“If you want to be obtuse... fine.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “It seems Gram has been awfully eager for the three of us to come together and reconcile. It seems she left our numbers awfully handy, and her helpful neighbor reached out to not just one of us, not just two of us, but all three of us.”
“What?” Nora said.
“You think Gram lured us here?” Emma said. “That she worried us sick like that on purpose?”
“I have to admit,” Nora said, “it sounds just like the kind of harebrained thing she might do. Remember how she set up Mama and Daddy when they were dating and had broken up?”
Emma crossed her arms. “Let’s not forget the time she went behind their backs and enrolled us in that music camp she was so excited about. They were furious.”
Connor still held Maddy’s gaze—somewhat stubbornly, it seemed to her.
“She didn’t own up to anything,” Maddy said. “But she may as well have. I can put two and two together easily enough.”
“Your math’s a little off. I can’t account for your grandmother’s actions, but I can tell you that I only called you out of concern for her.”
Connor pocketed his phone, giving the sisters a wan smile. “I have to go. But I’m glad your grandma’s all right. If you need anything, just let me know.”
A few seconds later the front screen door slapped quietly behind him, and the muted sound of his footsteps receded.
Emma turned a look on Maddy. “You’re being a little hasty, don’t you think?”
“Why else would he have called all three of us when one of us could’ve easily handled the situation?”
“Exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Nora said.
Maddy thought over the whole situation. Maybe she had jumped to conclusions. But it all seemed a little fishy. Besides, she just didn’t like the looks of Connor. To be fair, she didn’t like the looks of any man at the moment.
“Well, whether he knew or not is beside the point,” Emma said. “What’s important is that Gram is all right.”
“Exactly,” Nora said. It was the first thing the two had agreed on since their arrival. Nora pulled out a chair. “Come on. Let’s eat while it’s still hot.”
They sat down to large steaming bowls of vegetable soup. They ate in silence, each seemingly lost in her own thoughts, nobody wanting to talk about why Gram might have lured them here.
The soup was tasty for canned fare, but Maddy had lost her appetite. She was equal parts relieved and annoyed. With Gram, and yes, with Connor. Had this situation with Nick completely ruined her opinion on half of humanity?
“I’ll stay and get the house cleaned up for Gram,” Nora said when they’d finished the soup. “I don’t have anything pressing back home. Did she say when she was coming home?”
“She said her return flight is open-ended. I got the feeling she might stay put awhile. And believe it or not, she didn’t even mention cleaning out the house.” She’d been far too focused on the sisters’ relationship.
“Do you really think it was all a scheme?” Emma said.
“That’s exactly what I think,” Maddy said. “Why would she have called her home phone if no one was supposed to be here? And as soon as I confirmed we were all here she started on the whole family reconciliation theme.”
“I’m familiar,” Emma deadpanned.
“We’re all familiar.” Nora’s gaze flickered off Emma. “But some of us are too stubborn to listen to reason.”
“As if you’re so much better. I haven’t heard from you since the Christmas card you sent last December. Nice photo, by the way. Paris looks so wonderful on all of you.”
“At least Isenta Christmas card.”
“See, this is just what Gram’s talking about,” Maddy said. “If she went to such great lengths to get us here, can’t we at least try? We used to be close. We’ve all moved on with our lives. It’s been twenty years, for heaven’s sake. Isn’t it time to put all this behind us?”
Emma shot to her feet. She took her water glass and bowl from the table. “I’ll stay long enough to get the house in order. But I’m not interested in pretending the past never happened.” She set her dishes in the sink, picked up Pippy, and went through the kitchen door and onto the deck.
Without a word Nora got up, placed her bowl in the dishwasher, and retreated to the living room.
Maddy dropped her aching head to the back of the chair. If they were all staying in Seahaven, it was going to be a long few weeks.
