Page 20 of Lost Dreams

All her siblings agreed, then launched into ideas about what they could do together and what family parties they could plan. Lorelei got wrapped up in it, trying to pull herself away from visions of Roberto’s stressed-out and red-blotched face.

And then, Allegra leaned toward Lorelei’s ear and whispered, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but Carter Johnson is standing by the water. He’s looking at you.”

Lorelei’s heart jumped into her throat. Carter Johnson was a name she hadn’t considered in years. But she flicked her eyes over to find him—a handsome blond man of fifty—and felt a rush of memories. Carter was her high school boyfriend, her first love. And when their eyes met, he smiled at her in just the same way he’d always smiled.

“I didn’t know he still lived here,” Charlotte muttered.

“Maybe he’s here to visit?” Nina suggested.

“Go talk to him!” Allegra urged.

Lorelei touched the top of her head, worrying about her hair and if it was mussed from the wind. She also worried if going to talk to her high school boyfriend when things were on the rocks with her husband of twenty-five years was not exactly kindhearted or honest.

“Come on. You’re just saying hi,” Allegra reminded her.

Before Lorelei could make up her mind, Carter strode toward their table, raising a hand. “Is that the Whitmore family?” He laughed. “I heard you were all back together again. I don’t think I would have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself.”

Everyone laughed heartily, their eyes flicking from Carter to Lorelei and back again. Lorelei thought she might throw up.

“How are you, Carter?” She asked finally, standing up.

“I’m doing just fine,” Carter said. “I’m in Nantucket all summer, putting on a music camp here for visiting kids.”

“Oh! You still play music?” Lorelei asked.

“I’m more of a teacher now than a performer,” Carter said. “But I like getting on stage now and again. How about yourself?”

“I haven’t performed since I became a mother,” Lorelei admitted, hating how obvious it sounded.

“Now, that’s a tragedy,” Carter said, although he didn’t sound unkind. “You’re the most brilliant musician I’ve ever known. And I’ve met my fair share of musicians over the years. I made a real run for it in my early twenties. By then, I guess, you were selling out places like the Royal Albert Hall and the Musikverein.”

Lorelei laughed, although of course that was what she’d been doing. “It sounds like it all happened to somebody else,” she said.

“It was you, Lorelei,” Carter said. “You can’t separate from that wonderful past. And you can’t get rid of a musical ear like the one you have. That’s for sure.” His blue eyes shone.

Suddenly, Allegra chimed in. “You know, Carter, we’re having a party at the White Oak Lodge next weekend. We have a few musical acts performing, but we’d love to see you and Lorelei perform again.”

Carter threw his head back with laughter. “I can’t imagine that Lorelei would want to perform with the likes of me.”

Lorelei’s heart skipped. She remembered years ago, when they were in high school, a dynamic musical duo: Carter and Lorelei. They’d been hired for weddings and birthday parties. They’d performed at church events and at graduation. There had been talk of them going to New York City together and trying to get a record deal or something. But Lorelei had decided to stay in Nantucket to continue practicing the piano and help out at the White Oak Lodge. Carter had decided to move to the city himself, where he’d gotten a new girlfriend and never called her again.

Well, it had been a little more complicated than that, of course. But she didn’t like to think about that.

“I would love to see that,” Charlotte said.

“It’s settled,” Allegra said. “If you two can get your act together again, we’ll all be there to see it. Do you have a card?” she asked Carter.

Carter fished a business card from his wallet and handed it to Allegra, who passed it to Lorelei. Lorelei blushed. She wanted to scold her sister for doing this. But she also felt as though she’d just entered into a glorious adventure, one that had nothing to do with Roberto and his restaurants and all the sorrow between them.

“She’s staying all summer long,” Allegra explained to Carter. “Like you.”

“My husband is going back to Rome before the party,” Lorelei carefully explained. She didn’t want Carter to get the wrong idea.

“It’s too bad,” Carter said, his voice firm. “I would have liked to meet him.”

But by the way Carter was looking at Lorelei, she knew Carter didn’t want to meet Roberto at all. It troubled her. But after years of marital strife, it excited her a little bit too.

Once upon a time, she’d been loved. Once upon a time, she’d been cherished.