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"Sure."
As they walked, she told him that the lighthouse, while still active, also served as a memorial site for Vineyard children who’d passed away. When they arrived, she pointed out a brick engraved with the name of a girl she used to play with, who’d died at a very young age.
"She lived two houses away from my grandparents. She had leukemia, and I had no idea. I don't remember her being sick. She was always smiling."
“I think it’s good that kids can be oblivious to certain things,” he said. “I was old enough to grasp how radically our lives had changed when my mother died, and I remember wishing I was younger, like Georgie, so I could just go back to playing and having fun."
"But if you’d been younger, you wouldn't have as many memories of your mother."
"I know that now, but back then…I would have gladly traded some of those memories for a slice of oblivion."
They walked on the beach for a bit and then strolled through Edgartown, stopping to have lunch on a rooftop deck overlooking the harbor. When they were finished, they made their way down the beech tree-lined street to where the Gardiner Inn was situated. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a tall man with a booming voice.
"Lizzy!"
“Uncle Ed!”
They met in the middle of the lobby, and Elizabeth was engulfed in her uncle’s arms.
"Look at you, beautiful as ever,” he said, then turned to Will. “And who do we have here?"
“This is William Darcy,” she said, and looped her arm through Will’s. “Will, this is my uncle, Edwin Gardiner."
Will extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Gardiner."
"Likewise—and it’s Ed. Lizzy, why don't you sneak up on your aunt in the kitchen? She's been baking all day and watching the clock, wondering when you'd get here."
She squeezed Will's arm. "Be right back."
“Lizzy mentionedyou’ve summered on the Cape for most of your life, yet you've never visited Martha’s Vineyard."
Will nodded and noticed the older man's blue eyes were bright with humor. "It's true. I know she loves it here, so I thought a weekend away for her birthday would kill two birds with one stone. She gets to visit again, and I get to see it for the first time."
"She’ll be an excellent tour guide."
Will glanced around at the inn. "This is a nice place. How long have you owned it?"
"Only about four years. It was always a dream of Dee's to run a place like this, so when the opportunity arose, we jumped on it. What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I’m in real estate. I took over my father's company when he passed away six years ago."
"You must have been young."
"I was twenty-five."
"Are you based on the Cape?"
"Our headquarters are in Boston, but we have offices scattered all over the country."
"And how long have you and Lizzy been dating?"
"Um…five weeks or so.”
He was saved from further inquisition when Elizabeth and her aunt came into the room. Mrs. Gardiner was petite with expressive dark eyes, and a long braid of dark hair fell almost the entire length of her back. Elizabeth carried a plate of cookies, and waggled her eyebrows as she passed it under Will’s nose.
"Aunt Dee's famous chocolate chip cookies made from scratch. You'll never want another packaged cookie after you eat these."
"Kind of like your brownies?" Will asked, and grinned when she blushed.
