When they arrived in Hyannis, Heather set the car radio to classic rock and drove steadily west and north to Concord and the courthouse. She parked the car, slid back her seat, and changed from her comfortable sneakers into her more appropriate low heels. She checked her phone for messages—none—and gave a quick review of her hair in the mirror. She didn’t want to appear windblown, peculiar, unable to answer a judge’s questions truthfully and sanely. But she did feel nervous. What if the judge refused to approve the separation agreement? What if she forced them to go to a marriage counselor? Her hands were sweaty and her heart was thumping. Finally, she left the shelter of her car for the judgment of the court.

  Her purse took a trip through the conveyer belt as she stepped into the security metal detector. She knew she had no metal on her. She’d removed her wedding ring long ago, and used her phone to tell the time. She was waved on. After studying the list of names near the elevator, she went up to the second floor, looking for the family and probate court.

  “It’s this way.” Sarah Martin hurried up to Heather. “I’ll sit with you but this is basically pro forma. It will be over in a flash.”

  “That’s good,” Heather said, but her attention was attracted by Wall sitting on a bench outside the courtroom. A very pretty young woman sat next to him. Heather thought, That must be his girlfriend. She was happy for him, and relieved for herself. The seriousness of being inside a court of law seemed daunting, as if the judge would say, No! You cannot have a divorce! You are going to jail for twenty years. Guard, take her away!

  She’d clearly been reading too many mysteries. It amazed her, how much she wanted this divorce. She smoothed her dark blue linen dress and wished linen didn’t wrinkle so easily.

  Wall stood up and walked toward her. “I’m glad you made it. We’ll be called any moment.”

  Heather smiled. “Hello, Wall. I see you’ve brought a friend.”

  Wall was calm, almost triumphant. “This is Nova.” The young woman rose and linked her arm through Wall’s. “My fiancée.”

  Good grief! Heather thought. She’s younger than Ross! But she didn’t flinch. “Hello, Nova,” she said politely. Nova wore a loose summer dress printed with pink flowers and a pink headband in her hair. Heather wanted to wish the girl good luck, but she simply smiled.

  “I’m so happy to meet you,” Nova said, in a high-pitched, breathless voice. “I loved meeting Ross and Kailee yesterday.”

  Surprised, Heather echoed, “You met Ross and Kailee yesterday.”

  “Yes,” Wall said. “We had lunch together. Didn’t he tell you?” His eyebrow was arched and his eyes were wide in gleeful surprise.

  Heather almost rolled her own eyes.

  Nova bent toward Heather, smelling like vanilla ice cream and speaking in sugary tones. “We were asking if he would mind if we used some of his baby clothes for our baby.” Nova gave a loving look at her belly and put her hand over it.

  “You’re pregnant?” Heather asked.

  “Yes! We’re having our baby in December, and we’re getting married that month, too.” Nova glowed with happiness. “And Ross will be Wall’s best man!”

  “He will?” Heather asked.

  “Yes, on Christmas Day.”

  Heather did the math in her head. Her eyes met Wall’s. Why hadn’t he told her about Nova? Why had he let Heather carry the guilt?

  And why in the world hadn’t Ross called to tell her all this?

  “I’m surprised Ross didn’t tell you,” Wall said.

  Heather could hear the smugness in his voice. “He did call last night,” Heather told him. “He said that Evelyn, Kailee’s mother, had had a heart attack and they were with her in the hospital.”

  Nova’s eyes went wide. “Is Kailee’s mother very old?”

  “Not at all,” Heather responded pleasantly. “She’s younger than Wall. But these things happen.”

  “Willette!” the court clerk called.

  They filed into the small courtroom. Nova slipped into a seat in the second row. Heather and Sarah sat at opposite tables from Wall, both before the judge.

  Heather forced herself to concentrate. The judge was a young Black woman who seemed extremely solemn and also slightly bored, as if she’d seen it all before. Heather couldn’t understand why, but she was struggling to contain a fit of nervous laughter. How long had Wall been with Nova? Nova was pregnant? She knew Evelyn had been hospitalized, but couldn’t Ross have left Heather a message about his lunch with his father? And was Evelyn okay? Heather should have called this morning to see how she was. Her mind flipped back and forth like curtains in a breeze.

  The judge asked Heather if their marriage was irretrievably broken. Heather nodded and said, “Yes.”

  A moment later, Wall answered yes to the same question.

  A few moments later, the judge said the divorce would be final in four months. Heather and the others rose and walked out of the courtroom.

  Sarah spoke quickly to Heather and hurried off. Wall approached Heather, while Nova went to the bathroom.

  “So,” he said, “we’re divorced.” He wore a striped button-down shirt and a tie, but no jacket. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his trousers, as if wanting her to notice that he’d lost weight. He was still handsome, much like an older Ross. Heather would always think he was handsome.

  But before today, she’d thought that no matter what, he wouldn’t lie to her. Now here they were, and Nova was pregnant, living proof that Wall had emotionally and romantically left Heather before Heather had left their marriage.

  “So,” Heather answered, “how long have you been seeing Nova?”

  Wall blushed. “I didn’t think it would last. I thought…but I really like Nova. I mean, she’s smart and kind and she really loves me.”

  “You didn’t answer my question, Wall.”

  Wall sighed heavily. “Look. Do we really have to do this here? We’re divorced. You asked for it. I’m moving on.”

  “I’m glad. Now, I’ve got to get back to the island.”

  Heather was turning to go when Wall put his hand on her shoulder. She froze.

  “We had some good times, didn’t we?” he asked.

  Heather took a deep, calming breath. “Yes, Wall, we did. Good luck. I mean it.”

  * * *

  —

  As she left the courthouse, Heather considered driving by their house, but she wanted to get going, to get home.

  And why did she think of Nantucket as home? Her small cottage was only rented for three months. From there, she could live anywhere. In a stucco house in New Mexico, or a condo in Miami, or out in western Massachusetts, in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains where the bears roamed. But she felt so content in Nantucket, so attuned to the island, so pleased every day to walk by the ocean, and she was making good friends. It was true that she had no idea what it was like to live on an island in the winter. It was true that she probably could find a house on Nantucket that she could afford from the sale of her Concord house, but it would have to be the tiniest house on the island. How would she pass the winter?

  Books, she thought, puzzles. Church. She’d buy a television. She’d walk on the beach during storms, watching nature in all its moods. She belonged to a bridge club. She’d join a book club. And work. She’d have to work. She wanted to work.

  She steered her car away from the congested racecourse of Route 128. The traffic thinned slightly and driving was less challenging. Her senses had been on high alert all day, and as the road headed south, she relaxed. All would be well. The divorce would take place, and Wall would not suffer, because he had Nova.

  Suddenly, shaking with emotion, clutching the steering wheel tightly, keeping alert, eyes fastened on the road, Heather wept. She wept because what kind of woman was she not to realize that her husband was sleeping with another woman? What kind of a mother was she when her son had lunch with his father and didn’t tell her, when he agreed to be the best man at his father’s wedding on Christmas Day? What kind of mother was she to be silently but deeply angry because her son’s girlfriend had lost Heather’s grandmother’s ring? What kind of a mother was she when she accused his girlfriend of cuddling in public with another man?

  No wonder she wanted to live alone. Obviously, she had no resources to recognize anything beyond herself.

  She arrived in Hyannis and drove to the Steamship Authority terminal. She gave the attendant her ticket and waited in line for the car ferry. She drove up the ramp, leaving solid land for the boat. One of the crew directed her toward an aisle of cars. She pulled into place, turned off her engine, and took a deep breath. She’d made it just in time to go on the five forty-five boat, which meant she’d arrive at eight-fifteen, just as twilight was falling. She realized she was hungry, so she dried her face and put on fresh lipstick, left her car, and went up the steps to the deck with the concession counter. She bought a glass of wine and an egg salad sandwich and took it outside. On the bow of the ferry, people were celebrating some occasion with much noise and laughter. She went to the long deck along the starboard side, where benches were placed. She sat, ate, drank, and let herself be rocked by the steady motion of the waves. The waters they were passing through changed colors as the sun sank toward the horizon. Birds sat placidly in the sea, not bothering to notice the huge ferry passing them. Stars came out in the pale sky, and the moon was a curl of light.

  Heather remembered how content she’d been when she met Wall, stable, reliable, calm, Wall. Working with him as they started the hardware store had given her such hope. What they sold had been real. Weighty hammers, acid paint thinner, bristly paintbrushes, clattering nails. By that time, Heather’s parents were retired and traveling. When Ross was born, her parents were happy for her, but they were never around.

  The ferry slowed and rumbled as it made a full turn to enter its slip at the wharf. Heather joined the line of people going down to their cars. She sat patiently waiting while the boat docked and the ramp was lowered and fixed. She felt weary and yet oddly elated. The two and a half hours of the ferry’s crossing had been a kind of time capsule in which she could recall what she’d had with Wall and Ross and work and friends. It had been a good life, until it wasn’t.

  And now? She’d come to Nantucket because Christine had suggested it, had found the cottage for her to live in for the summer. Her husband was marrying a young woman who would take care of him, and her son was marrying an ambitious woman who came with an entire construction company attached.

  Now Heather had no one to care for.

  Now Heather could be completely herself.

  She had only to discover who that was.

  As Heather was waiting to drive off the ferry, her phone pinged. She had a text from Ross.

  Working late. Stopping by your place at nine. OK?

  Heather couldn’t help it. She smiled, replied Okay, and her day brightened.

  At home, Heather changed into shorts and a T-shirt, put Sugar on a leash, and went for a walk down the dirt lane to Milestone Road, allowing Sugar to stop and sniff three hundred places along the way. When Sugar saw the roaring traffic going to and from ’Sconset, she cowered and began to bark savagely, so Heather turned back toward her cottage and threw a ball for Sugar to catch. She found a stick at the far end of the backyard to chew on. Heather went inside and poured herself a glass of rosé. She called the Essexes’ number to see how Evelyn was. Her call went to an answering machine. Heather left a brief message of good wishes. She let Sugar inside and curled up on her couch and read.

  Sugar barked when she heard Ross’s truck on the lane. Heather walked around the house to greet her son. Ross’s clothes were stained with sweat and coated with wood dust, and he looked tired.

  “Ross, have you come straight from work?” Heather asked.

  “What was the first clue?” Ross joked.

  She was glad for his easy manner. “Would you like a beer?”

  “Please.”

  She led him out to the patio, brought him a cold beer, and settled in a chair across from him.

  “Man, this tastes good,” Ross said. He downed three-fourths of the bottle in one swallow.

  “How’s Evelyn?” Heather asked.

  “She’s okay. Still in the hospital. They’re doing tests. She might have high blood pressure.”

  Heather nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s been a big day. I drove to Concord today. Your father and I are now officially divorced.” Before Ross could respond, she said, “Also, I met Nova. I learned that Wall and Nova were here on the island, having lunch with you and Kailee.” She tried to keep her voice from shaking, but she was hurt…and angry.

  “Mom, I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t have time with Kailee’s mom and all that. Everything was crazy. I should have told you. I’ll tell you now. Dad called to say he and Nova would be on the island, and would Kailee and I meet them for lunch. We did. He asked me to be best man at his wedding, and I absolutely refused. Kailee and I left and didn’t even eat lunch. I was furious when I realized that he was, um, seeing Nova before you left him. But Nova is having a baby in December, and I do want to at least see the baby because he or she will be my half sibling.”

  “Your half sibling,” Heather echoed.

  “Mom, I’m up to my ears in work, plus Kailee and her mom’s heart attack. For some reason Bob has skipped me up to shadowing Riley Sweet, who’s the site manager on the house at Pocomo. I think Bob has to concentrate on helping his wife get better, and Kailee has to help deal with all her mother’s correspondence, and everything’s a mess right now.”

  Heather nodded. “Okay. I get it. I’m glad we’re talking. I know your life is with Kailee now, and you seem happy to work with Bob Essex, so that’s all good. I don’t have to know every single thing you do, but I’m grateful to be in your life. Just not too far in to interfere.” She took a deep breath. “Actually, I’ve been thinking…I might want to buy this cottage and live here year-round.” She quickly added, “I don’t know that I’ll do that. I don’t even know where I’ll be at Christmas, or after the summer. Don’t tell Kailee yet, not until I have plans in place. This is a difficult time for that family. And, Ross, I know they’re lucky to have you.”

  Ross stared at his mother as if she’d turned into a genie. “You could afford to buy a house on this island?”

  “Yes. The house sold for much more than we thought, and because my grandmother left it to me, we have no mortgage to pay off.” Heather rose. “I’ll get you another beer.”

  She returned with a beer for Ross and a glass of sparkling water for herself. “Listen, Ross, there’s something about this island that makes me feel alive. Maybe it’s the ocean, the walks on the beach, the openness. I’ve also made friends, some good friends—”

  “Wait a minute, Mom.” Ross looked even more amazed. “Do you have…like, a boyfriend?”

  Heather smiled. “I have many friends. You know I attend church. I’ve been helping with their summer sale. I’ve joined a bridge club. We play every Thursday night. I enjoy being here. People know me as me, so it’s like a new start in life. What I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to worry about entertaining me or taking care of me. I’m only beginning to understand how young I am, how much fun I can have, how much freedom I’ve got to explore my opportunities.”

  “You sound like you’re on drugs.”

  Heather laughed. “Do I? I am on a high, in a place I never expected to be.” She looked down at her hands. My grandmother’s ring, Heather thought. My discomfort with Kailee. I have to let these things go. I can’t change anything. I’ve got my own life to make my own mistakes in. Looking up, she said, “Tell me more about Evelyn.”

  Ross relaxed. “She wants to come home tomorrow, and she’s driving Kailee mad. The doctor wants her to stay in the hospital, and Kailee’s trying to organize her paperwork without making her mother freak out.”

  Heather nodded. “We mothers can be a problem.”

  Ross tipped back his beer, finishing the last drop. He sat for a moment, staring at the bottle. Finally, he looked up at Heather. “Mom, I’m sorry Kailee and I lost that ring. I know she’s worried that you will, I don’t know, always kind of hold it against her.”

  “I’m sorry the ring was lost, too,” Heather answered honestly. “It meant a lot to me. But your happiness is the most important thing in my life…” She stopped herself. “No, I won’t say that, because I don’t want you to feel that my happiness depends on yours. I simply mean, it’s too bad about the ring, but we won’t dwell on it.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Ross yawned and stood up. “I’d better go home.”

  Heather walked him through the cottage to the front door. “How do you like your garage apartment?”

  “It’s great. A total man cave. I can shower and eat junk food and watch baseball.” He smiled. “Bob has a cool den in the basement, with leather sofas and a huge TV and a bar. Sometimes I go over there. Sometimes I eat dinner with them all in the dining room, and that’s kind of boring, because Evelyn is such a perfectionist.”

  Heather smiled. “You mean you have to eat with utensils instead of your hands and take part in polite conversation?”

  Ross smiled, too. “Yeah. What you said.” He hugged Heather. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, too.”

  thirteen

  Wednesday morning, Kailee woke in a state of alarm. She sat in her bed, taking deep breaths, saying aloud to herself, “It’s okay. It’s okay. She’s okay.”

  It was six-thirty, so she showered, dressed, and went down to the kitchen. The house was oddly quiet and she saw that her father’s truck wasn’t in the driveway. Nor was Ross’s. Ross had probably gone to work. Her father was probably at the hospital with her mother.