Her neighbor gently took her arm and led her to the kitchen and tried to engage her in small talk while simultaneously expressing condolences.
“This is the worst night of my life,” she told him. “Please, tell me your name again. I’m sorry. I can’t hold anything in my head right now.”
“I’m Jack, but it’s okay. You’ve had a terrible shock. Can I get you a glass of water or something? Whiskey? Champagne?”
Jack was the name of the captain of Bob’s yacht. It was a nice name with a solid ring to it. And this Jack seemed awfully nice. But this wasn’t the time for champagne!
“Yes, thank you,” Olivia said. “Water would be nice.”
Then he grabbed her by the shoulders and began shaking her, gently at first and then more insistently, shaking her and shaking her almost like she was a ragdoll.
“Ms. Ritchie? Wake up, ma’am. We’re in Charleston.”
“What? What? What? Where am . . . Oh! God!”
She almost jumped out of her seat. It was the worst nightmare of her life. She was covered in perspiration.
“Are you all right?”
“No! Yes!” She looked at him with crazy eyes of panic and wondered if he was telling her the truth. Her dream had been so vivid! So vivid and so terrifying! “Yes, I’m fine.”
She was not fine.
“Here, why don’t you just sit for a moment. I’ll get you a glass of water.”
There was a car waiting for her, another considerate gesture of Bob’s. Or maybe it was Maritza who thought of it. It didn’t matter. She had been taken care of by Bob, who truly was a new man. At least for that one day. Time would tell, she thought. It was after ten o’clock at night and it might have taken a long while for a taxi to arrive. Wait! Had she not dreamed this? In any case, she was glad to see the waiting car.
While driving to the island she called Nick’s cell phone and there was no answer. She left him a message. He was probably fast asleep and the phone was on the other side of the house on its charger or on mute.
It was right before eleven when she arrived at home. Her driver carried her bags and boxes to the door for her.
“Thanks so much! Good night!”
“Any time,” he said.
She didn’t ring the doorbell because there was a good chance that Nick would be asleep at that hour. The house was in complete darkness, which was odd. But he did not know she was coming in that night. Or did he? His new habit was to rise early and chase fish. She smiled thinking about that. The door was locked, so she dug through her handbag for her keys and let herself in. She took the food to the kitchen and dropped it on the counter and then she took her suitcase to the bedroom, careful not to make any noise that might wake Nick.
To her surprise, the bed was still made. She turned on the overhead light. Nick was definitely not there. Suddenly she was alarmed. Where was he? At this late hour?
“Nick! Nick!” She called his name loudly, not caring then if she woke him up. Maybe he had fallen asleep on a sofa? Or in his leather chair?
He was not in the bathroom or his study or the living room. She turned on lights as she went from place to place. Maybe the porch? She hurried outside, and there he was in his favorite rocking chair wearing his new fishing hat. She was so relieved.
“Nick? Hey, baby! I’m home!”
There was no response. Was he asleep?
She was doubly panicked as she hurried around him to wake him. He was slumped to the side, fishing hat askew, stain on his shirt. This was her dream. Oh God. Was he dead?
“Nick? Baby? Wake up. I’m home.”
As though he had been holding his breath for weeks, here came a long whoosh of an exhale. To Olivia’s enormous relief, Nick was very much alive.
“Well, hey there! I missed my woman! Come here to me.”
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her face.
“Oh Nick!” She burst into tears.
“Whoa, Nellie! Hold on there! Whatever is the matter?”
“Oh! I had the most vivid and terrible dream.”
“Come on, now. I’m here with you and everything is okay.”
“I know, I know.” Olivia said and realized again how tired she was. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“Rough trip?”
“Maritza gave Bob religion. I brought you tomatoes.”
“Ah, my lovely girl! Let’s go make a sandwich.”
Epilogue
Labor Day, Nantucket
Olivia would never find better friends than those she had. She knew it and she treasured each one of them, especially Roni, despite her youth, and Bob and Maritza. And life’s curve balls didn’t always result in a black eye. The first thing that happened in that very tumultuous August was that Roni’s mother finally gave up the ghost. Olivia flew to New York and did everything for Roni that she could. To be honest, Roni was more relieved than bereft. Her mother had suffered so terribly for so long.
And things between Roni and Jason had gained sufficient momentum and heat for her to move to Charleston. She found a small apartment in the historic district south of Broad Street and moved in. Next, the old salts on Nantucket who had decided they couldn’t part with their twenty-six-million-dollar white elephant changed their mind. Their matriarch who held the deed died too, and suddenly the heirs were screaming bloody murder for their inheritance. Bob picked up the bargain for a mere twenty. The real estate business was good, but it wasn’t that good.
So Olivia had a gold mine on her books again and the foreseeable future looked pretty darn bright. Immediately following the closing on the Nantucket house, Olivia threw herself into her work. She and Roni were down to punch list details on the New York job, and by Labor Day, with Jason and Roni’s help and a lot of expediting, the Vasiles were moved in and able to host a house party. It was to be just family, with the exception of Nick and Olivia, whom Bob had adopted except for the paperwork.
“Think of me as your ugly big brother,” Bob said to her.
“You’re not that ugly,” she said with a laugh.
“Oh, thanks a whole lot!”
On Friday of Labor Day weekend, Maritza’s mother arrived and so did Betty and Ernest. So of course Kitty and Daniel were there. They were having a barbecue that night and had invited a few locals to come by for a cocktail—the McKerrows, with whom they had become very friendly during the construction and the Philbricks, because Bob wanted to get to know Nat and what he knew about Nantucket.
As unbelievable as it seemed to Olivia, Bob was going to grill the steaks himself, but that was how the idea for his first restaurant came to him thirty something years ago. He said he could grill one helluva steak.
“Well, you look like you know what you’re doing!” Olivia said and laughed.
There would be steamed corn, the last of the summer, and sliced tomatoes from Mississippi, also the last of Martha Ann’s bumper crop. Olivia brought fresh basil from their magic garden on Sullivans Island. Well, she called it that because the rate of growth of her herbs seemed insane. And the tomatoes she planted late in the season were perfection—plump, juicy, and delicious. So she brought tomatoes to Nantucket as well. She, who had never thought of herself having anything close to a green thumb, tended her tomato plants like they were precious babies in an ICU, enlisting Nick to keep them watered when she ran back and forth to Nantucket.
There would be no housekeeper or crew to deal with the aftermath of dinner that night or all weekend. Maritza made the announcement that the Nantucket house would be their family’s refuge, not a place overrun with a big staff. Everyone loved the idea of that kind of privacy and freedom to be themselves. Maritza had the novel idea that it might be good for them to have one place to go where they could act like a normal family. Olivia silently applauded it. Kitty and Daniel announced they would take kitchen duty off the hands of all the old folks. And Kitty did make a cake of Old Glory. Even Gladdie wanted to help.
So, at 5:01 in the afternoon, the bar was open and Bob was pouring wine
. The Philbricks and the McKerrows appeared. Martin McKerrow was sporting navy Bermuda shorts with tiny kelly green whales on them and Nat Philbrick was wearing kelly green Bermuda shorts with tiny navy blue whales and they couldn’t stop laughing at themselves and each other. Maritza took pictures of them standing next to each other.
“I had such a great time with Nick,” Nat said.
“Nick’s the greatest,” Olivia said.
“He is one of the most learned and exuberant historians I have ever known. His students adored him.”
“We hear from them all the time.”
“I’m not surprised. Well, is he here with you?”
“Yes, he was down on the dock with Bob’s son looking at Bob’s new submarine” Olivia said.
“Submarine? You’re kidding!” Nathaniel Philbrick said.
“No! I’m not kidding! Isn’t that the wildest thing?” Olivia said. “Go see! I think they’re still out there!”
“Well, now, that beats all!” Nat said and walked away. “That’s going to drive the IRS crazy!”
“Sometimes I think they live to torture us,” Olivia said, thinking luckily her own investigation had ended before it started, but not before it cost her over four thousand dollars in legal and accounting fees.
Toni McKerrow tapped her on the arm. “Hi, I’m Martin’s wife, Toni.”
“Oh! I’m so happy to meet you! Martin is so great to work with!”
“He’s as much a part of this island as anyone! We’ve been coming here for generations.”
“Oh! How lucky for you!” Olivia said. “I adore Nantucket.”
“Well, we think we’re lucky! I just wanted to tell you what an incredible job you’ve done with this house. We’ve been enjoying parties here for years, and you really brought it back to life so beautifully!”
“Gosh, thanks! So you knew they prior owners well?”
“I sure did. The family’s great-grandmother Ethel, who was my grandmother Sarah’s mother-in-law, was a real stickler about everything. Even though this house is worth a fortune, old Ethel was a notorious tightwad. She made her children beg for every nickel she gave them. So when she went, that was it! They grabbed their inheritance before the flowers from the funeral even had time to droop!”
“That’s so funny. Yes, Bob told me the sale closed in the blink of an eye.”
“It did. But again, you did a beautiful job! Congratulations!”
“Thanks so much!”
What a nice lady, Olivia thought, and hoped she’d become a friend to Maritza. Maritza needed friends like her.
Eventually the McKerrows and the Philbricks made their way into the night and Bob began grilling the steaks—prime bone-in rib eyes, of course, brought in from one of his restaurants. Daniel had his eye on Bob, watching him carefully and eventually hanging over his shoulder.
“What’s up, son?” Bob said.
“Um, I gotta talk to you about something.”
“Sure thing. What’s on your mind?”
“Um, I need a job, Dad. Kitty said I have to get a job.”
“Why? What’s happened?” Bob flipped the steaks on the grill. “You can’t be out of money.”
The entire gathering on the deck became quiet to hear what Daniel was going to say.
“Um, um . . .”
“Come on, spit it out!”
Daniel whispered in Bob’s ear so no one could hear. Bob gasped and then started to laugh.
“Well, I’ll be damned! Congratulations!” Bob stepped back, grabbed Daniel’s hand, and shook it as soundly as he could.
“I’m having a baby,” Kitty said, and burst into tears. She had just stepped outside with the platter of steaming buttered corn. She looked like she might drop it.
“Oh, dear Lord! How wonderful!” Betty practically flew from her seat to Kitty’s side. “Let me take that platter, sweetheart.”
“Wonderful!” Nick said.
“Congratulations!” Olivia said, thinking, Well, this was inevitable!
“God bless you, sweetheart,” Ernest said. “You went forth and multiplied!”
“Darling child!” Maritza cried out. “This is the best news in the whole world! Bob! You’re going to be a grandfather!”
“It looks like it!” Bob said. “Maybe we ought to pop a cork on a bottle of bubbles!”
Olivia hurried to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of champagne from the chiller and grabbed a handful of flutes. Bob opened the bottle and filled their glasses.
“To the mother-to-be! Be healthy and may your baby be as beautiful as you are!” Bob said.
“Cheers!” everyone said and took a sip.
“And one more!” Bob said. “Here’s to nepotism. To my wonderful son, who is about to embark on a steep and difficult climb from the very bottom to the absolute top of his old man’s business! Good luck!”
Everyone laughed and cheered them both.
Finally they sat down to dinner, and a wonderful dinner it was.
“Bob! You’re quite the grill man!” Olivia said.
“Thanks!” Bob said.
“This is absolutely delicious!” Nick said.
“Steak is so good, Dad,” Daniel said. “I’d forgotten how delicious red meat can be.”
“Good, son,” Bob said.
Daniel had given up on vegan life and so had Kitty.
“I’m so hungry all the time,” she said.
“Feed your baby, sugah,” Maritza said. “That child’s hungry!”
“Maritza? May I ask you a question?” Betty said. Maritza nodded. “Ernest and I have not been able to figure this out. How did you get from the boat to Mississippi?”
“Yes!” Olivia said. “How did you do it?”
“That’s my little secret,” Maritza said. “Maybe I’ll tell you one day.”
“I’ll tell you how she did it,” Bob said. “She hid in the musician’s boat, took a taxi to the airport, got on a commercial flight, flew to Atlanta, and picked up a connection to Jackson, Mississippi. Then she rented a car and drove home.”
“What?” Olivia said, shocked.
“Oh really?” Maritza said. “And how did I do that without a passport, a credit card, and a driver’s license?”
“Yes! That’s the part we couldn’t figure out!” Ernest said.
“Because my beautiful daughter is absolutely brilliant!” Martha Ann said, adding, “You know what, Olivia? I think your Johns Island tomatoes are better than mine! Not much, but a smidgen!”
Olivia laughed. “Well, thanks!”
Bob said, “I’ll tell you how she did it. She borrowed her friend Jessica’s ID.”
“Women!” Nick said. “Very crafty!”
“You devil! How did you find out?” Maritza said.
Bob took a sip of the rare 1983 Bordeaux he had opened for the evening. Maritza, Olivia, Nick and he were the only ones drinking it. Martha Ann and Ernest sipped bourbon and the others drank iced tea. Bob put down his fork and knife.
“Because on Le Bateau de l’Amour, Captain Jack hands out the mail, right? When he saw your return address in Cartaret, he got suspicious and made her open it in front of him. He called me because he wanted to fire her. I said don’t you dare because without Jessica we might not be together. That’s how I found out. You’re welcome. I saved Jessica’s job.”
“Oh, Bob! That’s so romantic!” Maritza said.
“If you say so,” Bob said and grinned.
“It actually is, Bob.” Nick said.
“Oh! Olivia! I almost forgot to tell you! We finally got y’all a housewarming gift!”
“You’re kidding! Well, that’s completely unnecessary but very much appreciated.” Olivia said.
“It should be waiting for you when you get back home,” Bob said. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it.”
“Bob Vasile? I don’t know what you’ve done but you sure do have a funny expression!” Olivia said.
It was late Tuesday afternoon when Olivia and Nick found themselves ba
ck at home on Sullivans Island. There were boxes and boxes from UPS waiting for them. As they began to open them they discovered all the treasures they had put up for auction at Sotheby’s.
“Bob Vasile! You rascal!” Olivia said, laughing as she opened each box.
“This is a helluva gift!” Nick said.
“Well, crazy or not, Bob Vasile is a helluva friend.”
Nick had gone down the beach to throw a hook in the water. She walked down to the ocean with him, just to see if the dolphins were around. He was so happy to be home. Eventually they had spoken about her terrible nightmare, the one in which Nick died. He had listened thoughtfully while she recounted the dream. Finally, he said to her, you know, Olivia, chances are that you’ll survive me. You know that don’t you? She had replied that she didn’t want to think about it. And it was true. She did not want to envision one single day on the planet without Nick, much less one moment without him on the island.
There was something else about that place she couldn’t pinpoint, something irrational, really, an inexplicable growing passion in her for the perfume of this particular salted air and the exact land under her feet. It was the most powerful connection to a locale she had ever felt. She was beginning to understand why Nick loved it so. She was coming to feel she belonged to this place that had once felt so foreign. Belonging somewhere was something she had never valued until then. It was Nick who opened her mind and heart to see and then to begin to understand the magic of the Lowcountry. It defied rational thought, but just because you might not believe in something that did not mean it wasn’t true.
She kicked off her sandals and sat down on the cool sand. The tide was coming in slowly, washing the shore, while little sandpipers pecked away at the mud and sea gulls squawked. The sounds were beautiful hypnotic music and she could’ve sat there for days, just watching container ships entering Charleston’s harbor, ships from all over the world, bringing dreams and taking dreams away.
As Nick had hoped, the enchanted waters of Sullivans Island had exorcised her urban demons and washed them far out to sea. Nick had transplanted her there, and there she would grow. There were to be no more doubts and second thoughts. About their future? There would be lots of fresh fish, Staffordshire dogs, and laughter. She would work, he would read, and together they would enjoy their sabbatical years. It was unclear what else the future would bring. But she knew this. The Lowcountry was a powerful place, and it was home. There are couples who exist independently of each other in a marriage and those who seem like one person, finishing each other’s sentences and so on. They, Nick and Olivia, had always been their own person, but now his happiness was hers. And hers was indeed his. This was marriage at its best. Olivia stood up then and looked out to sea. She watched the afternoon water as its currents ran in ripples to the east. A tiny fishing boat bobbed in the distance. A freighter crept by slowly, coming into port while a container ship inched toward her bound for some foreign destination. There were no dolphins to be seen then, but they would be back. And Nick would be coming home later. They would end this day as they would all those left to them—their love renewed, grateful for each other and happy to be together.