The Guest Cottage Read Online Free PDF

arms over his chest. “Do you want a free place to live for two months or not?”
    “Yes, and you know why? Nestra’s going to move in with me. It’s serious, man. This will be our trial live-together thing. I won’t mess up.”
    Trevor ran his hands through his thick, dark hair. He had met Nestra—short for Clytemnestra, which she had renamed herself from the more pedestrian Ann—did these kids even read mythology? Did they not know the original Clytemnestra murdered her husband? Still, the current Nestra was a good influence on River. She loved living creatures. She would see that the aquarium was cleaned even if she had to do it herself.
    “I’ll count on that.” Trevor rose and went down the hall to his son’s bedroom. Leo was trying to cram more Legos into an already bulging duffel bag. “Okay, kid, time to hit the road.”
    “Okay, Daddy.” Leo’s innocent, trusting, unmarred face was like a spear to Trevor’s heart. How did parents survive such responsibility? How did the world even manage to carry on?
    River helped Trevor and Leo load up the Volkswagen Passat. River and Leo performed their complicated hello/goodbye hand ritual. Trevor strapped his son in his car seat with Tubee and a pile of books to look at for the ride down to the Cape. He filled his go-cup with iced coffee, handed Leo his go-cup filled with milk, and began the drive.
    It was the last Thursday in June. At the first of the month, when the summer rentals started, Trevor knew the traffic to the Cape could be atrocious. Since no one lived in Ivan’s house, no one would care that Trevor would beat the traffic by arriving a day early.
    And once he got to Nantucket? Trevor couldn’t get a clear picture in his head. Ivan had told him the house was large. Was that a good thing? Leo was familiar with the small rooms of their second-floor apartment in Cambridge. Maybe a spacious place would freak him out. Trevor might have to do some kind of damage control.
    He began a to-do file in his mind. Walk through the house. Let Leo choose his own bedroom; then Trevor would choose the bedroom closest to Leo’s. Go to the beach—a brave new world for them both. Trevor could imagine the blaze of sun on water, the vastness of the blue sea and sky. Their minds would widen, their hearts would lift with possibility. Later, they’d unpack. Organize a Lego room. For now, Legos seemed to be his son’s antianxiety magic.
    Once Leo had his Lego room under way, Trevor could set up his computer room. River would be able to handle much of their website business but Trevor needed to be online as much as possible, responding to clients, performing triage, and following up on possible new business leads. After that, he would go through the house, checking on the condition of the beds and linens. Ivan wasn’t the kind of guy to know or care how many decent towels or what sorts of cooking paraphernalia the house had. Trevor had invited a couple of the families with children who played with Leo to come down for a few days of Nantucket sun and fun. His theory was that the more his son was around people he knew, the more comfortable he would be. He daydreamed of long, sunny days on the beach with Leo building sand castles with friends his own age or walking through town eating ice-cream cones, and slowly but surely allowing the thought of his vagabond mother to fade from his mind.
    They arrived at the car ferry precisely when Trevor planned to arrive. The big old ship was a monster. Trevor hoped it didn’t frighten Leo. He was delighted when the boy reacted with wide eyes and laughter at the sight of the enormous container trucks growling up the ramp into the hold.
    Once they were on board, Trevor lifted Leo onto his shoulders and hauled him up the shaking metal stairs to the main deck. Sometimes he wondered if he was treating his son like a baby, carrying him on his shoulders, but the shuddering, rumbling ferry was a literally unsettling experience. They found a