10
Ford Wagner was in the yard! Lucy watched in shock as he moved around the plants, spraying and trimming and weeding like a
regular gardener. What did he think he was doing? Maybe an even better question was— why was he doing it? Dahlia hadn’t even asked for his help. When Lucy mentioned it, Sharon Smoot’s niece had made it clear she
didn’t know who’d helped out in that way.
Whatever was going on, Ford didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He also didn’t seem to care if she spotted him. After an hour, during
which she kept going to the window to see if he’d left, he knocked on the front door.
She answered right away—too curious not to.
“Can I have my tools back?” he asked as soon as she poked her head through the crack.
“You mean the gardening stuff I found the day I moved in? I put it in the garage,” she said. “Give me a second, and I’ll...
I’ll get it for you.” She closed the door while she went to the kitchen and dug around in the utility drawer. When she found
the key she’d been looking for, she went back out.
He was sitting on the front porch, waiting for her. He didn’t say anything, just stood and followed her as she hurried over to the garage, unlocked the side door and got the rake, pruning shears and other tools she’d put away.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He took them as if that would be that—but she called him back.
Sweat dampened his T-shirt and face when he turned. She wished the fact that he was obviously hot and dirty made him less
appealing, but somehow it only made him more. “What are you doing?”
He lifted the tools. “What does it look like?”
“It looks like you’re taking care of the yard here at the Smoot cottage. But you don’t even do your own yard, do you?”
“We have a gardener. I don’t want to disrupt everything just because I’m going to be around for a few months.”
“And yet...” She swept her arm to indicate the work he’d done in the Smoot yard.
“You should’ve seen this place,” he said. “Everything was so overgrown. It looked terrible.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Do I need to point out that it wasn’t your problem?”
With a sigh, he leaned on the rake. “I thought... I thought maybe the place would be more welcoming if it looked as if it was being kept up.”
“More welcoming to who ? To me ?” She pressed a hand to her chest. “You don’t even want me here! No one does!”
“That isn’t true, Lucy. Like I told you before, I’m sorry for how I behaved, and I want to have the chance to prove that I’m
not the terrible person you must think I am.”
“Why bother?” she asked. “I’m not back here for a vacation. You know that. You’re better off hanging with the opposition.”
“Your enemies...”
“Yes. Why not? Save yourself! What my dad did or didn’t do isn’t your problem any more than this yard is.”
“That isn’t how a friend behaves. And you and I were more than friends. Maybe we weren’t together that long, but... my God, we’d just made love on the beach. It was your first time—”
She put up a hand. “Let’s not go into that. I appreciate the fact that you feel bad about how everything went down, and I’m
willing to let bygones be bygones. You should take that approach, too. Keep your distance from me, or this whole community
could turn on you. I realize you probably don’t understand what that would be like, since you’ve never experienced it. But
who you are, and your financial status, won’t matter all that much if you start associating with me.” She started back to
the house but stopped when he spoke again.
“Turns out, I’m good at gardening. Who knew? And I enjoy doing it. Working with soil and plants is an escape for me, so if
you don’t mind, I think I’ll continue.”
She gaped at him. Was he serious? Apparently so... “Fine, but... can’t you do it somewhere else?”
“No. I’ve gotten things turned around nicely here. I can’t watch it all go back to the way it was.”
She blinked at him. “Okay,” she said, throwing up her hands. “Suit yourself.”
“Thanks.”
She climbed the steps to the front porch before turning around again. “What on earth would you need to escape from, anyway?”
He scowled. “From the shit that’s going on in my own life, I guess.”
“Your father’s death...”
“The ramifications of that, yes. Not to mention my divorce.”
Divorce? She hadn’t even realized he was married. “I’m sorry.”
“See? You’re not the only one who has problems,” he said wryly.
She couldn’t help smiling at the crooked grin he’d shot her. “Although... I would say my problems are rather unique,” she
pointed out.
“And I’d have to give you that,” he responded. Then the smile slipped from his face. “Still. What’s going on in my life isn’t much fun, either.”
She studied him. “How long have you and your wife been together?”
He adjusted the garbage bags, clippers and shears he was holding. “Seven years. Married for five.”
Something had gone wrong for him ? That came as a shock. He was one of those people who seemed to roll through life without encountering a single obstacle.
“Where’d you meet?”
“She used to work for Wagner Business Solutions, was in charge of putting on a charity event for Shriners Hospital. We met
that evening when I approached her to thank her for doing such a great job.”
“Isn’t Wagner Business Solutions your company?”
“My father’s company.”
Which was basically his now. “Do you have kids?”
“One on the way.”
A pang of jealousy tightened her chest, and she hated herself for it. She was over Ford—completely—had been for years.
But maybe all ex-girlfriends felt a little something when they learned the man they’d once loved was expecting a child with someone else. “Seems like an odd time to split up.”
“It’s an odd situation.”
Lucy told herself to go back inside and leave it there. But someone with her trust issues faced the very real possibility
of never settling down and having children, and that made her far more interested than she thought she should be. “How far
along is she?”
“Ten weeks.”
“Just starting out...”
“Yes. It was... unexpected, to say the least. Happened the last time we got back together.”
“The last time you got back together? Are you sure it’s over?”
He chuckled without humor. “I hope so.”
She wanted to ask why they couldn’t make it work but knew better than to be that nosy. She’d already asked more than she should have. “Co-parenting isn’t easy, but a lot of people make it work.”
“I plan to be as involved as she’ll let me.”
The way he’d said that made Lucy stiffen. “Why is it her choice?”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Trust me, I’ll do all I can, won’t settle for anything less than joint custody. But
she’ll fight me every step of the way, make co-parenting a living nightmare.”
Lucy was glad he was going to press the issue. Fathers were so important. As terrible a person as Mick had turned out to be,
she didn’t know where she would’ve ended up without him. He was the one who’d gotten her through her first seventeen years, not her mother. He’d been an alcoholic, sure. But a fairly
functional one. Although he was out a lot at night, rambling around—as he’d been the night the Matteos were murdered—with
her help, they’d managed. “I’m sure you’ll make a great dad.”
“Thank you.”
When his gaze met hers, she felt slightly breathless—the way she used to feel when he looked at her—which was downright alarming.
She was still attracted to him! Despite everything. Which was so unfair. She didn’t want him coming over to do the yard all the time, didn’t want to let him back into her life, even as a
friend.
“Well, good luck with the divorce,” she said and went back inside, hoping he’d get bored doing manual labor and wouldn’t bother
her again.
Anna was sitting in her car, waiting at the local elementary school for the bell to ring so she could pick up her kids, when
she received a text from her brother:
How well do you know Ford Wagner?
The question took her off guard. She’d had a crush on him many summers ago but had only ever watched him from a distance.
She doubted he knew she existed. She replied:
Not too well, but I remember him. He came here every summer while we were growing up. Part of the wealthy set. Why?
From what I hear, he’s in town. Do you know what brought him back here?
What was Reggie talking about? She tried to call her brother. He didn’t pick up so she sent him a question mark to prod him,
but it didn’t do any good. Frustrated that he’d quit responding—after all, he was the one who’d initiated this conversation—she
tried calling him again and was transferred immediately to voice mail as if he’d purposely put her through.
Irritated, she checked the time—she had only three minutes until the kids got out—and called her mother.
“Hi, honey! What’s up?” Natalie chirped.
“Reggie’s not there with you, is he?”
“No, why?”
“He was texting me and then just... disappeared.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. He does that all the time. But he’s not with me. He only comes around if he wants money.”
Anna felt bad for her mother. Natalie loved Reggie so much. But it was partially her own fault that Reggie used her the way
he did. She allowed it, always gave him what he wanted and bailed him out whenever he got into trouble. “I’m a little worried
about him,” Anna admitted.
“Why?”
Her mother sounded alarmed—for good reason. With Reggie, it was always something. “He seems to be melting down since Lynnette left, partying too much and not working nearly often enough.”
“That would explain why he always needs money,” she said wearily. “His substance abuse and lack of work is probably why Lynnette left.”
Lynnette had said she couldn’t take his mood swings, his cheating or his temper, and Anna couldn’t blame her, especially now
that they had a child. Lynnette had to do what was best for little Zander, so she’d taken him to live with her folks in Richmond.
“That and more. It’s too bad Joel was there when she was telling me about it. Hearing that stuff just made him more adamant
that Reggie not be allowed around the kids.”
“Your husband’s attitude has to hurt your brother,” Natalie said. “I wish Joel would have some understanding, go a little
easier on him.”
Joel had tried, at first. But when Reggie ruined holiday after holiday with his drunken outbursts and got belligerent whenever
he was challenged or someone said something he didn’t like, Joel drew a line. “He says he’s done putting up with that kind
of behavior, and we should be, too.”
“Love is patient. Love is tolerant.”
Anna chuckled without mirth. “Not according to Joel. He says we need to have some tough love and demand more—or cut Reggie
out of our lives until he shapes up.”
Her mother sighed. “We’ll see what Joel thinks of that idea when your kids are older.”
Anna was praying neither of her children, who were now racing toward the car, turned into behavioral problems like her brother.
So far, they’d been happy and well-behaved. But they had a stable, good father—two parents who loved them. Reggie’s father,
Dixon, hadn’t been part of his life since he was two. And he’d been so abusive when he was around that Natalie had to move across the state to escape him.
Fortunately, he let her go. Then Natalie had met and married Anna’s father. Dale was a biker who turned out to be a much better
man. But trying to help parent Reggie caused too many fights between him and Natalie. Natalie would always take Reggie’s side,
even if he was in the wrong. So Anna’s father moved out when Anna was three. Although he’d remained part of her life to an
extent, he’d also indicated he wanted nothing to do with Reggie, and that’d made it very difficult for Anna. She was riddled
with guilt when he came to see her and they left Reggie behind, so riddled that she began to act less enthusiastic about spending
time with him, especially because that reluctance made her mother and brother treat her better. And soon the visits ceased.
“You’ve heard that Lucy McBride’s back in town, haven’t you?” Anna asked.
“No, how would I have heard?” her mother asked.
From Reggie, for one. But Anna didn’t say that. “You did hair in this town for years, have a lot of old clients and other
people you’re still in touch with.”
“I’ve been busy, haven’t talked to anyone or checked Facebook in ages. But that’s certainly news. I bet it’s causing quite
a stir.”
“It is.” She broke off from the conversation to greet her kids as they slung their backpacks into the car before climbing
in.
“Tell Aria and Campbell hello from me,” her mother said.
“I don’t need to tell them. You’re on Bluetooth, Mom. They can hear you.”
The kids told their grandmother about their day while they got buckled into their seats. Once the two kids fell into a conversation
with each other about a hamster at school, Natalie went back to what they’d been discussing before. “What brings Lucy back
to North Hampton Beach?”
Anna put the car in Drive and got in line to exit the crowded lot. “She doesn’t believe it was her father who—” she glanced into the backseat to make sure her children weren’t paying attention “—caused Aurora’s death.”
“But he admitted as much to Reggie!”
“That’s what Reggie says. She thinks he was lying to get a deal with the commonwealth attorney.”
There was a pause, but then Natalie said, “That’s ancient history. Doesn’t matter what she thinks.”
“I wouldn’t be too quick to assume that. She’s different these days, Mom. I think she got kicked around so much she’s ready
to fight back, determined to prove she’ll be the one in charge this time.”
“Why does she even care if her father didn’t do it? He’s not going to get out of prison either way.”
“I don’t think she’s trying to get him out.”
“Then what’s she trying to do?”
“Think about it for a minute. If Reggie wasn’t telling the truth...”
“He could be in serious trouble.”
Natalie saw the world as it related to them. But there was more to this.
Again, Anna glanced into the backseat. Her children were arguing over a pencil, but it kept them occupied. “It would also
mean that someone else did it, someone who’s still walking around free.”
Silence.
Anna was finally clear to turn into the street and navigate the congestion surrounding the school. “You don’t think we have anything to worry about, do you?” She was fishing, trying to find out if Reggie had admitted to their mother what he’d admitted to her. Or if her mother suspected the truth. If so, she wanted to discuss it, see if Natalie agreed with Reggie that they should keep their mouths shut. In Anna’s view, the real culprit deserved to be punished. She hated to think that, in their ef forts to protect Reggie from the consequences of a much lesser crime, they’d also be protecting a murderer .
Her mother finally spoke. “That’s disconcerting.”
“You don’t think there’s any chance that... that she’s right, do you? That Reggie could have been mistaken?”
There was another long silence. Obviously, the idea of Reggie lying about Mick McBride’s confession hadn’t been something
Natalie had seriously contemplated before. “Mom?”
“We’re creating problems where none exist,” her mother insisted, suddenly sounding certain.
“Maybe. But we wouldn’t want someone to get away with... with something like that, would we? I mean... if one of us
thought there might be a small chance Reggie wasn’t telling the truth, we should come forward, shouldn’t we?”
She held her breath as she waited for her mother’s response. She wasn’t even sure which side of the argument she preferred
Natalie to take. Did she want her mother to say, “Let sleeping dogs lie?” Would that be enough to ease her conscience—the
fact that even her mother felt Anna should keep her mouth shut?
Or did she hope Natalie would come out strongly on the side of truth and accountability? Because then she’d feel obligated
to betray her brother, which would not only make Reggie hate her, it would probably make her mother hate her, too, once Reggie
had to suffer what would happen as a result.
“It’s been fifteen years,” Natalie said. “Everyone’s moved on. It’d be foolish to go back and try to correct anything.”
Anna bit her lip as she brought the car to a stop at the first light. She should’ve known how her mother would respond. Natalie
did whatever she had to do to protect Reggie, and the same was expected of Anna.