Ignoring that, she set Jed on the counter, which only set off more howling, and rummaged through the freezer. “Hang on, buddy, I’m looking for the Boo Boo Bunny.” But there was no sign of the blue rabbit ice pack. Just as she reached for a bag of frozen peas, the overhead lights flickered. Then the house went dark.
“Fuck.” Rob stood up from the dining room table, his face twisting in the blue glow of his laptop light. “I just started a new spreadsheet. If this thing surges…” He yanked the cord from the wall. “I’m calling Dave,” he said.
Phoebe froze in the dark kitchen. “No, let me.”
If Rob called Dave, Dave would have to tell him that Phoebe had paused the electrician’s work that very afternoon. Because there wasn’t any money left in the current bank installment. And that the electrical subcontractors wouldn’t be coming back until there was.
The lights blinked on, then off. And then, to her overwhelming relief, back on. Rob stood in the doorway, holding his laptop as if it were kryptonite. “Never mind,” he said. “You call Dave. I’ve got to get out of here.”
Still holding the frozen bag of peas, Phoebe swept Jed onto her hip and followed him out to the front door. “What do you mean? Where?”
Rob snatched his briefcase from the foyer, blew the construction dust off the top. “It’s too much, Phoebe. This whole thing has gotten away from us.”
“In just a few more months it should be done.”
Rob spun around. “And how many more issues will be revealed by then? What’s next: asbestos? An electrical fire?”
Phoebe kept her mouth shut. It was not her fault the house was old. Rob had been there for the inspections. He’d signed the same papers she had.
He bent down and pecked Jed on the head. “Feel better, buddy.” Then to Patrick, scowling from his seat in time-out, “You owe your brother an apology.” To her, he said, “I’m going over to your parents’ place to finish up this presentation. I can’t work in these conditions.”
“But they’re getting set up for Jake and Olivia’s engagement party. It’ll be a madhouse over there.”
“It can’t be worse than here.” He turned on his heel.
“Rob, wait.” She trailed him through the door and out onto the lawn, where he stalked across the patchy grass, navigating the piles of lumber, his posture slumped with defeat. She halted unsteadily at the end of the walkway, her toe catching on the crooked edge of fieldstone walkway.
“You know, this isn’t easy for me, either,” she called after Rob.
He didn’t even turn around. “But it’s your dream, Phoebe.”
She watched irritably as he got in the car and reversed out, her eyes fixed on the taillights as he headed down the driveway.
Jed fussed in her arms. The frozen bag of peas she still clutched was causing her hand to go numb. Behind her, from inside her dream house, the lights flickered again. Phoebe went back inside and slammed the door.
Olivia
“Please, can I go, Mommy?” Luci pressed her lips against her mother’s ears. They were cold and wet with lake water, and Olivia giggled and pulled away.
“I don’t know, honey. That’s a fast boat. Why don’t you wait until later and we can go together?”
“But I want to go for a boat ride.”
Olivia sighed. She’d just sat down and kicked her sandals off. Amelia and Jane had invited her to join them, and Jane was emptying the remains of a lovely bottle of Riesling into their glasses. The engagement party had ended moments ago, and the last guest was still making his way across the lawn to his car. The remaining family was gathered around the patio table loose with social fatigue, drinks, and sun. Only the kids seemed to have enough energy left to play down by the water. Jane had done a swell job.
“Nothing too fussy,” her future mother-in-law had promised from the beginning. “Just us and some good food.” And to Olivia’s delight, she’d kept to her word.
Initially, Perry had offered Jake and Olivia his clubhouse, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed beams, its sweeping views of the water. Olivia had liked the idea, at first, but Jake hadn’t. “Too stuffy,” he’d said. “Not my thing.”
When Perry pressed further, expounding on the catering staff and the ballroom, where weddings were held, Olivia understood. They had no desire for white linen and crystal goblets. They wanted to gather the people they were closest to. “We’re going for more of a rustic vibe,” Olivia had explained, after thanking Perry for the offer.
“There’s an antler chandelier in the ballroom,” Perry said. “The clubhouse is rustic.”
“But the members are not,” Jake joked. “Thanks, Perry. But we want to keep it simple.”
Perry had looked dejected. “Well, maybe for the wedding,” he’d mumbled.
In the end, a luncheon at the Goodwins’ lake house was perfect. Jane and Edward had hosted a small clambake on the patio by the water. Jane set up one long farm table overlooking the dock and dressed it with a traditional French tapestry tablecloth which doubled as a gift to the couple, something that touched Olivia deeply. It was covered with vases of fresh-cut hydrangeas, arranged simply in silver pitchers. For lunch there were grilled littlenecks with beer and butter, corn on the cob, barbecued steaks, and salmon. An old red canoe filled with ice held bottles of wine, champagne, and cans of Jake’s favorite IPA. There was a dessert table with tart lemonade and airy orange zest meringues topped with whipped cream and mint leaves.
