Just because I’d jokingly elbowed him.
We visited three more places on Annie’s list, this time with Maisie and Bryce in tow. “Thanks, Liv,” my dad had said. “Erica and I could use some time together.”
Yeah, I thought.Some time away from her family…
“You said you were sent this set forfree?” I’d heard Peggy say when Erica set up an extremely aesthetic game of Mahjong on the deck yesterday. It was a lot of fun once you grasped the rules. “It looks very expensive.”
“Did you volunteer to post it?” Topper asked. “In exchange for the game?”
“No, Dad,” Erica answered. “After I hosted a Mahjong nightwith my friends, the company reached out to me about a brand partnership.”
“Oh,” her mom said. “They really paid you?”
Ashley then intervened, as if sensing her aunt was going to lose it. That’s when it sort of struck me: Erica had spent so much time with Annie and Pops, and I couldn’t remember her getting frustrated once. Maybe over a couple little things, but that was it.
Was it because Annie understood her career? And Pops tried his best to? And they both cheered her on, no matter what?
I suddenly wondered if Erica missed my grandmother as much as I did, if she was just trying to stay strong for the twins.
And maybe for me.
Anyway, while she and my dad drove up island for a day alone, Connor ran Maisie and Bryce wild in Oak Bluffs’ sprawling green Ocean Park. They dodged people spread out on picnic blankets, curved around fountains, and nearly trampled a few flowerbeds—all the while tossing a Frisbee back and forth. He really was good with kids.
Whining, Swede strained at his leash. “Sorry, dude,” I said, gesturing to some magenta flowers. “I just don’t think that hibiscus bush is safe if you’re on the prowl…”
“Can we go back to Nancy’s?” Bryce asked after I’d taken a picture of him and Maisie in front of the park’s big Victorian gazebo, to match Annie’s Polaroid. I wasn’t Annie’s only grandchild, after all. “Those hot dogs wereawesome.”
Connor caught my eye, his gaze glinting in the sunlight. “We can…” he started.
“But that means we can’t get cheeseburgers,” I finished.
“Cheeseburgers?” the twins burst out. They loved hot dogs, but burgers held a bigger place in their hearts.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Nick told me about a place.”
If there was one person who knew more about casual Martha’s Vineyard cuisine than Teddy, it was Nick.
“To the Lookout!” Connor cheered.
“To the Lookout!” we echoed.
Swede even barked in agreement.
I hoped they allowed dogs.
* * *
Tuesday found us exploring the popular Martha’s Vineyard Museum (not on Annie’s list, but a Teddy recommendation) and then the Grange Hall in West Tisbury. Built in 1859, it was the original home of the island’s agricultural society and its annual fair. I had never seen such a grand barn, and I felt like I’d stepped back in time. The whole drive I wondered if Annie’s tractor photo had been taken there. The context didn’t make a lot of sense—her sipping wine in her tennis whites—but maybe the hall had hosted a party of some sort? I’d read online that they could host weddings.
Annie’s rendering of the Grange Hall was neither a paintingnor photo; instead, it was an intricate ink sketch. In both the drawing and real life, it looked more like a Victorian cottage than the quintessential red barn—cedar-shingled with an angled roof, wide front porch, and white fretwork details at the top of the porch columns and eaves. “This is incredible,” Connor commented, and while I nodded, I couldn’t really focus on the hall. Of course there was no John Deere tractor, but even the topography didn’t seem to be the same. There were no sandy dirt trails, no car-worn grass, and no distinctly wind-whipped trees.How am I going to find this place?I wondered, feeling a twinge. By visiting every single farm on the island?
Why hadn’t Annie included the location in her caption? “Summer Camp” told me absolutely nothing.
“You’re very quiet,” Connor observed on the way home. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on my knee. Every few heartbeats, I had to remind myself to breathe. I usually liked his easy affection, but right now it felt a little much. “Everything okay?”
“Uh-huh.” I took his hand off my leg and lazily threaded our fingers together. “I just need to call Annie when we get back. It’s been a while.”
Connor squeezed my fingers. “You can use my humble abode,” he said. “If you want some privacy.”
