“We’ll have to get smoke detectors,” she said.
“We’ll have to get smoke detectors,” Nash said, at exactly the same time.
—
Nash’s parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. Darcy and Nash invited them to stay in their house, but they opted for a B&B. Their decision worried Darcy, who was jittery about meeting Peggy and Allen Forester until they walked off the fast ferry. Nash’s father was a tall, stern, quiet man who didn’t approve of Nash giving up the law to be a carpenter on a small island. But Peggy was warm and kind, obviously the peacemaker in the family. They hadn’t been to Nantucket before, so Nash and Darcy gave them a tour, which helped ease them all into conversation.
The Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by Darcy and Nash together, went off smoothly. Nash’s mother was chatty and affectionate even though Nash’s father was formal and slightly distant. By the time the pumpkin and pecan pies were served, they began to discuss books, movies, and television shows, especially Downton Abbey. Darcy thought she’d send a check to their PBS station for providing subjects they could all agree on.
The next day, Nash and Darcy drove his parents around the island again. His parents took them to a gourmet lunch at the Brant Point Grill, and that evening they had a dinner of leftovers at Darcy’s. Nash’s father was impressed by the beauty of the island and by his son’s knowledge of the island’s history. That night when they sat around the dining room table to eat, Nash told them he’d been asked to join the Nantucket Conservation Commission. His father perked up at that, and conversation flowed more easily.
After dinner, Peggy insisted on helping Darcy clear the table. Nash took his father outside to see Darcy’s garden. As soon as they were outside, Peggy took Darcy’s arm.
“Quickly, dear, while we have a chance…I need to ask you….Nash told you about his brother, didn’t he?”
Darcy put her hand on Peggy’s. “Yes. I’m so sorry.”
Peggy patted Darcy’s hand. “I’m glad he told you. Nash took it hard. It changed his life. I was afraid he’d become insular and odd, living out here where you’re all so disconnected, but Nash seems fine. He seems happy. I think that’s because of you.”
Tears came to Darcy’s eyes. “Oh, thank you.” Impulsively, she hugged Peggy and for a moment the two women clung to each other, thinking of Nash and his brother and the past and the future.
Peggy and Allen left for Amherst the next morning. They were a busy couple, sitting on several important boards, belonging to a bridge group and book clubs, and taking luxurious cruises in the winter. Darcy and Nash discussed their visit and concluded it had been a success. A few days later, a packet arrived for Nash, wrapped in yards of tape and heavily insured and requiring Nash’s signature. Inside, Nash found his grandmother’s engagement ring, a large, clear diamond surrounded by eight smaller diamonds.
I thought you might like to have this, Peggy Forester had written.
“Let’s try it on you,” Nash suggested, taking Darcy’s hand.
“Wait. Not so fast. You have to ask me a question first,” Darcy told him, smiling but not quite joking.
“What?” Nash frowned, then understood. He dropped to one knee, holding Darcy’s hand in his. “Darcy, will you marry me?”
“I will.” She surprised herself as she suddenly burst into tears. “Sorry,” she told him, “I didn’t know I’d get so emotional.”
He slipped the ring on her finger. They kissed, a light, friendly kiss. They settled on the sofa together, discussing details, while Darcy admired her ring. Darcy wanted a church wedding with a reception and all the trimmings, partly because when she’d married Boyz, it had taken place in a nursing home with very few guests. This time, she wanted something more celebratory, more of a fabulous occasion.
“We’ll have a proper wedding,” Nash said. “And a proper wild reception.”
“Shall we pick a date?”
“May eighth,” he answered without hesitation.
“May eighth? Why?”
“That’s the day we stopped eyeing each other and actually talked.”
“Oh, gosh, you remember the date? How romantic!”
Nash arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you remember the date?”
“I remember the day, the place—we were at the beach with the gang, and I approached you. I remember I asked you over for some lasagna.”
“And I said I’d come over if you offered me a bowl of cereal.”
Darcy melted. “Gosh. You remembered that.”
“How could I forget?” Nash pulled Darcy into his arms and kissed her soundly.