But when she entered the kitchen, where everyone was sitting at the long oak table, she found them all smiling.
“Darling,” her mother said. “We have the most wonderful news!”
“Hi, Uncle Cliff,” Ari said. She kissed his cheek.
Her uncle Cliff was seven years younger than her mother, and he was still a bachelor. He sold real estate in the most expensive Boston suburbs, belonged to all the most exclusive clubs, and enjoyed tennis and good wine. He was dashingly handsome and could be charming, when he wanted to be. He radiated confidence and good humor. Ari found him shallow, but likable.
“Sit down,” Ari’s mother said. “I’ll bring you some coffee and a plate. Cliff brought us pastries!”
Ari dropped into a chair. Her mother set a mug of coffee in front of her and patted Ari’s shoulder. “Just wait!”
“Uncle Cliff,” Ari said dutifully, “I’m all ears.”
Uncle Cliff cleared his throat.
“I had a business lunch yesterday with Muriel Wheeler. She is vice president of the Gold Sand Resort Company. They have hotels in Jackson Hole, Palm Springs, and Sarasota. They want a hotel in Nantucket.” He paused dramatically. “They want to buy Eleanor’s property for fifteen million dollars.”
“Dear heavens! That’s fabulous!” Ari’s mother cried, clapping her hands.
Ari asked, “But, Mom, what about Gram?”
Alicia said, “Don’t you worry about Gram. Ari, it’s like fate! Mother turns seventy on June third, and she’s invited us to Nantucket to celebrate. In the meanwhile, I’m going to check out the very best retirement homes in the area. Not on Nantucket, of course, because of their hospital. They aren’t set up to treat heart attacks and such. They have to have a helicopter fly over and take the patient to Mass General, and the trip costs sixteen thousand dollars. Besides, as she gets older, Mother will be happier here, near us. Cliff, did you get a text from Mother, too?”
“I did. I think we should all go over for a couple of days. Take cool presents. Send masses of flowers. Show up with cases of champagne.”
Ari’s father spoke up. “I’m not certain that Eleanor will want to sell her home.”
“Oh, Cliff, don’t be so negative,” Ari’s mother said. “She’s seventy. She’ll be grateful that we’re thinking of her future. She’s got to realize it’s all downhill from here.”
“Mom!” Ari cried. “That’s an awful thing to say!” Overcome with emotion, Ari pushed her chair back and stood up. “I love Gram’s house! It’s been in her family forever. It should remain in the family forever.”
“Ari, sweetie,” Uncle Cliff said, as if she were six years old, “the house is falling apart. It needs more work than Eleanor can afford. It will make her sad to sell it, but also, she’ll be relieved.”
“So relieved,” Alicia echoed.
“Well, I think you’re all terrible people. Like ghouls at a funeral and Gram isn’t even dead yet!”
Ari stomped from the room and flew up the stairs. As she went, she heard her mother say to her uncle, “Pay no attention to her. She broke her engagement to Peter yesterday. Obviously, she can’t think straight.”
Ari spent most of the day calling her friends, telling them her news. Meloni, her BFF, lived in Concord and drove to Legal Sea Foods at the Chestnut Hill mall to meet Ari for a long dinner. So Ari escaped any more arguments with her mother. At home, she talked briefly, politely, with her parents, said good night, and went to her room to watch YouTube videos on her laptop.
—
The next morning, Ari woke to the delicious aroma of coffee. It took a moment for her to realize she was not in her sorority house, but in her own bed at home, and another moment to realize her mother had brought her coffee.
She sat up, pushing a pillow behind her.
“Good morning, darling,” her mother said, handing Ari the coffee and sitting down on the bed, close to Ari. Alicia was fully clothed in a pale lavender linen dress with amethyst earrings and bracelet. Her delicate makeup brought out the lavender tones in her blue eyes.
“Mom,” Ari said. Her mother never brought her coffee. Alicia wanted something, and Ari could guess what it was. But she took the coffee and drank.
“ ‘Thank you’ would be the polite response,” her mother said.
“Thank you. The coffee is delicious. But I’m not changing my mind about Peter.”
“Really?” She put a soft hand on Ari’s arm. “Can’t you allow yourself a little time to think about it? All that you’re throwing away? Sweetie, I don’t think you understand. Many brides get cold feet before the wedding. What you’re going through is absolutely normal. But even though you acted rashly, I’m sure if you consider how wonderful Peter is, what an excellent life the two of you will have together, you’ll—”
“Mom, please stop. Don’t you realize I’ve considered breaking off with Peter for months? I wanted to when we were here on New Year’s Eve, but that was the wrong time—”
Alicia looked horrified. “It certainly was. That would have been cruel!”
“I know! So I didn’t do it then. In January he went skiing with his buddies, and when he got back, he was stressed-out by his classes, plus we never had any private time to talk.”
“But why break up with him? He’s such a fabulous catch!”
“No one thinks that way anymore, Mom. Peter isn’t a catch and I’m not a fisherman, fisherwoman, whatever. I don’t love Peter. I’ve always cared for him, ever since we were teenagers, but somewhere along the way I realized I don’t love him. I don’t want to spend my life with him.”
“Well, I think you’ve made a dreadful mistake!”
“Mom—”
Alicia withdrew her hand and stood up, trembling with anger. “All the things we’ve done for you, the privileged life you’ve led, and the education we’ve given you so you could do something with your life, something that would make us proud! And you want to run a daycare? For God’s sake, Arianna Eleanor Paget, you’re smarter than that! You’re better than
