Page 15 of Waves of Time
When Hilary and Aria got back to the apartment, they changed into dresses and stepped out into the vibrant night, ready to talk about all things interior design over dinner. Marc texted on their walk to the restaurant to say he’d meet them for drinks after— as long as he wasn’t intruding.
To this, Hilary wrote back simply:
“Your daughter is over the moon when you’re around. Please, meet us. It makes me so happy to see her like that.”
ChapterSix
Several days later, Hilary and Aria’s plane touched down in Boston at four in the afternoon. It had been a tremendously difficult yet exhilarating week, most of which Aria and Hilary had spent in discussion at various coffee shops and restaurants across the Bay Area, discussing color schemes and artistic flourishes, anything that would bring Rodrick’s apartment to life. When they’d ultimately given him a preview into their ideas, he’d been quiet for a long time, maybe too long, before his jaw had dropped, and he’d said, “You really are the best in the business, Hilary Coleman.”
Now, Hilary and Aria floated from the airplane and retrieved their bags from Baggage Claim, their stomachs rumbling with hunger. Once they reached Hilary’s convertible, their phones buzzed at the same time with text messages from Estelle, telling them there was a spontaneous family party that evening.Could they make it?
“There’s no way it’s spontaneous,” Aria said as she buckled her seatbelt. “Grandma probably planned this party all week for our return.”
“That’s the way Estelle Coleman works,” Hilary agreed.
The drive from the Boston Airport to Hyannis Port took a little more than an hour, at which point they drove easily into the belly of the next ferry and got out to sit on the top deck. Because it was August, the ferry was jam-packed with tourists, faces they’d never seen, their eyes bright and shining with expectation for their vacations on Nantucket.
“Are you nervous to see Sam?” Aria asked.
Hilary glanced at Aria, surprised.Had she told her about the incident at The Jessabelle House?She couldn’t remember anymore.
“I am, a bit,” Hilary said.
Aria grimaced. “I guess you haven’t spoken at all since it happened?”
“We haven’t texted, no,” Hilary said. “Maybe we can pretend everything is fine tonight? That was always the Coleman way, wasn’t it?”
“I think the Coleman way changed,” Aria pointed out.
Hilary and Aria didn’t bother to drop their bags off at home and instead drove immediately to the Coleman House, the estate with rolling hills that led up to an immaculate, white sandy beach. As a child, Hilary had thought of the place synonymously with heaven, but as an adult, she thought that maybe, just maybe, it was too much space for just her parents, Estelle and Roland.
Hilary and Aria walked around the side of the house to find most of the Coleman family out on the back porch and across the yard, sipping cocktails and chatting as her brother, Charlie, flipped barbecue chicken on the grill. The smell was tantalizing and so different from the ritzy restaurants back in San Francisco.
“The girls are here!” Estelle called, hurrying down the back porch steps to throw her arms around first Aria, then Hilary. Hilary remembered to count her blessings for her mother’s youthfulness, which seemed never to diminish. “How was your trip?”
“It was great,” Aria said. “We got so much work done.”
“And you saw your father?” Estelle asked.
Aria’s smile widened. “He took us out to dinner a few nights.”
“That’s wonderful. How’s he doing?” Estelle’s eyes danced toward Hilary curiously in a way that reminded Hilary of how devastated Estelle had been all those years ago when Hilary had told her she and Marc were breaking up.
“He’s just fine. Busy with work,” Hilary chimed in, her tone firm.
“He should really take some time off and visit you out here,” Estelle said.
“I know you’re a writer, Mama, but not everything in life is a romance novel,” Hilary joked. “Marc’s doing just fine out west, and we’re doing just fine out here. It’s as simple as that.”
Estelle folded her lips, displeased, and Hilary passed by her to place a bottle of wine on the back table and say hello to Charlie, his wife, Shawna, and his two daughters, Sheila and Marcy. Sheila was engaged to a man named Jonathon, who seemed not to be there, and Marcy’s boyfriend was Jax, who was out in the yard, chatting with Roland. Hilary made the rounds, hugging everyone, all before Samantha emerged from the back door with Rachelle and Darcy hot on her heels. Sam glared at Hilary and stepped past her, muttering hello. Hilary’s stomach stirred with shame and sadness. She and Sam had had numerous dumb fights over the years— but a fight over a knock-off chandelier seemed the stupidest.
“Hi, Aunt Sam!” Aria hugged her, then turned to greet Darcy and Rachelle, who shrieked with excitement and said, “You’re back! We haven’t seen you since the party!”
Hilary again tried to make eye contact with Sam, but Sam strode past her and sidled up next to Charlie, who flipped another round of chicken and chatted with her, his eyes dancing.
“She’ll get over it.”
Hilary turned to find Shawna leaning toward her.