“That would be great.” He sounds appreciative, and I hope he’s no longer miffed.
I send Henry off to change into his trunks, and by the time he’s back, I’ve set up two lounge chairs with beach towels and grabbed us a couple of cans of sugar-free lemonade. For the next half hour, I watch him splash around in the pool and rate his handstands Olympic-style from one to ten. It’s about as exciting as waiting in line at the DMV, but it seems to lift Henry’s spirits.
I only wish there was something that could liftmine. Everything seems off without Claire here, and I’ve experienced a sense of mounting dread since I woke up. Right now, it’s as hard to ignore as a toothache, and it’s coupled with theembarrassment I feel about being caught going into Nick and Hannah’s room. And the hot sun isn’t helping.
As Henry performs what must be his fiftieth handstand, Wendy wanders onto the deck in a black one-piece bathing suit and flip-flops with the double Gucci G and settles into a lounge chair on the other side of the pool, iPad in hand. We wave at each other across the water. Watching her triggers a memory of the conversation we had earlier today about her dislike of Hannah. Maybe we can commiserate.
I convince Henry to take a break so I can apply more sunscreen on him and he can jiggle the water out of his ears. He’s brought his own iPad from the cottage, and soon falls asleep on the lounge chair before he’s read more than a page or two.
I round the pool to where Wendy’s sitting.
“I’m not interrupting, am I?” I ask.
“No, no, please sit,” she says, stuffing the iPad into her squishy leather tote. “And while you’re at it maybe you can tell me how to develop the endless patience you have as a mom. You’re brilliant at it.”
“I appreciate the compliment,” I say, lowering myself onto the chaise lounge next to her. She’s gotten a light tan, which looks fetching with her pale blond hair. “And I wish I could say it came naturally to me, but it really has to do with Henry. He’s always been such an easy, undemanding kid. Not sure how I’d handle a spoiled brat. Regardless, you shouldn’t worry, Wendy. I know you and Blake will be fabulous parents.”
“I hope so. I’ve wanted this baby for so long.”
“Are you feeling any less stressed this afternoon?”
“Honestly? No. I’d kill for a glass of rosé right now, but that’s not a possibility.”
“I know how you feel.” I break into a grin. “Tell you what—I’ll drink a rosé for both of us later.”
“Go for it.”
“Hey, I wanted to ask you about something you mentioned earlier—the so-called interloper.”
Wendy raises her pale blond eyebrows above the rims of her tortoise-framed Ray-Bans. “Have you had your own concerns?”
“Actually, yes. I recognized Hannah as soon as I saw her Friday night—we were in the same playwrights’ showcase a couple of years ago. But she lied and said I was mistaking her for someone else.”
“How strange. Why would she do that, I wonder?”
“I didn’t know this at the time, but she supposedly stole money and jewelry from another actress in the showcase and I guess she didn’t want me to connect the dots. I’m worried about what this means for Nick. For all of us, frankly.”
“You’ve mentioned this to Gabe, I assume?”
“Yes, but he’s got so much else on his mind, even before Claire died, and he hasn’t taken it seriously.”
She shifts a little in the chair, crossing her long, slim arms over her chest. “I’m not sure what recourse either of us has. Let’s say you or I took Nick aside and confided in him. He’s hardly going to send Hannah packing because she told a little white lie about dressage, or that you heard a rumor she stole something. And he’d probably resent us for interfering.”
“What if it were more serious than that?”
“Serious how?”
On and off since Saturday night, I’ve replayed my conversation with Claire, and one phrase keeps echoing in my head:Our littleUSCgraduate.
“It’s possible Hannah lied about where she went to college.”
“That’s pretty shady.”
“I know. It’s not the kind of lie that could cause any real damage, but it says something about her character.... You spend a fair amount of time in Florida, don’t you?”
She looks surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I just mean you do business there, right? Do you think there’s a way to find out anything about Hannah’s background—if her parents are both really dead, if she’s evenfromthere?”
