys. “Take my car back to the house. I’m going with the shark.”
“Sure,” Beth answered. She was secretly pleased to have the chance to drive a Range Rover SUV.
The crowd gradually broke up, trudging back up the beach to the road and their cars. A kind of fatigue came over them all, a letdown from the high of the shark finding. A real great white shark. They had been this close to a great white shark.
twenty-six
It was a good morning. Mack and his crew were pulling into the driveway when Lisa left for the shop. And miracle of miracles, Theo was already up, dressed, and out the door to help Dave and Tom unload Sheetrock. Lisa wanted to talk with Mack about the night before, but now was not the time. The summer day was hot and humid, and the streets were already busy with summer people doing errands. The Bartlett’s Farm truck was parked on Main Street, and women were unloading baskets of just-picked tomatoes, strawberries, and lettuce. Men strolled past Sail on the way to buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee. They sat on the benches on Main Street, soaking in the sun and the pure clear sense of leisure, chatting with anyone passing by. For the summer, for the people from big cities, the small town was sweet with ordinary pleasures.
It was a quiet morning in Lisa’s shop. She caught up on paperwork, put out new jewelry in the display case, and tried not to check her phone every five minutes. She’d caught only a quick glimpse of Mack as she walked away from her house earlier. He winked at her. She smiled back.
For a moment, Lisa allowed herself to lean on her counter, remembering last night, walking in the rain, with Mack. Before they saw his daughter and her son.
Moxie Breinberg, the unofficial town crier, burst through the door. “Did you hear about the shark?”
Lisa returned to reality. “No. Tell me.”
Moxie couldn’t speak fast enough, as if afraid someone else would steal the scoop. Moxie should have been a reporter, Lisa thought. She listened to Moxie prattle on about the shark for a solid five minutes without, it seemed, needing to breathe. Lisa was grateful when her best friend Rachel came in. Rachel was not only married to a lawyer, she was a lawyer herself, and she was six feet tall and willowy, with a self-assured demeanor. She rolled her eyes behind Moxie’s back and pretended to check out the new dresses. Finally, Moxie left.
The moment the door closed behind Moxie, Rachel said with a mischievous grin, “So, what’s new with you?”
“I suppose you heard about the great white out at Madaket,” Lisa said.
“That’s crazy, isn’t it? But not what I want to know about. How are you and Mack?”
“We’re wonderful,” Lisa said. She lifted a scarf from the counter and folded it for a few minutes. “He’s wonderful.”
“But…”
“But first of all, Theo is working for him now. Really working, and happy. But Theo is seeing Beth. The four of us ran into each other last night when we were walking in the rain. It was awkward. I was holding hands with Mack and Beth shot daggers at me. Theo and I talked about it as we walked to our house, and he’s okay with it, but you know Theo, he’s the yellow Lab of men.”
Rachel snorted. “I take it that Beth is a rottweiler?”
“I don’t know if I’d call her that. She’s too lovely and kind. Plus, Rachel, Beth’s had a hard time, losing her mother at three, and then losing Atticus when she was a teenager. If she really cares for Theo as much as he seems to care for her, I don’t want to get in the way of that. Not for her, not for Theo. I want them both to have love and romance.”
“What about you?” Rachel put her hand on Lisa’s. “And if you fold that scarf one more time, I’ll strangle you with it.”
Lisa sighed and left the scarf on top of the pile. “I’ve been thinking about that, Rachel. Especially after last night, after seeing how happy Theo was with Beth. And seeing him working for Mack. Theo really likes the work, and he’s good at it. He’s strong, and he likes being part of a team.”
“Okay, but what about you and Mack?”
“We can slow down—”
“I didn’t notice that you two were exactly speeding up.”
“You mean we haven’t slept together yet. No, we haven’t, and it’s not because I don’
t want to. I do. But I’m still…anxious.”
“Lisa, you’re gorgeous—”
“Let me finish. Erich and I married far too fast. I thought I loved him. I guess he thought he loved me. I wish we’d had more time to get to know each other. I wish I’d been able to get a job somewhere, find out what I could do—”
“Lisa, you worked for the National Museum of Women in the Arts!”
“I know. And I did an excellent job. But I was trying to conform to the role that Erich and his parents set for me. And if you’ll remember, and you should remember because you were always championing Erich, I wasn’t prepared for marriage when Erich proposed to me, in front of my parents and the entire restaurant. I wish we had waited, even for a summer, to get to know each other better, to find out what we really wanted.”
“Because that’s how life works,” Rachel said. “We think about what we want and presto! Life gives it to us.”
“The point is, Rachel, Erich and I made a mistake.”
“Juliet and Theo aren’t mistakes.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t change anything in the past, because I have those two amazing children. But I can take a tiny bit of control over what happens to me next.”
“You’re going to be rational instead of romantic.”
“If you put it that way, yes.”
Rachel shook her head. “That sounds kind of sad, Lisa.”
“I don’t mean to be sad, Rachel. I mean to be…kind. Thoughtful. I want to let Theo discover if he can work for Mack, if that’s the kind of life he’d like. I’d like to let him find out if he really cares for Beth. You know what he was like in high school, a new girl every week. Beth is wonderful, and Theo seems serious about her.”
Rachel gave Lisa a warm smile that went all the way to her eyes. “You are one of a kind.”
“I guess that’s a compliment?”
“It is. Plus, I want to buy this scarf.” She picked up the square of silk covered with flowers and tied it around her neck. “Elegant, no?”
“Anything you touch is elegant,” Lisa told her friend. “And thank you for listening to me. I’ll sell you that scarf at cost in exchange for the therapy sessions.”
twenty-seven
Theo was carrying cans of paint up to the bathroom when Juliet came out of her room with her computer slung over her shoulder. “I’ve done my Kazaam work, so I’m going to the OM office now.”
Theo put the cans down. “Hey, did you hear about the great white?”
“My Insta account exploded with photos. Poor Alice Cameron is losing her mind online. She’s insisting the great whites are no danger to people.”
“You’re wearing a dress!” Theo blurted. Juliet was usually in black leggings and a T-shirt, but now she was all girly in a sundress with flowers on it.
Juliet shrugged. “So? It’s summer.”
Theo snorted a laugh. He never could resist taunting his older, totally cooler sister. “You like Ryder. You’re showing it off for him.”
“Don’t be gross.” Juliet rolled her eyes.
“You know Beth hangs out with Ryder.”
“Beth works for Ryder.” Juliet started to go down the stairs.
Theo reached out and took her wrist. “Hey, wait. Seriously, Juliet, you don’t…have a thing going with Ryder, do you?”
She wouldn’t look at him. “Why do you care?”
“You may look sophisticated, but that man is leagues more experienced than you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Juliet jerked her wrist away from his grip. “You think I’m naïve? You think I’ll fall for the old seduce and abandon trick you’ve pulled on every girl on this island?”
“Oh, come off it—”
“If you’re so worried about someone getting hurt, why don’t you stop seeing Beth? You know her father likes Mom.”
Juliet could always hit above her weight. Theo felt like he’d been punched in the gut. “Yeah, I know that. But, Juliet, Mom and Mack are…old. They can take care of themselves.”
“Theo?” Dave yelled up the stairs. “We’ve got another load.”
“Be right there!” Theo yelled back. “Just think about it,” he muttered to Juliet.
“You think about it, too,” Juliet told him.
* * *
—
Juliet reviewed her conversation with Theo as she walked into town. It was true that Ryder was more sophisticated than she was. Could she trust him? Maybe he pulled the “we have such electricity” bit on every woman.
But what she’d experienced with him that night after dinner at the Chanticleer had been powerful. She had been sure it was authentic. A bond existed between them.
She reached the Ocean Matters office. The lights were on but she couldn’t see who was inside because of the posters, so when she pulled the door open, she was momentarily shocked to see Ryder and Beth side by side at the computer.
“Juliet!” Beth was flushed—with excitement or with hormones? “Did you hear about the shark?”
“Several times,” Juliet said dryly. She stayed near the door, unsure what to do and hating herself for this. Her primitive alarm system was buzzing inside her at the sight of Beth and Ryder so close together. It took all her willpower not to turn and walk away. Run away.
Beth said, “Ryder just got back from Madaket. He’s taken a great video. We’re cleaning it up so we can put it on our social media.”
Juliet looked at Ryder. “I didn’t know you were back on-island.”
“I just got in, and had to rush out to see the shark,” Ryder told her. He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Beth was showing me the work you two have done. It’s great. We’re getting lots of attention.”
“It’s all because of Juliet,” Beth said. “She’s the expert. I’m learning a lot from her.”
Surprised and grateful for Beth’s praise, Juliet said, “Beth, you’re a natural at this.”
“You’re both amazing,” Ryder said, walking toward the door. “Juliet, could we take a break? I’d like to talk to you.”
Juliet shrugged, as if this was of no importance to her. “Sure.”
They left the office. Ryder took her arm and guided her to a small path between the office building and a shingled real estate office.
“Where—”
“Here,” Ryder said brusquely. He pulled her against him and kissed her so long and hard her legs went weak.
When he finally released her enough for them both to catch their breaths, he said, “I missed you.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “I missed you, too.”
“Want to get coffee?”
“No, thanks, Ryder.”
“Want to see my etchings?”
Juliet laughed. “Okay, you could buy me coffee.”
They walked up the street to a small café, ordered their drinks, and sat at a table in the corner.
“How was Miami?” Juliet asked.
“Lonely,” Ryder said. “You weren’t there.”
“But seriously.”
“Seriously?” He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Miami has over eighty thousand people living below sea level. Now their ‘King Tides,’ unusually high tides because of the alignment of the sun and the moon, are rising even higher. Billions of dollars of real estate are going to be lost to rising seas.” He paused. “Am I boring you?”
“Not at all. This is fascinating.”
“I have to go to China next. You should go with me.”
Juliet was stunned. Was he kidding? “Well, that would be cool, I guess.”
“I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m suggesting that you work for me. I want to be with you, Juliet.”
“You know I have a great job at Kazaam.”
“Doing posts about cute dogs.” His tone was completely neut
ral.
“Ryder, do you always make important decisions this fast? I mean, I consider myself an efficient decision maker, but you, well, you’re way faster than I am. I really have to give some thought to this. I mean, I’m building up a pension at Kazaam and I’ve got health benefits, and a significant salary. I like my apartment, and I like coming back to the island whenever I want. To be honest, I need to be certain that I can trust you before I change my life so drastically. I want you,” she whispered, looking him in the eye, “but I’m not sure I want to do anything long-term with you.”
“Okay, then, let’s just make love,” Ryder said, smiling.
“What? Ryder, you’re making my head spin.”
“Sorry. I was only teasing. Kind of. Look, I’ve made you uncomfortable. Let’s go back to the office and work on the fundraiser.”
“Good idea,” Juliet said.
They bought a mocha latte to take to Beth and went back to the office. For a while the three went over the figures, catalogued the members, brainstormed about the fundraiser. Ryder left for a meeting. Juliet and Beth sat back in their chairs, relaxing.
“He charges like a freight train coming through,” Juliet said.
“I think he likes you,” Beth told her, smiling shyly.
“Oh, really?” Juliet was amused—and pleased.
“Really. He keeps looking at you, and his eyes get all soft when you speak.”
“Well, I have to admit, I kind of like him.” Juliet started to say more, but Beth interrupted.
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you or Theo, but I’ve moved into Ryder’s garage.”
“What?” Juliet’s hands flew to her stomach. She was afraid she was going to throw up.
“He has an apartment over his garage. Next to his house. On Hulbert Avenue. Amazing views.”
“Forget the views, Beth. Why did you move in with him?”
“I didn’t move in with him. I need to get out of my father’s house, and Ryder offered me the apartment. It’s not permanent or anything.”
Juliet’s face had closed down. “And Theo doesn’t know?”
“Not yet. I just moved today. I had a fight with my father—well, you should know why. I mean, he seems serious about your mother. I don’t want to get in their way.”
