“Hello?”
“This call will be recorded,” a stilted male voice said. “I have a collect call from inmate . . . Jonathan Winters . . . at the Pondville Correctional Center. If you would like to accept the call, press one. If you would like to deny the call, press two. If you would like to block the call, press three.”
Maddy turned to Nora, who’d set Pippy down and was drinking her tea. Jonathan’s name had been said in his own voice. He was in prison?
Emma saw the look on Maddy’s face first and froze. “Who is it?”
“It’s . . . it’s for Nora.” The recording had begun repeating itself.
Nora approached, her look turning wary as she took the phone from Maddy. “Hello?” Her face went slack, and her eyes swung to Maddy, holding her gaze for a long moment before she pulled the phone from her ear and hit the Power button. She set the phone on the counter and went back to her iced tea as though the call had never happened.
Maddy’s thoughts scattered. Nora obviously wasn’t surprised her husband was in prison. And apparently she wasn’t taking his calls.
“Nora?” Maddy shook her head. “What in the world is going on?”
Gram closed the refrigerator door and looked between them.
Nora reached for her tea, holding the glass like a barrier between them.
“What happened?” Maddy asked softly.
Nora’s hand shook with the glass of tea. Her spine seemed to shrivel. “Jonathan’s in prison.”
Emma gaped. “Prison!”
Nora’s chin thrust forward. The refrigerator hummed in the silence. Pippy barked at the back door.
Suddenly Maddy remembered the credit card issue Nora’d had at the restaurant. She remembered her sister’s new frugal habits, her lack of calls home, and her reluctance to leave Seahaven. What exactly was going on here?
“Honey . . .” Maddy gave Nora a compassionate look. “Just tell us, whatever it is. Is Jonathan in trouble? Does he need help?”
Nora pressed her lips together.
Maddy came around the counter and took her sister’s hand. Nora’s fingers trembled. They were cold in spite of the sultry day and their recent physical exertion.
“Come on, come sit down,” Maddy said.
“No, I—I look a fright. I need a shower . . . We all do.”
“Never mind that. What’s going on? Why is Jonathan in prison?”
Nora pulled her hand away, but she didn’t go anywhere. She set her iced tea down on the counter. Her shoulders slumped, as if finally giving up the pretense that everything was peachy.
Nora’s gaze moved to Emma and Gram, then back to Maddy. “He’s been in prison for weeks. He was convicted of fraud.”
Gram’s breath whooshed out. “Oh, good heavens.”
Nora closed her eyes, as if the weight of the burden was just too much. “He’s robbed people—friends, even—of their hard-earned money. And he’s not even remorseful. Just mad he got caught. We’ve lost everything, including the house.”
“Oh, honey.” Maddy pulled her into her arms, and Nora collapsed against her. It all made sense now. Of course Nora wouldn’t have wanted to admit something so horrible, especially with Emma here to potentially rub her nose in it. No, Emma would never be that cruel.
“How long has all this been going on?” Gram asked.
“Months,” Nora said. “He said he was innocent, and I believed him at first. Then he was convicted. They had so much evidence.”
Maddy drew back. “You should’ve said something. You shouldn’t be carrying around this load all by yourself. It’s not healthy—especially for the baby.” Maddy’s fingers covered her mouth. She had not meant for that to slip. She gave Nora a pained look.
The wind howled outside and whistled through the shutters. Over by the fridge, Emma and Gram had gone still.
Nora only looked confused. “Baby? What baby?”
Maddy tilted her head sympathetically. She regretted bringing it up, with all Nora’s other worries and everything that had come out last night. But maybe it was time to get everything on the table. How else could they properly help her? With Jonathan gone away, she needed their support more than ever.
“I’m sorry. It just slipped out,” Maddy said. “But I know you’re pregnant. I found the test in the trash. And I heard you throwing up this morning.”
Nora huffed a soft laugh. “Maddy, I don’t know what you’re going on about, but I am not pregnant. For heaven’s sake, I’m forty-three years old.”
Maddy frowned at her sister. Was Nora losing it, with all the strife she had going on? Who could blame her? Maybe she was simply not ready to admit the truth.
Maddy shook her head. Unless . . .
“It’s not Nora,” Emma blurted, drawing everyone’s attention. “It’s me.” With eyes wide and windblown hair, Emma looked wild and distraught. “The test was mine. I’m pregnant.”
“What?” Maddy said. “But I thought you and Ethan . . .”
“Right.” Emma nodded. “We are separated, but—”
“Separated?” Nora said. “Since when?”
“Oh, honey,” Gram said. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Emma’s eyes swung to Nora, looking at her bleakly. “Since just after Christmas.”
“But . . .” Maddy’s gaze slid down to Emma’s still-flat belly. She obviously wasn’t very far along. And even Maddy knew morning sickness was a first trimester thing.
“Right,” Emma said, a wan smile curling her lips. “There was an . . . unexpected night a couple months ago. He came over to talk, and one thing led to another. When he first left I was so angry with him that I trashed my birth control pills.
“That night he came over . . . I was so used to being protected, I didn’t give birth control a single thought. But the next morning we had words, and he left again. Things were just awful after that. I never told him I’d stopped my pills. I just hoped and prayed I didn’t get pregnant.” Emma gave a wry laugh. “But of course that’s exactly what happened.”
“You haven’t told him about the baby yet?” Maddy asked.
Emma shook her head. “I’m scared to death to tell him. We’ve been trying to work things out since I got here. We’re making real progress, and I’m afraid this’ll push him away for good.”
“Maybe it’ll draw you closer together,” Maddy said.
Emma shook her head. “You know he never wanted kids. We agreed to that before we ever married. When he finds out what I did . . . he’s going to hate me.”
“Oh, honey.” Maddy pushed Emma’s hair over her shoulder. “First of all, you both did this. And second of all . . . that’s just not possible.”
“I never wanted children, not really. But ever since I found out about this baby, I just . . .” She placed a hand on her flat tummy. “I want him, you know? I really, really want him.”
“Of course you do,” Gram said. “You’ll be a wonderful mother, Emma.”
A long silence hung in the room as they digested everything that had just been revealed. Between last night and today, Maddy’s mind was spinning.
Outside the wind howled. Pippy barked again, now sitting at the door and looking at them beseechingly.
Maddy looked at her sisters. They hadn’t been close in so many years, it was only natural that they hadn’t opened up to one another. But maybe that could change. Maybe this was a chance for a new beginning.
“Sounds like we’ve all been keeping a secret or two,” Maddy said.
“Except you,” Nora said.
Maddy gave a wan smile. She’d hardly been forthcoming. “Not so fast, sister.”
Three sets of eyes searched hers.
Maddy felt hollow inside at having to admit her failure. But if her grandma and sisters could be vulnerable enough to bare their secrets, so could she. “You know that great career I had? That fabulous new promotion I was set to get?”
“Oh no,” Emma said.
“Yep. Lost it all. The job . . . the promotion . . .
the boyfriend. All in one fell swoop. It must be some kind of record.”
Maddy told them about that last day at Pirouette, taking comfort in their indignant expressions when they found out Nick had betrayed her with their boss and all but stolen her job.
“Losing him was a blessing.” Emma said. “But why didn’t you tell us about the rest of it?”
Maddy gave her a look. “Same reason you didn’t tell us you were pregnant. Same reason Nora didn’t tell us her husband was in prison. My career was the one thing I had going for me. The one area of my life where I was a success. I just . . . It’s demoralizing to lose it so suddenly and have nothing left.”
“Oh, phooey,” Gram said. “You’re so much more than your work, honey.”
“Maddy, you’re a wonderful human being,” Emma said. “You have a lot going for you.”
Nora snorted.
Emma shot her a scathing look. “What’s your problem, Nora?”
“Look who’s talking,” Nora said. “You’ve always taken such great pride in your wonderful marriage. And when it crumbled, what did you do? You hid it.”
Emma’s nostrils flared. “You’re a fine one to talk. Your husband’s been sitting in prison all this time and not a peep out of you.”
“Emma,” Gram chided.
“Did you think I’d relish the idea of telling you what a sham our marriage had become, Emma? After I threw away our relationship to have him? You think I wanted to sit here and spill my guts while you gloated over my misery?”
“I never would’ve done such—”
“Or how you would’ve enjoyed hearing that I’m now destitute and homeless, and my own daughter will barely speak to me. And, oh yes, let’s not forget how I was investigated for culpability in my husband’s crimes and how my name was dragged through the mud. I was humiliated. All those women who professed to be my friends—where are they now? They won’t even return my phone calls.”
“Oh, Nora,” Gram said on a breath.
“That sounds just awful,” Maddy said.
“I was never more happy to receive Connor’s call that day. Of course I prayed you were safe, Gram, but there’s nothing more I wanted than to escape my so-called life. I was days away from sleeping in my car. At least here I have a roof over my head and people who aren’t staring straight through me.”
Nora brushed her tears away and straightened, as if trying to regain her dignity.
“I’m so sorry, Nora.” Maddy’s heart ached for her sister. “I should’ve been there for you. I will be, from here on out. You have my word.”
Emma turned away, knuckled her own tears. She put her glass in the sink. “If y’all will just excuse me . . . I think I’ll go shower off all this sand and lie down for a bit.”
Gram’s brows scrunched together. “Are you feeling all right, dear?”
“I’m fine, I just—feel a little worn out right now.”
It seemed Emma took all the oxygen in the room with her. Maddy turned to Nora and Gram, and they stared at each other for a long, poignant moment. So much had been disclosed in the past twenty-four hours.
The wind howled, pushing the door open with a quiet squawk. Pippy slipped out through the crack.
“Oh no,” Nora said.
“Pippy!” Maddy called.
She and Gram followed Nora onto the deck and scanned the area for the little dog. The sea oats bent to the wind’s demands, and a plastic grocery bag tumbled across the dunes. But Pippy was nowhere in sight.
“Pippy!” they called again and again.
Where had the dog gone off to? Of all the times for her to get out. Emma would be frantic with worry. That little dog meant the world to her. And Pippy wasn’t very big. If they didn’t find her soon she could literally be blown away by the storm.
The sky was a gray abyss, and the sea churned with foam. The heavens chose that moment to open up, and raindrops pelted them. The wind kicked up. The storm was making landfall.
Nora shielded her eyes with her hands. “I’ll go after her. You take Gram back inside.”
“No,” Maddy said. “It’s getting worse out here. It’s too dangerous.”
“I have to—it’s my fault! I didn’t shut the door all the way, and if anything happens to Pippy, Emma will hate me even more.”
“I’ll go too.”
“No . . . I think I know right where she is. I’ll be back soon.” Nora took off down the deck stairs.
Maddy ushered Gram inside, wiping the grit from her own wet face and still thinking she should’ve gone after the dog too.
She decided to take a quick shower in case they lost power. They’d already filled the tub with water, but she drained it, showered, and refilled the tub. She emerged from the bathroom and went downstairs. Gram said there’d been no sign of Nora or the dog. She had tried to call Nora’s cell phone, only to realize it was sitting on the kitchen counter.
Outside, the wind buffeted the shore, and the gray sky seemed to have dropped down to earth, making visibility poor. Debris swept by, tumbling through space. A sudden thought made Maddy’s chest tighten. What if something had hit Nora and knocked her out? She could be lying unconscious all alone out there.
Chapter 34
“I’m getting worried,” Gram said from the other end of the couch. It had been twenty minutes since Nora had gone after Pippy. “I called 911, but they made no promises. They’re swamped with calls.”
“That was a good idea.”
On the TV images of the storm played out as it made landfall thirty minutes south of them. Maddy couldn’t hear the TV for the sound of rain pelting the roof.
Oh, Lord, where are they? Keep them safe. Bring them back.
Finally she set down the remote. “We have to tell Emma.”
Gram nodded, and Maddy went upstairs. She hated to dump more on her sister’s plate, but it couldn’t be helped. Outside Emma’s door she could hear her sister moving around.
She tapped lightly. “Emma? Can I come in?”
“Just a minute.”
A long moment later Emma pulled open the door, dressed in one of Gram’s thick robes. Her damp hair hung in wet ropes around her pale face, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked as if she’d spent every minute of her shower crying.
“I hate to tell you this,” Maddy said, “but Pippy slipped outside a while ago. Nora went after her, and they’re not back yet.”
Emma’s face fell. “When? When did this happen?” She rushed back inside her room and began flinging open drawers and grabbing clothes.
“Right after you came upstairs. Nora insisted on going after her, and I’m getting worried. Gram called 911, and they said they’d keep their eyes out for her, but they’re pretty swamped.”
“I’ll go after them myself.”
“No, Emma. It’s not safe. The storm’s picked up since they left, and there’s debris flying around everywhere.”
“Which is exactly why I’m going after them.” Holding an armload of clothes, Emma came to the door and began closing it on Maddy. “I need to get dressed.”
“No, Emma. You need to stay put. I’ll go find them.”
“She’s my dog,” Emma said with a stubborn tilt to her chin. “It’s my fault Nora went out in this. I need to find them.”
“I know you’re worried. We all are, but you have to think of the baby.”
Emma blinked, then the fight seemed to drain right out of her. “You’re right.”
Maddy backed into the hall and let her shut the door. She needed her shoes and a raincoat. She headed down the stairs, and as she reached the bottom the door burst open.
Someone pushed inside as the wind swept into the room.
Oh, thank God!
But it wasn’t Nora at the door.
Connor stepped onto the rug, shoving the door closed behind him. His pants were rain-soaked, and his hair was plastered to his head despite the black slicker he wore.
His gaze cut to Maddy. “It’s getting pretty bad out there.”
> “I know. Nora’s out in it. Pippy slipped outside, and she went after her.”
“What? Which way did she go?”
“I’m going after her.” Maddy grabbed her tennis shoes from the closet and sank onto the stairs to put them on.
“Let me go.”
“She’s my sister. I have to do something.”
“There’s no need for both of us to go. And I know the area better than you.”
Gram entered from the kitchen, giving Connor a warm hug. “Thank God you’re here.”
“Maddy told me. Got the house buttoned up tight?” he asked when Gram stepped back.
“We’re all set,” Gram said. “Just worried about Nora. I’ll go put on some tea; it’s going to be a long night.”
“Is everything secure at the marina?” Maddy asked after Gram was gone.
“As much as it can be. I checked on my house. Thanks for getting the windows covered.” There was a tense pause. “I tried to call you earlier.”
Maddy finished tying her shoes and stood. “I was, uh, in the middle of something. A lot’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. My head’s still spinning.”
Connor had cocked his head and was searching Maddy’s face. “Sounds like a long conversation. But we can catch up later.”
Maddy looked into his eyes. There was a gray storm brewing there. His brows were creased with worry. She was going to do much worse to him before everything was said and done.
“It’ll keep.” She dredged up a smile. “If you’re going after Nora, I’ll see to Gram—”
“Maddy . . .” Connor took her arm. “Wait.”
He let the word hang out there as the pause lengthened between them. She took the moment to relish the warmth of his hand. Would it be the last time he touched her? Her heart twisted at the thought.
His thumb moved against her skin, his touch so tender. His expression so earnest. “Are we all right? You seem distant today. Even now . . . something seems off. More than just Nora.”
A fist tightened in her gut. She should’ve known she couldn’t get anything past Connor. But this was terrible timing. She didn’t want to end things with a storm underway and Nora out there somewhere.
“Listen, we really don’t have time for this.”
Summer by the Tides Page 22
