5 Suzy
Suzy
Wintour was barking her fool head off as Suzy turned toward the door. She did not like it when people shouted, and Juliet’s outburst had set her off. Suzy automatically scooped her up, and the dog fell quiet, but her little body still shivered with nerves. Suzy could relate.
No more blackmail income for you! Lincoln’s cutting you off.
The words repeated themselves over and over again in Suzy’s brain.
They were burned on her retinas. In Lily’s handwriting.
Was it Lily’s handwriting? No. It was too loopy.
Too round. But maybe that was because of all the drinking?
Did a person’s handwriting change? No. More likely someone else was screwing with her. But who? And why?
It sort of sounded like something Lily would say, though. As much as Suzy loved her, Lily did have a condescending side, which came out at the most surprising moments.
But there was no way Lily knew about the blackmail. And neither did anyone else. The whole point was not letting anyone know. That was what blackmail was.
“Suzy! Wait!” Juliet shouted after her.
But Suzy didn’t wait. Her kitten-heeled sandals clicked and slapped as she rushed down the hallway past the weird, haunting photos and then down the stairs.
She shoved the note into her pocket with one hand while clutching Wintour to her chest with the other.
Whoever had written this note knew that Lincoln had been paying Suzy off.
Did they know why? If so, it wasn’t just her relationship with Lincoln that was over, but several relationships—with people in this very house—would be damaged. This was a disaster.
She had to talk to Lincoln. She had to find out what was going on.
Just before the last step, she heard loud male laughter, and her foot slipped out from under her.
She yelped, and the laughter stopped. She grasped the handrail to keep from dropping her dog and basically swung into the room.
Outside on the patio, what felt like miles away with the great room between them, Sean, Marshall, and Lincoln chatted with an unfamiliar couple, him big, burly, and bearded, and her tall, thin, and auburn haired.
“Oh my God! Look at the puppy!”
Seemingly out of nowhere, two gorgeous, leggy teenage girls descended on Suzy and started making kissy faces at the dog. They brought with them a cloud of flowery perfume and sunscreen scent. Somewhere upstairs a door slammed. The crystals on the foyer chandelier shivered.
“What’s her name?” one of the girls asked, her doe eyes wide.
God, she had perfect eyelashes. Were those real?
Her hair hung in two long ponytails down her chest, and she wore a pink-and-white baseball cap that read “Fierce” in bubble letters.
A tiny stone piercing shone just above her right nostril.
“This is Wintour,” Suzy told them, recovering herself.
“Oh my God. Love that for her.”
“And you are?” Suzy asked.
“Oh, I’m Florence, and this is Vienna,” the other girl said.
Equally amazing eyelashes, but this one also had tiny jewels at the corners of her eyes, and her hair hung long down her back.
No nose piercing, but one tiny hoop at the top of her left ear.
Why did these two look so familiar? And where had they come from? “Can I hold her?”
The girl, Florence, was already taking the dog out of Suzy’s arms. Suzy was about to warn them that she didn’t like strangers, but Wintour didn’t seem to mind one bit. Florence kissed her on the nose, and Wintour’s skinny tail went bonkers.
“Oh, aren’t you so pretty? Yes, you are!
Yes, you are!” Florence said, rubbing her face against the dog’s.
“My mom won’t let us get a dog because my dad’s allergic.
” Florence rolled her eyes like this was a totally insignificant reason to prevent her from having what she wanted.
“She’s so freaking cute. V, how freaking cute is this dog? Look at the little rhinestone collar!”
She held the dog up, and Vienna snapped a photo with her phone. Then Florence proceeded to strike several poses. Kissy face, mouth open in surprise, dreamy/cuddly, while her sister conducted an impromptu photo shoot. Suzy felt like she’d stepped into an alternate universe.
“What’s going on here?” Marley asked wryly, coming up behind Suzy.
Wait. Marley. Marley had also gotten a note.
What had hers said? In all the panic, Suzy had forgotten she wasn’t the only one.
Was Marley’s equally disturbing? Juliet’s clearly had been.
She was dying to ask, but not in front of the runway models.
She studied her friend, who looked incredibly tense and pale, but she had looked that way upon arrival too.
“These lovely girls have somehow charmed my dog,” Suzy said, trying to act normal. She looked at Marley, hoping to communicate Where’s your note, and what was in it? with her eyes, but Marley just looked confused.
The new guy, Trevor, sauntered over from the direction of the bar, his hands clasped behind his back, which made his upper arms look huge. “Lunch is about to be served. Can I get you ladies anything to drink?”
His gaze traveled from face to face, lingering on Florence as she held up her fingers in a peace sign, angling Wintour toward the camera.
Something about the look in his eye sent the little hairs on the back of Suzy’s neck up.
It made her want to stand between him and these girls she didn’t even know.
“Ginger ale?” Marley asked hopefully.
“Double martini,” Suzy said.
“Oh, for me too!” Florence said.
“No, no, no.” Lincoln strode over from the direction of the patio, rubbing his hands together.
The sight of him in that moment was like a punch to the gut.
Could he really be planning to cut her off?
Was he not at all scared that she would talk?
She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if she no longer had that income.
She’d have to give up on Nantucket, for sure, which was not an option.
“We have all kinds of soda and ice tea and lemonade for you two.”
“Our parents let us drink,” Vienna informed him haughtily.
Lincoln chuckled. “You’re forgetting that I know your parents.” He took Wintour out of Florence’s hands, holding her under his arm like a football. “Why don’t we all go out to the patio? Hazel and Magdelena are about to bring out the food.”
Trevor sauntered off to fill the drink orders, and the rest of them fell in line behind Lincoln.
At the mention of Hazel, Suzy’s brain seemed to clear.
It was as if someone had placed smelling salts beneath her nose.
She had the upper hand here. Yes, she stood to lose a lot if Lincoln stopped the checks and everything came out, but he stood to lose more.
All she had to do was remind him of that.
“Suzy! Marley! So good to see you!” Hazel said, striding into the room from the direction of the kitchen. She had two huge trays full of sandwiches in her hands as she leaned in to air-kiss Suzy.
“Good to see you too, Hazel!” Suzy enthused. “Here! Let me help you with that!” She wanted Lincoln to see her close to his lovely new wife. Remind him of what he was risking.
“Oh, Suze, you’re a godsend!” Hazel said, handing over one of the two trays.
Trailing after her was the longtime house chef, Magdelena, in her usual white sundress and blue apron, her dark hair pulled back in a tight bun.
Magdelena had another tray laden with salads, sides, and rolls.
“Are you all right? You look a little flushed. I can get you an ice water,” Hazel offered.
“No, I’m good, thanks. And I’m happy to help,” Suzy replied with a huge smile.
Marley and Magdelena, who had struck up an odd sort of friendship a few years ago, paused near the huge dining table outside the kitchen to greet each other and chat. Suzy, meanwhile, followed her hostess toward the back of the house, unable to keep her gaze off Hazel’s toned ass.
To deliver lunch, Hazel wore a black bikini, silver high-heeled sandals, and huge sunglasses.
A flowing, barely there silver mesh robe billowed behind her as she walked.
With her long, dark hair scraped back from her face into a high ponytail, there were definite pop-star vibes.
All Suzy could think was how different she was from Lily, who always wore neutral linens and silks, broad-brimmed hats, and flat shoes. Classic chic to Hazel’s modern glam.
“We have lobster rolls!” Hazel announced. “Who’s hungry?”
“Let’s eat, baby!” Lincoln crowed. He placed Wintour on the patio and slapped his hands together. Wintour jogged across the flagstone and jumped up onto the nearest lounge chair, where she curled up with her face on her paws.
“I’m starved,” Sean said, excitedly eyeing the food.
Suzy deposited her tray of food on the long glass table under the pergola on the patio. Jazz music played from tall, sleek speakers placed unobtrusively around the area, lending a sophisticated, easy vibe to the party. Suzy took a deep breath and tried to relax.
These are your friends. Everything is fine. Just breathe.
Lincoln took his spot at the head of the table, and the others began gathering around him.
He didn’t seem to be acting strangely with her.
Maybe the note really was nothing. Someone pulling a prank.
A supremely cruel, ugly, panic-inducing prank.
But whoever it was had to know what had been going on.
Which meant someone here was an enemy. Suzy hung back a bit, surveying the suspects.
Obviously it wasn’t Sean or Marshall—they hadn’t been here when the notes had been delivered, and let’s face it, Sean didn’t have the creativity or the guts.
But there was Hazel, Magdelena, Trevor, Candice, Vienna, Florence, their parents.
So much for relaxing.
“Hey, Marls!” Marshall grabbed Marley’s wrist and kissed her cheek as she stepped outside. Marley flinched away from him, which was something Suzy was definitely going to need to ask her about later. “I’m going upstairs to wash up.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Marley said, grabbing after him.
He ignored her and jogged away, off toward the stairs. Marley tugged Suzy back inside the sliding doors, glancing furtively out at the patio as everyone else sat. Magdelena delivered her dishes and smiled as everyone oohed and aahed.
“Are you okay?” Suzy whispered.
“No. You?” Marley asked.
“No.”
“What did your note say?” Marley asked her.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Suzy said. She couldn’t. Not without exposing her own crimes, as well as Lincoln’s, to Marley. “Was yours bad?”
“It wasn’t good.”
“Was it about Lincoln too?”
Marley’s eyes widened a bit. “Yes! What the hell is going on?”
“No idea.”
Suzy had to talk to Lincoln. But she knew there was no pulling him away now.
He, Sean, Hazel, the burly dude, and what had to be his wife were already settling in at the table, backlit by the pristine blue sky, while kids shrieked and splashed in the pool nearby.
Juliet’s nanny, Tini, played with Beckham in her lap on a lounge chair while Hazel’s almost-one-year-old, Thomas, slept in a port-a-crib.
Vienna was busy snapping more photos of Wintour while Florence joined the group at the table, eyes on her phone as she sat, reached for food, sipped lemonade.
Teens today were already living in a VR world; they just didn’t know it yet.
“Who are these new people?” Suzy said with a sneer.
“No idea. I guess we should go find out,” Marley replied.
Marley reached for her hand, and Suzy took it gratefully. “Is Juliet coming?”
Juliet’s reaction to her own note had been so extreme. Her screaming the words Suzy had been thinking silently. Is this a joke? If her note was also about Lincoln . . .
“She disappeared right when you did.”
So Juliet was freaking out about her own note somewhere. Marley had tried to stop Marshall on his way up the stairs. Probably to tell him about what hers said. This was all so bizarre. And mildly terrifying. Suzy felt like she was being stalked. Like they all were.
She had to find out who had written the notes and why. Someone at this house party had a lot of explaining to do.