“I want to know her. I hope she’ll let me,” Janine said softly.
THAT AFTERNOON, NANCY, Janine, Alyssa, and Maggie gathered at the wedding dress designer’s mansion, just outside of Oak Bluffs, and discussed wedding dress logistics with Greta. Greta doted on Maggie in every way, and Maggie beamed excitedly, discussed the various styles she liked and turned her eye toward Janine frequently as she asked her opinion. “What do you think of this, Mom?” and, “Mom, do you think this would work?”
When the girls left the designer’s house, they gathered outside a little restaurant along the waterline and ordered some merlot. There, Janine and Nancy made eye contact and said, almost in unison, “We have something to tell you.”
“What is it?” Alyssa asked brightly.
“Okay, should we be worried?” Maggie demanded, arching a brow.
Nancy exhaled slowly and then lifted her glass of wine. “We’ve decided to reopen the Katama Lodge and Wellness Spa. Me, your mom, along with your Aunt Elsa and Aunt Carmella.”
“Seriously?!” Maggie cried.
“That’s fantastic! Mom, you’re going to work again! Grandma, Mom, was absolutely crazy for her naturopathic practice,” Alyssa continued. “We couldn’t believe it when you closed the place down.”
Janine, who’d long since given up on fully comprehending why she’d closed her practice, lifted her glass and beamed. “I can’t wait to get back to it.”
“When do you think you’ll reopen?” Alyssa asked.
“I spoke with Elsa this morning, and she thinks we could even be booked up for the Fourth of July,” Nancy said.
“That’s just around the corner!” Maggie cried.
“Do you need any help reopening the place?” Alyssa arched an eyebrow.
“Oh, you girls probably have so much going on,” Nancy said. “You don’t need to reserve any mental space for the Katama Lodge.”
“Come on. We’d love to help,” Maggie affirmed. “Put us to work. You don’t have long before the Fourth.”
Janine and Nancy made eye contact and then burst into laughter. They’d already marveled that the Fourth of July was much, much too soon — but that crazier things had happened.
“Maybe, if you’d be willing to come back next weekend, maybe we can put you to work,” Nancy said with a wide grin. “But we’ll pay you back with buckets of wine and delicious seafood.”
“That sounds like a good deal to me,” Alyssa said.
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS were a blur. Janine found herself in the midst of the chaos, constantly writing to-do lists, making runs to the hardware store, and getting down on her hands and knees to scrub and dust and investigate different areas of the Lodge to make sure everything was prepared for the upcoming guests.
Elsa, who’d always been in charge of branding, social media, and general reservations for the lodge and spa, announced around June 25th that they were already booked up for all of July. Janine and Nancy, who were both bleary-eyed and exhausted from their non-stop cleaning and organizing, suddenly found the energy to jump up and down in celebration. Elsa popped open a bottle of champagne, and the three of them enjoyed a glass as the sun set in a gooey haze of pink.
“We’re really back,” Elsa whispered. “And I think Dad would be so proud of us. I really do.”
“Your dad wouldn’t have wanted us to mope around for the rest of our lives,” Nancy affirmed. “He believed in the lodge. And the best thing we can do to sustain his memory is to keep it going.”
The following weekend, just as they’d promised, Alyssa and Maggie arrived back to the Vineyard to help out with the Lodge. Janine had never seen her daughters work so hard. They helped prepare the bedrooms of the lodge, made lists for various food items the kitchen would need for their grand re-opening on the Fourth, and even started to organize the elaborate party, which they’d decided to have on the Fourth of July itself, in order to kick-start excitement for the lodge. Much of the island was invited, including all of the women Janine and Henry interviewed for their project.
Janine frequently thought of Henry. As she fell deeper in with the Lodge and its preparations, she felt further and further away from him and sensed that he, too, had found new ways to fill his time. She hoped that his documentary had continued to morph and change. She hoped that he’d begun to make peace with his mother’s death.
It wasn’t as though they could fall in love or anything like that, she told herself. Her separation from Jack was too recent; her pain was still too great. Maybe, in a month or two or six, she and Henry could continue on the path of friendship. Or maybe, he’d go back to the city, where he wanted to belong, and she would continue on there, with her mother.
Despite everything, Janine did think of Henry almost every time she passed by the Edgartown Lighthouse. Her heart ached with longing as she remembered those people, over one hundred years ago, who’d gathered on that long-lost Bridge of Sighs and watched their loved ones being taken away on whaling expeditions. How tremendously horrible to say goodbye to those you loved — yet wasn’t it somehow a part of life? Those who truly mattered had always found a way back to you. And maybe, in that way, it was proof that their love was the strongest of all.
Chapter Twenty-One
Janine arrived at the Katama Lodge and Wellness Spa on the morning of the Fourth of July. She wore a white dress, which scooped toward her breasts beautifully, and her hair was full and curly and shining beneath the glowing light of an ever-present sun. When she stepped into the foyer, she discovered Carmella at the front desk, positively beaming at her.
“There she is,” Carmella greeted. “The woman who made this all happen.”
Janine laughed. “I don’t know about that. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. And Mom. And Elsa.”
Carmella stepped around the front desk and leaned heavily against it. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, “You know, it’s difficult for people to know sometimes, just how much impact they have on others. I think we feel that way sometimes in these naturopathic fields, as well. Acupuncture, spa treatments, all of it — it really does create lasting effects in these women. And in the same way, I don’t want you to discredit what you’ve done here. You gave your mother a reason to keep going.”
Janine blushed and brought a strand of hair behind her ear. There was still so much she didn’t understand about this world, and still, so much she didn’t know about Carmella and Elsa and the entire Remington family. Even though the reopening and party-planning process, Elsa and Carmella had hardly spoken to one another. Maggie had commented on it the previous weekend, stating, “You have to get to the bottom of what’s up between Carmella and Elsa. I can’t imagine if Alyssa and I got into some kind of fight like that. They won’t even look at each other.”
Janine and Carmella stepped out onto the back porch, which overlooked the water. There, they watched as several workers, all of whom they’d recently hired for various everyday operations at the Lodge, lifted a large white tent toward the sky. Beneath this, tables would be set up, and a dance floor would stretch from beneath the tent, out toward the water. A local band had been hired, along with a famous caterer named Zach Walters, who worked generally for the Sunrise Cove Bistro, over in Oak Bluffs.
“I can’t wait to get my hands on that food,” Carmella said now with a laugh. “The food at the bistro is to die for, and Zach is a difficult guy to book. I can’t believe you managed it.”
Janine blushed. “Back in Manhattan, I was pretty good at planning parties. It turned into my whole life, especially after I quit my practice.”
“You’re good at it,” Carmella pointed out. “But I have to imagine you’re pretty damn good at everything.”
Janine blushed. “Since everything happened, I haven’t felt particularly good at anything.”
“The Lodge will help,” Carmella said softly as her eyes caught the light off the water. “I have a feeling that all good things are about to begin—for all of us in the Remington-Grimson-Potter
household.”
Janine grimaced. “I think it’s about time I drop the Potter name.” She swallowed then and wrapped her hands around the railing that wrapped around the back porch. “I don’t feel him here, you know. Jack. He was so much a part of Manhattan. Everyone knew his name, and everyone knew me by extension. But here, I’m just Janine. I’m Nancy’s daughter. I don’t have any association with big cocktail parties or huge gossip circles, or stupid tabloid magazines. I even stopped checking the online gossip columnists because I realized I don’t care at all what’s said about me. I feel like I’m finally free.”
THE FOURTH OF JULY party at the Katama Lodge and Wellness Spa began just after six in the evening. Smells of barbecue, platters of seafood and glorious freshly baked bread and pies swirled out from the kitchen and through the tent, mixing with the smells of the salty ocean and the beautiful trees, which surrounded the property on all sides. Janine stood with her mother for the first hour or so, toward the front of the property, to greet Vineyard residents and locals, all of whom expressed their gratitude and excitement that the Katama Lodge was reopened.
Carmella stationed herself in the foyer downstairs throughout the early part of the party, as the women who’d set aside the holiday week to spend time and heal at the Katama Lodge itself had already begun to check-in. They’d been told about the party, and they hurriedly dropped off their things in their suites, changed clothes, and then met with one another in the big tent for dinner and drinks.
Janine met several of these women, some of whom had traveled from as far away as Oregon and Arizona.
“I came to the Katama Lodge ten years ago,” one woman said excitedly. “I worked directly with Carmella and another of the naturopathic residents here. I had just lost my sister to cancer, and I was struggling so much. After that, I found the strength to keep going. When I saw that the Lodge was reopening, I knew I had to come back for a kind of check-in with myself. And look at that view! I swear the Bay has never looked better. After all these years, it’s like I can feel all the previous versions of myself, right here.”
Maggie and Alyssa arrived at the party around seven. Their excitement was overzealous, and they hugged Nancy and Janine and jumped up at down at the beautiful party, the boisterous band, the wonderful food, and the hanging lights, which made the yard simmer with magic and the large pool glisten with its lights.
Janine spotted Nancy on the back porch, overlooking the party, as the first of the evening light was cast over everyone else. Janine stepped up beside her mother and followed her gaze over the revelers. Laughter and conversation bubbled up throughout the crowd. It took a long time, but finally, Nancy exhaled softly and said, “I just can’t believe this. Neal would be so pleased with how it turned out.”
Janine’s throat tightened. “I can’t imagine what it must feel like to move forward without him.”
Nancy shifted her gaze toward her daughter. “He would laugh so much, I think.”
“About what?”
“All those years, I cried about you. I wanted to find a way back to you. A way to ask you to return to me. Maybe he would say — look, Nancy. You needed me out of the way so you could get your first real love back.” Nancy’s eyes sparkled. “That would be the kind of thing that would make him laugh a lot. He would say it was all meant to be.”
Janine swallowed, unsure of what to say. After a long pause, she said, “Carmella says everyone checked in for the night. We’re off to the races tomorrow. I have my first appointment at ten in the morning. And they continue on throughout the day.”
Nancy gripped Janine’s hand hard over the railing. “These women don’t know how much you’re about to change their lives.”
Janine’s heart swelled. “I hope I’m up for it.”
“You will be,” Nancy said.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Janine caught sight of a familiar man. He waded through the crowd down below as the haze of orange evening light toyed with his dark, curly head of hair. It had been weeks since Janine had seen any sign of Henry, and she was surprised that a lump caught in her throat and her stomach fluttered with butterflies.
“I have to go speak with someone,” Janine said suddenly. “But I’ll be back.”
“Take your time, Janine,” Nancy said. “You created a beautiful party. You should be allowed to enjoy it.”
“The hostess’s job is never complete.” Janine beamed as she stepped away. “But here, those mean Manhattan socialites don’t have their eyes on me at all times. I can probably take a few minutes for myself.”
“Absolutely,” Nancy said brightly.
Janine was in such a rush that she took the steps two at a time and hustled through the crowd. When she reached Henry, he was faced away from her. She lifted a finger and tapped him on the shoulder, and he immediately stepped around so that his eyes grabbed hold of hers. They gazed at one another. Janine’s tongue felt suddenly heavy. She had absolutely nothing to say. She just wanted to stand there beside him. It was the simplest feeling in the world.
“Hey there,” she said.
“Hi.”
Janine swallowed and then gestured out across the party. “I’m surprised you came by.”
“Heard about it through the grapevine,” Henry said. “Small island and all.”
“That it is.”
“But it’s beautiful. The party, I mean,” Henry offered.
“Thank you.”
“Not that you weren’t always brilliant at planning parties,” Henry affirmed.
Janine’s throat constricted again. She glanced up toward the back porch, where her mother remained.
“How did you convince her to go through with it?” Henry finally asked. “To reopen, I mean.”
Janine shrugged. “Something changed. I think she realized that there was so much love between us. And that I wasn’t willing to give up on it, just because there was so much darkness in our past.”
“That’s beautiful,” Henry said.
“I know it’s going to be a hard road. But we’re both up for it. I guess, what else is there to do, but work for it?”
“Well said.” Henry leafed through his pocket and then drew out a USB stick. “I wanted to bring you the video we made together. It’s a great record of what your mother has done here over the years.”
Janine’s lips parted in shock. She hadn’t expected Henry to go ahead and finish editing the video without her, especially after their little spat. It was the kindest of all gestures, without any kind of reward.
“Thank you. This is incredible,” Janine said softly. She slipped the USB into her own pocket and continued to gaze into his eyes. “And how is your project going?”
Henry hesitated. “To be honest, it’s taken a backseat to a few family issues. I’ve really gotten to know my sisters again in recent weeks. And my father and I even went fishing together the other day.”
“Wow. The elusive Henry is reconnecting with his Vineyard roots,” Janine teased tenderly.
“It seems like it,” Henry said. “And I have to admit. I don’t hate it as much as I always thought I would. I thought maybe, I might stick it out over the summer, maybe even into the autumn. Be the son my father always dreamed of. Be there for my sisters and my nieces and nephews. I don’t know. Maybe this place has given me a new sense of myself and my creativity. Maybe I don’t want to throw that away just yet.”
Janine slipped a strand of hair behind her ear. She suddenly felt girlish and silly. “The island is better with you on it, I think.”
“I think everyone here would agree with that sentiment when it comes to you being here,” Henry returned.
That moment, there was the screech of a microphone. Janine glanced up to find Elsa, center-stage, near to where the band stepped back to allow her to speak.
“Thank you, each and every one of you, for coming out to welcome us back to the fold,” Elsa announced. “I know that in the wake of the lodge’s closing, my heart has been a little sadder, a little empti
er. I was so resistant to re-open because I wasn’t sure how we could manage it without my dear Dad. But together, with the help of my beautiful step-mother, step-sister, and along with my sister, Carmella...”
She said this last part doubtfully.
“We’ve managed to do it,” Elsa continued. “Thank you, to this wonderful and generous island, for welcoming us back in true Vineyard fashion. We love you. Thank you for your support. And happy Fourth of July! Let’s keep this party going!”
Everyone in the crowd hollered and hooted and clapped their hands. Elsa introduced the band back to the stage, and they soon rollicked into a rousing version of “God Bless America” while they all watched fireworks go off over the water.
Henry’s eyes flashed as he returned his gaze to Janine’s.
“Do you know very much about Elsa and Carmella's past?” he asked suddenly.
Janine’s heart dropped. “I know there’s a lot of darkness.”
Henry nodded. “Did you know they had a brother?”
News of this sliced Janine right through her belly. “Had? He died?”
“It was really tragic,” Henry said. “The island mourned for a long, long time. But also, then their mother died — and then Neal remarried a few years later. She was a really evil woman.”
Shock sizzled through Janine’s stomach. She turned her eyes back toward Elsa, who stepped off of the stage and walked directly past Carmella. Janine felt it again: the heaviness of their past, so much she couldn’t understand or see. It went deep beyond words.
“Anyway. I just wanted to drop this off,” Henry said. “I had better head out. I told my sister I’d be back.”
“Thank you, Henry,” Janine said. She felt the USB in her pocket. “I can’t tell you what this means to me.”
“Don’t mention it,” Henry returned. “I’ll see you around, now that you’re an islander.”
He winked and then disappeared through the crowd. Janine’s heart pounded strangely as she watched him go. Something told her that her life wasn’t over yet. It was only just beginning.
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