On the property is a series of small suites in the style of cozy cottages. As a child, I thought the ivy-covered structures looked like houses for fairies. A beachside bistro under a peaked white tent and swimming pool are located down the cliff side, nestled into the sand dunes. It’s Rose’s favorite spot on the island, and we always come here for special occasions: birthdays or celebrations or after the end of a particularly challenging day.
A few hours after the mysterious renter’s arrival, we walk up to the restaurant. There’s a squat white building with green trim and a candle-lit porch. Guests are stretched out on the lawn chairs. A little girl in a pink dress is blowing bubbles out of a plastic tube. Everything is bathed in a soft orange light.
Rose was uncharacteristically quiet on our walk over. We haven’t talked about the strange situation with the new renter yet.
“How was your meeting today?” I ask once we are seated at the old wooden bar. “It was a session with a client?” After the renter appeared, she immediately left. I want to ask her what the deal is with him, but this seems a safer question for now.
Around us are empty white-clothed tables, but we always prefer to eat here, right by the grand piano. The musician is playing an acoustic version of “Tiny Dancer,” and a bartender who looks about my age is mixing cocktails a few feet away. I watch the silver cylinder shake as he tosses it over his shoulder.
“No,” Mom responds, refolding the napkin on her lap. “It was with the real estate office downtown.”
“The real estate office?” I’m confused.
“Yes.” Rose clears her throat, brushing stray strands of hair behind her ears. “It was about an opening on Federal Street. There’s a small upstairs office space available for rent above a boutique.”
“What?”
“You know I’ve always talked about opening my own private practice, and I’ve been thinking now could be a good time.”
“Oh my gosh, MOM,” I screech, slapping my palms against the table. A fork clatters next to me. “Mom, this is amazing. This is so exciting. How was the place? I want to see it. Have you told your office yet? When are you thinking of starting? What would the rent look like?”
“Lily-pad.” Rose smiles. “Slow down! I haven’t made a decision yet. I’m just exploring options. But yes, I’m thinking it would be great to have the practice up and running by September.”
The idea fills me with a sort of ecstatic glee.
This has been a long time coming. Rose has worked as a therapist my entire life, but I know she’s wanted more autonomy and control. She was thinking of starting her own practice before Lottie got sickagain, but then with the caretaking and renovations to the cottage, it became unfeasible. I take this to be a sign of her healing process, a way to finally move forward.
“And how about you?” Rose asks. “How’s the job search going?”
Like that, my revelry extinguishes. “The job search will begin tomorrow. Officially.”
My plan this weekend is to print out flyers and offer my photography services across the island: weddings, graduation photos, engagement shoots, whatever. I’ll be there. Maybe I’ll even try to start a new art project again.
And if all else fails, I can always ask for my college summer job at the sweatshirt store back.
“Wow, congratulations,” I repeat, forcing the last thought away. “This is really amazing.” I hold up my water glass to cheers her.
“Now,” I continue. “When are we going to talk about what happened with the renter?”
“Do we have to?” Rose hides her face in her hands.
“Yes.”
“Okay,” she sighs. “That was Tommy—I mean, Thomas—Wentworth. He’s an old friend of mine.”
“Just a friend?”
“Well, no. I suppose he was more than a friend.”
“He certainly seemed like more than a friend.”
“Okay, yes.”
I raise my eyebrow to signal for her to keep talking.
Rose sighs. “I met him here, on island, the summer I turned eighteen. We fell in love, but I was going off to college and my father didn’t approve. Tommy was a few years older than me and had already been accepted to the Coast Guard Academy. He was staying here at the station by Brant Point. I knew he was going back to theacademy in the fall, and then he had five years of service after. It would be incredibly difficult for us to stay together.”
“So, what happened? You broke up when the summer ended?”
