Rosemary asks, “Do you have a name in mind for your baby?”
“I do,” I say. “We definitely do. Her name is Grace.”
CHAPTER 34
AUBREY
The early morning is crisp for December in South Florida. Upstairs in Elodie’s new house, she and I sit on matching love seats in her master suite. As far as the eye can see, her rooms are swathed in shades of cream and white. I face her, with Grace in my arms, while beyond us the sliding glass doors are open. Two imposing super-yachts glide by on the Intracoastal.
“This is very magical,” I say. “What a view, what rooms!”
Elodie stands and paces about, looking at us and away, toward the water.
“I’m leaving,” she says. “To meet my bio dad, another half sib. I’m taking a flight to Chicago.”
I rearrange Grace’s palest pink onesie and smooth her matching baby blanket across her small body. I hold her to my chest as if a storm is sweeping through.
“When?” I whisper.
“Soon,” she says. “Very soon.”
Grace gurgles. We both look at her wide eyes, her perfect forehead. Then I notice that Elodie is in navy cropped pants and black suede flats; only her shirt is white. She has a yellow cashmere sweater tied across her shoulders. Not exactly dressed for our plan to go to Benny’s at the Beach for breakfast at the pier. I tug at my jean shorts; I stop myself from tightening the laces on my left sneaker. I wipe away the drool on the right shoulder of my sweatshirt.
“Does James know?” Again I whisper.
Elodie shakes her head. “He doesn’t.”
She sucks in the filtered air that mixes with the outdoor air. She keeps pacing.
“I never should have done this—had a child, a child with James, with you. Maybe I should never have lived in Palm Beach, basking in this … this story, where few mistakes are allowed. Or followed the Veronica and Simon Show. Any of it. Especially the baby.”
I raise Grace up in the air with both hands. Her narrow feet do their own jig. She is almost smiling with excitement.
“But look at her, look at her. Elodie, look at her! Isn’t this enough for you?”
“Is she? Well, she’s presumed to be.” Elodie stares into a space beyond us, like she’s a member of a cult and her time here is inevitably wrapping up.
“Grace is all that matters,” I say.
“There is a lot of love. There are plenty of Grace lovers. You, first and foremost, Aubrey.”
She comes over and hugs me; she plants a kiss on the top of Grace’s cotton cap.
“I have to get to the airport.”
With purpose, Elodie leaves the center of the sitting room and closes the sliding doors. She sidesteps the stone floor, which is only exposed at the rim of the room.
“When will you be back?”
My sister doesn’t answer; she doesn’t glance at me. I hold on to Grace, nearer, tighter, as my sister tears herself free, leaving a searing pain beyond my reach.
“She’s three months old,” I say.
Then I move past Elodie to walk downstairs.
* * *
A moment later, Grace and I are on the terrace. At the dock, James is practicing a golf swing. Tyler, inquisitive, is watching the moves. I look back at the house—is that my sister by the glass doors? I can’t be certain.
“Hey, Aubrey, c’mon. We’re ready,” James shouts.
I look up once more; no one is there.
“We’re ready, too,” I say.
Tyler looks at me; I know he knows. He taps James on the shoulder and together they come to where I’m waiting. The wind has shifted, kicking up from the west, blowing at our faces.
The three of us circle around Grace.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to the following people: Alice Martell for being the smartest agent ever; Jennifer Weis for bulwarking the concept of this novel; Alexandra Sehulster, my editor, for her significant input and insight. Jennifer Enderlin and Sally Richardson, publishers, for their encouragement and the entire team at St. Martin’s Press, including Mara Delgado-Sanchez, Carol Edwards, DJ DeSmyter, and Meghan Harrington. Alexandra Shelley for her expertise and guidance; Meryl Moss and Deb Zipf for their campaign savvy.
Those who see me through: Patti Abramson, Anton Balbona, Helene Barre, Richard Berkowitz, Linda Berley, Meredith Bernstein, Brondi Borer, Mary D’Alton, Cole Dennis, Nancy Fisher, Jane Gordon, Justin Haworth, Kara Ivancich, Sunil Kumar, Sandra Leitner, Katinka Matson, Sarah McElwain, Helen Metzger, Thomas Moore III, Suzanne Murphy, James Parry, David Ressler, Sarah Ressler, Emily Ressler, Katie Schaffstall, Jane Shapiro, Judy H. Shapiro, Mark L. Shapiro, Francine Silberstein, Jonathan Stone, Zachary Torkos, Kim Weiss.
My father and my late mother, who adored living in Palm Beach. My daughters/muses, Jennie and Elizabeth; my son, Michael; daughter-in-law, Elizabeth B; and son-in-law, Max. Howard Ressler, ever present, ever certain.
Also by Susannah Marren
A Palm Beach Wife
Between the Tides
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susannah Marren is the author of Between the Tides and A Palm Beach Wife and the pseudonym for Susan Shapiro Barash, who has written more than a dozen nonfiction books, including Tripping the Prom Queen, Toxic Friends, and You’re Grounded Forever, But First Let’s Go Shopping. For over twenty years she has taught gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College and has guest taught creative nonfiction at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in New York City. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Part One
Chapter 1. Elodie
Chapter 2. Elodie
Chapter 3. Elodie
Chapter 4. Elodie
Chapter 5. Elodie
Chapter 6. Aubrey
Chapter 7. Aubrey
Chapter 8. Aubrey
Chapter 9. Elodie
Chapter 10. Elodie
Chapter 11. Elodie
Part Two
Chapter 12. Aubrey
Chapter 13. Aubrey
Chapter 14. Elodie
Chapter 15. Elodie
Chapter 16. Elodie
Chapter 17. Elodie
Chapter 18. Aubrey
Chapter 19. Aubrey
Chapter 20. Elodie
Chapter 21. Elodie
Chapter 22. Elodie
Chapter 23. Aubrey
Part Three
Chapter 24. Aubrey
Chapter 25. Elodie
Chapter 26. Elodie
Chapter 27. Aubrey
Chapter 28. Elodie
Chapter 29. Elodie
Chapter 30. Aubrey
Chapter 31. Aubrey
Chapter 32. Elodie
Chapter 33. Elodie
Chapter 34. Aubrey
Acknowledgments
Also by Susannah Marren
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
A PALM BEACH SCANDAL. Copyright © 2020 by Susan Shapiro Barash. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Danielle Christopher
Cover photographs: ring © Mary Dougherty
/Offset; bracelets © Floral Deco/Shutterstock.com; women © Dean Drobot/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Marren, Susannah, author.
Title: A Palm Beach scandal / Susannah Marren.
Description: First Edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2020. | Series: Palm Beach novels; 2 | First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group in 2019.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020019359 | ISBN 9781250228086 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250772756 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250228093 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Domestic fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3613.A76874 P35 2020 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020019359
eISBN 9781250228093
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: 2020
A Palm Beach Scandal--A Novel Page 26
