Read Online Summer Beach Reads 5-Book Bundle: Beachcombers, Heat Wave, Moon Shell Beach, Summer House, Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nancy Thayer
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everybody does that here. People from the city bring their hurry with them.” As he spoke, a black Jag shot away from the curb, making Jim, who wasn’t going fast to start with, slam on the brakes. “Like that fellow.” He laughed. “Bringing a Jag to the island! He might as well have a bumper sticker saying, I need a flashy vehicle to compensate for my little”—he shot Marina a cautious glance—“um, balls.”
Marina laughed. “My ex-husband drove a Jag.”
“Really. Good thing he’s your ex, then.”
Surprised at his response and the complete absence of anything like pity in his voice, Marina said, “You know, I think you’re right.”
“So how’s your summer going?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m just getting settled, really. I’ve been to the library, and I want to visit all the museums, all of the island. It’s so different, perceiving it as an adult. I realize there are huge chunks of the island I’ve never seen, not to mention all the historical spots that I couldn’t appreciate when I was younger.” She glanced over at him. “How is
your
summer so far? I don’t think I know what you do.”
Jim blushed when she turned to him, and her own pulse quickened in return. What was going on? She thought he was probably ten years older than she was, and really not her type. Gerry was six-two, lean as a whippet, with sleek blond hair. Jim was tall and burly, with unruly brown hair. Plus, she’d gone off men in general. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to stand being in bed with a man again in all her life.
Jim was talking. “I build houses. Summer’s always busy for me, but this year things are slowing down, with the economy and all. I’m trying to take advantage of it, trying to enjoy the summer.”
She laughed. “Isn’t it funny, how we have to work to make ourselves have fun!”
“We’re fortunate if we can carve out some fun for ourselves,” Jim told her. “I mean, people are struggling now. My crew all have families to support. My three daughters are grown, so I don’t have as much to worry about financially.”
He’d left an opening as big as a conversational Grand Canyon. Marina cleared her throat. “I wasn’t fortunate enough to have children. And I just got divorced. So I’ve only got myself to worry about.” She didn’t want to seem maudlin, so she continued, “I justsold my half of an ad agency, so I’m comfortable for a while. I want to sort out my next step. But first of all, I want to just
be
, and this is just about the most spectacular place on the earth to be in.”
“I envy you, having the opportunity to see parts of the island for the first time. Have you ever been to the moors?”
“Never. I just noticed them on a map I was studying.”
“You like maps? I’ve got some great Nantucket maps. Maps of the shoals and shipwrecks. Geological maps …”
Actually, Marina thought, she didn’t know whether she liked maps or not. She’d never considered them. But Jim’s enthusiasm was contagious and she was a bit sorry when their arrival at the restaurant interrupted his train of thought.
As they entered the Downy Flake, all the waitstaff and most of the customers nodded or waved a greeting to Jim. They were given a table and were quickly brought their lunch: cheeseburgers and salty fries. Their attempts at conversation were sketchy because so many people stopped by to chat. Jim introduced her to everyone. “This is Marina Warren. She’s from Kansas City. She’s renting our cottage for the summer and she wants to learn all about the island.” By the time she’d finished her lunch, Marina had been invited to two churches with coffee hours after the service, and one woman suggested she help them sort books for the local library book sale.
She wasn’t surprised at Jim’s popularity. He had a confidence about him, and a kind of contentment in his voice, a deep resonance that seemed to spring from a profound comfort with himself. And he
was
handsome,
Marina laughed. “My ex-husband drove a Jag.”
“Really. Good thing he’s your ex, then.”
Surprised at his response and the complete absence of anything like pity in his voice, Marina said, “You know, I think you’re right.”
“So how’s your summer going?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m just getting settled, really. I’ve been to the library, and I want to visit all the museums, all of the island. It’s so different, perceiving it as an adult. I realize there are huge chunks of the island I’ve never seen, not to mention all the historical spots that I couldn’t appreciate when I was younger.” She glanced over at him. “How is
your
summer so far? I don’t think I know what you do.”
Jim blushed when she turned to him, and her own pulse quickened in return. What was going on? She thought he was probably ten years older than she was, and really not her type. Gerry was six-two, lean as a whippet, with sleek blond hair. Jim was tall and burly, with unruly brown hair. Plus, she’d gone off men in general. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to stand being in bed with a man again in all her life.
Jim was talking. “I build houses. Summer’s always busy for me, but this year things are slowing down, with the economy and all. I’m trying to take advantage of it, trying to enjoy the summer.”
She laughed. “Isn’t it funny, how we have to work to make ourselves have fun!”
“We’re fortunate if we can carve out some fun for ourselves,” Jim told her. “I mean, people are struggling now. My crew all have families to support. My three daughters are grown, so I don’t have as much to worry about financially.”
He’d left an opening as big as a conversational Grand Canyon. Marina cleared her throat. “I wasn’t fortunate enough to have children. And I just got divorced. So I’ve only got myself to worry about.” She didn’t want to seem maudlin, so she continued, “I justsold my half of an ad agency, so I’m comfortable for a while. I want to sort out my next step. But first of all, I want to just
be
, and this is just about the most spectacular place on the earth to be in.”
“I envy you, having the opportunity to see parts of the island for the first time. Have you ever been to the moors?”
“Never. I just noticed them on a map I was studying.”
“You like maps? I’ve got some great Nantucket maps. Maps of the shoals and shipwrecks. Geological maps …”
Actually, Marina thought, she didn’t know whether she liked maps or not. She’d never considered them. But Jim’s enthusiasm was contagious and she was a bit sorry when their arrival at the restaurant interrupted his train of thought.
As they entered the Downy Flake, all the waitstaff and most of the customers nodded or waved a greeting to Jim. They were given a table and were quickly brought their lunch: cheeseburgers and salty fries. Their attempts at conversation were sketchy because so many people stopped by to chat. Jim introduced her to everyone. “This is Marina Warren. She’s from Kansas City. She’s renting our cottage for the summer and she wants to learn all about the island.” By the time she’d finished her lunch, Marina had been invited to two churches with coffee hours after the service, and one woman suggested she help them sort books for the local library book sale.
She wasn’t surprised at Jim’s popularity. He had a confidence about him, and a kind of contentment in his voice, a deep resonance that seemed to spring from a profound comfort with himself. And he
was
handsome,
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