“You did not abandon me. You told me how to get the EMTs. And you told your mother I was en route to the hospital.”
He rolled his eyes. “I hope she wasn’t too . . . controlling. My mother thrives on being in charge. Speaking of whom, I have two more bags in my car for you. She bought you clothes?”
Maddie hung her head. “She was a lifesaver. I’m embarrassed that I snuck out of the house after all she did for me. But I was afraid she’d try to stop me.” She raised her head and began again to try to stand.
“Stay where you are. I can find my way around a kitchen. But please, let’s not talk about Evelyn anymore. She’s a tough nut for me to live up to. With the emphasis on ‘nut.’”
She hoped Brandon didn’t think she wanted a relationship. As with most men since married-with-children Harry, Maddie felt little chemistry, even with the caring ones.
“Thanks for bringing dinner,” she said. “People are being so nice. Lisa, my neighbor down the hill, has offered to help. So has Joe. But I hate to bother anyone. Unless I can’t find a restaurant to deliver.”
He uncorked the wine. “A lot of places still do since those scary first days of Covid. But never fear. You’re on Evelyn Morgan’s radar now. Don’t forget, she was a friend of your mother’s. Which gives you added points, despite that, technically, you’re a wash-ashore.”
Maddie half listened to his last sentence. Instead, she smoothed the top of the table, her mind drifting.
“Brandon? Did you know I never knew that my grandmother was Wampanoag? That my mother was, too?”
He poured the wine into a couple of canning jars and set one in front of her. “I love this island,” he said. “I’ve always been happy that my mom kept the house here. Unlike in the city, where people tend to make friends only with those of like minds and backgrounds, the Vineyard is a tapestry of all kinds of folks—from artists to attorneys, from fishermen to presidents. And everyone in between. Some are happy, some are grumpy, some are outgoing, some keep to themselves. It doesn’t matter. If you happen to be quirky, that’s not a problem, either. Your grandmother was delightful. And, yes, she was a little quirky, but quirky is accepted here. I have no idea why you weren’t told about your heritage, but I have a hard time believing it was her choice. If you’d had the chance to know her longer, I think you’d agree.” He sat down and sipped from the jar. “Sorry if that sounded like a closing argument. I’m not even a trial lawyer.”
Maddie smiled again. “You might have made a good one. And as I told you, my memories of my grandmother—and the island—are pretty vague. It’s funny, though. The longer I’m here the more I remember.”
“In my experience, the past can be a pain in the neck. My mother’s still irked about my divorce. Mostly because she has no grandkids to hover over. But you have a son. And a husband, too ?”
“My son’s a good kid. I’m very lucky. As for the husband, I’m lucky there, too. Because now another woman has to put up with his egomania.”
“Ahh . . . ,” Brandon said, raising his glass, “here’s to divorce.”
They clinked.
“I’m not against marriage, though,” Brandon continued. “In fact, I’m about to jump into it again. If you’re around on Labor Day, you’re welcome to come to the wedding out on the beach at Lambert’s Cove.”
Once again, Maddie felt relieved. She wondered if she would become a content spinster. Perhaps she already was.
“Well, congratulations. Is the lucky lady an islander or from Boston?”
“Actually, the lucky lady is a man. My mother wasn’t crazy about that, either. Not at first. But she adores Jeremy. Which helps.”
“You’re gay? I can’t believe that’s still a big deal.”
“My mother doesn’t mind the ‘gay’ part. She’s just disappointed—again—that I won’t carry on the Morgan line of descent.”
“There are surrogates.”
He laughed. “Jeremy and I have talked about that. We might even do it. But I’m not going to tell Mom yet. She’ll start shopping for baby clothes and convert one of the bedrooms into a nursery. So please, mum’s the word. No pun intended.”
Maddie smiled. “Well, it’s terrific news, Brandon. Have you and Jeremy been together long?”
“Let’s say we’re a few years past due at the altar. That’s why I went to Boston on Tuesday. Jeremy’s condo sold; I handled the closing. My place up there is big enough for both of us. But though I love my clients in the city, I hope my husband and I can spend more time down here.”
He stood up and went back to the kitchen, setting the casserole dish in the microwave. And Maddie felt a small wave of envy for the fact that his life seemed neatly wrapped up with a well-suited partner, a successful career, and even a mother he clearly loved. He was the kind of person she’d like to have as a friend.
Then again, she remembered she didn’t really know him.
* * *
Maddie slept surprisingly well for having to navigate her now weighty lower extremity and the fact that she hadn’t taken a pain pill. Lying on her back in her mother’s childhood bed, staring at the ceiling, which, like the rest of the place, was overdue for a fresh coat of paint, she assumed she might need to repair and redecorate before putting it on the market. Now that she’d started to go through Grandma’s things, she sensed it might not be as quick a task as she had hoped. She’d barely started with the boxes she’d already opened, and she needed to assess the linen closet, the kitchen cabinets, and the piles of magazines and papers that waited in the corners of the living room. Not to mention the junk in the locked outbuilding. She forgot to ask Brandon for the name of a locksmith; she’d consult Google instead. Surely there was one on the island.
But first, she needed to tend to herself.
