“Pretty good. The staff is competent enough, and I filled a couple holes. The menu is better than I expected. Someone put some thought into it. You’ll have to come in and sample the lobster bisque. It’s divine.”
“And how did you and Connor get on?”
Maddy lifted a shoulder. “He hardly showed his face.”
“So he was true to his word.”
“He was.” Maddy would give him that. She took a sip of her coffee and watched a sea gull drift on a current. “And how about you and Nora? I didn’t see any blood on the floor when I came in last night.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “She’s so stubborn. I don’t know how she lives with herself. I mean, she’s the one who wronged me; you’d think she’d be at least a little remorseful.”
Maddy tucked her hair behind her ear. Nora had been plenty remorseful back in the day. But Maddy wasn’t about to get in the middle of this again.
“At least we got through a lot of boxes,” Emma continued. “We’re both eager to get this over and done with.”
“And head on home?” Maddy studied her sister and thought she saw a flicker of something in her eyes.
“Of course.”
She wished Emma would confide in her about the pregnancy. It had to weigh heavily on her mind, and she sure wasn’t going to confide in Nora.
“How’s Ethan holding up without you? He must be eager to have you back home.”
“Sure. Of course. It’s hard to be away, but we have to put this house to rights.”
Maybe Maddy should just admit to having found the test. But if Emma wanted to tell her she would. Maybe she wanted to tell Ethan first. She obviously wanted to keep it from them or she wouldn’t have buried the test in the trash.
But as Maddy scanned the quiet strip of beach she suddenly realized she wanted to be closer to her sister. She remembered the days when she could tell Emma anything, when Emma had been like a second mother to her. Now they were both adults, and Maddy longed for the close relationship that Holly had with her sister, Noelle. Sisters were supposed to share secrets. Sisters spilled the beans about things like positive pregnancy tests.
But she hadn’t exactly been close enough with either of her sisters to expect this kind of vulnerability from them. And if Maddy were honest with herself, she was reluctant to share her own secrets. The part of her that longed for intimacy knew that sharing things was a big part of that. But there was another part of her that knew secrets had the power to tear people apart.
“We’re separated,” Emma murmured.
“What?” Maddy’s eyes darted to her sister, unsure she’d heard right.
Emma’s knitting needles clicked quietly. “For six months now.”
“Emma... Why didn’t you say something?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to talk about it with Nora around.”
“I mean a long time ago. We’ve talked on the phone. You didn’t say a word.” Maddy felt terrible that her sister had been suffering in silence. “I know we haven’t been very close in recent years, but I hope you know I’m here for you.”
“I guess I just didn’t want to admit it.”
She thought of the pregnancy test—it must be Nora’s after all. Good heavens, a pregnancy just when she’d finally reached the empty nest. They were all in the middle of life crises.
Maddy touched Emma’s arm. “Are you all right?”
“Oh, sure. I suppose. He moved into an apartment across the city. I used to get so annoyed, coming home to all his noise. His mess. Now the place is so clean and empty I hate coming home at all. I stay at work until I’m ready to drop. I jumped at the chance to come here when I got the call about Gram. And George was all right with me leaving the bakery awhile—I’ve been such a mess.”
Her heart hurt for Emma. “Is there... someone else?”
Emma set down her knitting and lifted Pippy onto her lap. The dog curled up, snuggling against Emma’s stomach. “I don’t think so. He says there’s not, and I believe him. In some ways it would be easier if there were. But no. We just... grew apart, I guess. We keep different hours, with me working so early in the morning, and he’s been busy building a name for himself in real estate. We didn’t make time for each other, ran out of things to talk about, yada yada.”
“I’m sorry.”
Pippy sat up in Emma’s lap, looking to her owner as if sensing her pain.
