Nantucket Dreams by Katie Winters

Author:Katie Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Katie Winters

Chapter Fourteen

It was one thing to talk about the logic of her divorce from Asher. It was still another thing to “get over it” in any real way. The heart was a funny thing.

Alana learned this the hard way the following morning, as she splayed across her teenage bed in only her bra and a pair of yoga pants, her head tilted as she scrounged around the internet for some news of Asher Tarkin. Maybe she was a masochist. Maybe she just wanted to find more reasons to hate him.

Recently, Asher hired a team of interns to manage his social media channels. The interns collected a series of photographs from Asher’s numerous vacations and gallery openings and projected a false reality, one that involved a man who was constantly on the go, constantly surrounded by models, celebrities, and the most famous members of the art community.

It was difficult to deduce Asher’s exact whereabouts from all that drivel, so Alana moved on to other outlets: mostly tabloid magazines, the likes of which were stationed across the front yard, prepared to ruin her life.

After a number of hungry clicks, Alana discovered a photograph of Asher and a “mysterious woman” on a beach in Thailand, both in swimsuits, holding hands. Although the photograph had been taken from a great distance, it was clear that the woman was a great deal younger than Alana. Obviously, she had a perfect figure, the sort that Alana could get back if she returned to “that lifestyle.” She shivered, thinking of Sarah. Would Sarah see these photographs? Would she compare herself to this woman?

Beneath the photograph, she read:

Asher Tarkin takes a break from a recent world tour to celebrate his artistic accomplishments with a mysterious woman on the beaches of Thailand. Back in the United States, his wife begins the “storm” that will become Asher Tarkin’s very public divorce.

“Oh my gosh,” Alana muttered, genuinely shocked. “Storm?”

There came a welcome knock at the door. Alana threw her phone across her bed and rose up. “Who is it?”

But of course, it really could be only one person.

Julia appeared in the crack of the doorway in a pair of light jeans and a white t-shirt. Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders and bounced when she took a step. Island life had been good to her.

“What’s up?” Alana asked, trying to keep the anger from her voice.

“Are you okay?” Julia could sense it, anyway.

“Yes,” Alana lied.

“Well. Um.” Julia scratched her head. “I just finished the edits for the morning. Dad wants to read over what I’ve done and make comments.” Her smile was secretive. “As an editor, he’s a difficult writer to work with. I guess that doesn’t surprise me.”

“That’s just about the least surprising thing ever,” Alana said.

“Right.” Julia shrugged. “Well, I have a bit of time this afternoon, and I want to head down to the courthouse to inquire about the records for Dad’s case.”

Alana tilted her head. Of course. Here it was: the real task of the summer—

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