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When they reached Martha’s Vineyard, they tied up the boat and got into Derek’s and Sam’s vehicles, Oriana, Reese, and Chuck in one and Meghan and Hugo in the other. As they drove out to Roland’s place, which Oriana knew was called the Coleman Family House, she shivered with expectation, then eyed her father, whose face was drawn. Probably for him, coming back to Nantucket was always an emotional rollercoaster. This was where he’d been born— this was the island he’d abandoned for the love of Oriana and Meghan’s mother. It was a complicated story.
When they arrived, Roland and his wife, Estelle, stepped onto the front porch and raised their hands. It looked almost as though they were actors playing the part of a welcoming crew. Oriana stepped out of the car and smiled up at them, waving back.
“Come on in,” Estelle said, her voice bright. “Grant and Katrina are here, too.”
Oriana noticed that Sam and Derek hung back near their cars.
“Are you not coming in for dinner?” Oriana asked.
“We figured it would be better for just the siblings and their spouses to be together,” Sam said. “If you add children, partners, and spouses to the mix, it gets chaotic.”
“Next time,” Meghan urged her. “We should all be together.”
“With your children and grandchildren, too,” Sam said.
“Yes,” Meghan said, clasping her hands. “I can’t wait.”
Up on the porch, Oriana and Meghan approached Roland slowly. Although Oriana had seen photographs of him, and Roland’s face was remarkably like their father’s, he was far taller than she’d expected him to be. Unfortunately, that made her even more nervous. What had gotten into her?
“Hello, Roland,” Meghan spoke first, holding her hand out for Roland’s to shake. It felt like a very heavy moment.
Roland shook it, then shook Oriana’s, as his cheeks reddened. Estelle, Chuck, Hugo, and Reese entered the house, trading places with Grant, who approached to stand beside Roland, peering down at their younger sisters. Oriana thought she might pass out.
“You look so alike,” Oriana said finally.
“We always did,” Grant offered, his voice breaking.
“You two look alike, as well,” Roland said. “Hard to believe you’re the same people as those little girls I saw Dad with all those years ago.”
Chuck had explained that Roland had followed their father and seen him in a restaurant with Mia and two little girls. He’d understood those little girls to be his sisters.
“I guess we grew up,” Meghan tried.
“I guess we all did.” Roland slid his fingers through his thick, salt-and-pepper hair.
It was clear nobody knew what to say. Oriana found herself mourning all the years they’d spent apart from one another, all the while knowing that the other half of their family was on an island a few miles away.Why hadn’t she come to this house and banged down the door?
“Everyone?” Estelle popped her head back onto the porch, perhaps sensing things had gotten awkward. “I have appetizers and a bunch of wine on the table. Help yourself, okay?”
“Wine sounds great,” Meghan said, stepping around Roland and Grant. Oriana followed close on her heels, trying to stamp out her instinct to take her little sister’s hand.
On the back porch, Oriana took in their splendid view of the rolling green hills aligned with a wide stretch of sparkling white beach. Although her place with Reese on Martha’s Vineyard was like heaven on earth to her, she understood that Roland’s house was infinitely more expensive and ornate. Probably, he’d worked hard for it. That, and he’d taken Chuck’s money to keep quiet about Chuck’s affair.
Oriana decided it was better not to think about that, especially not right now.
Estelle had made a number of appetizers: stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, salmon puffs, spinach pastries, and tiny seasoned pieces of chicken. Oriana sat between Meghan and Reese, her protectors, and watched as Roland poured her a glass of Primitivo.
“Shall we make a toast?” Estelle suggested when everyone had been served wine.
“I don’t see why not,” Meghan said.
Oriana lifted her wine, watching her hand quiver slightly, giving away her nerves. To add horror to it all, she wondered if her spy could see her now, if he knew about her second family, about their rejection of her until now. She didn’t like to think of this horrible person out there, knowing such intimate details about her.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Grant said quietly, making eye contact with Oriana and Meghan. “And that’s been our fault.”
“But we’re here now,” Meghan said. “Which is all that matters.”
Oriana wasn’t so sure she was fully ready to forgive. Then again, there was an open kindness and honesty in both of their eyes, one that reminded her of her father when she’d been a girl. This nostalgia was so sharp that it pained her.
