Curious, I begin to wander, from room to room, corridor to corridor, practically the length of the house, and the quiet is almost eerie.
Finally, back in the living room, I glance into the adjoining study, a room I think of as mostly Ash’s turf. Though the fireplace probably hasn’t been used in months, I can pick upthe lingering hint of woodsmoke even from the doorway. I don’t see anyone in here, either, but as I turn to leave, I sense a motion on the other end of the room and spin quickly to the right. Wendy’s standing by the wall of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and I’ve clearly surprised her, too.
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” I say.
“No problem. I was just looking for something to read. My iPad seems to have died.”
“You’ve got your choice of classics here, I guess, but there are a couple of thrillers in the cottage bookshelf if you want more options.... Where is everyone, do you know? It’s like a ghost town this morning.”
“Blake went for a drive along the river, and Nick and Hannah haven’t emerged from their room yet.”
She says the last part with a faint smirk on her face.
“What about Claire and Ash? And Bonnie?”
“Bonnie’s at church apparently and not due until later. I saw Ash leave with his bike about ten minutes ago. He said Claire had gone to the farmers’ market.”
“Sounds like there might be more corn on the cob in our future.” I step a little closer to her. “Wendy, I have to say again how thrilled I am for you and Blake. You must be in seventh heaven.”
“We are, thank you.”
A rogue lock of blond hair has fallen in her eyes, and as she sweeps it back, I notice something vexed about her expression. Maybe more perturbed than vexed, actually.
“Is everything all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you feeling okay? You look...”
“Oh, sorry.... It’s just, you know, sometimes things don’t turn out exactly as you hope they will.”
My heart skips. “Is there something wrong with the baby?”
“God, no—sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I was talking about the announcement. We were so looking forward to telling everyone. I mean, it’s taken us so many years to get to this place. And to be honest, it felt kind of lousy to have Nick share his big news right after.”
Of course. I wasn’t the only one struck by the poor timing of the second announcement.
“I have to admit, it surprised me. They could have waited until another night this week.”
Wendy shrugs. “I don’t think Nick was given much of a choice.”
“How so?”
“He apologized to Blake later, saying he got caught up in the happy family moment, but I think he was actually pushed into doing it.” She leans toward me as if to share a secret. “When we were answering questions about the due date and sex, I felt Hannah give Nick a kick under the table. Like she was urging him to speak up.”
What a brat, I think. But since I’m still trying to be a good girl, I don’t utter it aloud.
“That’s a shame. But we’re all so excited for you and Blake, Wendy, and nothing could overshadow that.”
“Thanks, that means a lot,” she tells me. “Actually, instead of reading, I think I’ll hit some tennis balls against the backboard.”
Wow, I think, as she hurries off. What a difference a day makes. Twenty-four hours ago, I figured I was the only one with a distaste for Hannah, but now there are three of us.
After exiting the house and fixing an espresso to go on the sideboard, I make my way across the yard toward the boxwoods, planning to finally park myself on the bench inside the glade. But someone’s already inside, I realize. At least two someones actually. I hear a male voice—and though it’s too low for me to make out the words, his tone seems very hostile.
Instinctively, I freeze and take a step backward. As I shift positions, I’m suddenly able to see into the glade through a small, open space in one of the boxwoods. It’s Nick in there—and he’s with Hannah. They’re standing only a few inches apart from each other, and though he’s in profile, I can see enough of his mouth to know it’s twisted in anger.
Are things between them beginning to unravel? Maybe Hannah’s responded to Claire’s ultimatum and revealed a truth about herself that Nick can’t accept. In that case, she may be in our rearview mirror before the day’s over.
