Rosemary felt slightly nauseous as she rearranged the pantry. She’d been a nervous wreck, waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since Tiller died. And now that Marlow was home, her apprehension had only grown worse.
“What’s going on with you?” Reese demanded, frowning when she accidentally dropped a brand-new bag of flour, causing it to burst open on the floor.
She motioned for him to keep his voice down as she hurried to clean up the mess. Eileen had had a hard night. Rosemary had heard her weeping in her bedroom—the poor woman would probably never get over the loss of her husband—and now that she seemed to be sleeping soundly, Rosemary didn’t want her to be disturbed. “Shh. Nothing’s wrong,” she whispered. “It was just an accident.”
Reese got up from the kitchen table to help. “You’ve been acting strange lately.”
A cold finger of dread ran down Rosemary’s back, but she kept her gaze riveted on the mess so her son wouldn’t see the anxiety that was eating her up inside. “Because everything’s different now.”
“Different how?”
“Tiller’s gone. He was always so healthy. I never dreamed he’d die at sixty-one.”
“Yeah, it’s sad. He was too young to die. But...it shouldn’t really affect you.”
Tiller’s death had more far-reaching implications than Reese realized. “You’re kidding, right? He was the one who paid my salary from the very beginning. He was a kind, stabilizing influence for you boys, a good role model when...when I couldn’t count on your father. He made sure we had what we needed, helped send you and Walker to a private school and then college, decided where we’d all live and when we’d go wherever we were going. Eileen and Marlow aren’t the only ones who’ve suffered a loss. He was...he was the anchor to our lives, as well.”
“I get that. I’m grateful to him, too. But it’s not as if you have to worry about losing your job because he passed. Mrs. Madsen relies on you more than ever.”
“It’s a change, that’s all I mean,” she muttered. “I’ve never liked change.” Especially not this change—because of the risk it brought.
Reese held the dustbin while she swept up the flour. “Mrs. Madsen is treating you okay, though, isn’t she?” he asked when what he’d said so far didn’t seem to offer enough comfort.
“Of course.” Eileen had always been good to her. Although she could be persnickety and impatient, and she was definitely spoiled—she’d had money all her life—she was also very kind and generous.
“Then...is it Dad?”
“Of course not. What would make you ask about your father?”
He put up his free hand to indicate she should hold on a second. “Before you go too far down that road, I know he’s contacting you again. I saw a text come in on your phone the other day.”
She wished he hadn’t seen that. She wasn’t ready to tell him or Walker about Rudy, even though Rudy had been back in contact with her for over a year. She’d tried to convince him to leave her alone, but he claimed she was the only woman he’d ever truly loved, and that he was bound and determined to be the kind of man she needed.
And she wanted to believe him. The chance to have a complete family, the kind of family she’d always dreamed of, suddenly seemed like a possibility again. And that made it difficult, even at this late date, not to succumb to his entreaties.
“He’s been sober for five years now,” she said, giving Reese the rationale she’d been using.
Her son cast her a skeptical look. “So he says.”
“He’s different these days, Reese. Really.” Or maybe she just wanted to believe that because she was lonelier than ever. With Tiller gone, and so suddenly, it felt as though her life had come to a screeching halt right along with Eileen’s. There’d be no more traipsing back and forth to Washington, DC, or Atlanta. Eileen planned to put those properties up for sale. No more entertaining important dignitaries and other politicians. No more campaign advisers scurrying through the house. No more media companies shoving the furniture to one side so they could shoot ads whenever Tiller came up for reelection. He’d been the focus of so much energy and excitement.
With him gone and Eileen spending most every day in bed, there was far less for Rosemary to do. Besides that, Walker and Reese were adults now and didn’t require nearly as much time and effort. She had a gaping hole in her life, and she was beginning to believe Rudy might be able to fill it.
“You can forgive him for taking off on you?” Reese said. “For sticking you with all the work and expense of raising two kids who also belonged to him?”
She still harbored some resentment, but she was trying to work through it. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Well, maybe you can forgive him, but I can’t.”
Rosemary got the mop so she could finish cleaning the floor while Reese went back to his breakfast. “He’d like a relationship with you,” she found herself saying. He talked a great deal about Walker and Reese and how sorry he was for missing out on the majority of their lives.
Reese shook his head. “No way. And I doubt Walker will be open to having a relationship with him, either.”
She sighed. She couldn’t blame them. They’d seen Rudy at his worst, would probably never be able to forget the screaming matches, the objects he’d thrown around the house and the holes he’d punched in the walls. She still had a scar on her temple from when he accidentally knocked her against a brick wall while he was in one of his drunken tirades.
Tired of all the fighting, Walker had gotten involved and tried to get him to settle down. That had been their last big fight, the one that’d caused her to kick Rudy out, and when she wouldn’t let him back in the house, he’d abandoned them entirely.
She paused to finger the scar, and Reese pointed his fork at her while he chewed. “There you go,” he said. “Remember that.”
“Rosemary, I heard a thump. Is everything okay?” Eileen came shuffling into the kitchen in her robe and slippers but stopped when she saw Reese at the table. “Oh! I didn’t realize we had company.”
Because Rosemary got up so much earlier than Eileen, she made breakfast for her son once in a while. It was their only chance for a private visit. He left for work by the time Eileen woke, so Rosemary assumed her employer wouldn’t mind.
Still, she felt slightly self-conscious about inviting someone into Eileen’s house without her express permission. After so long, the line between friend and employee could get blurred, but she knew if she took advantage of Eileen’s kindness, she could find herself without a job. “I’ve made an egg scramble. Would you like to eat now or wait until later?”
“Look at me,” Eileen said, too flustered to answer the question. “I’m not even dressed.”
That was her way of letting Rosemary know she didn’t appreciate Reese seeing her before she’d showered and gotten “presentable.” The tension inside Rosemary tightened. Fortunately, Reese got the hint. He jumped up and brought his plate to the sink as he said, “You look beautiful to me.”
“I look like an old hag,” she insisted.
“You couldn’t look like a hag if you tried.” Reese dropped a kiss on Rosemary’s cheek. “I’m going to be late if I don’t go. I hope you both have a great day,” he said on his way out.
Once the door closed behind him, Rosemary could breathe easier. “Would you like me to bring your breakfast into the dining room?” she asked Eileen.
“No. I’ll wait,” she replied. “I just had to see what caused that loud noise. I was afraid something terrible had happened to you.”
Rosemary gave her a reassuring smile. She was used to placating her employer. As time went by, especially since Tiller’s death, Eileen grew more and more sensitive to anything out of the ordinary. “No, of course not. I just dropped something.”
Eileen crossed to the window, presumably watching Reese climb into his truck. “How often does Reese come for breakfast?”
Rosemary busied herself cleaning the dishes. “Two or three times a week,” she admitted and couldn’t help adding, by way of justification, “It’s our only chance to catch up. I hope you don’t mind.” She was afraid to glance up for fear the expression on Eileen’s face would show she did mind. But surely when Eileen asked her to move into the main house, she’d understood there would be times when Rosemary would have her sons over. She’d been careful to keep it to a minimum and not let it interrupt Eileen’s routine.
“I didn’t know that.”
“He’s only here for thirty minutes or so.”
Silence. Then, “It’s nice that you make breakfast for him. Now that I know he’s here so often, I’ll be careful to get dressed before I walk into the kitchen.”
Rosemary could hear the tacit disapproval in that comment. “I should’ve told you,” Rosemary said. “I didn’t think it was a big deal, or I would have.”
Eileen turned away from the window. “I guess I’ll go back to bed. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“I hope you’ll be able to rest,” Rosemary said. “Before you go, I’m planning to run to the market this morning. Do you need anything?”
“I don’t. You might check with Marlow and her friends.”
“I’ll do that,” she promised, but once Eileen had made her way slowly down the hall to her bedroom, she didn’t grab the keys. She sank into the closest chair and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.
Everything felt so tenuous right now.
Tiller had died, but she couldn’t be sure the secret they shared had died with him.
From where she was walking on the beach, Aida heard Reese’s truck when he started the engine, caught sight of the tailgate as he rolled through the opening in the ivy-covered fence, and was slightly relieved to know he wouldn’t be around today.
He was as engaging as he was gorgeous, but she wasn’t in the mood for pleasant conversation, and she doubted he’d want to hear anything more about her divorce. She’d probably said too much last night. The fighting with Dutton was over. They’d split their finances and their belongings, and he’d moved out of the house. But the shock, resentment and loss lingered. Sometimes she still asked herself—how had it come to this? Was she really single again?
She tightened the sarong she was wearing around her hips as she turned to face the sea. She could get over Dutton while she was here, couldn’t she?
After what she’d learned last night, she wasn’t so sure. As beautiful and relaxed as it was on the island, and as lucky as she was to have a friend who was willing to share this place with her, she’d made the mistake of asking Marlow to invite Claire. Her parents had thought she was crazy for taking “the other woman” with her, and now she was wondering if they were right. In the beginning, she and Claire had both been so hurt and upset by what Dutton had done that they’d banded together to hold him accountable. Although their friendship may have seemed unlikely to some, Aida had been grateful for Claire’s honesty and integrity. And because they were both caught in the middle of the same nightmare, they felt less alone, less powerless.
They’d spent so many nights comparing notes and complaining about how badly they’d been wronged she felt she knew Claire as well as she knew anyone. She simply couldn’t have gotten through the past six months without her. And yet...now that she’d come out on the other side, the situation seemed to be changing. Instead of moving on, as Aida was attempting to do, Claire was possibly going to wind up with Dutton.
Her phone buzzed in her hand. She’d tried calling her mother a few minutes ago. This was Dottie getting back to her.
“Hello?”
“Sorry I missed your call, honey. Did you make it to Florida safely?”
“We did. Got in yesterday.”
“And? What’s it like there?”
“It’s gorgeous. Tropical, warm, quiet.”
“How’s Marlow’s mother?”
“About the same as usual, from what I can tell. Losing her husband has been hard on her, though.”
“I bet.”
Aida wanted to say something about the latest development with Claire, but she was afraid to hear her mother’s response. Dottie wasn’t the type to say “I told you so,” but she had told Aida so, which made finding herself in this position, especially only a day after arriving on the island, a little embarrassing. She’d thought she could be the exception to the rule. That she could blame Dutton for the affair and not the woman he’d cheated with. Claire hadn’t even known Dutton had a wife. It wouldn’t be fair to hate her.
That was what Aida’s brain told her. Her heart had been okay with it, too—until Claire had admitted that she was still talking to Dutton.
Aida had believed she was over her ex, at least in some ways, but the jealousy that’d reared up last night made her feel she was losing something she should be hanging on to. She didn’t want to see Claire with the man she’d married. When she looked at him through other people’s eyes, most people’s eyes, she still saw the dashing pediatric surgeon who seemed to have it all.
“Anything wrong?” her mother asked.
Aida curled her fingernails into her palms. “No. Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I thought you’d be more excited. You’re kind of...subdued.”
“I’m tired, that’s all. We were up late last night.”
“Doing what?”
Aida could hear the day care kids squealing in the background and wondered if her mother would ever be able to retire. “We had a bonfire.”
“How fun!”
“It was. There’s a...a man here who’s staying on the property.”
“Rachel, get down,” she heard her mother say to one of the children. “That sounds promising,” she said, speaking into the phone again. “Who is he?”
“The housekeeper’s son.” She purposely didn’t mention that Reese was fourteen years younger than she was. She knew her mother would immediately caution her not to get involved in a relationship that had so little chance of working out. “Marlow’s mother has had the same housekeeper for years. Her name’s Rosemary, and Marlow was sort of raised with Rosemary’s two sons.”
“Marlow’s mother has a housekeeper? Wouldn’t that be nice,” she said with a loud sigh.
“I wish you could afford one, too.” Her parents had always worked so hard.
“You and me both,” Dottie said with a laugh. “So this housekeeper and her sons live on the property?”
“Rosemary lives in the main house with Eileen. Reese is the resident tennis pro here on the island. He works at the club nearby and is staying in the apartment over the garage. But I get the impression he’s only here temporarily.” He still had a year of school to finish, if he ever decided to go back, but she didn’t volunteer that.
“It’s hard to believe a beach house could be that big.”
“You should see it.” She told Dottie about the layout of the guesthouse—how they each had their own bathroom.
“You’re living in the lap of luxury. You’re going to have a great summer.” There was some screaming and then crying in the background. “Oh, boy. Looks like Marshall pushed Maisey off a chair. I’d better go.”
“Okay. I’ll call you later, then.”
“Have a great time, honey.”
“Mom?” she said, catching Dottie before she could hang up.
“What?”
Aida gripped her phone tighter. “I did the right thing divorcing Dutton, didn’t I?”
There was a long pause. Then her mother said, “You’re having second thoughts?”
“It’s just that...I had it all. For a while. And now...I don’t even know what to do with my life.”
“Oh, honey.”
Tears pricked the backs of Aida’s eyes. “Did I ruin my best chance at happiness?”
“I don’t know what to say,” her mother said. “We always loved Dutton, never dreamed he’d do what he did. But you couldn’t continue in the marriage, could you?”
She felt sick as she considered how unyielding she’d been the past six months. She’d been so hurt, so angry and so determined not to let him get away with what he’d done. Had she been too rash? Too inflexible and unforgiving? “I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hard on him. Maybe I should’ve tried to keep the marriage intact. People make mistakes.”
“Your trust was shattered, Aida. It would be hard to go on after that. I...I think you did the right thing.”
Was she just saying that because it was too late for Aida to change her decision? “Of course I did.” She attempted a laugh, but it was futile. She couldn’t laugh when it felt like someone was twisting a knife in her chest. “What do you have without trust?”
“Exactly,” her mother agreed, as though divorce had been the only answer. But Aida remembered a time when she was pretty sure her father had strayed. There’d been crying and muted fights after she and her brothers were in bed, and her mother had taken them to visit Grandma Leanne for a couple of weeks. Somehow her parents had gotten through that period, however, and managed to stay together.
Her mother wasn’t aware she knew. Bringing it up would be embarrassing for Dottie, humiliating, and it wouldn’t cast her father in a very favorable light. So she didn’t dare. “I love you,” Aida said.
“I love you, too,” her mother said.
As Aida hung up, she felt as shell-shocked and uncertain as she had the day she first found Claire on her doorstep. Dropping her head back to look up at the sky, she was fighting to keep her tears at bay when her phone buzzed again.
With a sniff, she drew a deep breath and looked down.
Reese had texted her: Why don’t you, Marlow and Claire come to the club today?