Page 138 of Our Little Secret

He didn’t hide, that’s just where he was when the call came in. For the love of God, don’t go all hypersuspicious.

Her cell phone buzzed and she swept it from her pocket.

Marilee’s number and smiling face, a picture taken her freshman year at Allsworth High School, flashed onto the screen.

Brooke braced herself, expecting her daughter to try to bag out. No way. She wasn’t going to let her daughter weasel out of coming to the island. They’d already had the discussion two days earlier when Marilee had called with different plans.

“It’s just such a hassle getting to the island from here,” she’d complained, “and Wes really wants me to go skiing at Mount Baldy.” Wes Inskeep was Marilee’s current boyfriend, a senior, and as far as Brooke knew they had only been dating for about six weeks.

“I thought you planned to go for a day after Christmas.”

“Yeah, I know, but his parents were able to get the condo for the whole two weeks. You understand, don’t you?” Marilee had wheedled. “It’s our first Christmas as a couple.”

Brooke had been bitterly disappointed, as had Neal. She hadn’t said,But you’re only fifteen, orYou don’t know the family. They’d already had that conversation. She and Neal hadn’t budged. They’d insisted she come and spend the holidays with them as a family and grudgingly, over pained protests, Marilee had acquiesced, but now—

Brooke answered, “Hey, hi.”

“Hi, Mom.” Marilee sounded tense, no lift to her voice, and of course here the connection wasn’t the best; the Wi-Fi signal on the island was always iffy and, with a storm brewing, it was even worse.

“What’s up?”

“There’s kind of a change of plan,” Marilee said, a touch of rebellion in her voice.

Brooke didn’t let the argument start. “You’re coming,” she said, forcing a smile into her voice. “Tonight. We discussed this.”

“Of course I’m coming. Duh! I’m already in Portland. Just landed. What’s wrong with you, Mom?”

“What, then?” Brooke asked as she heard the back door open. Shep galloped inside. Neal, carrying a basket of wood, followed.

“I’ve been talking to Aunt Leah.”

Uh-oh.“O-kay.”

“Yeah, well, you know we keep in contact.”

Brooke did, though she wasn’t privy to how close her sister and daughter were these days.

“Whatever’s going on with you two, that’s not on me. Right?” Marilee pointed out. “Whatever happened, I mean.” Then more clearly, “Your fight with her.”

“I know what you’re talking about,” Brooke said but tensed. Neal had dropped the basket onto the hearth and was obviously listening as he removed his gloves.

“I think it’s stupid that you two don’t talk,” Marilee said.

Brooke didn’t say anything. Couldn’t argue the fact. Just set down her cup on the counter.

“Anyway, she called the other day, and I told her I was coming up to the island for Christmas, and she . . . Mom, she wants to come and spend the holidays with us.”

CHAPTER 30

So there it was. Brooke hadn’t talked to her sister in over a year, and the last words Leah had said to Brooke, “You’ll never see me again,” had rung true. So far. No phone calls. No email. No texts. Even the birthday card and last year’s Christmas package had been returned, first by Leah herself, then by the post office, with a note that the mail couldn’t be delivered as there was no forwarding address.

After a few tries Brooke had given up.

She’d known Leah was alive and presumably well, that she had some kind of long-distance relationship with Marilee, and she had never stepped between them. Brooke’s erratic, love-hate relationship with Leah didn’t include her daughter. And eventually, Brooke had thought, Leah would show up again, the old bad penny syndrome.

It seemed that time was now.

“Mom?” Marilee said, the sounds of the busy airport terminal audible in the background.