Page 10 of Sunset on the Solstice

“What part are you at?” Shelby asked.

The man told her he was about a hundred pages in, and that he was amazed by the artistry of the prose and fascinated by the everyday mechanics of being on a boat. “I feel romantic about that time period,” he explained. “I wish I could be out there on the water.”

“Are you a sailor?” She asked, because so many on the island were.

“I’m not very good,” he admitted. “I learned later in life. I wish I’d learned as a kid.”

Shelby felt a bubbling in her stomach and chest, one unlike anything she’d felt before. Together, she and this stranger stood in the center of the bookshop, discussing Moby Dick and Melville’s prose and what else they’d read that summer. She found him intellectually interesting and incredibly good-looking and—and maybe?—into her. He certainly never broke eye contact, not once. It frightened her. But she found she couldn’t look away.

After more than an hour, the man introduced himself. “I can’t believe you don’t know my name, since you already know so much about me,” he said, laughing. “But I’m Jared. Jared Kissinger.”

Shelby laughed. “I’m Shelby Vance.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shelby Vance,” Jared said. “Do you mind if I get your phone number?”

6

The night Shelby met Jared Kissinger for the first time, she returned to the house she shared with her mother, brother, sister, and Ben, feeling as though she carried a secret in her stomach. She felt sure that Lily would take one look at her and say, “You’re in love.”

“Hey,” Lily said instead, standing at the kitchen counter, “what do you want for dinner?”

Because their mother was up at the restaurant cooking all evening, Lily, Shelby, and Chad were on their own. Chad suggested their favorite, which they called “snack dinner.” They threw various items they found in the fridge and freezer into the oven: vegetables, frozen pizzas, fish sticks, and mozzarella sticks, then carried everything out to the veranda to eat together near the water. There was talk of Mick coming by to eat with them, but Lily said, “Mick’s newly obsessed with his project. I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

Shelby picked up a mozzarella stick and bit the end so that a long, cheesy ooze came out. She laughed, then hurried to clean herself up, her mouth frothing with melted cheese.

“You’ll never guess who I heard from today,” Lily said, reaching for a slice of pizza.

“Who?” Chad asked, his eyes to the water.

“Baxter,” Lily said.

Shelby’s eyebrows rocketed to her hairline. “You’re kidding.”

“He had a really good time with you,” Lily said, shrugging. “I knew there was something between you. You’re both readers. You’re both New Yorkers. And he’s cute, right?”

“He literally told me he just wants to be friends,” Shelby reminded her sister. She didn’t want to say, “I spent an hour crying on your bed after our date, remember?”

“Sometimes guys need a little time to think things over. Right, Chad?”

Chad shrugged and took another bite of pizza. He’d had many girlfriends and had never seemed to have much trouble with dating. Shelby wasn’t sure she wanted any feedback from him. But then Chad said, “Guys are dumb, Shelbs.”

Shelby laughed despite herself. “Well, it’s too late. I met someone else.”

“Ha. Yeah.” Lily took another bite of pizza.

“I’m serious,” Shelby said. “I met a guy today. We’re going out tomorrow night.”

Lily’s jaw dropped.

“Come on. It’s not that weird,” Shelby said, although her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

“No! I mean, it’s not weird at all. And that’s great! Who is he?” Lily had completely abandoned her food and was fixated on Shelby.

Shelby explained what she knew so far. “He came into the bookstore to buy Moby Dick. He’s funny and charming. I don’t know. I have this feeling about him.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “I’ve never heard you talk like this.”

“I’ve never felt like this,” Shelby said.