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Several days later, Ella stepped out of the Nantucket Community Music Center, where she’d met Stephanie and the rest of the Nantucket Jubilee crew to plan the next steps in the elaborate and all-consuming October event. Stephanie burned with beautiful energy as she spoke about the event and “honoring Nantucketers from two hundred years back, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today.” It was exhausting yet soul-warming. Ella was grateful she’d found this niche for herself, if only because it allowed the days to pass more swiftly.
Once outside, a September breeze swept through Ella’s trench coat and whipped it back. Trees that lined the downtown streets had edged their leaves with reds, yellows, and oranges. Still, across the Nantucket Harbor, sailboats shifted against the docks, and tourists and locals alike embarked out across the Sound, grateful for the shimmering autumnal sun.
In her pocket, Ella’s phone began to buzz. She lifted it to discover a strange yet very welcome name: WILL.When was the last time they’d spoken?The answer came quickly. It had been the night that Danny had been in the hospital. More than a week ago, Ella had simply texted Will about her decision to move Danny to Nantucket High, which had resulted in a two-hour phone conversation between Danny and Will, most of which Ella hadn’t been able to hear. (What she had heard was Danny saying over and over again, “It isn’t fair, Dad. It just isn’t fair.” Incidentally, this was exactly how Ella felt about everything in her life.)
Ella’s voice sounded childish. “Hi!”
Will’s wasn’t much better. “Hello, there.”
Silence. Ella’s stomach twisted. She was reminded of high school when Will would use a pay phone to call The Copperfield House from New York City. “How is the tour going?”
“Not bad,” Will replied. “We’re in Portland, Oregon right now.”
“Wow. I always loved it there.” Ella hated that she immediately went to old memories of herself and Will in Portland. Once, they’d even talked about moving there.
“I know.”
Had Will called her because Portland had made him think about the good times?
“Anyway.” Ella reached the railing that separated the boardwalk and the water below. “Danny is settling into Nantucket High.”
“Yeah. He texted me to say it was ‘kind of lame but mostly fine,’” Will joked.
“That sounds like Danny,” Ella breathed. After a pause, she added, “I’m sorry that I didn’t include you in that decision.”
It had been the first childrearing decision she’d ever made by herself.
“It’s okay,” Will offered. “I was initially angry that you’d left me out, but then I thought about it and understood. Maybe, in hindsight, the city wasn’t the best place to raise our family.”
“Laura made it out okay,” Ella tried.
“Laura would make it anywhere,” Will quipped. “She’s an anomaly.”
Ella laughed, terrified at how good it was to joke around with Will. It was almost as though he stood right beside her, watching the boats. An instinct to tell him how much she loved him swelled over her, but she shoved it away.
They spoke of other things. Will told a story about his gig in Sante Fe, where a naked man had run through the crowd and howled, “The nineties aren’t dead!”
“We weren’t even a nineties band,” Ella pointed out, chuckling.
“I know! But I appreciated his spirit,” Will said. “I guess he was probably disappointed that you weren’t on stage.”
Ella couldn’t even begin to approach that statement. She swallowed the lump in her throat and said instead, “I was going over some of the band paperwork the other night.”
“Oh, man. Organization is the last thing on my mind right now.”
“I remember what touring was like,” Ella quipped. “It’s a wonder if you manage to eat and sleep enough, let alone everything else.”
“Exactly,” Will said. “Thank you for going through all that.”
“Sure.” Ella’s heart skipped a beat. “I didn’t realize we had so many songs coming out in films and TV shows just this year.”
“Yeah. People are really into the nostalgia of our music, I think,” Will said. “But it’ll be healthy for our bank accounts, right?”
“No doubt about that.” Ella pushed herself to ask what she needed to ask. “The thing is, one of the production companies really surprised me.”
“Which one?”
“Femme Fatale Studios,” Ella said. “It’s owned by this woman named—”
