Driftwood Lane (Nantucket #4)(26)

What was wrong with her?

“He, uh, seems competent.”

Rita eyed her strangely. “Well. That’s good.”

“He fixed the dishwasher leak, and the gutters are back where they’re supposed to be, and he’s going to replace the boiler and fix the fireplace. I made the mistake of starting a fire this morning and filled the house with smoke. I don’t know what’s wrong with it, but Jake will figure it out. It’s a shame to have a nice stone fireplace and not be able to use it.” She clamped her lips closed. Why was she running off at the mouth?

“Jake, huh?”

“Mm-hmm.” Meridith drew her knees up and dug her toes in the cool sand.

“Is he good-looking?”

Meridith’s laugh wobbled. “I don’t know.” She pictured Jake’s crooked smile, his strong jawline with that perpetual stubble. “I suppose, if you like the—the rugged mountain man kind of thing.” She turned tables on Rita. “Why do you ask?”

“I have a single sister. I’ve introduced her to every man at church, and none of them are cute enough or funny enough or Christian enough.”

Cute was the wrong word for Jake, and he was funny only if you counted sarcasm. He had mentioned going to church though. She considered having Rita and her sister over one day when he was there. Maybe they’d hit it off. It was the heavy thump in the center of her stomach that made her hold her tongue.

“He’s kind of arrogant,” Meridith said. “And stubborn.” But the picture that formed in her mind was the one of Jake lifting Ben into his bed, of the look on his face when he’d come outside earlier and caught her on the verge of tears. “I don’t think your sister would like him.”

“Hmm. Well.” Rita let the word hang.

The seagulls screeched, filling the silence, and Meridith dug her toes deeper until her feet were buried in the cool packed sand.





Fourteen

“My goodness.” Meridith examined Ben’s cast. “There’s hardly room for another signature.”

The kids had just come through the doors, slinging book bags, shrugging out of jackets. Max and Noelle had gone upstairs as usual, but Ben was eager to show off his cast. Meridith felt refreshed after her picnic with Rita, more relaxed than she’d felt since her arrival.

“What’s this?” Meridith pointed to a flower in red ink.

He rolled his eyes. “Heather Taggart drew it. I’m gonna scribble it out. I can’t have a flower on my cast.”

Meridith laughed, but the sound was cut off by a scream from upstairs. What in the world? Meridith took the steps two at a time, then ran through the hall to the family wing.

Noelle stood at her parents’ bedroom door, her chest heaving, her expression something between horror and anger.

“What? What is it, Noelle?”

Max was in his parents’ room, pulling drawers. Ben appeared at her side, cradling his cast.

“What did you do?” Noelle yelled, her face turning red.

“Noelle, calm down. I just cleaned out your parents’ clothes. I thought—”

“Where are they?” She ran into the room, into the closet. “They’re all gone! What did you do with them?” She appeared at the closet door, tears coursing down her face.

A stone lodged in the pit of Meridith’s stomach, hard and heavy. “I—I gave the clothes away to people who need them. I kept the important things—”

“It’s all important! Where are they?”

Jake appeared beside her, frown lines pinching his brows. “Everything okay?”

“What did you do with their things?” Noelle said.

Meridith wished the boxes were still on the porch, but they’d been gone when she’d returned from the picnic. “I gave the clothing to the thrift shop. I saved a couple—”

“You had no right!” Noelle screamed. Her arms stiffened at her side, her hands fisted.

“Where is it?” Max mumbled, still rifling through the drawers.

It took Meridith a moment to hear his quiet question. “What are you looking for, Max?”

“Dad’s hat. His special fishing hat. Where is it?” His face was turning blotchy, his hands searching frantically.

What had she done? She’d only meant to help.

“You threw out their parents’ things?” Jake asked.

“No, not threw out—I gave them to the thrift shop. Not everything.” She stepped closer to Noelle. “There’s a whole box of things downstairs . . .”

“You had no right!” Noelle flew past Meridith, grazing her, running into her room. Her door slammed so loudly the glass pendants on the chandelier rattled. Prisms of light sliced across the walls.

The sounds of deep wrenching sobs carved a hole in Meridith’s middle. She stood immobile. Should she try to comfort Noelle, explain to Max that his search was futile, or put an arm around Ben, who stood like a frozen statue?

“You shouldn’t have done that.” A hard edge lined Jake’s calm words.

Ben darted two steps toward Jake, threw his arms around the man’s middle. His face disappeared into Jake’s tool belt somewhere between the hammer and caulk gun.

Meridith’s eyes flitted up to Jake’s. His eyes widened and his mouth slackened, then he curled his arm around Ben’s head.