about to stalk forward and confront him, when Joyce entered my line of sight. Having emerged from the store, she was crossing the lot. Beside her was another sack-carrying man, clearly heading for his own vehicle. I heard bits of an exchange between the three—saw the swish of her hair as she turned from one to the other—and guessed from the levity of it that they had chatted inside.
She peered into her car, straightened, and looked around. When she saw me, she waved me over. Naturally, she would want to introduce me to Edward—which was a total joke, I knew and felt a moment’s panic. Did I acknowledge him or not? Would he acknowledge me or not? It would be bad enough to say we’d known each other before Devon, but if we admitted we’d been married? In no time, someone would add my first name to his last name to Boston, and my secret would be out. It was everything I’d worked so hard—so hard—to escape.
I was spared it when Edward said something to Joyce and then disappeared into the Wrangler. Seconds later, he backed out and headed off.
My relief was shallow. I had dodged the bullet, but for how long? If he was going to be here for any length of time, in the role of Inn owner no less, the link between us would come out. Sometime, somewhere, somehow it would. Our having been married and both ending up here was the kind of coincidence people loved hearing. They would think words like sweet, touching, and charming, until they got to awkward and painful, and if they ever got to wanting revenge? There’d be all hell to pay, with me being the target.
Oh yeah, Edward and I had to talk, but not with an audience around.
“He was late for a meeting with Hank Monroe,” Joyce called as I neared the Subaru. Hank Monroe was the first name under Home Renovation in the Devon directory. I might have said he was a thief, if she weren’t still talking, her voice returning to normal the closer I got. “That’s our Ned Cooper,” she informed me with a bright smile, assuming I would tie the name with the Inn. “He bought the Barnstead place. Did you know?”
“I heard,” I said, but she was already nodding into the next thought.
“Extensive renovations that one needs. Apparently the guy has the money for it. Money is good, Maggie. You need to meet him.”
“Money is not good,” I snapped and quickly winced an apology for the sharpness, “and anyway, we’ve already met.” Neither statement was false, I thought as I slid into the car, but I was surprised that she didn’t hear my heart. It was thudding its way into my throat and on up to my brain. Or maybe what I felt were arrhythmic little bursts of anger. Life had been calm, quiet, and easy here, but no more. Try as I might to keep the past tucked away in its own little box, events of the past few days were poking tiny holes in the bottom and letting it leak.
Joyce closed the door and buckled up. “I think he’s a little awkward meeting people who work at the resort, like he isn’t sure what kind of professional distance to keep.”
If she thought that was why he hadn’t wanted to meet me, I was fine with it. “What’s his role?” I asked with just enough curiosity. “Isn’t he representing a group?”
“I understood he was the group,” Joyce said and, starting the car, backed around.
“Just him? Uh, no. That can’t be.” Edward didn’t have that kind of money. He didn’t have anywhere near that kind of money. “The last two owners were groups of investors.”
“Uh-huh, and you see how well that worked,” Joyce remarked, cruising forward at last.
“It did,” I argued. “Our name is more prominent than it ever was. We’re listed in the best of the best for nearly every category that applies.”
“We’re losing money.”
“Not losing,” I said, but the look Joyce shot me, hair swinging, when she slowed at the end of the drive said otherwise. “We are?”
She turned onto the main road and accelerated. “Yup. Garrett let it slip when we were talking last week. Of course, it might have been sour grapes. He’s interviewing for other jobs.”
With that, the issue took on a larger dimension. “I thought our jobs were safe. Weren’t we told that?”
“We were. Garrett wasn’t. Apparently, Ned Cooper will be doing most of what Garrett does now.”