Page 79 of The Summer Club

Andi smiled. There was still plenty of cantankerousness within and that was a good sign.

“Though I could use a hand with my purse.”

“You’re going already?” Andi rose with her. It was Tish’s standard exit, swift and early. But still, something about her seemed a little bit off.

Tish nodded toward the caterers. “Dessert coming out is my cue. How do you think I keep this svelte figure?”

When they found him, Charley took his mother’s arm. “I’m going to drive her back to the Inn,” he told Andi. “But look for me when I return?”

Dessert was simple and summer perfection: tiny shortcakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Andi was just finishing dessert with Sydney and some of the bridesmaids when Molly returned to the table with seconds. “I think I’ll get married here too,” Molly said, licking the edge of her fork.

Andi looked up in time to see Sydney glance between them.

“You absolutely should,” Sydney said. “I think that would be wonderful.” She winked at Andi over her niece’s head.

Andi found herself exhaling. So there was a future at Riptide for all of them, after all. Time would tell and she’d need to be patient. But it was a hopeful sign.

The evening began to wind down; it would be a big day tomorrow for the wedding. Andi looked for Nate in the thinning crowd. Instead, she spied her father; she’d almost forgotten he’d wanted to talk. She followed him over to the two Adirondack chairs on the side lawn.

“Everything okay?” she asked. The night was balmy and the breeze ruffled the edge of her dress. It was nice to get a quiet moment away from the party, but she sensed something heavier.

“I wanted to check in with you,” he said, lowering himself into one of the chairs. “How’re you doing with all this wedding fuss?”

Andi glanced back at Molly, seated among the bridesmaids. And Nate, who was now talking with James. “Actually, Dad, I’m doing okay. How about you?”

“Now that I hear that, better.” He patted the seat of the chair next to him and she sat. “Tomorrow looks like it will be a beautiful day for your sister. I’m glad. But there is something I discussed with Hugh earlier today, that I also want to say to you.”

“Oh?” Andi hadn’t known they’d talked privately. For once her twin had not told her everything. Perhaps that had had something to do with the improvement in Hugh’s outlook.

“There have been a lot of changes these last few weeks. But one thing has not changed.” Her father leaned forward and gripped the arms of her chair, pulling it in close to his, just as he used to when she was really little. She was surprised at his strength, that he could still do it all these years later. “From the first breath you took, you were my daughter. I have never felt otherwise.”

Charley Darling’s kind eyes were an exquisite hazel gray, the most unique thing about his otherwise ordinary face. They were almond-shaped and almost always crinkled at the corners with happiness. But now they were wide and sad, and even in the sunset the hazel was as gray as she’d ever seen it. She took his hand. “I know that, Dad.”

His eyebrows raised with hope. “You do?”

“Yes. I’ve always felt it.”

When her father began to cry, Andi felt the uneasy rumble of their roles reversing. She had never seen her father cry before, not once. But now he heaved quietly in his chair, overcome as the sorrow escaped his body. Such a strange, sad gift, she thought.

Charley Darling had always been a gentle soul. A family man who took care of them all. Whose love she never questioned and whose heart was always open. Her whole life Andi had come to him, often before her mother, to hold out her hurts. Her first broken heart in high school. The dented fender in the family car. A failing grade in college. Recently, the bone-deep sorrow of her divorce. He had borne it all.

But now it was her turn. As he cried, Andi slipped her arms around her father, just as she did for Molly. Even when the soft heaves of his back stilled, Andi did not let go.

Tish

It is time for her to go. The wedding day has come to an end. It was a spectacle, as weddings tend to be, but in all the good ways. That morning, Sydney and James were married at the First Congregational Church in town. After, the bride and groom strolled out into the sun on Main Street, with tourists and passersby clapping and waving their congratulations to the happy couple. They were like two toppers on a wedding cake: arm in arm, perfectly poised to take on the future.

The reception was held at Wequassett Resort, just up the road in Harwich. Tish rode in the family car, with Cora and Charley, Andi and Molly. When they stepped into the oceanfront ballroom, Tish’s breath escaped her. She was not an easy woman to impress, but the sweeping panoramic views of Pleasant Bay nearly undid her. Morty, she thought. You would love this. Tish took it all in, the hearty toasts and lavish three-course dinner, staying this time even through dessert.

“You’re breaking your rule,” Andi whispered in her ear.

“They’re meant to be broken,” she whispered back, delighted.

When the sun hung low over the water and the band started up with Sinatra, Tish closed her eyes. Was it the champagne? Or the salt air? She was lighter than she’d ever felt. As the stars began to dot the darkening sky, Charley invited her for a slow waltz on the edge of the ballroom floor. Tish followed his gentle lead; just like his father, light on his feet.

Afterward, when her driver finally pulls up to Mooncusser Cottage back at Chatham Bars Inn, she is almost sorry. The night has been more than tolerable. It has been magnificent.

The clock tells her it is almost midnight and Tish cannot believe it. Where have the hours gone? But she is strangely untired. She changes into her silk pajamas, pours a glass of water, and takes it to the bay window. Outside, the moon is half full; waxing or waning, she wonders? As for herself, she is waning. Her days are winding down, she knows. She can feel it when she puts a hand on her chest, the hum of her heart uncertain. But Tish knows one thing for sure; her life has been full.