Winter Stroll

Ava is still unsure what to make of Nathaniel’s flowers and note. She needs to speak to her mom, but when she sees Margaret, Kelley, and Mitzi descending the inn stairs, she’s even further confused. Seeing Mitzi here is a surprise, but seeing all three together is shocking since Margaret and Mitzi are “sworn enemies.” While she ponders the infinite complexities of her family and her own love life, Ava sits down at the piano to entertain the guests.

George barges in and angrily searches for Mitzi. Just then, Mitzi and Kelley walk in together, and George demands that she leave with him. Mitzi says she’s attending the party with Kelley and the family. George forbids it, claiming she’s made her choice in leaving Kelley to be with him, but Mitzi admits that she is uncertain what she wants. Kelley whisks Mitzi away to his room to get dressed, and Ava asks George to leave.

Jennifer dresses for the party with the help of wine and pills. She doesn’t want to attend the party without Patrick. Jennifer admits to herself that she’s using pills as a coping mechanism, and she is unsure what she will do when her supply runs out. She wants to quit but doesn’t know how. Barrett is angry she’s going out for a second night in a row, claiming that she’s “abandoning” them. Jennifer offers to prepare their dinner, but Barrett refuses. They begin arguing, which escalates into Jennifer shouting, and Kevin must remind her they have guests in the inn. Kevin offers the boys the dinner Isabelle has prepared, and Jennifer is thankful for her in-laws’ graciousness and support.

The entire family, dressed for the party, poses for a photo, though they are sad Patrick and Bart aren’t there. Isabelle cries over leaving the baby, and Margaret comforts her.

Ava rides with Kevin and Isabelle to the party. She asks Kevin about Mitzi and their father, but Kevin says they should stay out of it. Ava calls Scott, who is still at the hospital with Roxanne. He must drive Roxanne home the following day and won’t be able to attend the baptism. Ava is angry that Scott doesn’t realize that “the baptism is a once-in-a-lifetime Quinn family milestone” (161) as Genevieve is the first granddaughter and Ava is the godmother. She considers telling Scott about Nathaniel sending her flowers to get back at him, but instead tells him she is proud that he’s being so helpful to Roxanne. When Ava arrives at the Whaling Museum, Nathaniel is there with Delta Martin.

At the party, Jennifer helps distract Isabelle, and Kevin is hopeful they can have an enjoyable night. He calls Shelby to check on the baby, and she confirms Genevieve is asleep. Kevin runs into Norah. She has returned home to Nantucket and has been living with her mother since her father died. Kevin is shocked because he assumed she’d never return after leaving him, since she hates the island. Norah mentions seeing Jennifer at the liquor store and learning about Kevin’s girlfriend and daughter. Kevin is angry with Jennifer for not warning him about Norah’s return.

Kevin has known Norah since high school. They got married shortly after graduating, and Kevin dropped out of college after one year because of Norah’s negative influence. He knows Isabelle has always feared that he still loves Norah, senses that his ex is “eager to stir things up” (171), and asks her to leave him alone. Norah claims she misses him, grabs his face, and kisses him. Kevin pushes her away, but not before Isabelle and Jennifer have seen the entire scene. Isabelle runs off, and Kevin races to find her and explain.

Kelley and Mitzi navigate the party as if they’re a couple. Kelley does most of the talking as Mitzi can’t handle people asking about Bart. She doesn’t eat much, and Kelley notices that she has lost weight.

Margaret is a celebrity, and Drake marvels at how she handles her admirers with grace and poise. She introduces him to everyone as her “boyfriend.” Drake steers Margaret away from the crowd and spontaneously asks her to marry him.

Ava needs to speak with Jennifer, but can’t find her. Nathaniel whispers to her to meet him on the widow’s walk in half an hour. She texts Scott that she loves him, but he doesn’t respond. She meets Nathaniel and thanks him for the flowers. He says he knows she is “promised to Scott” (181), but Ava proclaims she’s her “own woman” and kisses him when he asks.

Margaret considers accepting Drake’s proposal because she does love him. Yet, she worries about the minutiae of combining their lives and how that might kill the romance they have. Just as she’s about to give him an answer, her phone rings with a call from her assistant Darcy, who only rings her phone in emergencies. Margaret’s contact, Neville Grey, has news about Bart’s platoon.

Kevin searches the party for Isabelle, and Jennifer checks the restroom, but she is gone. Kevin realizes that she’s returned to the inn to be with Genevieve. Margaret tries to tell him about Bart, but he rushes away to the inn. When he gets there, Isabelle and the baby are gone.

Jennifer feels slightly guilty for not telling Kevin that Norah was in town, but she blames him for talking to Norah and letting Norah kiss him. Jennifer thinks about spending Christmas and the new year without Patrick and possibly without pills, and it’s too much to bear. She steps outside and finds Norah there smoking a cigarette. Norah offers Jennifer the cigarette, but Jennifer declines, saying she has “other vices.” Norah laughs that Jennifer, someone she’s always seen as “stuck up,” is using pills. Norah offers Jennifer 30 oxycodone for $450, and they agree to meet the following morning to make the exchange.