“No.” I felt very nervous. The beat of my pulse hammered through me. I wove my fingers through Noah’s.
Edward thunked his beer down and finally spoke. “She doesn’t?”
I shook my head.
Helen took a delicate sip of her wine. “How odd.”
Now everyone was staring at me. I shrugged, but it didn’t break the silence, so I finally managed to say, “I didn’t actually know she’d lived here until recently.”
“And is that why you’re here?”
I glanced at Noah. He looked at his dad.
“Mom.” Noah’s father might not be sure what was going on, but his tone was clear: guests weren’t to be bullied.
Yet his mother waved him off, her gaze on me. “Let her answer.”
“I just—I realized she used to come here, and I was curious. So I came here.”
“How sweet. Isn’t that sweet, Edward?”
“Shenevertalks about Nantucket?” Edward Barbanel repeated.
Talks.Present tense. My stomach clenched and I squeezed Noah’s hand tighter, looking at him frantically before turning back to Edward. “I, um—no. I didn’t know about—about anyone here. About the Barbanel family.”
Edward looked gutted.
“Honestly, Edward.” Helen’s tone could scratch diamonds. “Did you think she was still carrying a torch?”
Well, she definitely knew Edward and my grandmother had a history.
Edward met my gaze. “How is she?”
Oh no.
Oh no oh no oh no.
I didn’t want to do this. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.I didn’t want to tell the boy who had writtenYou are bright and the world blurred, sharp and the world softthat Ruth had died.
I looked desperately at Noah. He stared back at me.
I cleared my throat and stared at a few chickpeas left on my plate. “She passed away last year.”
Silence surrounded me, except for the hum of cicadas and the distant roar of the ocean.
I snuck a glance up, and saw Edward statue-like. Helen, too, looked horrified. She transferred her gaze to her husband, then back to me. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
Noah’s parents and aunts and uncles looked baffled.
“I didn’t know,” Helen said.
“No—of course not...” I trailed off, helpless.
Edward Barbanel slowly pushed his chair back and rose. “You’ll have to excuse me.”
He walked away, each slow, faltering step taking an age. Helen smiled tightly at the table and went after him, offering her arm when she caught up to him. He didn’t take it.
Everyone stared at me.
