Calvin nods. “I’m saying that’s the most likely scenario.”
“What?”screeches Mae.
Natalie turns to Jordan. “Why doyouknow that and we don’t?”
“I didn’t know,” say Jordan. “I just figured. Because it makes sense, from a practical point of view.”
“Practical,” spits Natalie, like she’s sayingrat poison.
“Dad?” says Mae in a quavery voice. “I don’t get it. What’s going on?”
“What’s going on,” says Calvin, “is basically our old friend climate change. FEMA has adjusted the flood maps of areas like this, so when a home changes ownership, and the new owner plans significant renovation, they must bring the home up to code. For a house this old—it’s almost as old as I am—it makes much more sense to demolish and rebuild than to try to get up to code.”
“You’re going totear down Mom’s house?” cries Natalie.
“I’mnot going to—”
“Wait!” says Mae. “If that happens only when a house changes hands, why aren’t we keeping it for as long as we can? Andusingit, just as it is?”
“I bet it’s not that simple,” says Jordan, and Natalie and Mae turn on her so fast that it feels like they’re each flicking a forked serpent’s tongue at her.
“Oh, yeah?” spits Natalie. “Why don’t you explain why it’s not that simple?”
“The money, for one thing,” says Jordan. “As discussed. Duh.”
“I’ll explain,” says Calvin. “Jordan’s right. If we were to do that, never mind all of the reasons we’ve already discussed about not being able to use it, and yes, needing the money, chances are that sooner rather than later we’d sustain damage from a major storm, and without flood insurance, which we can no longer get, we’d be left with nothing. This way, we get the value of the house and the land, and whoever buys and rebuilds can rebuild to current code, raising it above the tide line to withstand inevitable tidal issues.”
“See?” says Jordan. “Practical.”
“I’m sorry, girls. I should have explained this when I first told you about the house. But I figured, all in good time. I thought we’d get to it.”
“We got to it, alright,” says Natalie. “I can’t believe this.”
Kara walks up the stairs from the beach right then, a pair of binoculars swinging. “Hey, everyone! What’s going on out here? Should I grab a bottle of rosé and some glasses?”
“Can we call Daddy?” Scarlett asks Natalie, when they go upstairs to get Caspian from his nap.
“Sure,” says Natalie, ungently. She’s already feeling combative, but the kids want to talk to their father. “Of course we can call Daddy.” She looks at her watch. “Maybe we’ll catch him in the house before the evening milking.”
“I want to call Daddy too,” says Evangeline, popping out of Mae’s room, closing the door quietly, presumably so Leo doesn’t wake from his own nap. Natalie bends down to pick up a tuft of Cinnamon’s fur, then, remembering that Mae said Kara is allergic, decides to leave it. It’s a childish gesture, and it’s also satisfying.
She dials their home number and hands the phone to Scarlett while she changes Caspian’s diaper. Scarlett tells Austin about a starfish with a missing arm she found, about the smoothie she’d had from Sandpiper, about her sandcastle with two turrets. Evangeline takes the phone next, puts it on speaker, and goes into a long story about how to teach a dog to spin.
“To spin, like, a web?”
Evangeline giggles. “No, Daddy, to spin around in circles.” Caspian, freshly changed, holds out two hands for the phone and Evangeline gives it to him. He licks it.
Finally it’s Natalie’s turn. She asks Evangeline and Scarlett to help Caspian down the stairs, sits on the bed, and says, “You didn’t answer my last text about the article. Did you read it?”
“Hello to you too, babe,” he says.
“Sorry, I mean hi, but did you read the article?” On Austin’s end she hears water running in the sink, the tick of one of the burners on her baby-blue stove coming on.
“I saw it! The photos came out great.”
Is he really so oblivious?
“But did youreadit? Did you see the ‘barefoot and pregnant’ thing?”
