All the Days of Summer is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2023 by Nancy Thayer

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Ballantine is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Hardback ISBN 9780593358450

  Ebook ISBN 9780593358467

  randomhousebooks.com

  Book design by Alexis Capitini, adapted for ebook

  Cover design by Susan Zucker

  Cover images: Sandra Cunningham/Trevillion (house); Shutterstock (hydrangeas, sailboat, sky)

  ep_prh_6.1_143319816_c0_r0

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  By Nancy Thayer

  About the Author

  _143319816_

  one

  It was Heather who hated Kailee first.

  Well, she didn’t actually hate Kailee. But she wasn’t sure she liked her.

  The first time she met her future daughter-in-law was when Heather and Wall went to a UMass Amherst football game. It was early October. The air was cool, bright, and clear, what Heather’s mother had called “snapping weather.” The trees were changing color, putting on a brilliant display of red, orange, and yellow, and Heather had brought a container of her famous autumn chili in a tub in the Styrofoam cooler to give to Ross, because that was his favorite food. Ross didn’t play football, although he had in high school, maybe because sports seemed to be the only topic he and his father could discuss without arguing.

  Heather and Wall had made plans for Ross and Kailee to meet them at the Inn on Boltwood in Amherst for drinks and dinner. It was pricey, but Heather guessed from her phone conversations with Ross that Kailee might be special. Ross was handsome, tall, wide-shouldered, with curly dark hair and a great smile. He’d had plenty of girlfriends over the years, but the way Ross spoke about Kailee…there was a warmth in his voice. A happiness. Heather hoped that Kailee was an easy hugger, because Heather was, and if Kailee made Ross happy, Heather wanted to hug her tight.

  Heather and Wall got to the restaurant first and sat at their table reading the menu. Heather wore her light brown hair in a messy bun and her favorite blue cashmere sweater with jeans. Wall wore jeans, a button-down shirt, and his good L.L.Bean vest.

  Heather looked up and saw Ross and Kailee walk in. She nudged her husband, so they were both smiling at the couple as they threaded their way between the tables. Heather noticed that everyone else in the restaurant watched the couple as they passed through, as if they were royalty, and really, Kailee looked like Kate Middleton, tall and slender, with long chestnut hair, green eyes, and the lanky, easy stride of a Thoroughbred. Ross wore chinos and a navy-blue crew-neck sweater. Kailee wore a blue-and-white striped dress, very classic, very nautical, with espadrilles. Her hair was held back with a blue headband, and small diamonds studded her ears.

  She was seriously beautiful. Heather realized, as they all greeted one another, that Kailee was not in the least bit worried about whether or not her boyfriend’s parents liked her. She had an air about her—an aura?—of noblesse oblige, as if she were a princess allowing her subjects to speak with her.

  Heather had never known a young woman with this kind of confidence, this cool, almost icy, poise.

  Heather didn’t try to hug Kailee.

  They all took their seats, boy, girl, boy, girl, and chatted lightly about the game—the UMass Amherst Minutemen had lost to the Eastern Michigan Eagles by one touchdown.

  “I wish they would change their name,” Kailee said.

  “Why?” Heather asked. “The Minutemen were a trained class of militia during the American Revolution.”

  Kailee ducked her head to hide a smile.

  “Mom.” Ross widened his eyes in a give me a break signal.

  Heather said, “Oh,” and blushed. Suddenly she felt naïve in front of Ross’s very sophisticated girlfriend. It was not a pleasant sensation.

  She hoped that Wall would say something in her defense, or at least say something to change the subject, but Wall’s attention was fixed on the menu.

  Grasping for an easy subject to discuss, she smiled at Kailee. “Do you play sports?”

  Kailee shrugged. “Not really. I sail and play tennis, of course.” She laid a possessive hand on Ross’s arm. “I’m going to teach Ross to sail next summer, if we have time.”

  Heather was confused. Kailee played tennis and sailed, but said she didn’t play sports. Trying to find something in common with the young woman, Heather asked, “Do you play pickleball?”

  “God, no,” Kailee replied.

  Heather coughed and picked up her menu. “I wonder what’s good here.” She didn’t care what was good in that restaurant, she had to hide her face before she burst out laughing. What a little snot Kailee was! How in the world could her son like Kailee? True, she was beautiful, but she had all the social skills of a cobra. Heather couldn’t wait to talk to Wall about her, although Wall wasn’t very communicative these days. She’d call her friend Christine. She wished she could dash to the privacy of the restroom and call Christine right now. How would they get through this meal? Ross couldn’t possibly be serious about this girl.

  Fortunately, a waiter arrived to take drink orders.

  When the conversation resumed, Ross asked his father what he thought of the Red Sox this year and they entered into a detailed discussion of each of the players and the manager.

  Heather cleared her throat and smiled at Kailee. “What are you majoring in?”

  “Business management,” Kailee replied. “My father owns a rather large construction company on the island, and because I’m the only child, I’m going to take over the business end of things when I graduate.”

  “That seems like an important job,” Heather said. “I can see how you and Ross have something in common. You know, Wall owns his own hardware store just outside Concord. When Ross graduates, he’s going to join Wall and gradually take over the store.”

  Kailee aimed a kind smile at Heather, but turned to look at Wall.

  “Did you see Alex Verdugo hit two home runs last night?” Kailee asked.

  Heather sat back, wondering if Kailee had been listening to the sports talk all along. It was amazing, she thought, and a gift to humankind, that sports talk could carry people right through dinner. The other three thoroughly discussed the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Boston Bruins, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Serena Williams.

  Kailee said, “A. J. Mleczko, a Nantucket girl, won the Ice Hockey Gold Medal in the 1998 Olympics.”

  Of course she did, Heather thought, and only after they had moved on to the topic of golf did she remember that A. J. Mleczko now lived in Concord, where she and Wall lived, where they had raised Ross. But there was no way to toss that into the conversation, and Heather wondered what on earth had gotten into her that she wanted to be competitive with Ross’s girlfriend. She hadn’t always loved Ross’s girlfriends at first, but she’d never felt this discomfort before.

  “How’s the store doing, Dad?” Ross asked.

  “Great!” Wall answered. “Since all the big box stores have opened, I’ve had to get creative about inventory. I’ve added a lot of electronics. Home security systems, electronic cameras, and motion detectors. Electrical wire and cable.”

  As Heather listened to Wall talk, she realized she didn’t know about these changes. Wall hadn’t been discussing them with her, and she couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or bad.

  Conversation slowed as they finished their meals. No one wanted dessert, but they all asked for coffee. Wall and Heather had to drive back to Concord, which would take only an hour and a half, and Ross and Kailee were going back to their dorms.

  By now, Heather realized that her son was in love with Kailee. She’d never seen him look at a woman the way he did today. She’d never seen him so happy. Heather stirred her coffee and told herself to be the grown-up.

  S
he said, “It was wonderful meeting you, Kailee.”

  “Oh, Mom. Dad.” Ross spoke before Heather had even finished. “I’m going to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with Kailee on Nantucket.”

  Heather choked on her coffee.

  For once, Wall spoke up. “Sounds nice.”

  “Oh, it is, it’s beautiful on the island then,” Kailee assured him. “The Friday night of Thanksgiving weekend, everyone gathers on Main Street and the huge Christmas tree lights are turned on, and so are all the lights on the little trees along the sidewalks. It’s magical. The week after is the Stroll, which is amazing. And there are parties like crazy, and I want Ross to meet everyone. And,” she added, giving Ross a smug look, “I want all my friends to meet my gorgeous Ross.”

  Her gorgeous Ross?

  Ross was spending the holidays with Kailee on Nantucket?

  Weakly, Heather began to speak. “Do your parents mind—”

  Heather interrupted. “My parents can’t wait to have Ross stay with us. They met him last weekend, and they like him so much. And our house has more than enough room for a guest or two, although my father wants Ross to stay in the apartment over our garage.”

  Kailee’s parents met Ross last week?

  Ross hadn’t told Heather that. True, she’d stopped calling him once a week because, after all, he was over twenty-one, about to graduate from college, and she had to realize he was an adult. Still. It was a painful stab to Heather’s heart that Ross hadn’t told her he’d met Kailee’s parents.

  Wall signed the credit card slip. They all rose and went through the restaurant to the lobby. Now Kailee leaned forward to kiss Heather’s cheek, and then Wall’s cheek. Heather smiled vaguely. She’d fallen into a stupor, as if she’d left her mind at their table. Ross shook hands with his father and hugged Heather, and they all left the restaurant. As they walked through the parking lot, Heather noticed that Kailee drove a red soft-top Jeep.

  Wall and Heather settled in his expensive black pickup truck.

  Heather said, “I feel sick.”

  Wall said, “Well, don’t do it in my truck.”

  “That’s nice,” Heather muttered, but she closed her eyes and counted to ten. She’d gotten very good at counting these days.

  She wasn’t sure how it happened or even when, but after twenty-three years of marriage to Wall, she didn’t like him anymore. Worse, she didn’t love him anymore. She was eager for Ross to graduate from college and return to Concord to work with Wall in Willette’s Hardware, becoming the second Willette of the store. Wall was having a Willette & Willette sign made to hang above the store’s door. If Ross married Kailee, and Heather was almost sure that was going to happen, they could move in with Wall. They wouldn’t have to pay rent or a mortgage, and Wall could have some company that was not Heather’s. Heather liked the idea of the three of them together, updating Wall’s store, doing domestic chores together.

  But Heather wouldn’t be there because Heather was going to set herself free.

  She was going to leave Wall.

  She hadn’t made this decision lightly. They’d been married for a long time, after all, and Wall hadn’t been abusive or a philanderer. But then, neither had she. They’d been good parents and model citizens of their historic town. They’d been in love with each other once, when they first married. Over the years, they’d built a good life. They were settled.

  But they no longer loved each other. Heather wasn’t certain that Wall even noticed her anymore. She had become his reliable helper, no more important than his car, probably less important than his computer. She knew Wall would be bothered by a divorce, because he had his routine established and hated any change. But Heather needed change like a drowning woman needs air. She was only forty-seven. She could no longer live this metronome life, tick-tocking through the days.

  Leaning her head against the window, Heather thought about her life.

  Heather and Wall had started their business twenty-three years ago, when they were just married and hopeful. Heather’s parents had loaned them start-up money so they could rent a large building in a small mall off Route 2. Heather had helped Wall put up and stock the shelves, organize the cash register, and a few years later, she’d been the one to train at a free Rotary course on bookkeeping. She’d organized an office in the back, and furnished it with a desk, chairs, file cabinets, and printers. She could still remember the pleasure of the day she pushed a cart through Staples, feeling like a woman preparing her nursery, a bird preparing her nest, a schoolgirl with her brand-new notebooks and pens. She bought a wall calendar and a desk calendar. Pens, pencils, yellow pads, in and out boxes. A handsome wall clock. She’d printed wall clock on a piece of paper in the largest font that would fit. She’d tacked it on the wall beneath the clock, and when her husband came into the office and saw it, he’d laughed and lifted her out of her chair and swung her around.

  She’d been so optimistic then, so full of energy. Her grandmother had willed her historic Victorian house to Heather, although by the time her much-loved but senile Gram passed, the house had not been beautiful. Heather and Wall moved in, happy to have a permanent home, and for months Heather spent part of her free time working to reclaim the house’s original beauty. Heather had single-handedly restored the worn-out Victorian to its former glory, while helping Wall with his store and doing the basic household work. Meals. Laundry. Cleaning. She had been young then, and she had believed that by now, her life would be different. She had a degree in English literature—a lot of good that did her—so she was glad to find she could hammer, spackle, grout, and paint like a professional.

  When Ross was born, she took him to work in a laundry basket that she set on the table at the back of the room. When he was too big for the basket, she and Wall hired a bookkeeper, and Heather stayed home to raise their son. They didn’t choose not to have more children. They were too busy to do anything but sleep when they lay down, and somehow another child just didn’t happen. As the years passed, she had more free time, so she joined the local branch of the Safeguard Nature Society and did office work for their scientists, who counted, quite literally, the birds and the bees, and tested the water in Walden Pond, and the health of the area’s trees. Heather became a star at creating pamphlets and tri-fold guide maps, and as technology became more complicated, she took classes given after five at the local schools. She became proficient on the internet and cellphones, and learned how to set up a website for their local headquarters.

  When Ross was in grade and middle school, he loved to join his father at the hardware store, but when high school and football came along, he grew away from his father and the store. That was natural, Heather thought. Children grow up and rush into their own lives.

  Parents could start new lives, too, couldn’t they?

  Heather took a deep breath and glanced at her husband, who was driving with serious concentration, as if he’d never been on this road before.

  “Wall.” Heather tried to sound optimistic. “Since Ross is spending the holidays with Kailee, why don’t we take a trip? We could—”

  “I can’t take a trip,” Wall grumbled. “I have to run the store.”

  “Okay, okay.” Heather thought a moment, and then suggested, “We could go into Boston for a day. We haven’t taken advantage of all that’s going on there. We could visit the Museum of Science and see the new IMAX movie. Go to the art museums. Maybe the symphony. Eat at that Moroccan restaurant.”

  Wall said, “You go ahead. I’ve got work to do.”

  Wall’s jaw was set. His hands clenched the steering wheel as if he were trying to steer through a storm. And maybe they were going through a storm, Heather thought. Maybe he had stopped loving her just as she’d stopped loving him, and he saw nothing exciting in his future. For the past few years, she had tried to involve him in her life, making him go with her to church and to lectures from the Safeguard Nature’s distinguished, world-famous scientists, but it always felt to Heather as if she were dragging a heavy suitcase behind her.