“It’s always easier to make a villain out of the in-law. I got a taste of that with Nick’s mom. She was so afraid of losing the number one spot in her son’s heart that she did whatever she could to drive a wedge between us—complained about me constantly.”
“That could’ve been a big problem had she lived much longer than she did.”
“It was hard enough putting up with it for the first five years of our marriage. She almost managed to break us up. It drove me crazy how Nick allowed her to manipulate him.”
“He was just trying to be a good son,” her mother said mildly.
“It was more than that. He defended her against me because he couldn’t see how intentional it all was.” She shoved another bite into her mouth. “So some people are blind when it comes to their mothers, too.”
“Not necessarily,” her mother said.
Autumn was surprised that Mary had disagreed with her. “You and Laurie have always gotten along well with Nana, haven’t you? You’ve never said a bad word about her and love having her and Poppy come all the way from Montana to visit every Thanksgiving.”
Mary stood and crossed back over to the window.
“Mom?” Autumn lowered her fork. “Has something happened between you and Nana?”
When Mary turned, she looked tired and drawn despite her beauty. “No, of course not.”
“So what’s wrong?”
She lifted a hand to her head. “I didn’t sleep well last night—because of the storm—and woke up with a headache. That’s all.”
“Then you should be the one in bed, and I should be bringing you breakfast.”
“Oh, stop. It doesn’t hurt that bad. But I’d better take a painkiller before it gets any worse.”
“Okay. I’ll bring the tray over when I’m done.”
“That’d be great.”
She started down the stairs, but Autumn called after her. “If something was wrong, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”
Her mother’s footfalls came to a stop and Autumn imagined her turning to yell back up the stairs. “Of course I would. Don’t worry, honey. Everything’s fine.”
4
Mary took a second to compose herself before opening her own back door. That had been her chance. She could’ve explained what her mother was really like, why Mary had no contact with her, how Laurie, Laurie’s son Jacob, who was ten years older than Autumn, and the woman Autumn thought was her Nana had come to be her family instead.
But Autumn didn’t need her world to be torn apart right now. She was pale and had lost weight, and she was so exhausted that she had dark circles under her eyes. What she needed was peace, love, consistency, support and plenty of rest so that she could heal.
Once again, Mary had chosen to keep her mouth shut. But she knew Autumn was curious about her father. What if she got it in her head to take one of those ancestry tests that were advertised on TV all the time?
Mary was about to go back when the door swung open and her granddaughter came out wearing a visor, sunglasses and a bikini with an orange sarong tied around her hips.
“There you are,” Taylor said when they almost collided. “Mom up yet?”
“She’s having breakfast.”
“It’s not like her to stay in bed. Is she sick or something?”
“No. She’s lost a lot of sleep over the past eighteen months and is catching up, that’s all.”
“Okay.” She anchored her bag on her shoulder so she could pull her ponytail tighter. “Caden just texted me. Said he’s met a group of kids our age at the beach and wants me to come down.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“We’ll see.” She didn’t seem completely convinced. “They need me to make the teams even for volleyball.”
“It’s always nice to meet new people.”
“Except... I didn’t come here to make friends. I just want to be left alone.”
Obviously, Autumn wasn’t the only one who needed to heal. “That’s understandable. Grieving makes it hard to socialize. But the right friend can help you through the worst of times.” Mary was speaking from experience. She had no idea what would’ve become of her had she not met Laurie when she did.
“That’s hard to believe,” she grumbled. “I’m so tired of the friends I have.”
“You’ve known a lot of them for years. What don’t you like about them?”
“Everything they say and do seems lame.”
“They haven’t experienced what you have.”
“I guess. Anyway, will you tell Mom where I am?”
“Of course. She’ll be in before too long.”
“Thanks.” Her ponytail bounced as she whirled around, clutching her beach bag, and Mary had to wonder how the secrets she’d guarded for so long might impact her grandchildren.
She battled a sinking feeling as she went inside to finish cleaning up. She was convinced they were all better off not knowing, which was why she hadn’t told them.
Hopefully, they’d have at least one more summer just as they were. After what’d happened to disrupt their lives already, she thought they deserved it.
* * *
The group Caden had met consisted of three girls and three boys. Taylor could see them lounging on the sand not far from one of the volleyball nets strung across this portion of the beach. The ball itself sat next to a tall, skinny dude with red curly hair and turquoise swim trunks.
Caden was far more outgoing than she was, so he was usually the one who made new friends and then introduced her. Although she’d never admit it to him, she appreciated that she had someone to make that process a little easier, but she still hated the part at the beginning, when she didn’t know someone and it was awkward and uncomfortable.
Once she realized that she’d be meeting more kids than she’d anticipated, she probably would’ve chickened out and turned back, except her brother spotted her right away, jumped to his feet and came jogging over.
“These guys are cool,” he said as he reached her and took her bag. He knew from experience that she was often resistant when it came to unfamiliar settings and people, that he had to ease her into it, so he’d gotten good at it. She guessed he’d taken her bag as a way of committing her, since she’d have to ask for it back if she changed her mind.
“How do you know?” she grumbled, eyeing them warily. “You’ve barely met them.”