Page 78 of The Summer Club
She found Nate ordering a drink at the small bar on the edge of the patio. “Look at you,” he said, holding out a hand.
Andi did a slow twirl, then impulsively pecked him on the lips. “You look quite handsome yourself.”
At that moment, she felt eyes on the two of them. It was Molly. Staring across the crowd with a look Andi could not read.
Panic coursed through her. Dammit—she should’ve said something to her upstairs, when they had a moment alone. “Molly!” she called, waving her over. “Come here, honey.”
Slowly, Molly made her way to them, her eyes locked on her mother the whole way. Andi’s heart rattled in her chest. “You remember Nate?”
To her relief, Nate rescued them. “Good to see you, Molly. You look lovely tonight. How was your trip to the Vineyard?”
Molly looked between them for an eternal moment. Then, “It was nice. We went to the beach mostly. There’s this cool spot to hike, the Brickyard trail. Oh…” She turned to her mother, “You’ll never believe it: I tried lobster! Camilla gave me a bite of hers. It was kind of gross, but not completely disgusting.”
Andi felt her jaw fall open like a cartoon character. “After all these years on the Cape, you finally tried lobster? Without me?” She did not add, “With her?”
Nate nudged her, trying unsuccessfully to hide his smile.
Andi breathed a sigh of relief as Molly swiftly switched gears from sullen teen to impassioned oversharer, regaling them with every minute detail of her trip, in true teenage-girl form. She was especially grateful to Nate, who listened in earnest and didn’t look away once, even when Molly whipped out her phone and scrolled through an endless Instagram feed of selfies and sunsets. “I have more photos, but I have to edit them first.”
“Well,” Nate said when Molly finally finished. “Sounds like a great trip to me. Maybe your mom and I can take you out to dinner one night and you can show us the rest?”
Molly beamed at him, then turned to Andi. “Can I have my own glass of champagne tonight?” She was pushing it.
“Here, you may have a sip of mine.”
When Molly walked away, Andi turned back to Nate in shock. “You got more out of her just now than I have since she returned.”
Nate smiled. “Did I do okay?” He looked genuinely concerned that he had, and Andi found herself leaning in, not caring who saw now.
“Better than okay.”
Dinner under the white tent overlooking the dunes was enchanting. Cora had wonderful taste and, as hoped, everything went off without a hitch. Even Tish’s presence. Andi found her grandmother at the family table and took the empty seat next to her.
“Hello, dear. You look lovely. Still speaking to me after our family meeting?”
“I am.” Andi set her champagne glass down between them. It had been just a few days since the family meeting, where Tish had said her piece and the others had had a chance to air theirs. Tish’s decision still stung, but after hearing about her grandmother’s past, Andi was able to look at it from a different perspective: the loss of Charley and Tish’s own independence, the estrangement from her own family… these were things Andi was not familiar with, but just imagining them allowed a sense of empathy to root itself in her gut. They were two generations apart and things had certainly changed since Tish was a young woman. Andi liked to imagine she would’ve made different decisions had she been in her shoes, but then, who knew? People weren’t just shaped by the family that surrounded them. They were shaped by the times they lived in.
“I know it hasn’t been easy. But I want to thank you for respecting my choice.” Tish regarded her, a slight tremor to her chin that Andi had not noticed before. “I have always held great affection for all three of you kids. Even if I was not very good at showing it.”
The sentimentality caught Andi by surprise. “Thank you, Tish. It went both ways.” And as she said it, despite everything, Andi knew it was true. She lifted her glass of champagne. “Can I get you one?”
“No, thank you. I’ve had my bourbon, which is about all the celebration I can have for one evening.” She glanced around the patio. “There are younger people who can pick up the slack for me.”
Andi followed her gaze. The bridesmaids were on their third or fourth prosecco toast to Sydney, who looked stunning in a creamy white sheath dress with her hair pulled up in a loose chignon. The groomsmen flanked them, raising their beers noisily, James and Sydney at the center. “They make a sweet couple,” Andi allowed.
“As do you.” Tish nodded across the way where Nate stood talking with Martin.
“You really don’t miss a thing.”
“You don’t get to be my age without paying attention.” She turned to Andi. “It’s nice to see you happy. I never liked that man.”
“My ex, George?”
“That one.” Tish wrinkled her nose. “He wasn’t sharp enough for you. You deserve more.” Andi found herself looking at her grandmother more closely. She was dressed to the nines. But there was something different—her cheeks had less color. Her eyes looked a little less mischievous.
“Are you enjoying yourself? Feeling all right?” Andi asked.
“Goodness, you’re the third person to ask that tonight.” Tish swatted the air between them. “Affirmative to both, though if one more person asks…”