Beach Rental(54)
“I love the gallery, but sometimes it’s nice to see it at the other end, from the client’s perspective. It’s a beautiful drive and you might enjoy seeing the house. I’ve only seen photos, but it’s something special.”
“Honestly, I’m not comfortable leaving Ben, but he was looking forward to Luke coming over.” She leaned her head back and rubbed her temples. “They’ll enjoy their visit more, you know, as just the guys.”
Maia didn’t answer, but stared at the road, her hands on the steering wheel at ten and two. She drew in a ragged breath that sounded perilously close to a sob. Juli sat up and put a hand on the dashboard.
“Relax, Juli. I won’t drive us off the road. It hit me for a moment.” She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. “You forget, you know? And then reality smacks you in the face.” Maia smiled, but with such sadness it almost brought Juli to tears, too. Maia must have felt it because she tried to recover the mood, “I’m so sorry. You’re regretting coming along, now.”
“No. Worried or not, it’s nice to do something different.”
“That’s what I said, right?”
The road ran due north and was lined with forest, mostly pines. Somewhere to the east was the river.
“I meant to tell you—guess who else took a dunking?”
“At Anna’s? Who?” Was this was a better topic? No matter, Juli was happy to get off the subject of losing Ben.
“Leslie.” Maia took her eyes off of the road to catch Juli’s expression. “Leslie Bryant. Do you know her? She came with Jake and Sally? I’m sure you saw her. She has red hair. Nice-looking woman.”
“I don’t remember her. Oh, wait. I do recall a tall woman with red hair. Jake said he brought a woman to meet Luke. Was that her?”
“Has to be. It was Sally who wanted to fix them up. Jake will do anything to make Sally happy. That’s the kind of guy I’d like to meet.” Maia reached down and grabbed her water bottle for a sip. “Well, anyway, Sally and Leslie ran down to the dock with everyone else and saw Jake go in. Sally moved to avoid getting pushed off and Leslie went in, instead.”
“She has my sympathy.” The memory of the weedy, muddy bottom made her shudder.
“Oh, not at all. I think it suited her fine. She was laughing. Leslie’s a good sport.”
A good sport. Did that mean she, Juli, hadn’t been a good sport? Melancholy swarmed over her from out of nowhere. “Maybe she and Luke will hit it off.”
“Maybe.” Maia gave Juli an odd look. “Aren’t you two getting along better?”
“We are. It’s important to Ben. And we both want the same thing—to do what’s right for him.”
“How’s it going with Adela?”
“I wouldn’t know. Ben talks to her on the phone when he thinks I’m not around. Adela never calls the house, probably because she might have to hear me say hello.”
“I think we’re almost there. Amanda said it was the first dirt road past the red barn.”
Maia slowed as they approached a road. “It’s graveled. Should I try it?”
“It looks fresh. I say go for it. If it isn’t the Barlow house, we’ll try again.”
The tires crunched all the way up to the house. It was rose-colored brick, low and sleek in front with a multi-storied back section that rose above the front of the house and was ringed by windows.
A forty-something woman with perfect makeup and a silky-looking suit met them at the door and ushered them in. She gave Maia a quick hug.
Maia said, “Juli, this is Amanda Barlow. Amanda, this is Juli Bradshaw. She was kind enough to keep me company on the drive out here.”
Amanda fixed her baby blues on Juli and asked, “Haven’t we met? You look familiar. I never forget a name or face.”
This was the woman who’d been clinging to Luke’s arm at the party. The woman who said her ring had been stolen. Juli felt the words bubbling up, originating somewhere inside and borne up by the air from her lungs—the explanation of why she seemed familiar.
Maia spoke offhandedly, interrupting her. “She’s Ben’s wife.”
“Ben Bradshaw? I heard he married. Sort of last minute, wasn’t it?”
“Practically an elopement,” Maia said. “So romantic.”
“I see.” But Amanda didn’t look convinced.
Juli shrugged. She bent over to help Maia remove the brown wrapping paper from the etchings they’d brought.
“Maia, dear, would you place them around the room where you think they’d look best?” She walked across the room, her heels clicking on the stone tile. “You know, I don’t believe I’ve seen Ben since the party at Marcel and Petra’s house, and barely then. He must have left very early.” She settled her eyes on Juli again. “Were you already married then? Perhaps I saw you at the party with Ben?”