Page 29 of The Summer that Changed Everything
He pinched the bridge of his nose while battling an avalanche of anger and frustration. Christina didn’twantto work. Almost as soon as he’d met her, she conjured up an excuse to quit Wagner Business Solutions and depended on her father until they married. Then she’d lived off him. She could easily rely on her family’s fortune once again, if she wanted to. Instead, she was using her father’s expensive attorney to take him for as much asshe could get. This was about revenge for wanting to get away from her, not the pregnancy or fairness or anything else.
It doesn’t cost nearly as much to live as what I offered. She could have a mansion, a maid and a nanny. She’s trying to take advantage. The answer is no.
He knew his response would only prolong the fight, which meant she’d be front and center in his life that much longer. But now that she was having his baby, he’d never truly be free of her. He figured he might as well fight for what was right, especially because this would set the precedent for everything she demanded from now on.
He tried to calm down by switching his attention to work. Writing and forwarding various emails to people with instructions on how to proceed took hours. The routine of it helped. But he was still bugged when he was done, so he went on Instagram, found Reggie’s account and sent him a DM.
Just so you know, I’m keeping an eye on you. Don’t you dare do anything that’ll make Lucy McBride’s time here any worse than it will be already.
He waited, hoping Reggie would get back to him. He was itching to tell everyone they’d better stay the hell away from her. But after fifteen minutes with no response, he ran out of patience. He felt like a caged tiger, pacing back and forth.
Obviously, he needed another outlet, a healthier one, so he went to get what was left of his gardening tools and returned to what had brought him the most satisfaction in ages—the Smoot yard.
Chet couldn’t feel his face. His lips, his cheeks—everything tingled or felt numb. Would this summer be the end of life ashe knew it? The big reveal he’d had nightmares about, where the truth came out, costing him his job, his wife and child, his entire future?
“Honey? Are you listening?”
He tuned in to Kira once again. She was sitting across from him at Lanie’s Grocery and Deli with Kenzie, their baby, sleeping in a carrier at their feet. Chet generally looked forward to returning to North Hampton Beach each summer. Sure, it held some terrible memories—the one night in his life he wished he could forget more than any other, as well as the tension-filled weeks right after that when he’d been terrified the police would arrive at any moment to take him to jail.
But returning regularly gave him the chance to take the temperature of this place—check on what people were thinking and feeling and make sure nothing was creeping up on him from behind. He also believed that being a familiar face, one most people around here knew and trusted, would make it much less likely that they’d ever suspect him of having any involvement in what transpired the night Aurora was killed.
“Yes, of course,” he replied, trying to act as normal as he could. Lanie’s served the best blue crab sandwiches in the world, but today he couldn’t taste anything. He was having trouble swallowing—even breathing. Just when he’d finally begun to believe the past was a closed chapter, that the actions he so regretted would never come back to haunt him, he was afraid that would all change. That after being saved by such a crazy stroke of luck, he’d be found out because of something just as unlikely—Lucy returning here after so many years, claiming her father hadn’t killed Aurora.
“I was asking how much you remember about the girl who was murdered.”
Although it went down hard, he managed to swallow the food in his mouth. It didn’t surprise him that Kira wanted to discuss what’d happened fifteen years ago. With Lucy back intown, everyone was talking about the murders. “Not a lot,” he said. “I mean... Aurora was part of the group we hung out with on the beach that summer. But there was never anything between her and me. She was kind of stuck-up. Thought she was all that. So I didn’t have any interest in her.” He used his napkin to wipe his mouth so it wouldn’t seem unnatural when he broke eye contact. “She liked Ford, anyway.”
Kira shook her head, frowning sadly. “He must’ve been destroyed when she was killed.”
“I think he was shocked, like the rest of us. But they weren’t together. He was seeing Lucy at the time.”
Her jaw dropped. “The daughter of the man who murdered Aurora? Why haven’t you ever mentioned that before?”
Still striving for normalcy, he took another bite and spoke around it. “I’m sure I have.”
“No. I would’ve remembered. I’m surprised you haven’t said more aboutallof it, to be honest.”
He didn’t like thinking about it, let alone talking about it. He was afraid he’d slip up and say something he shouldn’t. But when he and Kira first got married, and he’d started bringing her to North Hampton Beach, someone had mentioned the murders that’d occurred here, so he’d filled in a few of the blanks. After all, being too reticent could seem as odd as talking about it all the time. He had to hit the right balance. “It’s not something I’m eager to relive, I guess.”
The vision that passed before his mind’s eye nearly unsettled his stomach. That happened occasionally. His mind would flash the unforgettable image of Aurora as he’d seen her last, after he realized he’d gone too far. “Everyone was freaked out—they were afraid to come out of their houses at night.”
Kira used a straw to drain her iced tea. “Did you ever meet him?”
“McBride? No. But I saw him at his trial.”
She slid her chair back a few inches. “You attended the trial?”
“Almost everyone did. It was a big deal around here, worth the short drive to Montross.” It was an even bigger deal to him. He’d been worried that the state wouldn’t be able to prove its case when it came to Aurora’s murder, prompting the police to keep digging.
But then Reggie had come forward, claiming Mick McBride had confessed to him while they were sharing a jail cell. Chet almost couldn’t believe it. It’d felt like someone had been firing a gun in his direction and a mere bystander had stepped in front of him to take the bullet.
“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Kenzie started to squirm, so Kira picked up their baby girl. “When do you want to have Ford over? I’d like to meet him.”
Chet remembered Ford defending Lucy this morning and wondered where that would lead. It certainly didn’t bode well for him. As long as the whole community remained united against her, he didn’t feel he had much to worry about. But if Ford decided he believed her and wanted to help her get to the truth, everything could change. After all, Ford had the credibility and resources Lucy lacked. “Why not this weekend?” he asked.
“Sounds good to me. Should we grill teriyaki shish kabobs?”
He didn’t answer. He just stared at her, studying the face that meant everything to him.
