July, 1951

Madeleine Hart perched on a large boulder that had been far back from the beach at low tide, but now the water lapped halfway up its face. She pulled her knees up close to her chin and stared out to the ocean, where seals lounged on Monomoy Island. She’d taken a short dip in the Cape earlier, but the water was chilly today, and now she enjoyed the warmth of the sun in a white swimsuit cover-up. From a distance, the voices of Natalie and her friends wafted towards her, but she could only make out a few words here and there. They seemed to be discussing when to start a bonfire and prepare for the clambake planned for today. The clambake itself was to be catered by Jake’s Clambake. The Hart family had used Jake’s for years, but the young people were to build a bonfire and set up two picnic tables. They’d also carried down two large metal Coleman coolers packed with soft drinks and beer.

Maddie was only half-interested in the clambake. She and her sister had been allowed to spend the summer at the Hart summer cottage on Cape Cod by themselves—that is, except for the cook, the chauffeur, and two maids, while their parents spent a month at Cote d’Azur on a “second honeymoon.” Although they’d invited their daughters to join them, Natalie had outright refused. She was twenty-one and anxious to be out on her own, having just (barely) graduated from college. Maddie also had no desire to be a third wheel on her parents’ romantic vacation, and she couldn’t imagine she’d have any fun without a companion. Natalie had a tendency to be a little too adventurous for her taste, but she was a lot of fun, and good company, at least.

Intoxicated by the heady feeling of freedom, Natalie had immediately started planning a house party for July. Her old sorority sister, Celeste Langford, helped her draw up a list of invitees, including Celeste’s boyfriend, Matt Wheeler, and Natalie’s boyfriend, Dirk Riker. There were four other girls and four other men. Maddie felt like a fifth wheel who was merely tolerated as the youngest one present; included only because she was Natalie’s little sister.

She had just graduated from Miss Porter’s School and would start her college career in another six weeks. While not shy, she felt intimidated by the men, all much older and more sophisticated than she was. She didn’t have a boyfriend; that didn’t bother her because her music and language studies interested her more than boys.

Hugging her knees, Maddie rubbed her bare feet against the boulder. Soon she’d have to leave the water’s edge and head back to the beach where the others now jumped around in a vigorous game of beach volleyball.

She sighed.

“Madeleine! Madeleine Hart!” It was a man’s voice; and one she didn’t recognize. That could be because he was shouting, she supposed. Shielding her eyes with one hand, she half-turned to see who was calling her. The sun dazzled her and she couldn’t make out his features.

“Madeleine!” The voice was closer. Again she shielded her eyes. The man wore jeans and a bluish-gray long-sleeved shirt. Squinting a little more, she recognized the red hair of Matt Wheeler. Matt was so redheaded, he’d gotten sunburned on the beach the day before. No wonder he was covering up today.

Maddie gave a quick, indrawn gasp. She wasn’t sure why the sight of Matt Wheeler coming toward her should make her suddenly conscious of how she looked. He was Celeste’s boyfriend, after all.

“Your sister says it’s time to join the group,” he said. “Jake and his crew are due to arrive any minute. We’ve got the fire started and the tables set up. They’ll do everything else.”

“All right, then.” She grinned at him. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until just now.”

She stood up on the boulder, grabbing her sneakers. Waving at him, she prepared to hop down onto the sand. It was then that she noticed he was barefooted.

“You might want to put those shoes on,” he said, gesturing at her feet. “The rocks are kind of sharp here.”

“You’re probably right.” She trotted across the watery sand until she reached a level above the tide, then dropped her shoes onto the beach. Brushing the wet, sandy shale from her left foot, she slid it into its shoe. Switching to brush off the other foot, she swayed and almost fell. Matt grabbed her hand to steady her and she felt an electric spark where they touched.

“Sorry! I’m not usually so clumsy.” She felt her cheeks heating.

“Matt Wheeler! What’s taking you so long?” Maddie recognized the platinum-haired Celeste and her red bikini, swiftly approaching them.

She dropped Matt’s hand like a hot potato. “We’re coming,” she called. “He was waiting for me to put my shoes back on.”

“Nice talking to you, Madeleine,” Matt said with a warm smile for her before turning to greet his girlfriend.

Celeste had almost reached them. She cast a suspicious glance at Maddie before turning to Matt with a sweet smile. “Come on, dear heart.” Then she grabbed the same hand that had held Maddie’s.

Maddie followed behind them as they walked toward the others, annoyed to discover that she could still feel the warmth of his fingers against hers. A shiver ran up her spine, and she wondered what it meant.