Nantucket Nights by Hilderbrand Elin

Author:Hilderbrand, Elin [Hilderbrand, Elin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2010-02-25T06:00:00+00:00

Raoul

He’d always believed that everything one needed to know in life could be learned by building a house. Start with the basics: sturdy foundation, solid walls, a sound roof. Move on to esthetics: light, air, creativity. And finally, make sure the details are done correctly. Raoul’s workers cursed at him when he complained about cabinets set off an eighth of an inch over six feet, but Raoul wanted every surface in his houses to be plumb, square, level. That was what made him one of the best. Raoul built houses people could actually live in—breathe in, make love in, dream in. He built houses to last.

Following these same rules, he raised his family. He married the most nurturing woman he had ever met, and they produced four children, two boys, two girls. He and Kayla brought up their kids with love and discipline, with respect for each child’s individuality. That was the Montero family: sturdy, solid, plumb, level. Built to last.

Raoul tried to tell Kayla about Theo and Antoinette three times, and three times he failed. The first time was in early July, the very evening Theo confided in him at the Ting site. Raoul raced home from Ting, steaming and incredulous. His son sleeping with a forty-year-old woman. It was perverse, sickening, and he blamed it on Antoinette and her heightened sexual desire. Theo was easy prey for her, Raoul supposed, an easy lay. In some sense, it was a biological match—two people at their sexual peaks. But it was wrong, and even though Theo was eighteen, Raoul was going to put a stop to it. He was going to tell Kayla.

When he got home, he found Kayla in the kitchen hulling strawberries. A platter of hamburger patties rested on the counter next to her. Jennifer sat on a bar stool combing out her long, wet hair, talking to Kayla about how she was saving her baby-sitting money to buy a really expensive pair of shoes from Vanessa Noel. Purple suede sandals, she said, with a three-inch heel.

“They sound pretty exotic,” Kayla said. “Can I see them before you buy them?”

Jennifer shrugged. “Sure,” she said. “You’ll like them. They’re tasteful.”

Raoul surveyed the kitchen. “Jennifer, can I talk to your mom alone for a second?”

“Why?” Jennifer said.

“Why?” Kayla said. “Is something the matter?”

“Everything’s fine,” Raoul said, although his voice had a serrated edge. He focused on Kayla’s hands, which were stained with pink strawberry juice. “I just need to talk to you alone for a minute.”

“We don’t really have a minute,” Kayla said. “The kids want to go to the movies tonight at eight, and they need to eat first. I was hoping you could light the grill. Theo should be home any second.”

As if on cue, the Jeep pulled into the driveway, and Raoul closed his eyes, listening to the schluffing sound of Theo’s flip-flops as he entered the kitchen.

“Hi, people,” Theo said jauntily, as if the scene at the Ting house with Raoul had never happened.

“Theo, honey, can you start the grill?” Kayla asked.

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