Page 3 of Sunset on the Solstice

“I think it’s a calming and earthy color,” Ben said, spreading his large hands out on the countertop. “I want to enter the kitchen every morning, make a pot of coffee, do my crossword puzzle, and feel at peace with the universe. I think beige can help me get there. You know?”

Rebecca laughed and flipped through the paint samples, searching for something that screamed, “Paint the kitchen this color!”

“I don’t know,” she said. “What about something classic? Ivory white, maybe?”

Ben hummed. “There’s something so clinical about white. I don’t want to feel like our kitchen is a doctor’s office.”

“I don’t know how we ever agree on anything,” Rebecca teased, kissing him.

“We agree about the important things,” Ben reminded her. “Like food. And your dad.”

Rebecca cackled. Her father, Victor Sutton, was someone she loved to pieces. They all did. But he could also be so overwhelmingly arrogant that it was impossible not to grind your teeth with annoyance.

“And baseball,” Ben remembered. “We both love baseball.”

“Is that enough to sustain our marriage?” Rebecca joked. “You should teach a class for Chad and Jenny. I’m sure they’d love your marriage tips.”

“I’ll impart everything they need to know tonight,” Ben said.

Tonight, they were hosting a little Sutton family barbecue right here at the house. All of the Suttons would be there, save for Shelby, as it was the end of May and all the college-aged kids were home for the summer. They’d decided on a simple fare of barbecue chicken and burgers, but because Rebecca was a chef, the sauces would be mixed to perfection, and the sides would be exquisite and likely experimental. Fearing this, Rebecca’s mother, Esme, had called last night and told Rebecca, “I’m going to bring a potato salad and bags of chips. Not everyone wants haute cuisine, honey.” Rebecca had laughed, knowing it was true. She couldn’t help herself.

The first Sutton guests to arrive were Rebecca’s two other children, Chad and Lily. Rather than ever ringing the doorbell, they came storming in, already laughing about something and carrying platters of food—cheese and bread and fruit and wine. At the sight of them together, getting along so well, Rebecca’s heart swelled. She threw her arms around them both and ordered them to grab a seat on the veranda. “There’s wine already open!”

Once the glasses were poured, and the four of them were sitting and smiling and basking in one another’s company, Rebecca peppered her children with questions. “Come on, Lily. What’s going on in the world of matchmaking? Have you paired up anyone important lately?”

“Anyone we’d know?” Ben asked.

“You are so nosy!” Lily said. “You know I can’t say who my clients are.”

“Come on,” Chad said. “We won’t tell.”

Lily blushed and giggled. “I do have a previous client who’s about to get married to someone semi-famous, actually…” It was clear Lily meant Chad and Jenny, who were semi-famous in the art world.

“I still can’t believe she said yes,” Chad said, looking miffed.

“Why wouldn’t she have said yes?” Rebecca asked. “You’ve been attached at the hip since your first date.”

Chad raised his shoulders. “It’s like Lily says. She’s an international sensation, and I’m literally just Chad Vance.”

“Come on,” Rebecca said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m your son,” Chad said. “You have to think I’m great, legally.”

“True,” Rebecca said. “But you’re also a brilliant architect in your own right. I don’t think Jenny would have gotten together with just anyone.”

“I knew it would be a match from day one,” Lily said proudly.

Not long after that, Lily’s husband, Mick Hamilton, arrived with their two children, Arianne and Natalia. They were twins, aged three, and just about the most adorable creatures Rebecca had ever seen. As they hurried inside, they called out, “Grandma!” until Rebecca bent down and scooped them into her arms. Although Rebecca knew she had at least one other grandchild all the way in Montana, she was grateful to know and love these two little girls here on Nantucket.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rebecca caught Mick drop down to kiss Lily. Ever since they’d gotten together many summers ago, after the dissolution of Lily’s engagement to her ex-boyfriend Liam, Rebecca had adored watching Lily and Mick grow in laughter and love.

She’d always assumed that she would love her children’s spouses. She’d assumed wrong.

Now, Jenny arrived, coming out onto the veranda with a bride’s glow about her. Chad was overjoyed to see her, pouring her a glass of wine before she had a chance to sit down.

“There she is!” Ben announced. “The bride-to-be!”

“It’s all thanks to Lily,” Jenny said, blushing as she glanced at her future sister-in-law. “I was so done with dating! My friend was like, why not try a matchmaker? I almost didn’t.”