"So do I. But that doesn't mean my compassion will allow Drake to drop some bomb on us."
"Monica, there is no bomb to drop. If Drake knew something, we'd all know it. He's just desperately trying to find answers that will never come. If he tries anything, we'll shut him down, like we did the last time."
Shut him down like we did the last time? What did that mean? Had there been some sort of cover-up?
"I should never have let Kelsey have the wedding here," my mother continued. "But there really wasn't any other choice, not in the time frame in which she wanted to have it. And Gage liked the idea, which, I have to say, surprised me."
"Gage loves the island. It didn't surprise me at all. You're spinning out, Monica. I'm sure the caterer knocked over the sculpture by accident. And Drake can talk all he wants, but he has no evidence to prove anyone in our circle was connected to his sister's disappearance. We protected our kids. You need to calm down."
I winced. My mother's least favorite words were: calm down. Whenever my dad expressed that wish, her rage only increased, not decreased.
"Don't tell me to calm down," she said hotly. "And I am not spinning out. Drake may not find out what happened to his sister, but there are other secrets he could stumble upon."
I tensed. What other secrets was my mom talking about?
To my surprise, Sean laughed. I couldn't imagine my dad laughing in the face of my mom's wrath; he always caved. But Sean Chadwick apparently didn’t take my mother so seriously.
"No one cares about our secrets, Monica."
"I care. You should, too. Some days I really don't like you, Sean."
"But other days…" His voice fell away
"Stop it, Sean. We should go back to the living room."
"So soon?" he challenged. "I thought you asked me to help you get drinks for a reason."
I felt sick as the tenor of their voices changed from anger and worry to seductive innuendo. I didn't want to believe what I was hearing. I didn't want to believe that my mother was having an affair with Sean Chadwick. How long had that been going on?
"I just wanted to talk to you, Sean. That's it," Monica said firmly. "Let's get the drinks and go back to the group."
I heard the fridge open and close, then footsteps fading into silence. My stomach churned as I thought about what I'd overheard. My poor dad and poor Eileen.
Did they have any idea that their spouses were cheating on them?
I ripped open the chocolate bar in my hand and stuffed the mini Three Musketeers bar into my mouth, feeling a desperate need for sugar. Leaning against the wall, I thought about what else they'd said.
Sean's words rang through my head. If Drake tries to cause trouble, we'll shut him down, just like we did before.
What did that mean?
Did Sean and my mother know something about Melanie's disappearance that no one else knew? And what had Sean meant when he'd said they'd protected their kids? Was he talking about his boys?
But he'd said we. That made little sense. My parents hadn't had to protect any of us.
That wasn't true, I realized. They'd had to protect me. I couldn't remember anything about that night, and they'd told me to say that every time I was asked a question. They didn't want me trying to bring up random details to the sheriff because those details might be misconstrued.
Had they thought I'd had something to do with Melanie's disappearance?
That seemed unimaginable. I had loved Melanie more than anyone.
What about Brooklyn and Kelsey? What instructions had they been given when they spoke to the sheriff?
As the questions ran around in my head, I heard someone else enter the kitchen. The water turned on. The refrigerator opened, then closed. I didn't hear voices, so the person must be alone. I grabbed another chocolate and walked out of the pantry.
Brooklyn jumped in alarm. "Willow, you scared me."
"Sorry. I needed some candy." I held up the bar in my hand. "I found Dad's stash."
"He still has a sweet tooth," she said as she filled a glass with iced tea. "Did James get home all right?"
"I don't know. When I went by the bathroom, he was gone. I assume Rachel and Carter took him to a hotel."
"Good. Hopefully, he can hold it together the rest of the week."
"I hope so. Is Kelsey back?"
"I haven't seen her. I think she and Gage wanted to be alone for a bit. They left the bonfire before we did."
"That makes sense. She said he's been really busy lately." I paused. "Has Kelsey seemed off to you?"
"Maybe she's a little tense, but there's a lot to do, and Mom always stresses her out."
"That's true." I leaned against the counter, debating if I wanted to share what I'd just heard.
"What?" Brooklyn asked, giving me a searching look. "You seem like you want to say something."
"Are the Chadwicks still here?"
"No. Everyone just left. Why?"
"Just wondered."
Brooklyn gave me a considering look as she sipped her tea. "What exactly are you wondering about?"
"Mom and Dad. Do you think they're happily married?"
"That's a weird question," she replied, not quite meeting my eye.
"And that's not an answer."
"I don’t know. They're still together. That's something."
"But do you think they're happy?"
"No one has said otherwise to me," Brooklyn said shortly. "I'm going to take my tea upstairs."
"You suddenly seem in a hurry to leave."
She shot me an irritated look. "I don’t want to talk about our parents' marriage."
"And you don't want to talk about Melanie or James. What do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing. It's not like we're close, Willow. You don't talk to me. I don't talk to you. That's the way it is with some sisters."
"We used to be closer when we were kids."
"That was a long time ago. You barely see anyone in the family these days, so whatever your sudden concern is, I'm sure it will pass when you get on the plane to go home."
She was right about me missing family events. I had missed quite a few over the last several years. "I haven't come home because I've been busy, and it's not like I'm the center of the family. It never occurred to me that anyone cared if I wasn't there."
"That's ridiculous. Of course, we care."
Her reply was automatic, but not sincere. "Good to know."
She let out a sigh. "You say you don't fit in, but it's not like you try, Willow. I'm close to Mom because I work for her. And I'm close to Dad because I took an interest in golf. I knew if I did, I'd get to spend more time with him. Kelsey will shop all day to make Mom happy. And she'll watch one of Dad's boring documentaries just to hang out with him. What do you do?"
The challenging question stiffened my spine. "I've tried to connect to everyone. But Mom doesn't like my taste. She stopped wanting to shop with me a while ago. She also never thought I was smart enough to work for her. I'm terrible at golf. The two times I tried, I hit every ball in the sand or in the water. Dad was embarrassed to have me at his club. And I've watched plenty of boring documentaries with him. But he has always adored Kelsey, and Mom has always adored you. Unfortunately, there are only two parents and three kids."