The Identicals(46)

“She?” Harper says. “Who is she—the cat’s mother?”

“You,” Tabitha says.

“Ainsley asked me to come,” Harper says. “She assured me she had your blessing.”

“She lied,” Tabitha says. She turns her gaze on her daughter. Ainsley looks younger than she has in years. Her face is clean of makeup, her pale hair pulled back in a slack ponytail. “Again.”

“Hey, now,” Harper says. “Take it easy.”

“Take it easy?” Tabitha says. “This is my house. Don’t you dare tell me to take it easy.”

“I’m sorry I lied,” Ainsley says. “I wanted Aunt Harper to come. I needed someone to watch me. I needed family.”

“Family?” Tabitha says.

“You abandoned me!” Ainsley says. “I’m sixteen years old, not eighteen, not twenty-five. You just can’t leave me alone for days.”

“But look,” Tabitha says. “You lived.”

“Aunt Harper cooked for me. She bought groceries. She brewed iced tea because Coke Zero is poison.”

“It’s not poison,” Tabitha says.

“It is, though,” Harper says.

When Tabitha looks at Harper, she catches a glimpse of fur at her feet. She barely stifles a scream. “Is that your dog? Your dog is in my house?”

The dog lifts its head, seemingly in response. Tabitha sees the intelligent face and the clear cerulean eyes of a husky.

“This is Fish,” Harper says. “Fish, meet my sister, Pony.”

Fish studies Tabitha in a way that’s unsettling, almost as if the dog is human. The dog turns to look at Harper, then back at Tabitha.

He notices the resemblance, Tabitha thinks. She nearly smiles, but she stops herself. She doesn’t want a dog in her house. Even a beautiful dog like this one.

“I want you out in the morning,” Tabitha says to Harper. “I told you never to come back here.”

“I thought we got past that,” Harper says.

“I was civil to you on the Vineyard,” Tabitha says. “Civil, despite the fact that I got drenched and humiliated. We have your poor decision making to thank for that. I can be civil to you for an afternoon, Harper, but that is a far cry from allowing you to live in my house and care for my child.”

“Are you back, then?” Ainsley asks.

“Yes,” Tabitha says, but her cheeks burn with the lie. She only came back to grab her things and check on her daughter; she has a ferry reservation back to the mainland in the morning. Eleanor needs her; there is no one else. Tabitha called Eleanor’s younger sister, Flossie, in Palm Beach, but was informed that Flossie was on a cruise in the Greek islands. Tabitha will be in Boston through the weekend at least, maybe longer. She called Meghan to see if she could come stay with Ainsley, but Meghan, showing an unusual amount of backbone, said she would rather not. Tabitha called Wyatt again—no answer—and then she called and left a pleading message with Stephanie Beasley.

Part of Tabitha considers just letting Harper stay.

“I met a friend of yours today,” Harper says. “We had lunch. Ramsay Striker?”

Tabitha’s mouth drops open. “You had lunch with Ramsay?”

“At the brewery,” Harper says. “He thinks it’s a good idea that I stay with Ainsley.”

Ramsay thinks it’s a good idea. You’re a piss-poor parent, Tabitha.

Against her will, Tabitha remembers the bouquet of wildflowers; she recalls skimming the cool water of the harbor with her toes. She remembers Harper’s hot, boozy breath as she sang. I can’t live with or without you.

“Forget tomorrow,” Tabitha says. “I want you out tonight. Pack your bags.”

“Mom!” Ainsley says.

“It’s okay,” Harper says. She lifts the bowl of salad from the table.

“Do not,” Tabitha says. “Do not touch my things.”

“I want you to leave,” Ainsley says. “I wish Aunt Harper were my mother instead of you.”

“Ainsley,” Harper says.

Tabitha knows she is acting abominably. She wishes she had the capacity to forgive her sister and to celebrate her sister and daughter’s forging of this new bond. But Tabitha can’t get past twenty-two years of sour history—Harper has had it so easy, living with Billy—or past what happened the night that Julian died.

Tabitha’s phone rings. It’s Stephanie Beasley.

Tabitha snaps back to the present moment; she feels a cool wave of relief. Stephanie will watch Ainsley. This is the solution Tabitha was hoping for.

“Hello?” Tabitha says as she moves into the living room. Incredibly, the dog gets to his feet and trots after her. “Stephanie?”

“Tabitha,” Stephanie says. “Your daughter…”

“What?” Tabitha says. She sits on the sofa and, in spite of herself, reaches out to stroke the snowy white fur at Fish’s throat.

“Your daughter is a monster,” Stephanie says.



Tabitha continues to rub Fish’s coat even as the ugly accusations spin out of Stephanie. Bottle of Bombay Sapphire and a Baggie containing cocaine residue planted in Candace’s locker. Planted by Ainsley Cruise and Emma Marlowe. The girls were taking revenge because of what happened between Teddy and Candace.