The Saturday morning after surgery, after a few days in the hospital and a cozy day at Kathy’s place, Ada filled her car’s back seat with plenty of pillows and blankets and helped her mother get situated. All of Kathy’s suitcases were stuffed in the trunk, ready for an unlimited amount of time on the island, and Hannah had reported that the guest bedroom was ready for Grandma.
In a small voice, Kathy said, “I can’t tell you what this means to me.”
Ada’s eyes filled with tears. Too caught up in the emotion, she started the car rather than speaking.
What if she could talk to her mother about her marriage?
What if she could divulge the truths of her heart?
Oh, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that did was Kathy’s health.
On the way to the island, Kathy slept, and Ada was quiet with the radio off, grateful that her mother could rest. They took the ferry at noon and pulled onto the Bushner’s street in record time, where they found Kade and Olivia in the midst of a water-gun fight with three of their neighbors. Kathy chuckled happily. “Look at those monsters,” she said, waving out the window.
Peter came out the minute the garage door opened. Ada tried to read his expression, to gauge how nervous or guilty he felt. Throughout her time at the hospital, she’d weighed up how she wanted him to act and what she wanted to happen next and had thought that maybe it was better if she continued to pretend not to know anything. Perhaps Peter would make a decision. Did he really want to be the kind of man who would leave his family? Did he really want all that gossip?
Does he really want to give up on our love?
“Hi,” Peter said, dropping down to kiss Ada. But she offered him only her cheek. Peter looked taken aback and asked, “How was the trip?”
“Just fine,” Ada said. “Glad to be home.”
Kade and Olivia had dropped their water guns and come to say hello to their grandmother, who was terribly pleased to see them. Ada hurried over to help her mother out of the car, then slung her arm over her shoulders to walk her inside.
“Where’s Hannah?” Kathy asked.
“She’s at work for the lunch rush,” Ada said. “She’ll be back soon.”
Peter took Kathy’s opposite shoulder and, beaming, said, “I can’t believe how lucky I am to have Kathy Wagner in Nantucket for the foreseeable future!”
Kathy’s grin was model-esque. “Don’t tease me, Peter Bushner! I’m a medical patient. I’m an old lady who needs help. That’s all.”
“You could never be described so simply,” Peter said, trying to catch Ada’s eye. Ada dropped her gaze before he could.
Kathy laughed, charmed as ever by Peter, whom she thought was the perfect husband.
Inside, Ada was incredibly pleased with Hannah’s work on the guest bedroom. She thought, "Hannah’s really growing up and learning what it means to take care of people." After what Hannah had called a “snafu” with the television delivery (which probably equated to Peter having forgotten to be home for said delivery), they’d gotten the television re-delivered, and it now hung on the wall, dark and expectant. Ada imagined herself and Kathy propped up in Kathy’s bed, watching more old movies as Peter ran off to his orthodontist conference.
As Kathy settled into her guest room, Hannah waltzed in, carrying brown paper bags of groceries. Ada was surprised and so grateful. She ran to her eldest and hugged her harder than she’d planned. Hannah’s lips were slightly chapped and red, maybe from kissing Quintin.
“I got out of work early,” Hannah said. “I wanted to come hang with you guys.”
“And?” Kathy’s voice rang out from the guest bedroom, reminding Hannah. “Tell your mother what we’ve done, darling.”
Hannah grinned. “Grandma has a surprise for you.”
Ada put her hands on her hips. What could her mother possibly surprise her with so few days after open-heart surgery? Kathy was sleeping more or less constantly and needed help with almost every activity. How could she have planned anything for Ada (Ada, who needed nothing)?
“Hannah helped me,” Kathy said meekly. “She’s mischievous, that granddaughter of mine.”
Peter was in the kitchen, smiling serenely, as though he knew all about whatever this was. Ada furrowed her brow and walked to the guest bedroom, where she stood in the doorway, gazing at her mother and waiting for an explanation. Softly, Kathy said, “You’ve been working so hard for me, honey. And with Peter about to go away for his conference, we’ve made arrangements. Go! Enjoy your Saturday night. Those are your mother’s orders.”
Ada’s stomach bubbled with fear. When she lurched around, she saw Hannah putting the groceries away, and Peter grinning at her from over the top of a fancy-looking bottle of wine. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone with Peter, not since she’d fully put together the Katrina-Caribbean-conference of it all. She wasn’t sure if she could take it.
“I don’t know if I’m up for it,” Ada said, unable to look Peter in the eye. “I’m beat after the last few days.”
“Ada, please,” her mother said, her voice pinched. “Take it from me. You’re not as tired as you think you are. Wait till you’re my age. You have to use your life. Go out to dinner! Go listen to music at that jazz club you talked about all week long.”
Had Ada really been talking about the jazz club that much? It was true that the memory of that night had stuck with her and made her question every decision she’d made in her life.
