36. Jess
Jess stepped into the center hall of the house that had been her home for most of her adult life, her daughters trailing behind her.
The place was already filled with people. While the burial had been family-only, it seemed that half of Aynwick was here for the wake.
Or maybe they just wanted a look at Jessica Steele, the gold digger who had been instantly transformed into a tragic heroine by the gossip mill the moment it appeared that she was going to stay rich.
“Jess,” Eleanor Sommers trilled sympathetically, floating over to be the first to take Jess’s hands. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine, Eleanor,” Jess said automatically. “How are you? How’s Travis?”
“He’s fine, just fine,” Eleanor said dismissively, looking almost disappointed that Jess would ask about her son instead of saying something dramatic. “I heard what Silas did for you. That was so romantic…”
Jess barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Thanks for being here, Eleanor,” she said, patting the other woman’s shoulder and moving forward.
Unfortunately, she walked right in the clutches of Taryn Astor, the buxom blonde who was probably responsible for half the gossip in Aynwick, good and bad.
“Oh, Jess,” Taryn wailed. “It’s terrible, just terrible. But, oh, how he loved you, honey.”
Jess bit back the words that sprang to her lips, and instead gave Taryn a weak hug back before pulling away.
“Don’t worry,” Taryn said, a little too loudly. “I’ll make sure the whole town knows they’d better be respectful, because I’ve got your back.”
“I would have appreciated that sentiment so much more if it had come last year,” Jess said crisply. “Excuse me.”
She kept moving, though she would have sorely loved to burn the image of Taryn’s slack-jawed look of shock into her mind. The girls giggled behind her and she instantly felt a pang of guilt for setting a bad example. A mother ought to have self-control.
“Nice one, Mom,” Liberty said softly, with real admiration in her voice. “Maybe she’ll think twice about kicking the next woman when she’s down.”
“I doubt it,” Glory said immediately.
“Jess,” several voices intoned with what was starting to feel more and more like false sympathy.
“Can someone find my mother a cup of hot tea?” Liberty asked the Greek chorus of beautifully dressed mourners before they could close in.
“Of course, honey,” Victoria Leggett said.
“Yes, of course. We’ll fix her a plate,” Hallie Hartnet added with a wincing smile.
“Good idea,” Liberty said. “Fix something for yourselves, too. She’s going to make the rounds quickly and then we’ll get her settled down in the back parlor, with just a few close friends.”
The women’s eyes lit up.
“We’ll be waiting,” Victoria said hungrily.
They all darted off, looking like they had just won the lottery.
“You’re going nowhere near the back parlor,” Liberty said firmly.
“Liberty,” Jess breathed, impressed at her daughter’s treachery.
“It’s exactly what they deserve,” Liberty said.
Those women were among the most powerful at the school, but Jess figured she could take a break from them, today at least. She could claim to have been in a haze after the funeral.
And honestly, she was. She felt weak from crying, and empty inside. Although she had the answers she had been yearning for all this time, they weren’t the answers she wanted.
“Jess,” Marta whispered from the entrance to the greenhouse room. “Quick, in here.”
Jess smiled at the sight of her actual friend.
“Hey,” Nikki said from just inside, lifting a bottle of spiced rum. “It was all I had in the house.”
“You okay, Mom?” Liberty asked.
“Yes, honey,” Jess told her, turning to give her a quick hug. “Thank you for looking out for me. I should be the one taking care of you. Do you girls want to hide out in here with us?”
“Nah,” Anthem said. “We’ll make the rounds and keep everyone out of your hair.”
The other girls shook their heads. It was nice to see them present such a unified front.
“Okay, just come get me if you need me,” Jess told them. “I’ll be here.”
With my real friends,she thought happily to herself. Since you saved me from the jackals.
“How are you holding up?” Marta asked, leading Jess over to her usual seat at the big wooden table.
Marta was asking the same question the other women had asked, but the concern in her voice was real, and she waited for an answer as Jess seated herself. Across the table, Nikki lifted the lid of the steaming china teapot, added a healthy dose of rum, and then began pouring out their cups.
“I’m angry,” Jess said at last. “And sad for the girls that their father is gone.”
“It’s good the idiot at least came to his senses in time for them to say goodbye,” Nikki said, rolling her eyes as she handed Jess a cup. “God rest his soul.”
“He didn’t,” Jess said simply. “The hospital found Anthem’s number in his phone and called. Everett gave me a letter from Silas to read on the way up here—a letter I wasn’t supposed to get until after he died.”
“Points for Everett, I guess,” Nikki allowed grumpily.
“He always did like you,” Marta said thoughtfully.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nikki demanded.
But Marta only shrugged and took a sip of her tea.
“You look good,” Nikki told Jess after a moment. “How are you feeling?”
“Empty,” Jess admitted. “All this time I’ve been praying for answers. But now that I know what really happened… Well, I guess I just wish he had run off with some pretty young thing.”
“Why?” Nikki asked.
“Because he says he did what he did to spare me,” Jess said, her voice breaking a little. “But it feels like he did it because he thought I couldn’t handle it. And he had every reason to think I’m helpless. He made every decision, handled every confrontation, all our married lives.”
“I think that’s natural,” Marta said. “You were younger, and he had more life experience, of course. But most relationships have a sort of leader, don’t they? Or at least a dynamic where one partner takes care of certain things and the other takes care of others?”
“He used to say I took care of everything for the girls at the school,” Jess sighed. “But I sure was missing him when I got called in about Glory.”
“I think you handled that just fine,” Nikki snorted.
Jess smiled, so glad she had friends to share her true feelings with.
“What was it like being back in the Keys?” Marta asked. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks,” Jess said with a smile. “I guess my tan is coming back a little. It was… good. Felt like coming home.”
Marta smiled and nodded thoughtfully, but there was a touch of sadness in her eyes.
“Anyway,” Jess said. “The house down there is really coming along. I should be able to get decent money for it…”
She stopped herself mid-sentence. She didn’t have to sell the house in the Keys anymore, since she wouldn’t need the money for an apartment anymore.
Maybe I could hang onto it and take the girls down there for vacations…
“It’s been a lot this last year,” Marta said, patting Jess’s arm. “Probably best not to make any big decisions until you’ve had a chance to think things through.”
Jess nodded.
“I’m sure it’s good to be home,” Nikki added.
Jess looked around.
The greenhouse room was as beautiful as always with its big windows and lush plantings. But somehow it felt over-the-top now, the whole house did. She had been thinking it since they first came in, in the back of her head. The black and white floor tiles in the hall were stunning, but they made her footsteps echo like she was living in a museum.
Someone in the hall just outside the greenhouse room called Glory’s name, snapping Jess out of her thoughts.
“Is that Renée Adams?” Nikki hissed. “That little snake.”
Apparently the girl’s mean behavior was common knowledge in Aynwick. Jess was happier than ever before that she had weaned Glory off social media. She was on her feet before she realized what she was doing, moving to a spot where she was concealed by the leaves of one of the big ferns near the doorway.
I won’t interfere, she told herself. I’ll just be here in case.
She was just able to see Renée, flanked by Shana and Layla, approaching Glory in the hallway.
“Hey,” Glory said.
“We just wanted you to know we’re really sorry,” Renée said.
“Yes, we’re sorry,” Shana echoed.
“So sorry,” Layla added.
“And we’ve been so worried about you,” Renée said. “We haven’t even seen you on your socials. Anyway, we’re really sorry about your dad. I mean, I can’t imagine how that would feel. But we’re here for you, Glory. Right girls?”
Renée smiled expectantly and nodded her head during the obedient chorus of yeses from her henchmen.
“So… we were thinking of running over to the Burger Barn after this,” Renée said. “Want to join us?”
“Thanks, but I’m good. I’d rather hang out with the people that actually care about me,” Glory said lightly, turning on her heel and entering the greenhouse before closing the door firmly behind her.
Jess held her breath, feeling incredibly proud of her daughter, but not sure how she was going to explain that she had been eavesdropping.
“I know you’re back there, Mom,” Glory said, smiling mischievously. “That was my favorite hiding spot too.”
“You were incredible, Glory,” Jess said, stepping out with a sheepish grin. “I’m proud of you.”
From a little farther inside, Nikki started a slow clap and Marta joined in.
“Thanks, ladies,” Glory said, taking a funny little bow. “But it was no big deal. Those three aren’t my friends. I’m lucky to know it.”
Jess nodded, trying hard not to grab her and hug her close. She had never been prouder of her baby girl.
A few seconds later, there was a tap at the door and Glory rolled her eyes.
“I’ll handle them this time,” Jess said, winking.
But when she opened the door, Everett was standing in the threshold, gazing down at her with serious eyes.
“Can we talk?” he asked her. “Alone?”