Chapter Text
Dragging the last of her suitcases down the steps of Old East, the place she had called home for the past four years, Isabel Conklin was met by the sight of a friendly face in a baby blue BMW convertible stalling on the pavement. “Are you ready to start your summer?” The driver of the convertible, Chloe Grainger, called out. A pair of black Ray-Bans were perched atop of Chloe’s slicked back ponytail, and her manicured fingers were rapidly drumming across the fine leather of the steering wheel.
Belly returned her smile, attempting to muster the proper enthusiasm for the occasion. She knew Chloe through a friend of her brother’s--they’d gone to college together in New Jersey at Princeton, but Chloe was a native Providence resident and frequently liked to visit, especially in the summertime. “More than ready,” Belly affirmed. “I’m so done with school. At least, for the next four months.” She had managed to graduate summa cum laude from Finch College after a disastrous freshman year. Now, her summer was completely free to do what she liked before her clinical psychology PhD program started in the fall.
“Oof. Grad school next?” Chloe shot her a sympathetic glance as Belly climbed into the passenger’s seat, having stuffed her bags haphazardly into the tiny trunk.
“Yep. Clinical sports psychology.” An injury that ended her career in volleyball her senior year of high school inspired her to study sports psychology in college, and she liked it enough to decide to pursue a doctorate, which would allow Belly to practice in clinical settings. For now, though, her purpose was to make full use of this summer, her first and last for a long time which would not be consumed with research positions, supplemental classes, and volunteer work to pad her resume for prospective advisors and employers to be impressed with. To think that summer used to be her favorite season...but it hadn’t been that way for a long time. Not since that summer Susannah died.
Next to her, Chloe let out a low whistle. “Smart cookie, huh? Just like Steven.” A small smile made its way onto Belly’s face despite herself at the mention of her brother. It had been Steven, her enterprising older brother, who made the introduction to Chloe, whose family had space for an extra boarder at their beachfront property on Martha’s Vineyard. Of course, the room and board was in exchange for work at their family-owned restaurant, the kind of labor Belly hadn’t done since she was in high school, working part-time for some extra cash to spend. Still, the Graingers’ restaurant was always horribly understaffed during the summer season, and Belly had just enough hospitality experience to make the hire seem plausible. “These summer people always tip big, Belly,” Steven had said when Belly told him she was looking for a job to save up for what was certain to be an expensive educational endeavor. “Trust me, let your oppa take care of it. I’ll give Chloe a call.”
The drive down to the Cape was relatively uneventful, and they arrived at the Grainger residence, a large coastal home with white siding and blue shutters, in the evening after having taken the ferry from Woods Hole onto the Vineyard. It reminded Belly a bit of the house she used to stay in every summer as a kid, although this one was a lot bigger. A group of people were already gathered out on the patio for dinner, and they began to holler and wave as Chloe drove up to the yard and practically jumped out the car to greet her family. “Mom! Dad!” Chloe kissed both her parents on their cheeks. “Oh--this is Isabel, Steven's sister. You remember Steven, from college, right?”
“Yes, charming young man,” remarked the older gentleman, clearly the patriarch of the family. “I didn’t know he had a sister.” “Nice to meet you all,” said Belly. She shook Robert Grainger’s hand and attempted the same gesture with Lisa Grainger, who pulled her in for a hug instead.
“I see your family has good genes. Steven was quite attractive, too.” Lisa said as she appraised Audrey up and down. “It’s a shame we have to keep you in the back of house.”
“Mom!”
Belly grinned uneasily. “I’m fine with any sort of work you can give me. Really, I appreciate you letting me stay here.” With the nerves suited to a true psychologist, Belly preferred to work alone—or at least, to engage with the fewest amount of people necessary. She only had a few close friends from college, and besides Taylor and her family, the person she had been closest to wasn’t in her life anymore. A faint memory scratched at the edges of her mind. Especially standing here on the familiar shores of the east coast, Belly couldn’t help but think of how uncomplicated things used to be, when the only worry in her mind was picking the right outfit to wear to the boardwalk with her crush. Once they had gotten past the niceties, Chloe dragged Belly around to introduce her to the other boarders, mostly seasonal front-of-house staff who were collectively nicknamed “Grainger’s girls” by the locals and the regular patrons of the restaurant. Whether the moniker was affectionate or derogatory would remain a mystery to Belly.
She shared a room with two girls, the older of which immediately claiming the full bed at one end of the room, leaving Belly to contend over the top or bottom bunk at the other end with the younger girl. The room itself was big enough, with large windows that faced the bay and an adjoining jack-and-jill bathroom that connected to another room across the hall. But Belly hadn’t shared a room with anyone since she was a first-year at Finch, and the thought of her willingly taking this step back just after she’d graduated was a bit unnerving. Maria, the other occupant of their set of bunk beds, was trying badly to skirt confrontation. “I don’t care which one. Do you? I mean, I’m a pretty light sleeper, so maybe I should take the top bunk so I don’t get woken up by you climbing on top. Right?” She threw her things up to the top without waiting for a response from Belly, who would have been perfectly fine with either outcome.
Meanwhile, Heather had already stretched out on her bed, clearly comfortable where Belly and Maria were not. She was a veteran among the seasonal workers, and it was apparently the generous tips which made her come back every summer for the past several years. Although, as Belly would hear from her many times, the Renaissance Faire she tended the bar at each fall was much more fun. “So, where are you two from?”
“Providence.” The answer Belly gave was safe and clinical, if not entirely true. Four years had been enough time for Belly to feel like the city was a second home—and indeed, sometimes she felt more at home at Finch than she had in her hometown. Besides, there was the added benefit of not having to clarify “from the suburbs” whenever she mentioned she was from Philadelphia, often to the disappointment of her new acquaintances.
Maria’s answer was unexpected. “Illinois.”
“Oh, like Chicago?”
“Everywhere in Illinois is Chicago.”
“Right, but what are you doing here, then?” Surely, Belly thought, there were places closer to the Midwestern hub where a young girl could have earned her keep for the summer. She didn’t get an answer to her question, though, because Chloe was in the doorway to tell the girls to get ready for their first night on the town, with an itinerary that was a veritable tour-de-force on everything there was to see and know in the Vineyard. They also stopped by the restaurant, which was on the end of a busy street.
Chloe gave them a tour of the empty dining room and kitchen. “The newcomers will have their orientation and training tomorrow,” she said, passing around a uniform set to each of the boarders. There were 12 of them this summer, all sharing rooms in the Grainger House. By the time Chloe shuttled them back to the house, Belly was completely exhausted. As she dozed off to sleep in the bottom bunk, she was completely unaware of what the next weeks would have in store for her. One day at a time, was her last thought before she slipped into unconsciousness, her dreams taking her to a once-familiar place.
Belly found herself at the Beck House again, except this time it was filled with people she didn’t know, and the people she did care about were nowhere to be seen. She tugged at the hem of her dress, wishing it wasn’t so short, but it was the only black dress she could find on short notice. Where was her mom? Steven? Conrad? She hated everything about this day. She hated that Susannah was dead, and she never got a chance to say goodbye. Both Laurel and Susannah had wanted to shield the kids from the truth, but at what cost? Belly climbed the stairs towards the bedrooms, seeking a familiar face, or if not that, at least solitude. The door to Conrad’s room was slightly ajar, and Belly took the chance to peek in, stilling at the sight awaiting her. A girl with dark hair was sat on the bed, and in her lap was Conrad, his head turned away from the door. His arms were wrapped around the girl’s waist while his body heaved with long, silent sobs. Belly’s eyes met the girl’s. Then, she did what she thought she was incapable of doing: she walked away. Because then she understood that he would never need her as much as she needed him. Without their families to constantly push them together, there was really no reason for him to seek her out, or to spend time with her. Belly felt she had aged very much in a short amount of time. So, I release you, Conrad Fisher. I evict you from my heart.
When Belly woke up, she was still in the cramped twin bed, staring at the bottom of the bunk above her. A tear escaped her eye and slid down her face. There’s no use in thinking about that now. With renewed determination, Belly forced herself out of the bed and got ready for her first day at Grainger’s.