by Gail Cleare
Bridget’s mouth fell open, and she stumbled. Nell guided her until they were both sitting on the couch.
“Surprise.” Nell watched as Bridget scanned their family history.
“This really is Mom’s house? She… owns it?”
“Yep.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know exactly. About thirty years, I think. That’s how far back the photos of her in here go.” Nell indicated the photo album she had left out for her sister to see.
Bridget gasped. “Why? Why would she do this? How did she get away with it?”
“You tell me, sister. I’ve been trying to figure that out all week.”
“Is there a man involved?” Bridget raised one eyebrow knowingly.
“Unfortunately, I guess so, sort of. His name is Jake Bascomb. But his wife was one of Mom’s best friends until she died. I don’t think they ever met until Mom moved in here. I’m just guessing.”
“So that wasn’t the reason?”
“No, I don’t think it could have been.”
“But then, why?” Bridget looked at Nell with disbelief in her eyes. “Why wouldn’t she tell us? Didn’t she trust us?”
Nell put her hand over Bridget’s and squeezed it. “I know. I felt that same way. I think it might have to do with needing some time to herself.”
Bridget looked back up at the photos so lovingly arranged on the wall.
“She wanted a place of her own? We were too much trouble?” A tremor wobbled in Bridget’s voice.
“Maybe at first, anyhow. And probably it was Daddy more than us.” Relieved to discuss her theories, Nell was eager to explain. “But then, I think, it got complicated.”
Bridget kicked off her shoes and settled back against the pillows. “Okay. Start talking. I’ve got all night.”
“Well,” Nell began, picking up the photo album and turning to the first page. “Apparently, she met Jake and Ginnie at a neighborhood picnic…”
The two sisters talked until late at night, moving into the kitchen at one point to eat dinner then back into the den again to sit with their wineglasses and try to decipher the mysteries of their mother’s past, the night her best friend had died, and why Mom had lied to defend the man who was probably responsible.
Nell finally went to bed after helping Bridget and Lulu get settled in Mom’s room, and she was exhausted. She thought about calling David, but it was nearly the middle of the night by then. When she looked at her cell phone, the green envelope was flashing. She pushed it and put the phone to her ear, expecting a message from her husband.
“Nell. It’s me.” It was Adam’s voice. “Just wanted to say, it felt really wonderful to… share my feelings… the way we did today. Very unusual for me nowadays. That’s it. Anyhow, thanks.” He sounded like he needed to clear his throat.
Nell sat down on the edge of her bed and stared into space while the final beep sounded and a recording automatically told her there were no more messages. Surprised and touched by his call, she forgot to breathe for a minute.
How sweet of him to thank her when he was the one who had come to her rescue in the market that day. Nell sat with a goofy smile on her face, daydreaming, until Winston jumped up next to her and jiggled the mattress.
They snuggled down into the bed together. Nell lay with her head on the pillow, looking out the window at the full moon, which sailed high above the lake, white and bright as a faraway spotlight. It silvered the night and her dreams. Black-and-white images flickered behind her eyelids like scenes from an old movie.
She saw Ginnie and Mary lying on beach towels in their bathing suits, laughing. She saw Jake, like a young Clark Gable with his moustache and dashing good looks. They all sailed off into the lake, the two women sitting arm in arm in the bow as Jake steered.
A huge black cloud loomed over them, and lightning forked down into the dark water.
The boat tilted and shook as wind whipped the sails. Rain came in sheets of water, turning the air opaque and gray. A woman fell from the boat, her body floating toward Nell, the watcher. It must be Ginnie. Nell whimpered in her sleep, aware that she was dreaming but still straining to help in some way. The woman floated closer. She was lying on her back with her hands crossed over her chest and waterweeds in her white hair. She looked asleep or dead, with closed eyes in a pale, ghostly face.
But it wasn’t Ginnie, she realized when the body came closer.
The woman was Mom.
Chapter 24
Bridget ~ 2014
Bridget lay in her mother’s bed under clean sheets and a warm quilt from the hallway closet, surrounded by darkness and the scent of lavender.
She couldn’t sleep. Her mind spun with a series of jumbled thoughts. The drama of her own life faded to a bland memory compared with the story Nell had told her that night. She couldn’t stop thinking about it, and she couldn’t wait to see her mother at the hospital the next morning for more reasons than one.
It all seemed so fabulously amazing. You think you really know someone, know them intimately, and then… you don’t.
Bridget always thought of her mother as a conservative, dutiful woman who would never dare to challenge the rules of authority to do something wild and crazy. Among the three women in the family, Bridget thought of herself as the one who refused to accept what life doled out in carefully measured portions. Nell didn’t fill that role, and certainly not Mom. Her mother had always seemed so patient with life. She advised them to judge slowly, to wait and discover the silver lining in every cloud. The thought of Mom doing something so rash as to run off to Vermont and buy a private haven for herself was staggering.
Giggling to herself, Bridget shook her head in wonder, filled with admiration. You go, girl.
Somehow, she knew that when they learned the whole story, a man would be at the heart of it. She agreed with Nell that at first, Mom had probably been looking for a place to get away alone, and then she eventually needed a respite from the horror of watching Daddy deteriorate. But it sounded as if over the years, Mary’s relationship with her neighbors had become personal and deeply involved.
An open-minded ménage á trois? Possibly. A man in love with two women? Conventional yet titillating. Or a woman in love with a man and her best friend? Very twenty-first-century liberated.
How exciting. No wonder Mom found a way to drag herself up to Vermont even during the past few years when she didn’t have transportation and lived among a circle of well-meaning eyewitnesses.
Bridget wished there was something in her own life so compelling. At the moment, all she had was a big, sleazy rat who she hoped would never speak to her again except through her lawyer.
The day before, while she was waiting in the airport, Bridget had called the answering machine at home and left a message for Eric. She’d told him she’d been called away due to Mary’s failing health and said that Heather was spending the next few days with her friends. Neglecting to mention where she would be staying or even the name of the town, Bridget doubted he’d care enough to be curious. He had her cell number, and that would be enough to satisfy him for the time being.
Her lawyer was working on a plan to get back as much of her money as possible. He thought there was probably some equity left in the house. Bridget’s private detective was looking into it as well. By tracing the company that had installed their safe at home, he found out that Eric had a second safe at the office. They planned to get a court order to open it and see what kind of goodies he’d stashed there.
Bridget was hoping for gold, bonds, or foreign currency. Either way, I win and you lose. Satisfying, but not like snuggling up to a lover on a cold night.
She tossed in bed. Lulu, who liked to sleep on the pillow curled up next to Bridget’s head, got up and put her paws on the windowsill. She looked out the open window i
nto the night, sniffing. Bridget leaned up on one elbow to look out at the nearly pitch-dark backyard as the moon shadow cast by the house inked it a dark gray. The woods beyond were whitened by moonlight on the front side of the trees and outlined by black shadows behind them.
Something was moving. The form of a tall man detached itself from the vertical tree shapes as he walked along the edge of the perennial bed and stepped through the arch into Mary’s dark garden.
Sitting up straighter, Bridget peered into the gloom, trying to see where he had gone. A subtle movement drew her eye to the swinging glider, and she heard a creaking sound.
Lulu gave an airy woof, a timid doggy whisper.
“Shhh.” Bridget tapped her muzzle lightly with one finger. The little dog was silent though her ears remained perked.
The swing creaked again. Bridget could see it moving as her eyes had adjusted to the shadows. A man was sitting there, his face turned toward the house. She saw the clean angle of a strong jawline.
He was watching. A hint of gleam revealed his eyes.
She wondered if he could see her with all the lights out in the house and the sky bright with moonlight behind the black outline of the building. Probably not.
What was he looking at, then, so intently? And who was he?
She had a feeling it was that man, Jake Bascomb. Nell had said he lived beyond the woods and took care of Winston whenever she was away. Maybe he missed Mom. Perhaps he couldn’t sleep, either, because he was lonely like Bridget.
She propped her chin on the windowsill and watched as he slowly rocked in the glider, a rhythmic creaking the only sound that broke the stillness of the night.
Chapter 25
Mary ~ 2006
Mary parked next to the town green and looked up at the handsome brick eighteenth-century building across from the market. Adam and Sarah had built a beautiful apartment upstairs over the law offices that leased space from them. The couple had bought the historic building, which used to be an inn, back when they were first married. They spent the next four years renovating it, staying as true to the original design and materials as possible.
The renovation came out perfect, like everything Adam did. He had always been driven, competing with himself to do better and better. He was the opposite of his father, the king of resignation. Adam was ambitious. He and Sarah were going to buy old properties, fix them up, and rent them or sell them at a profit. She would do the research and design while he supervised the construction work.
That’s what they had planned to do, Mary corrected herself. Now it was just Adam. He’d been hiding away at home alone for a month since his wife moved out.
Mary had left him to his mourning long enough. It was time for Adam to rejoin the world, to get on with his life. Jake didn’t want to intrude on him. He said the boy would call if he needed anything. But Mary couldn’t stand to watch Adam hibernate in his den of sorrow any longer. The sun was shining, and the sky was blue. It was time for the bear to come out of his cave and sniff the air.
She followed the cobblestone sidewalk to the steps that led up to the second floor, holding onto the black wrought-iron handrail as she climbed up to the landing. Before she could knock, the door opened.
“I saw you coming.” Adam leaned over and gave her a hug and kiss.
“Isn’t it a lovely day today? I think Heaven has floated down to give us a little preview.” Mary let him help her out of her coat and scarf, and he took them away. She stood in the little kitchen with its cute antique furniture from Jake’s endless inventory. Getting busy, she filled the electric kettle and washed her hands. When he came back, she was putting teabags into two mugs.
“Are you really ready for this project?” The kettle boiled, and Mary filled their mugs.
He hesitated, dunking his teabag a few times. “I suppose so. It’s got to be done sometime.”
“If it’s easier for you, I can come in while you’re at work and take care of it. Just say the word.”
He smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I appreciate so much that you’re here. You’ve always been another mother to me, Ellie, and now that Mom is gone… well, it’s just really good to have you with me, that’s all.”
A flash of joy shot through her. “I love you so, my beautiful boy. You must always know that.”
“I do know. And the feeling is mutual.” He kissed her hand and gave a quick smile. “Okay, let’s get started.” Adam’s expression turned grim, but he seemed determined.
“Shall we pack her clothes first?” Mary hooked her arm through his and led him toward the bedroom. “I’ll take them to the Salvation Army donation box on the way home. Someone in need will benefit.”
“I’ve already boxed up her books and artwork. I’m going to mail them to her. She doesn’t want anything else.”
They went into the bedroom, and Adam opened the closet door to turn on the light. Sarah’s rumpled jackets, wrinkled blouses, and dusty rack of shoes had a lost, abandoned look. Her dresses drooped on their hangers.
Mary took a large trash bag out of the box and shook it until it opened. The snapping noise echoed through the silent rooms.
“Come on, then.” She stepped forward. “Let’s get to it.”
He nodded.
“You take them off the hangers and hand them to me, and I’ll fold.” Mary demonstrated, pulling down a pink dress and folding it then putting it in the bottom of the trash bag.
Adam saw her waiting for the next one and slowly pulled it off the hanger. His hand trembled, and he kept his back turned to her, but he passed Mary the dress and moved on to the next one.
They worked that way for several hours until Sarah’s half of the closet was finished and her dresser drawers had been emptied and vacuumed. Mary threw away all the lotions and potions from the bathroom, Sarah’s makeup, and her hair things. By the end of the afternoon, none of Sarah’s things remained in the house, and the backseat of Mary’s car was full of bags.
Adam stood on the sidewalk and hugged her. “Thanks, Ellie. Couldn’t have done it without you… again. I feel better already.”
Mary hugged him back, patting his shoulder. “I love you, sweet pea.”
“Love you too.”
“Adam, you need to believe that this wasn’t about something you did or didn’t do. She told you that, right? Do you understand it?”
“Yes, I guess so. She never got over her old feelings for him. I never really had a chance with her. Pretty pathetic.”
“I think she did love you, honey, in her way. Just not enough to stick with it.”
“Wish she hadn’t married me if that was how she felt.”
“People do stupid things. Even the best of us.” Even me, thought Mary. Even your father and me and Ginnie. She would be here right now instead, telling you the same thing, if it weren’t for our stupid mistakes.
As she pulled away, Mary looked back and saw him heading up the stairs to his lonely apartment and remembered how it had felt when everyone finally left her alone in the house after Thomas died. A bit different. A lot different, actually. She had been happy, excited to be alone.
Adam was crushed. It was such a sad disappointment for him. But he wasn’t alone, not really. He still had her and Jake.
And Adam’s life had a long way to go. Wonderful things could be ahead. Especially if Mary had anything to say about it.
Chapter 26
Nell ~ 2014
Nell and Bridget got up at dawn, made coffee, and drank it while they walked the dogs by the lake. The sky was pink and birds were chirping. Everything smelled clean and fresh. The green forest was glowing its usual brilliant neon hue. It was just another fairy-tale morning in Vermont, Nell assured her sister, except for Mom’s illness.
Bridget said, “I see what you mean. Do you hear that? It’s so quiet.”
/> Lulu and Winston trotted alongside the walkers, alternating between sniffing things and roughhousing. Winston was tolerant, a good thing considering that Lulu was half his size. But tiny Lulu threw herself into trying her utmost to wrestle him into a submissive position.
The dogs’ antics kept Nell and Bridget occupied while they walked down to the town beach. Nell pointed out Jake’s boat, tied up at the docks. Nobody was around yet, so they walked the dogs on the beach and let them run off leash and play in the gentle waves that lapped on the shore. The wind was calm, and the smooth dark-blue water mirrored the trees along the shoreline with crystal precision.
“It’s a beautiful place.” Bridget gazed out across the water while Nell threw a stick for Winston.
“Can you taste the flavor of the air?” Nell said. “It’s like maple sugar.” Both women stopped to breathe in through their mouths. They looked at each other and nodded.
“The sweet taste of freedom,” Bridget said. “For Mom and maybe for us too.”
“I love it here.” Nell watched Winston race down the beach and pounce on the stick.
“Mom’s secret.”
Nell turned to get her sister’s attention. “Ours too, if we want.”
Bridget raised her eyebrows. “Our secret?”
“I haven’t told anyone. Have you?”
Bridget shook her head, smiling. “You didn’t tell David? Why not?”
“Guess I didn’t feel like it.”
“Why, you little devil.” Bridget looked at her admiringly. “Are you thinking we should take up the family tradition?”
“Could be.” The idea sent an excited rush through Nell, though she knew it was only a remote possibility.
“Everything okay with you and David, honey?”
“I guess so,” Nell said in an unconvincing, flat tone. “Nothing has changed, anyhow.”
