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“Goodness. They don’t get along in the slightest.” Esme sat back down. Worry permeated her face. “He must really feel unwanted here.”
Rebecca, Valerie, and Bethany were quiet. Decades of confusion and pain had eroded their once-powerful family. How could they move on from this? How could they ever find peace?
Chapter Twenty-One
Rebecca sat at the breakfast table the following morning with a mug of coffee and a croissant from the local bakery. Valerie hadn’t been able to sleep, and after a very long walk, she’d returned with a big box of goodies, which she’d placed on the kitchen counter. Now, Valerie remained standing at the counter, typing furiously on her phone.
“So you had to leave that job in San Francisco?” Rebecca asked, sensing something amiss.
Valerie eyed Rebecca distrustfully. “I didn’t love the way they handled their employees. Lack of trust. Lack of patience.”
“That’s terrible.” Rebecca knew she wouldn’t get to the bottom of what was really going on in Valerie’s life because Valerie wasn’t one for details. “Isn’t San Francisco really expensive?”
“Crazy expensive,” Valerie emphasized. “I don’t know how people afford to live there.” She put her phone down and rubbed little circles into her temples. “Mom loved the city when she first arrived, though. We walked endlessly in Golden Gate Park. I think she was trying to pretend she was better than she was. She hardly talked about Larry. In fact, she actually spoke about moving away from Nantucket, getting on dating websites, and trying to build a new life for herself. I now see how delusional she was.”
Rebecca nodded. “I think we all have to tell ourselves stories to get through difficult times. That was the story Mom chose at the time.”
Valerie nodded and sipped her coffee, clearly at a loss.
But before she could think of something to say, Esme breezed into the kitchen. She smelled of lilacs and soap. Her hair had been styled, and she wore cherry-colored lipstick. It was only eight in the morning, but she seemed ready to face the day.
“Good morning!” Esme poured herself a cup of coffee and eyed the croissants and other baked treats. “My goodness. Will every day with my daughters be a culinary surprise?”
“Valerie thought we deserved something nice,” Rebecca said.
“Maybe we do, Val.” Esme smiled.
“Where are you off to?” Valerie asked.
“Thank goodness I checked the calendar at the Sutton Book Club. I have a reading group coming at nine thirty to discuss All The Light We Cannot See. Twenty-five women! And they’ll be expecting coffee and baked goods. The whole shebang.”
“We’ll help you,” Valerie offered tentatively.
Esme’s eyes shone. For a moment, Rebecca thought Esme would refuse their help. Instead, she said, “I can’t imagine doing this alone. Thank you.”
Within the hour, Rebecca, Valerie, Bethany, and Esme were up at the Sutton Book Club. Coffee had been brewed, donuts, croissants, apple tarts, and cinnamon buns lined one of the long wooden tables, and they moved twenty-five chairs into a circle. June sunlight streamed through the large windows. The long shelves filled with books remained a stunning link to Grandpa Thomas, who, it seemed to Rebecca, blessed everything they did together as a family.
Amy Stevenson, a woman in her midsixties, was in charge of the reading group. She had poofy blond hair and an appreciation for sugary perfume. At nine twenty, she breezed through the front doors of the Sutton Book Club, took Esme by the elbows, and said, “Darling, I can’t imagine how difficult it’s been for you. I’m so glad to see you here. And I’m so glad you’ve managed to keep the Sutton Book Club open for us!”
Esme’s smile was difficult to read. She spoke pleasantly with Amy, showing her the circle of chairs and the mass amounts of baked goods. All the while, Rebecca’s stomach twisted with fear. Esme’s sense of community and meaning were tied up in the Sutton Book Club. How on earth could she raise over one hundred thousand dollars by the end of the summer? How could she avoid losing everything Grandpa Thomas had built?
Rebecca pulled Valerie and Bethany into the kitchen. They stood in the shadows, listening as more and more women from the reading group mounted the stairs and greeted Esme and Amy.
“I think we should ask Mom about the bills,” Rebecca said.
Bethany grimaced. “She’s clearly upset. I don’t want to push her into even more of an emotional downward spiral.”
“But if we don’t save the Sutton Book Club, what will she do? And how can we live with ourselves, letting our grandfather’s legacy fall apart like that?” Rebecca demanded. It was suddenly the only thing in the world she cared about. She needed to make sure her mother still had the comfort of this remarkable place.
Valerie and Bethany exchanged glances. Before either of them could speak, however, Esme entered the kitchen and smiled. Under her breath, she gasped, “Goodness. Small talk takes a lot out of me these days.” She then walked toward the sink and poured herself a glass of water. Her three daughters watched her like a hawk.
Finally, Rebecca heard herself speak. “Mom?”
Esme turned. “What is it, darling?”
Rebecca shifted her weight. “We know about the Book Club’s money problems.”
Esme’s smile waned. She sipped the rest of her water, then clacked the glass on the countertop. Bethany’s eyes were wide like saucers.
