Page 51 of Don’t Open Your Eyes

“James?” She heard him sigh.

“This is about your dreams, isn’t it?”

“I thought you didn’t want to hear about my dreams.”

“Annabelle, you can’t put your anxiety on the kids. It’s perfectly reasonable for Scarlett to want to go skiing with her friend. I spoke with Avery’s father last night, and I’m comfortable with her going. She’s not a baby, and you can’t treat her like one.”

Panic made her heart beat faster. Something terrible was going to happen to Scarlett. She knew it. Only now Annabelle was three thousand miles away and powerless to stop it. “James, please listen to me. I’m not treating her like a baby. I know she’s going to get hurt if she goes skiing.” The image of Scarlett’s bloodied body from her dream came to her again. “Call it women’s intuition, but please go along with me on this.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. One of us has to be reasonable. Did you make that appointment with Monica?”

“I tried, but I found out she passed away.”

“Oh no! That’s terrible. Well, I can ask around for some referrals.”

“If I promise to make an appointment with someone, will you change your mind about the ski trip?”

“No. I promised Scarlett she could go. I think—”

She wiped away tears of frustration. “I gotta go.” She cut him off and ended the call, throwing her phone on the bed. She started pacing, scrambling to come up with a way to stop Scarlett. Picking up the phone again, she called her mother-in-law.

“Annabelle? Is everything okay? James said you’re away on a business trip.”

“I am. Look, Charlotte, I need your help.”

“What is it, dear?”

“Scarlett has plans to go skiing this weekend with a new friend, and I’m worried.”

“Worried? About what?”

“I’ve never met the parents and it’s a girl who Scarlett just started hanging around with. Scarlett almost got suspended for vaping, and it was connected to Avery.” Her words were technically true, so she wasn’t lying. She needed to make Charlotte concerned if this was going to work.

“That doesn’t sound good. Did you speak to James about this?”

“That’s the thing. I told Scarlett she couldn’t go, and she waited until I left to persuade James to let her go. He feels caught in the middle. She’s got him wrapped around her finger.” Not exactly true, but Charlotte didn’t need to know that.

“I don’t think I should insert myself in the middle of this, dear. I’m sorry. But James has good sense, and I can’t call his judgment into question.”

Charlotte didn’t seem to mind calling Annabelle’s judgment into question in the past. She could see she wasn’t going to get anywhere with her mother-in-law. “Okay, I understand. Please, don’t mention this to James.”

“All right, but I have to warn you, darling, being at odds over the children is not good for your marriage. You need to have a united front.”

“That’s what I’m trying to say. James is the one who isn’t keeping a united front. I said no, and he allowed Scarlett to go around me.”

“Again, this is between the two of you. I think you need to discuss it with James. It’s not good to get others involved.”

Annabelle wanted to scream. “I take your point. Will you please give me your word that this will stay between us?”

“Yes, of course. I’m always here if you need to talk.”

Annabelle still had a day to try to figure something out. Scarlett wasn’t leaving until tomorrow afternoon and wouldn’t be on the slopes until Saturday.

—

Chase was waiting in front of the restaurant when Annabelle got downstairs. They were seated right away at an outside table facing the ocean. She inhaled deeply, trying to relax. Their drinks arrived, a vodka tonic for Chase and a glass of Sancerre for Annabelle.

“Cheers,” Chase said, lifting his glass to hers. “Thanks for coming with me. I know it was short notice.”