Page 79 of No More Words

Does Charlotte have company? Isshecheating on Dwight?

“That was your friend Amber,” Charlotte says from the other end of the hallway.

Olivia yelps, pressing a hand to her chest. “Don’t do that. Seriously.” She gasps. “You scared me.”

“What were you doing?” Charlotte looks past her.

“I was checking on a noise.” She gestures at the bedroom door.

“Hmm. Not sure what you heard. No one else here but me.”

“I wasn’t thinking ...” Her face heats. Okay. She was. Maybe her mom is lonely. That’s something she can understand. Dwight’s away more than he’s home, and they don’t get along.

Olivia smiles awkwardly, feeling sorry for her mom. Her husband is negligent, possibly abusive, and she lost a daughter. Charlotte starts backing away into the foyer. “So, Amber. She’s looking to invest in some property.”

“She mentioned that last night.” Olivia doesn’t meet her mom’s eyes. Charlotte finds the prospect of helping Amber exciting andOlivia resists confessing it’s a ruse, especially after all her mom has been through.

“I’m glad she called you,” she says with forced enthusiasm.

“Me too. I have the perfect place in mind. A cute little beach cottage that’ll make a killing as an Airbnb.” As she’s talking, Charlotte’s gaze wanders to Olivia’s noticeably less bulky hobo purse. Olivia’s stomach sours with guilt. She tucks the purse behind her arm.

“I should go. I’m glad you’re feeling better today.”

“I am. Thanks for checking on me.” She smiles and opens the front door. Olivia steps outside into the bluebird-sky morning. “Oh, is ... Josh ... is he still with you?”

Olivia turns around. “Yes. He’s in the car. Why?”

“I was wondering if you’ve located Lily yet.”

She shakes her head. “I’m trying, Mom. Anything you know of that can help me out? Did Dad tell you anything?”

Her expression draws a blank. “I already told you. He hasn’t. We don’t talk about Lily.”

“Okay,” she says. “I’ll call you later.”

“Of course, darling. Have a good day.” Charlotte shuts and bolts the door.

Olivia texts her thanks to Amber, then notices a silver Audi parked across the street. She glances back at the house, wondering who the car belongs to. If she didn’t suspect what she does about Dwight, she’d be livid over Charlotte’s hypocrisy. But as her view of her dad has changed, so has that of her mom. She’s starting to see her in a new light. Charlotte should divorce Dwight. He doesn’t respect her at all, and she’s done so much for their family, especially him. All those years she helped him with his campaigns, organizing fundraisers, traveling door-to-door with the flyers she designed and ordered.

“Hey, Josh,” she says when she gets into the car and starts the engine.

He sets aside his phone and rubs his eyes. Olivia’s noticed he can only spend so much time working on the aphasia apps before he loses focus or his eyes tire.

“Ready?” he asks.

“In a bit.” She drags out her laptop and plugs in the drive, hopeful he’s kept it updated. It doesn’t take long to realize Dwight’s contacts are a bust. He doesn’t have Lily’s address, at least not on file. She jabs her elbow against the door, frustrated. Josh watches her, wary.

“Hey, Josh, anything you remember about your address would be a huge help,” she says, scrolling through the contacts a second time on the off chance she missed something.

He points out the windshield. “It’s like ... that ... big ...”

“Like what?”

“That.”

She looks out the window to the small grove of eucalyptus trees behind the house. The treetops peek over the roofline.

“Eucalyptus? Is that the name of your street?”