Chapter One
It was the middle ofMay on Martha’s Vineyard, and the island flourished with a wealth of gorgeous flower buds, shimmering green leaves, and frothing waves off the Sound.Soon, tourists would flock to the island, chaotic and loud and eager to take up space all summer long.But just for now, during these blissful weeks, before the season fully began, the Sheridan family was allowed the privacy and quiet of their beautiful home as it dusted itself off from the winter.It was time to live again.
“It’s hard to believe we just had a blizzard a few months back.”Susan Sheridan Frampton stood in a pair of khaki slacks and a white sweater, her hands on her hips as she peered off the back porch of the Sheridan House.Her forehead was tanned from a long afternoon in the garden next door, where she lived with her husband, Scott, and her stepson, Kellan.
Lola Sheridan sat cross-legged on the back patio chair, her head back against the patio furniture pillow and a book splayed open lazily on her lap.Daydreamy and lost inside herself, she couldn’t find a way to respond to her older sister.
“And hard to believe it’s been almost two years since we all came back.”Susan continued without waiting for Lola’s answer.“And two years since my divorce from Richard!”
“Yes.That tends to happen, doesn’t it, Susan?Time passes quickly...”Christine was still just as sharp-witted as ever and quick with sarcastic remarks.She stepped out of the living room with baby Mia strapped to her chest, sleeping.
“What will you do if that daughter of yours inherits your sarcasm?”Susan asked, her smile widening.
“Tell her how proud I am of her,” Christine returned.“Sarcasm makes the world go round.”
“Really?I heard it was our gravitational pull to the sun,” Lola tried.
At this, both Susan and Christine burst into laughter.Just beyond the porch, over the tip-tops of the trees that lined the little forest between the Frampton and Sheridan Houses, a flock of birds crested, forming a strange and beautiful formation in the blue sky.Below them, Grandpa Wes and Kellan stepped out from behind the trees with their binoculars lifted.
“They’ll be there all spring and summer long, won’t they?”Susan said.
“They’ll take breaks for snacks, don’t you worry about that,” Christine joked.
Within the house came the sounds of Amanda and Audrey, cackling together as they cooked up an early dinner.
“That needs more salt and more sugar,” Audrey pointed out.
“Audrey.I’m not going to be responsible for making a diabetes dinner,” Amanda countered.
“You’re absolutely no fun,” Audrey shot back.
Lola’s eyes connected with Susan’s as they shared a laugh.Their daughters, Amanda and Audrey, were mirror images of their mothers and had recently become the best of friends.For Lola, who’d lost touch with Susan for around twenty-five years, this friendship was beyond her wildest dreams.It’s the way Susan, Christine, and Lola should have been together through every decade of their lives.
“What’s for dinner, girls?”Susan called as she stepped toward the porch door, which screeched as she opened it.
“We’re making chicken burgers,” Audrey replied.“With slaw and baked beans and corn.”
Lola leaped up from her patio chair, shaking out her overly stiff limbs as she meandered back indoors.Christine followed her, making her way into the Sheridan House just as the screen door closed.On the floor near the couch, Max, now almost fifteen months old, hovered with his hands on the side of the furniture to steady himself.
“There’s my baby boy,” Lola said sleepily, lifting her grandson against her chest and moving around with him to dance to the music on Audrey’s speaker.His little body was so warm, his little hands smooth as silk.
When Lola spun back, she caught Susan’s eyes, which were filled with emotion.Susan’s own grandchildren still lived in Newark, which was basically a million miles away, and Amanda showed no sign of giving birth any time soon.
“You want to take him for a twirl?”Lola asked, delivering Max to Susan’s outstretched arms.
Max squealed with excitement as Susan danced, her grin widening as their eyes locked.
“Max is such a ladies’ man,” Audrey said, feigning disdain.“He’s going to be a lot to handle when he’s a teenager.”
“Oh, like you weren’t a lot to handle?”Lola teased.
Audrey rolled her eyes at her mother, then began to chop vegetables for a last-minute salad idea.Christine dropped onto the couch, her hand across Mia’s head, smoothing the dark hairs.Lola cracked open a bag of chips as Amanda hissed at her, “Don’t spoil your dinner.”
“I’m not,” Lola insisted, crunching down on another Salt and Vinegar chip.“When are the others getting here?”
“The Montgomery clan?”Susan asked.“Andy and Beth said they’d be here around five or so.Charlotte and Claire took the girls to New York this weekend, so they’re out.What about Steve, our elusive cousin?Or Kelli?”
“No word on Steve.Kelli’s stopping by on her way back from the construction site,” Christine informed.“And Aunt Kerry should be here any minute.”Kelli and her boyfriend had been hard at work on the redesign of the Aquinnah Cliffside Overlook Hotel.