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“I won’t leave for Birch Harbor until Saturday, Brian. We still have tomorrow to file. I’m not running away from the divorce.” The word stuck in her throat like gum. Megan swallowed. “I can promise you that.” Exasperated and tired, she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand.
Megan Stevenson stood at her kitchen island facing her soon-to-be-ex-husband, who compulsively tapped his thumb on the granite.
“The attorney’s office is closed on Fridays, Megan,” he shot back, his Adam’s apple bobbing below a five o’clock shadow. “I mean it's fine by me if we push it out, but you're the one who was anxious to get the ball rolling.”
Before, Megan had always loved it when Brian skipped a few days of shaving. He looked good with a dark shadow across his lower face. It added a rugged edge to his otherwise intellectual affect. He adjusted the glasses on his nose and blinked.
She looked away. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t need the lawyer to file, Brian. We have the paperwork, and we agreed to list the house. All we have to do is turn everything in. And—” Megan licked her lips. Her neck flushed, and her chest tightened.
“And you’re done.” Their teenage daughter, Sarah, had entered the room, her phone dangling in her hand by her side. Her eyes watered, and her voice trembled. “So, you’re really going through with it?” the girl asked, though it came out more like a plea.
Megan and Brian exchanged a look. He held her gaze, his eyebrows lifted above the rims of his glasses, his lips parted. It was the same look he would give her when they were in the middle of a heated argument, like he was waiting for the moment that everything would go back to normal and they could hug and make up.
She squeezed her eyes shut. “Can we just... can we just revisit this next week?”
It was a bold suggestion. The matter was drawing out week after week. First, with Brian’s stalling on whether he wanted to accept her offer of the house in exchange for alimony. Then he waffled on even that. Now it was her turn to find a reason for delaying proceedings.
Brian nodded, and if Megan didn’t know any better, she thought a smile flickered on his lips. “Yes, please. That’s better. I would hate to... rush things.”
Her breath caught in her throat, but she pushed it out. “Right. Well, I have to go to the lake this weekend. I’ll be back Monday. Do you want to go?” The question was for Sarah, but for some reason, Megan’s eyes lingered on Brian as she said it.
He waited a beat, then turned on his heel and left the room, his eyes glued to his phone. Megan simply shook her head and pinned Sarah with a stare. “Do you?” she pressed.
“Um, actually I had a party to go to this weekend.”
Megan’s shoulder fell in. “No. No parties. Especially while I’m gone.”
“Mom,” Sarah protested, pouting.
An idea materialized in Megan’s mind. “No. Actually, I think you will come with me. It’ll be fun. I promise.” With a wry grin, she folded her arms over her chest and nodded at her daughter.
“Come on,” the teenager huffed, spinning on her heel and stomping away and up the stairs.
But Megan didn’t care. Summer was beginning, and she figured there was no better way to start than with a girls’ weekend. Besides, maybe Clara would be willing to share her big news with her “niece.”
***
“We’re on our way,” Megan chirped through the Bluetooth to Kate.
She could hear Kate’s smile through the car speaker. “Is Sarah with you?”
“Yep.” Megan flashed a knowing look to her daughter, who was too busy shuffling through her social media apps to notice. It was just as well. Megan wasn’t sure she could handle any more attitude from the high school junior. Or rather, almost-senior.
“Kate,” Megan went on, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. “What’s the latest with the lighthouse? Has Amelia met with Michael Matuszewski yet?”
“No. They’ve been in touch, but nothing firm is set. I’m really hoping we can just focus on the Inn first.”
Megan frowned. “What do you mean ‘focus on the Inn’ first?”
“The house on the harbor. You know... The Heirloom Inn?”
“Yeah, I know. I mean, is there some sort of rush, or—”
“Well,” Kate answered, her voice growing quieter. “It’s just... Let’s talk about everything when you get here. Okay?”
Megan ended the call and focused on the drive. Knowing her family, there was also something else looming on the horizon. A secret. A scandal. Gossip.
Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to bring Sarah along after all.