The Sweetest Summer: A Bayberry Island Novel

  “I’m honored to benefit from the vast experience of a sixteen-year-old.”

  “Hey, it’s two more years than you got, suckah.”

  They walked quietly for a few moments; then Duncan patted him on the back, and not very gently. “You need to get over her, man. Move on. It was a summer fling, and they never amount to anything.”

  “This one will. She promised to write me.”

  Duncan shook his head. “They all do.”

  “Evie is different.”

  “Whatever you say, champ.” Duncan bumped his knuckles against Clancy’s biceps. “You’re gonna make it. You can’t see it now, but one day you won’t even remember that girl’s name.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  At least she wasn’t half naked.

  That was the mantra Evelyn repeated to herself as Clancy drove up a small gravel road to his mother’s house. Tonight was the annual Flynn family cookout, and Clancy assured her there was no reason the two McGuinness girls needed to hide behind costumes. No one ever attended their cookout except family. That certainly made things smoother with Christina, since she now refused to wear her pirate ensemble. After they had returned from viewing the children’s play the previous day, Chrissy insisted she was a mermaid.

  Mermaid Jellybean.

  But since she didn’t have a mermaid ensemble yet, tonight she was dressed as a kid: a light cotton hoodie, shorts, and sport sandals, along with the Boston Red Sox ball cap Clancy had given her.

  Evie, on the other hand, was greatly relieved to make her debut as a nonmermaid. She had chosen a simple khaki skirt, a white lace-trimmed fitted T-shirt, and sandals. And, for the first time since arriving on Bayberry, she accessorized. She chose a simple pair of gold dangly earrings that Clancy said looked “chic” with her new hairdo.

  Maybe he was right. Now a dark brunette, Evie had played with smoothing down her short pieces of hair instead of spiking them up. The result—she’d gone from Brigitte Nielsen to Audrey Hepburn in a single afternoon.

  They parked the Jeep along the road and walked together through the rickety gate and down the walkway, Clancy holding the side dish Evie had prepared. Mona’s cedar shingle house was cute—along the lines of Clancy’s—with a brightly painted front door and a huge variety of garden flowers. Evie took a deep breath. She was nervous, no doubt, but there would be only one person she didn’t know tonight.

  Frasier Flynn, the family patriarch.

  Clancy whispered into her ear. “Remember what I told you about my parents. If, God forbid, you find yourself trapped in a situation where you’re tempted to try to smooth things over between them, just say you have to go to the bathroom.”

  Christina raced ahead under an old arbor and into the side yard, getting a hardy welcome from everyone. Ash gave her a high five—which was a low five for him. “It’s lean, mean Jellybean!”

  “Hi, Mr. Ass.” The joke never seemed to get old with this crowd.

  Suddenly, Christina backed away from Rowan. Oh, crap. No one had even thought about Chrissy’s reaction to seeing the mermaid without her tail.

  Rowan got on her knees in the grass and motioned for Chrissy to come near. Evie watched, fascinated, as her niece cautiously approached her idol.

  “I am sorry, sweetie. I forgot to tell you that sometimes, mermaids who spend a lot of time on land wear regular clothes. See, because I love a human—”

  “Flatterer,” Ash whispered.

  “I have to blend in with life on the island. Do you understand?”

  Christina nodded. Rowan gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Would you like some lemonade?”

  Once that little drama played out, Evie was welcomed with equal enthusiasm, getting hugs from everyone there, including Ash and Nat this time.

  But not Duncan. He shook her hand formally. “Nice to see you again. Sorry to freak you out yesterday.”

  “Oh, it was nothing.” She smiled at him kindly. “Was just a little surprised to see you standing there.”

  “You look lovely tonight,” Rowan said.

  “Thank you.”

  Annie leaned in. “Love your hair color.”

  Evie laughed. “Do you? I had a private consultant choose the shade.”

  She already felt calmer, thanks to the friendly greeting, and was relieved that Frasier hadn’t arrived yet. She was still a little hesitant to meet him, though Clancy had helped her prepare in advance for the encounter. He assured her that the mayor wasn’t known for his keen powers of observation, and wouldn’t make the connection between the woman standing in front of him in his estranged wife’s yard and the whole kidnapping, worldwide manhunt thing. They had agreed that Evie should be as vague as possible with Frasier but not avoid him entirely. If he learned who Evie was, Clancy said Frasier would be torn between his duties as mayor and Clancy’s boss, and his role as a dad.

  Evie kissed Mona’s cheek. “Everything looks lovely.”

  “Thank you, my dear.” She took the casserole dish from Clancy’s hands. “Does this need heating or refrigeration?”

  “The fridge would be great until we’re ready to eat, thanks.”

  Mona peered through the glass lid. “It looks delicious. May I ask what it is?”

  “Sure—a quinoa salad with sautéed kale, pears, and roasted almonds.”

  Mona’s eyes widened. “Well, doesn’t that sound interesting? Be right back.”

  Once her mother was in the house, Rowan draped an arm over Evie’s shoulder. “She has no flippin’ idea what you just said.” Everyone laughed.

  The backyard was set up with a large charcoal grill, horseshoe pit, badminton net, and a fire grate surrounded by a variety of lawn chairs and side tables. The bonfire was ready to light. And under a large sycamore, Mona had created a charming dining area right out of Martha Stewart’s magazine. She’d covered a long table with crisp summery white linens and mismatched vintage china and glassware. Chairs of every description and size were pulled alongside. In the middle of everything was a lush centerpiece of wildflowers, sea grass, cattails, and shells. It was simple and unpretentious, yet one of the most beautiful arrangements Evie had ever seen.

  Just then, she noticed one chair had been topped with a child’s booster seat in preparation for Chrissy.

  Clancy put his lips to her ear. “She borrowed it from a neighbor.”

  “How kind of her.”

  “This evening is very important to my mom. She does this every Wednesday of festival week, without fail. She wants us to all be together in the same way, year after year. Like a ritual.”

  Evie allowed her eyes to meet his. She tried to fight it off, but an overwhelming sadness washed over her. Her mother had been the same way. Christmas, Easter, birthdays—all held together with the thread of ceremony, doing things the same way time and time again. It was a big part of why her childhood always made sense.

  “I miss this. A lot.”

  Clancy kissed her cheek. “It’s here for you tonight. Right now. I want you to know that my woo-woo family is your woo-woo family.”

  She was grateful he made her laugh.

  A voice bellowed from the side of the house. “By the look of this crowd I’d say there’s been a mass escape at the Municipal Lockup!”

  “Prepare to be schmoozed,” Clancy whispered. “Just be yourself.”

  The tall and still handsome Frasier Flynn strolled across the lawn like he owned the place, which, according to Clancy, he did not. Mona had rented this house when they separated two years before.

  Frasier went around the yard hugging and kissing everyone and slapping his sons on the back. Jellybean had decided to hang on to Evie’s leg during the commotion, and she couldn’t blame her.

  “Clancy? Would you do the honors?”

  “Da, this is my old friend Evie. We met back in school.”

  “A pl
easure.” Frasier kissed the top of her hand. “I can’t imagine why my son waited so long to add you to our festivities, but we are so pleased you’re here.”

  Clancy patted Chris on the ball cap. “And this is Jellybean.”

  Frasier’s manner softened immediately, and it was obvious that he’d had kids of his own. He squatted down. “Hi there. I’m Clancy’s dad. It’s good you’re a Red Sox fan.”

  “Hi.” She peeked around Evie’s thigh. “You Rowan’s dad, too? I saw her castle. I’m allowed to play there if I want.”

  Frasier smiled sweetly. “Yes, and I’m Duncan’s dad, too. Maybe I’ll see you over at the castle someday.” He rose up, and winked at Clancy, then helped himself to the beer tap.

  Just then, Mona returned from the kitchen. Evie saw her spine stiffen and her lips tighten. Her eyes fixed on her husband’s back, and he seemed to turn around instinctively. Their eyes flashed at each other, but no words were exchanged.

  The meal was delicious, healthy, and varied. Mona placed a huge tureen of fish soup on the table to start everyone off, and Evie moaned with pleasure at the first chunky spoonful of cod, clams, mussels, and prawns swimming in a rich, seasoned broth.

  Though the chatter was loud, Christina’s little voice broke through the noise.

  In Dublin’s fair city

  Where girls are so pretty . . .

  And before Evie knew what was happening, the whole table erupted in song. Glasses of wine and mugs of beer were raised as they made their way through two verses.

  Christina’s eyes remained wide with surprise through the whole rendition. When it was done she slapped her palms on the tablecloth. “You know the mussel song?”

  The rest of dinner was a joyous, loud, fun event. Mona served roasted lamb, grilled salmon, fresh green beans and summer squash, homemade bread, and roasted rosemary potatoes. The quinoa salad was quickly consumed.

  Mona reached around Christina and patted Evie’s hand. “Now I have to be honest. I wasn’t sure about that salad, but it really was very good.”

  Evie smiled and thanked her.

  One thing was obvious—everyone except Frasier had avoided asking Evie questions about her life. For every one of Frasier’s inquiries—where she was from, what she did for a living, how long she planned to stay on the island, and where, exactly, was she staying—Evie had to come up with a mostly honest and fairly vague answer until Clancy, or someone, could change the subject. At one point, Christina looked like she was gearing up to contribute to the conversation, so Mona rushed her inside to use the facilities.

  “But I don’t have to go!” she said, just as the kitchen screen door closed.

  Duncan was as rowdy as anyone else at the table, but he never addressed Evie directly or looked at her when she spoke. She had to admit it bothered her. Obviously, he didn’t like her or approve of Clancy protecting her—or both.

  After cleaning up the main meal, Evie helped Mona, Annie, and Rowan bring out coffee and dessert—a freshly baked rice pudding with a salted caramel sauce. No, it wasn’t exactly one of her feed-the-speed recipes, but it was unbelievable. Chrissy shoveled it in, making humming noises and smacking her lips as she went.

  “That’s how I feel, Jellybean,” Nat told her.

  Before the dishes were cleared, Rowan and Ash fetched glasses and two bottles of champagne. “We thought we’d make a little toast this evening,” Rowan said, filling everyone’s glass. “To celebrate all of us being together.”

  “Oh, how perfectly lovely!” Mona smiled, raising her glass.

  Ash cleared his throat. “Oh, and also, Rowan and I are getting married.”

  Everyone exploded with surprised laughter and shouts of joy. Evelyn felt honored to witness the happiness and tears everyone shared. Even Duncan beamed, appearing more lighthearted than he’d been all evening.

  The engagement celebration went on for many long minutes. Then Christina asked, “Which castle will you live in? The one under the sea or the one on land?”

  The evening wound down and everyone moved to the fire. Since Clancy could be called away at any time, he was the only adult not drinking wine or beer. In addition to the champagne, Evelyn had enjoyed some chilled pinot grigio, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt relaxed enough to sip a glass of wine.

  Throughout the evening, she’d heard plenty of stories about life as a Flynn kid, and from what she could tell, it was a typical family dynamic, filled with rivalries, loyalties, arguments, territories, and a lot of laughter. As adults, Clancy and Rowan were tight, but Duncan seemed more detached. It made sense. He’d spent a total of about six weeks on the island in the last twenty years.

  Evie excused herself and took Christina in the house, because this time she really did have to go. They didn’t take more than ten minutes, but by the time she and Chrissy returned to the circle of chairs, everything had changed.

  Clancy stood on one side of the flames and Duncan the other. Nat and Ash were on the edge of their chairs, as if on alert.

  “That’s enough, the two of you. Sit down.” Frasier glanced at Clancy. “Duncan hasn’t even been home two days and you two have to get into it like this?”

  Clancy laughed. “Me, Da? Are you joking?”

  Annie hopped up and went over to Evie, gathering Chrissy. “I’ll take Jellybean inside again.”

  Evie said there was no need, and that they would be leaving.

  That’s when she felt Clancy’s hand grab hers. “Please stay. You need to hear this.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Clancy squeezed her hand and locked his gaze with hers. “Please. Trust me. You’ll want to hear what he has to say.”

  She moved closer to Clancy’s side, cautiously taking a peek at Duncan’s tensed face in the firelight. The brothers were obviously arguing, but she didn’t know why it had anything to do with her, unless . . .

  Evie went rigid. Duncan was going to turn her in!

  “Tell her.” Clancy’s voice was laced with fury. Evie began to shake. After all this? This was how it would end?

  She whispered to Clancy. “You told me we were safe.”

  “You are safe.”

  “So Duncan didn’t . . .”

  Clancy suddenly realized what she was afraid of. He hugged her tight to his hip. “No, Evie. Not that. No worries.” Clancy paused. “Go ahead and tell her, Duncan.”

  The big man shrugged, the light throwing shadows across his hard face. “I ripped up your letter.”

  “My . . . what?”

  “Your letter. The letter you sent my brother, back when you were kids. I got it out of the mailbox and I ripped it up and tossed it in the trash. He never knew you’d written.”

  Evie let go with a laugh of disbelief. This was so strange—impossible. “Why would you do something like that?”

  “Because I was an ass.”

  Frasier ran a hand over his eyes. “Oh, Jesus.”

  Mona let go with a soft cry of disappointment.

  “But . . . ?” Evie looked at Clancy again. “I don’t understand. Why did he do that? Why would he care if I wrote you?”

  “Because he was jealous and angry. He still is.”

  Duncan relaxed his stance. “Come on, man. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Are you fucking kidding?” Clancy let go of Evie and stomped toward the fire. Nat and Ash stood up. “You meant it, you mean son of a bitch. You said Evie didn’t care about me and would never contact me, but when she did, you couldn’t stand that you were wrong and that I’d really found someone special. You had to squash my happiness like a bug.”

  Frasier stood up, too. “Boys, this is enough.”

  Evie put her hand on Clancy’s shoulder and felt him tremble as he answered his father. “I am not a boy, Da. And neither is Duncan. He needs to man up here.”

  Duncan
shook his head. “You don’t have any idea what it means to man up, dude.”

  “That’s it.”

  Clancy tore around the circle, slipping through Ash and Nat’s body blocks. Duncan was already barreling toward him, fists at his side. He used his chest to shove Clancy back into the center of the lawn.

  Evie covered her eyes. She had no interest in watching this kind of primitive caveman display.

  Suddenly, she heard all movement stop, and dared to look up. The two brothers were breathing hard, staring into each other’s eyes, arms stiff at their sides. It was a standoff. They did have some self-control, after all. Duncan took a step back. He held his arms wide, open palms facing Clancy. “Hit me.”

  Clancy’s nostrils flared.

  “You two will never grow up.” That was Rowan.

  “Please don’t do this to each other.” That was Mona.

  “They need to sort this out once and for all,” Frasier said. “Maybe it’s time Clancy beat the hell out of Duncan. It’s been a long time comin.’”

  “Da’s right. Go ahead and hit me.” Duncan’s voice was strangely flat. “I fucked with your life and it wasn’t right.” His dark eyes flashed toward Mona. “Sorry about the language, Ma.”

  “You’re right. That’s exactly what you did. You completely—” Clancy glanced at his mother, too. She was shaking her head and crying. Clancy returned his attention to Duncan. “That was not your decision to make, asshole. My feelings for Evie were none of your goddamn business. You changed the course of my life.”

  Slowly, Duncan got right in front of Clancy. “So make me pay.”

  Evie saw Clancy’s right arm twitch and she was about to jump on him when he relaxed. She went to his side again. Everyone closed the circle tighter.

  Suddenly, Clancy smiled. “I don’t need to hit you. Do you know why?”

  Duncan said nothing.

  “Because it didn’t work, dude. Evie is here with me now. Your jealousy was no match for love. Being strong enough to love someone, strong enough to risk everything by loving someone—that is manning up, bro.”

  “Yes! Yes!” Mona clapped her hands.