Cole nodded firmly. “Good.”
Elsa wanted to tell him then how she admired the fire behind everything he did. He was powerful, strong like his father.
But there were times when compliments from your mother were okay, and then there were other times. It would have to come later.
“You don’t know those guys’ names, do you?” Elsa asked.
Cole shook his head. “No.”
“Or the girls with them?”
“No. Never seen them before,” Cole admitted.
Elsa sipped her wine, a chardonnay that seemed overly sweet, which was fitting for the bar, which didn’t have the best wine selection. She kept one eye on the sailors and their younger women and one eye with her table, Cole’s friends, to attempt not to raise suspicion. She was there to eavesdrop and gather any pertinent information she could. She didn’t even bother to tell Cole her plan beforehand.
It was a natural thing that girls went to the bathroom together. As if on cue, when one of the blonde girls at the far table stood, both of the other girls stood along with her. They flashed their hair behind their overly-sharp shoulders and then sauntered toward the women’s restroom.
This was Elsa’s sign.
Cole was in the midst of a heavy conversation with Marty, who disagreed with him about one of the recent new sailing regulations. Elsa muttered to Cole that she would be right back, and he just nodded, totally distracted. She grabbed her purse and rushed toward the door of the bathroom, which still squeaked back and forth from the girls’ entrance.
The bathroom wasn’t as bad as the rest of the place. There was a bright red couch, situated alongside a floor-to-ceiling mirror, which seemed antique and special, save for the graffiti that had been written across the side that read: ZACH AND TONYA FOREVER. All three of the girls had stationed themselves at the three sinks. They were in the midst of their traditional grooming patterns: like touching up their lipstick, spraying on more perfume, tending to their mascara ways that seemed entirely fashionable and overdone.
Elsa waited near the couch. The girls were quiet. She felt sure the gossip would spin up soon but maybe, she had to coax it the slightest bit.
“Can you imagine loving Zach so much that you write about him on the mirror?” Elsa said suddenly as she pointed to the graffiti.
To her surprise, the one red-haired girl turned around. She gestured with the mascara wand and said, “We know Tonya. She’s an idiot.”
The other blonde girl off to the right burst into laughter. “Zach knocked her up and then she didn’t know what to do, so she moved back in with her mom. She’s doing night classes and Zach is running around with this other girl now. Chloe.”
Elsa’s heart grew heavy at the sudden onslaught of this story. Still, she had to keep her gossip-ready face fresh. “Wow. Did you see that coming?”
“Absolutely,” the red-haired girl said. She seemed to be their leader. “Tonya was head over heels for Zach. We told her to play the game like us. We told her not to mess around with twenty-somethings, you know? We went to school with guys our own age. We should know first-hand what idiots they are.”
“Totally,” one of the blonde girls said.
“Wow. Things have really changed since I was younger,” Elsa said.
One of the blonde girls caught her eye in the mirror. “You don’t look old at all. What are you? Thirty-five?”
“Forty-five, actually,” Elsa corrected as she swung a curl over her ear.
The red-haired girl whipped around again to fully inspect her as though she was a prized pig at the fair. “Really! No way. What kind of moisturizer do you use?”
“Are you into retinol?” one of the blonde girls demanded.
The red-haired girl chuckled lightly. “Sorry. We shouldn’t pepper you with so many questions. Do you need the mirror? Girls, scoot over.”
The three girls wrapped themselves around two of the sinks while Elsa slid up to the one-off to the left. She reached into her purse and drew out a stick of lipstick, which she propped delicately against her lower lip. A strange idea brewed up in the back of Elsa’s mind as she forced herself to entertain it.
“When I was around your age, I did have a brief affair with an older man,” Elsa tried. “It was such a dream come true. He took me out on his sailboat, and we raced all over the ocean. I had all these dreams that he would take me across the world with him.”
The red-haired girl arched an eyebrow. “And he didn’t?”
Elsa shrugged. “I had to be here. I had responsibilities on the island.”
“Yes, but if he had provided for you, all those responsibilities would have floated away,” the girl pointed out.
Elsa furrowed her brow with feigned confusion. The red-haired girl stabbed her mascara wand into its container and tightened it up.
“Let’s put it this way. If you had played your cards right, you could have been like me and Gretchen and Rhea here,” the red-head continued. “We met those men out there on a dating service in the city. Not even one of us could pay our rent on time, remember that, girls?”
“God, it was awful,” Gretchen affirmed as she adjusted her bra strap beneath her overly-tight dress.
“So, it’s like a call service?” Elsa asked.
Gretchen shook her head. “No. We’re more than that. We’re companions for these men. Friends — with, you know, a few extra benefits.”
The blonde giggled. “And in return, they give us everything we need. And they take us all over the world. This is our only job, to travel, to stay beautiful and to keep them happy.”
Elsa was mesmerized. The world really had changed or at least revealed its true self to her, just a forever-islander who’d hardly spent a day off of it.
“So those guys are pretty successful, then?” Elsa dabbed still more lipstick across her lower lip. Did she have other makeup in her bag? She wasn’t sure. She had to make this technique last.
“Absolutely,” Rhea said. “They live between here and New York, but they travel all over the world. God, remember that apartment they took us to in Paris?”
The red-haired girl murmured yes as she lifted her eyebrows high to fix her own lipstick.
“Too bad I missed out on all that when I was younger,” Elsa breathed with fake regret.
“You really did,” Gretchen said sadly.
“I think I recognize those men,” Elsa said. “From sailing contests around here.”
“Yes. Carlson Montague and Peterson Hughes,” the red-headed girl affirmed. “They’re quite prosperous businessmen. They’ve worked on Wall Street and... just between you and me, they have a number of off-shore accounts. If you know what I mean.”
Elsa’s heart jumped into her throat. She was careful to deliver a sneaky grin, one meant to illustrate just how “in the know” and “cool” she was with what the three girls and their men were up to.
But her mind raced in a million different directions. After all — Carlson Montague was the name of the man who now attempted to sue her estate and destroy her husband’s good name.
And it was clear that he was up to no good.
Elsa just had no idea how on earth she could possibly prove this to anyone.
The girls finished up their looks with the last blasts of perfume. They bid Elsa goodbye with bright smiles, then clacked back out to the beach bar. Elsa gripped either side of the sink and heaved at her reflection.
“Aiden. What the heck were you doing messed up with Carlson Montague? And why is he after you?”
Chapter Fifteen
ELSA SPENT THE FOLLOWING morning, afternoon, and early evening in her office at the Lodge. She had a number of meetings to catch up with, about a thousand emails to arrange, and beyond that, she’d agreed to give Mallory an introduction to her new position as Lodge secretary, which Nancy had agreed to whole-heartedly. Around noon, her beautiful daughter stepped into her office in one of Elsa’s own business suits; her chin held high as she said, “All right. I’m ready for training.”
Mallory took to the work easily. She greeted incoming guests with a warm smile, entered their information into the computer, showed each woman to her separate suite, and gave them each their individualized schedule — one that had already been highlighted and put together by Janine, the doctor on-site. Each time it was quiet at the desk, Mallory rushed over to Elsa’s office and did a little dance in the doorway.
“I just can’t believe I get to work here!” she squealed. “I still remember all those times you brought me and Cole and Alexie here as kids. We were so amazed with the Lodge. It was like our playhouse.”
“I know. You always got into so much trouble,” Elsa said. “Your father had to run after you once when you tried to duck into the spa. All those women without clothing on, and a little six-year-old girl about to ruin their calm afternoon.”
Mallory laughed. “I just loved the steam. It reminded me of when the fog would roll in. Almost like magic.”
“It’s still like magic. The kind of magic that can take away your problems,” Elsa flashed her daughter a genuine smile.
Between conversations with Mallory and other staff members, Elsa continued to ponder what the girls from the previous night at the bar had said about Carlson Montague. Cole had said he’d heard of a number of “escorts” in recent years; it was apparently very popular with girls his age who wanted older men to pay for their college and rent and other expenditures.
“But what does this have to do with your father?” Elsa had asked.
“Dad didn’t have an escort,” Cole had returned, bristling.
“I know that, Cole. He wouldn’t have had the time, anyway. You remember. He almost always wanted to cook dinner. I remember because he frequently burned it, which is why our house always smelled like burnt food and then the take-out when he had to order afterward,” Elsa had said as she squeezed Cole’s elbow.
Still, the whole thing was curious. It felt as though they had a number of puzzle pieces, but none of them seemed to add up to a relevant puzzle.
When Elsa arrived home that evening, she found the driveway full of familiar vehicles. From the porch overlooking the water came a number of voices, wild giggles, and the occasional screech from the baby. Once inside, she headed upstairs, changed into a summer dress, then appeared at the doorway between the kitchen and the porch to find a number of beautiful faces — Cole and Mallory and Zachery, plus Nancy and Janine, along with her daughters, Maggie and Alyssa, who were visiting.
And there, seated directly next to Nancy, was Carmella.
Elsa hadn’t seen Carmella since their recent tiff. Her smile faltered immediately, even as Mallory stepped up to deliver her mother a glass of wine and a bright, “Hello! Nancy wanted to celebrate my first day. I had no idea so many people would be here.”
Elsa forced herself to smile for her daughter and accepted the glass. “You did beautifully, honey. I’m so glad you’re on the team.”
Alyssa waved from the table. “Hi, Aunt Elsa!” she said.
“Aunt Elsa, hello!” Maggie chimed in.
“I had no idea you girls were coming in from the city,” Elsa said. Her voice felt strained, as though it belonged to someone else. All the while, she felt Carmella’s eyes boring into her skull.
What the heck was she doing here? She didn’t participate in family dinners.
“We wanted to surprise Mom,” Maggie said. “She’s been working so dang hard.”
Janine blushed as she sipped her wine. “Elsa, Nancy and Carmella and I have worked ourselves silly at that Lodge. It’s true. But I have to say; I go to bed happy every single night. It’s incredible, helping the women who come through there.”
“I feel the same way,” Carmella piped in then. “It’s why I missed it so much while we were closed.”
Elsa’s heart dropped. Again, resentment filled the space between them. She detested the fact that Carmella hadn’t wanted to be closed at all — as though she hadn’t needed any kind of grieving period for their father, as though it hadn’t mattered to her at all.
“Oh, Maggie, you have to let Carmella take a look at your shoulder,” Janine said then.
“Acupuncture, right?” Maggie said to Carmella.
“Yes. It’s kind of like magic.” Carmella’s smile widened. “I fell in love with it when I was in my late teens and early twenties, traveling through the southwest. My stepmother first introduced me to it, though.”
“Grandma?” Alyssa asked, furrowing her brow.
“No, no. My other stepmother,” Carmella returned. “She and my father divorced before he and Nancy got together. Anyway, she taught me all about the healing powers of acupuncture.”
Elsa’s nostrils flared. She could feel the resentment beaming off of Carmella’s words. Carmella loved to bring up Karen, especially around Elsa, as she knew how much Elsa hated Karen. Karen had destroyed the fabric of their family, and it had been up to Elsa and Neal to pick the pieces back up and stitch them together again. Carmella hadn’t wanted to be included in that patchwork process.
“Well, wherever you picked it up, you’re remarkable at it,” Janine continued. Her smile never faltered. “The other day, when I left your office, I felt like my arms and legs were made of literal jelly. Girls, you have to try it. I felt like I didn’t have a single care in the world. And you know that, well, I have had a few cares... especially lately.”
“That reminds me!” Alyssa cried. “How is Henry doing?”
Janine’s cheeks brightened pink. “Oh, girls, I told you. Whatever that is, it’s going to go as slow as molasses, or not at all. I’ll let you know if there’s anything exciting to know about.”
Still, Janine gave the sneakiest of smiles as Carmella swatted her over the knee.
“She’s keeping stuff from you, Maggie and Alyssa,” Carmella said conspiratorially. “I saw Henry slinking around the back of the Lodge the other day. He was hunting for someone.”
“Mom!” Alyssa cried.
“Mom, you’re acting like a teenager. Just tell us what’s up!” Maggie blurted.
Elsa’s stomach ballooned with annoyance. She carried her wine in from the porch and stepped into the kitchen, where she gripped the counter hard and focused on her breath.
First of all, when had Carmella and Janine become such good friends? Elsa and Carmella had never teased one another the way Carmella had just teased Janine, and the way Janine had complimented Carmella had been completely outside of Elsa’s comfort zone.
But beyond that, Elsa hated that Carmella had just “turned in” Janine and Henry’s little, not-so-complicated, very sweet affair. Why did Carmella dig into other people’s business like that? Why did she think she had the right?
Someone entered the house. The screen door slammed shut and then, there was the dramatic clack-clack of a pair of heels that echoed off the walls. Everyone else at the house was barefoot; why did Carmella think it was okay to wear some city-girl heels across the wooden slats of the porch?
“I can see it written all over your face.” Carmella’s voice was sour.
Elsa remained facing the back wall. She wanted nothing to do with whatever fight now brewed between them.
“You hate that I’m getting along with them—with Janine and Nancy.”
Elsa’s nostrils flared. “That’s ridiculous.”
“You can’t understand why they would ever like me.”
“That’s also ridiculous. Everyone likes you. You’re beautiful, Carmella.” Elsa’s voice was mocking. She sounded childish, even to herself. She resented this, too.
Carmella clacked the rest of the way to the dishwasher, which she pulled open forcefully. One by one, she slid in plate after plate, none of which looked so dirty.
“You really should have just washed them in the sink,” Elsa returned.
“Right. You live here, now. You make the rules. I forgot,” Carmella said.
“It’s just a waste of space and water,” Elsa said.
Carmella scoffed. “Don’t pretend
that this is about wasting water.”
Elsa rolled her eyes back. “I can’t believe you hold that woman up so much.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Karen. I can’t believe you talk about her like she was some kind of goddess.”
Carmella bristled. She crossed her arms over her chest as her nostrils flared. “I shouldn’t be angry with you. I know your memory is very selective.”
“Oh, honey. It’s not selective at all,” Elsa blurted. “I remember everything she did to you, to me and especially to Dad.”
“She was only kind to me, and you hated that,” Carmella returned. “Now that I’m also building a better relationship with Nancy, you’re jealous all over again. It’s like we’re teenagers. How gross.”
“You’re the one acting like a teenager,” Elsa seethed through clenched teeth. “I’m a — a wife and a mother and a —”
Carmella clucked her tongue. “That’s been your saving grace this whole time, right? Just because you did everything right, every step of the way, you were allowed to pretend that you weren’t as messed up as me. Well, I have news for you.”
Suddenly, the screen door smacked open and shut again. A shadow fell over the sisters as Nancy rushed inside. Her face was stricken; her eyes were electric, as though they could spit flames.
“What on earth are you girls talking about?” she demanded.
All the color drained immediately from Elsa’s cheeks. Nancy had never spoken to her like this before — like a mother might to a child.
“Do you know that we are all out there on the porch, trying to have a nice time, as a family, while you girls are in here trying to tear one another apart?” Nancy demanded.
Carmella dropped her eyes to the ground. Elsa felt completely at a loss for her words.
“Your father always said you girls were much more alike than you even knew,” Nancy continued, lowering her voice the slightest bit. “He said that you’d probably never figure it out, that there was too much water under the bridge, but you should know that it was something he always prayed for regardless. He wanted you, girls, to come together and dammit, I’ve done my best to be understanding, but the more you girls act like complete children, the more I want to treat you like them. God knows we’ve all had our heartaches the past few years. I know you Remington girls have had hardships up the wazoo. But for God's sake, why don’t you try on a little empathy for one another for a change, huh? Stop making every last thing a competition. Otherwise, the cracks between you will follow through into this family — they will find ways to affect Mallory, Cole, Alexie and even Zachery. I know you don’t want that. I know your love is better than that. Both of you, just stop and think about that for a minute!”
Healing Tides Page 10
