An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach), Mariah Stewart [best classic novels TXT] 📗

“Natalie, you’re being very rude.” Maggie could barely keep the hurt from her voice.

“Sorry,” Natalie said, still on her way to the door.

“You’re not acting very sorry.” Maggie followed them to the foyer, her arms crossed over her chest. “And it’s not like you to be secretive.”

Natalie turned, her eyes blazing with anger. “Then that would make two of us.”

“What?”

A confused Maggie watched Natalie and Daisy walk toward the beach.

She went out onto the porch and relived every conversation she and Natalie had had over the past few weeks, but there’d been nothing—nothing—she could point to. There’d been no arguments, no cross words. On the contrary, they were both looking forward to this visit and the opportunity to spend some fun time together.

Baffled, Maggie was still standing on the steps, staring in the direction of the beach, when Grace pulled into the driveway and parked behind Natalie’s car. She opened the rear passenger door and took out a shopping bag and hurried toward the house.

“Yay! Nat and Daisy are here! Are they inside?”

Maggie gestured. “Your sister took Daisy to the beach.”

“I’ll run down and join them as soon as I get this stuff into the house.” Grace hoisted the bag onto her hip and went inside. When she came back out, she said, “I couldn’t get the wine you wanted, but I did find a really nice . . .” She fell silent, apparently noticing her mother’s demeanor.

“Mom, are you all right?”

“I was until your sister got here.” Maggie turned to Grace. “I don’t know what I did to make her angry. I’ve never seen her like this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Natalie. She’s being . . . obnoxious. Rude.” She made no effort to disguise the hurt.

“That’s so not like her. No hint why?”

Maggie shook her head. “I asked her, and she just said ‘later.’ Which I guess means after Daisy goes to sleep. She didn’t mention anything to you?”

“No. The last time I talked to her, she was excited about coming and spending some time with us. What the hell could have happened between then and now?”

“I have no idea.”

“Look, I’ll get the rest of the stuff out of the car, then I’ll walk down to the beach and see if I can figure out what’s going on.” Grace gave her mother a hug. “She’s probably in a snit over something that has nothing to do with you, Mom. Not that she should take it out on you, but we’ll get to the bottom of it and help her get through it, and all will be well.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Maggie helped Grace bring the groceries into the house, then unloaded the bags while Grace went to join Natalie and Daisy on the beach. She began to organize dinner—steaks to go on the grill, a big salad, oven-roasted potato wedges, and fresh green beans. She’d finished the salad, cut the potatoes and tossed them in olive oil and herbs, and trimmed the green beans, and her daughters still hadn’t returned. Well, maybe Natalie needed to unload to her sister, she thought as she opened a box of crackers and arranged them on a platter. I guess that’s what sisters are for.

Suddenly feeling very sorry for herself that she and Sarah never had those moments to share as adults, she poured a glass of wine and let the melancholy roll through her before tossing it off and reminding herself she had nothing to feel sad about. Her daughters were both here with her—Natalie’s snit aside—and her one and only grandchild was here, and they were all healthy and reasonably happy.

That had been her last thought before Natalie, Grace, and Daisy came in through the front door and one of them went dashing up the stairs to the second floor.

“Was that Grace I saw running upstairs?” Maggie asked when Natalie followed Daisy into the kitchen.

“Well, there are only two of us, and I’m here, so good guess.” Natalie walked past her mother and went straight to the island, where Maggie had set out the wine goblets. Pouring herself a glass of merlot, she took a long sip.

“Excuse me?” Maggie set her glass on the counter. “Are you speaking to me in that tone?”

Natalie made a pretense of looking around the room as if searching for someone else. “Do you see anyone else?”

“What in the name of God is going on with you?”

“I don’t feel like talking about it right now.” Natalie helped Daisy onto one of the island’s barstools.

“And I don’t feel like being the target of your rudeness. Whatever it is that’s gotten under your skin, we can talk it over, Nat.”

“Maybe we should have had that talk long ago, Mom.” Natalie opened the refrigerator, took out a block of cheese, and began to thinly slice it. She added the cheese, piece by piece, onto the platter where Maggie had placed the crackers.

“If you’re going to keep poking at me, you might as well just come out and say whatever is on your mind.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.

“Natalie, I have no idea what this is about.”

“Oh, really? You can’t think of one thing . . .” She bit her lip and went silent.

“Nana, can I put the grapes on the plate with the cheese?” Daisy knelt on the seat and, leaning on the island, reached for the bowl of fruit, her little hands hovering over the cluster of green grapes.

“Of course, sweetie. Thank you for being such a good helper girl.”

Oblivious to the drama around her, Daisy beamed and nodded. “I am a good helper. I help Miss Julie at school every day.”

Maggie leaned next to Daisy and ran a hand over the girl’s head. “I’m sure you do.”

To Natalie, she said, “No, I cannot think of one thing that would excuse your behavior. Now go upstairs and get your sister, and let’s get dinner on the table. See if we can get through a meal without you biting my head off.”

Natalie put her glass