Page 2 of Sunset on the Solstice

“And that’s Penelope,” Billy said. “And Evie. And Mom.” He pointed at Shelby and grinned.

“Does Mom have a real name?” Vivian asked Shelby, not unkindly, although maybe she sensed that Shelby didn’t want to give it.

“I’m Shelby,” she said finally. “Shelby Kissinger.”

Vivian smiled. Shelby prayed that she’d get up soon and walk back across the stream to her property, back where she came from. Part of the reason Shelby and Jared had decided to move all the way out here was the privacy. But now that people like Vivian thought they could just charge right over the property line, Shelby wasn’t sure what to do.

“Our air conditioner broke today,” Shelby said suddenly, surprising herself.

“That’s rough!” Vivian said. “Have you called someone to come out and look at it?”

Shelby’s stomach sloshed with more nausea. “My husband will fix it when he gets home.” Although even as she said it, she wondered why she hadn’t thought to call someone to fix it before Jared got back. Then again, Jared never liked having strangers in the house when he wasn’t there, and she had the sense that he’d find out, somehow. He always found things out.

“He sounds handy,” Vivian said. “Maybe I can call on you when something breaks at my place? My husband was the handy one in our marriage, and now, well, I watch YouTube videos and try to get my mind around tasks like that, but it isn’t so easy.” Although she laughed, a wave of sorrow passed over her face.

And then, Vivian’s eyes dropped to Shelby’s wrist. Instinctively, Shelby tugged on a long-sleeve shirt, one to cover the light blue bruises. But she knew the damage was done. Vivian had seen what Shelby hadn’t wanted anyone to see. Shelby’s heart pounded. No, no, no, she thought, then fixed a smile on her face as she asked, “Would you like something else to eat? I have sandwiches and strawberries. A few cookies?”

Vivian’s lips were in a thin line, one that spoke of judgment, of wanting to do the right thing.

Shelby wanted to roll her eyes at this woman. She wanted to remind Vivian that she’d crossed the stream and entered her property without asking. If Jared were here, he would not show her any niceties.

“The thing is, we have to get back to the house,” Shelby chirped. “But it was really nice to meet you. And again, if you want to grab a sandwich for the walk back…”

Vivian’s brow was furrowed tightly. Slowly, she got to her feet and wiped her hands on her pants. “It was really nice to meet you, Shelby,” Vivian said. “You remember, I live just up the way. You can see me any time, day or night. Bring your kids by. I have a few of my own, but they’re all grown up.” She tried on another smile, but she couldn’t hold it.

After Vivian disappeared into the woods, Shelby felt another wave of nausea that she couldn’t hold. Hurriedly, she threw up behind a bush, then covered it with grass and weeds. All the while, she kept tabs on her children, who were amusing themselves, none the wiser about Vivian and what Vivian now thought she knew about Shelby.

Two hours later, a rainstorm broke out over the mountains, pulling Shelby and her children back into the house. Mercifully, it was much cooler already, and Shelby and her children were happy, playing on the rug and waiting for three thirty, when Shelby would get dinner started. She remembered when she’d been a girl, how her parents had had their restaurant in Maine. It had meant that she and her siblings had played like this at the restaurant, aching for their parents’ attention. Shelby was grateful that she could give her kids nonstop attention.

Not long before she had to get dinner ready, Shelby remembered to check the mail. The rain had calmed to a light patting, and she hurried out to grab the stack of letters before returning to the kitchen. She’d decided to let the kids watch twenty minutes of television, so they were glued to the screen like fanatics, allowing her a bit of peace. She hoped they wouldn’t mention it to Jared later.

Two of the letters were trash, but one of them was ornate, a beautiful marigold color that triggered Shelby, if only because it reminded her of stationery she’d used as a kid.

It was then she saw it was addressed not to Jared Kissinger, but to Shelby.

Worse, it was addressed to Shelby Vance, her maiden name. She shivered and glanced left, then right, as though worried that Jared waited in the wings of the kitchen. Without thinking, she tore open the letter and pulled it out.

It read:

You are invited to the wedding of Jenny Hobrecht and Chad Vance

August 21, 2032

Location: The White Oak Lodge on Nantucket Island

Please RSVP by July 8th.

Shelby’s jaw went slack. She couldn’t believe this. Chad was her little brother, and he was marrying a woman Shelby had never known—a woman named Jenny. On the other side of the invitation was a photograph of the engaged couple: Chad, aged twenty-five, so handsome, looking so much like their deceased father that it made Shelby’s throat swell. Beside him was Jenny, a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, with red hair that hung in curls down her shoulders. They looked as though they’d won the lottery.

Collapsing on one of the kitchen stools, Shelby pressed the invitation to her chest and closed her eyes, reminding herself of all the reasons she couldn’t go back to Nantucket Island. She couldn’t see her family again.

2

Far and away on Nantucket Island, Rebecca opened the back door of her place and walked onto the veranda, where she put her arms on the railing and gazed out at the Nantucket Sound. Waves rolled gently toward her, lapping up on the sand, and the sun beat down upon her, the most delicious of blessings. Truly, there was so much to look forward to, she reminded herself. Chad’s wedding was three months away, and it would be another fantastic Nantucket summer of barbecues and bonfires and wine-nights and laughter. It was another summer without her darling Shelby, yes. But she would find a way through it, as illogical as that seemed to her. She had to.

Just then, she heard her husband, Ben, calling from the kitchen. Rebecca turned and hurried back into the house, where she found Ben overseeing a big book of paint samples. Soon, they would be refurbishing not only the kitchen but also the living room, dining room, and three upstairs bedrooms. “What do you think?” Ben asked, narrowing his eyes as he pointed at three different shades of beige.

“Beige?” Rebecca laughed and kissed his cheek. “Don’t you think we can do better than that?”