“Should we stay by the pool,” she asked, knowing that Susan preferred that to the sand, “or go to the beach?”
“The beach,” Megan answered without pause. “I’ve always loved the sound of the waves. It put me to sleep last night. I needed it.”
Susan was lounging indolently in her chair. She had her long fingernails steepled against one another and her lips pursed. “What we needed,” she said in a slow, not entirely pleasant tone, “was Jared Snow to croon to us. You listen to him, don’t you, Meggie?”
“All the time.”
“Have you ever wondered who he really is? Or what he looks like? Or who he dates?”
Megan didn’t answer, because Susan was suddenly staring at Savannah. Savannah opened her hand against the edge of the glass table. “Not now, Suse.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re here, and he’s there.”
“And you want to keep your secret a little while longer? You must have died when I went to your house on Thursday night. Why in the hell did you let him open your door?”
“He opened the door because I wasn’t feeling well, and, besides, it’s not such a great secret that I’m seeing him.”
“So why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because there was never a good time.”
“Never a good time—I don’tbelieveyou. We spent our birthday together, the entire day, and don’t tell me that you weren’t with him then, because I’m not dumb. There was the matter of that phone call, with those dreamy little smiles. And that teddy. He was the reason you bought it, and if that wasn’t a good time to tell me about him, I don’t know what would have been.” She barely paused for a breath. “There were dozens of times that day when you could have said something, and there’ve been dozens of times since. I’m your sister, for God’s sake! That man isn’t just anybody, but you didn’t see fit to clue me in that you even knew him, much less were having an affair with him. How do you think I felt ringing your bell and finding him there?”
“Angry,” Savannah said. “But you have no right to be angry, Susan. Maybe hurt, or disappointed—”
“Angry!”
But Savannah wasn’t yielding. “No. I should have told you sooner, I was wrong about that, but I felt I had valid reasons for not doing it.”
“Valid reasons, my foot!”
“Therewere.”
Megan shouted, “Whoa!” Startled, Savannah and Susan swung their heads her way as she asked, “What’s going on? Who is Savvy involved with?”
“Jared Snow!” Susan cried before Savannah could say the name herself. “She’s having an affair with Jared Snow.”
Megan’s eyes widened. “Jared Snow?”
“Your Jared Snow. My Jared Snow. All of Rhode Island’s Jared Snow, only he isn’t really ours.” She glared at her sister. “He’s Savannah’s.”
Megan was having no part of Susan’s fury. Her eyes remained wide and, however briefly, she escaped the pall that had hung over her since the kidnapping. “Really, Savvy?”
The brief question, asked in a hushed, but excited tone was justification in itself for Savannah’s having pushed for the weekend. Often before, Megan had been a buffer between Savannah and Susan, stepping in when their arguments approached the absurd. There had been times when Savannah had resented it. She could have kissed Megan now, though. “Really,” she acknowledged with a smile.
“What’s he like?” Megan whispered. “Handsome?”
Still smiling, Savannah nodded.
“Tall? Well built?”
Savannah nodded at each.
“On the radio, he seems totally at peace with himself and the world. Is he in real life?”
That took more than a nod. “His life has had ups and downs, but right now he’s pretty content with what he’s doing.”
