An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach #1)(60)

She closed the door behind her, proud of herself for not losing her temper or saying some of the really ugly things she’d wanted to say. It had taken every bit of her willpower not to. But the look on Zach’s face just before she closed the door had been priceless. The satisfaction she felt would go a long way toward making up for all the things she’d wanted to throw at him but didn’t. He was a lying, cheating snake, and he deserved to fall flat on his face.

Then again, Maggie wasn’t above a little lie of her own now and then. Zach would never know she’d made up that part about Art changing his will and the ten-year thing. She didn’t lie often, but sometimes you just had to make sure your opponent understood that you’d gotten in the last punch.



“I can’t believe you left him standing,” Natalie said when Maggie called her from the train. “Didn’t you want to kill him?”

“I did, almost as much as I wanted to slap Amber’s smirking face. But we both know that’s not my style. I thought I’d get the point across better if I just laid it all out there calmly. Doesn’t mean I liked doing it that way, but I felt the room needed an adult. Besides, I don’t think I would have been able to rein myself back in once I’d lost it. And I must say, my instincts were right. I was very effective.”

“Sort of like when Grace and I were little. When you stopped yelling and got really quiet, we knew we were in trouble.”

“Something like that.”

“Calling the FBI was brilliant. Bless George.”

“Hacking into someone else’s computer is a federal offense. I honestly don’t know how it’s going to play out. They may look at it and think it isn’t worth prosecuting because there was no money involved.”

“Of course there’s money involved. Grace lost her standing in the community and doesn’t feel she can be taken seriously ever again. She’s leaving her job over this. That has to be worth something.”

“I agree, but I don’t know how such things work on that level. I’ve never dealt with the FBI before. But the look on her face when the two agents showed up to talk to her was . . .” Maggie paused, then smiled. “It was a thing of beauty.”

Later, after Maggie awoke from her much-needed nap, she repeated the story for Grace.

“You think they’ll put her in prison for such a small offense?” Grace asked.

Maggie shrugged. “I don’t know. They could. I have no idea. I called Larry Gleason to act as your lawyer, by the way. There’s no one else Dad would have wanted to represent the firm and you. Of course, if you’d rather have someone else, you’re free to call him or her.”

“No, that’s fine. Larry would have been my first choice, so thank you for sparing me from making that call.” Grace smiled for the first time since she’d arrived at Maggie’s the day before. “I hope she goes to prison. I hope they put her away for a very long time. Him too.” Her smile broadened. “I can’t believe George actually called the FBI. He’s the best. And you’re my hero. On the one hand, I wish I’d been the one to confront her. But on the other . . . you know people would just see the wife who was dumped being a shrew. Like the blog wasn’t enough. Dad would have hated this, but he’d really have hated it if we’d embarrassed the firm even more than it has been.”

“That was one of the things that kept me from hurling heavy objects at the two of them. All we needed this week would have been for me to be arrested for assault. Not that it might not have been worth it, but I didn’t think it would be a good look for the Flynns. Now get into the shower, clean up, and get dressed. I picked up takeout for dinner from your dad’s favorite Italian place in town, and I’m starving.”

Later, after dinner had been eaten and the dishes stacked in the dishwasher, Grace said, “Mom, what do you think Dad would have done?”

“I think Dad would have shot them both.”

“No, seriously. What do you think he would have done?”

Maggie chose her words carefully. “I don’t believe we’d be having this conversation if your father was still alive.”

“Because Zach wouldn’t have left me. We’d still be married.”

“Possibly.”

“But he still wouldn’t have been in love with me.” Grace looked overwhelmingly sad. “Our marriage still would have been a sham, and I’d still have been the last to know.”



It took Maggie several days to work everything out in her head, but once she made up her mind, the path ahead seemed very clear. The decision hadn’t been easy, but all things considered, it was the best option for everyone: she needed to sell the house in Bryn Mawr and move back to Wyndham Beach.

First consideration: it was crystal clear that Grace couldn’t return to her job even if she wanted to. Her reputation had been shattered, and her self-image had been destroyed. She needed to make a new start somewhere else, but she could see no clear path ahead.

Second consideration: since Maggie had toured her old family home, she’d been haunted by memories—faces, voices—and couldn’t stop thinking about how gratifying it would be to repaint every one of those white walls. She imagined where every piece of furniture she owned would go, where she’d hang every photo and every painting. She’d been drawn more and more back to Wyndham Beach, to her beloved friends, and to the chance to move her life forward.