keep you plenty busy.” She then turned to me. “Maddy, you should come down for a few days too. You must be getting kind of bored yourself here on the island.”
“Oh, thank you,” —I had to think fast to get out of this one— “but I really need to stay here. I’m supposed to be trying to write—”
“Yeah, Maddy came here to cure her writer’s block,” Helena interrupted.
Uh-oh. Despite Adam’s claim that nobody but he knew why I was really here, I couldn’t help searching Helena’s face for any sign that she was onto me and my phony cover story. But thankfully she appeared to be none the wiser to my ruse.
“That’s right! You’re a writer,” Trina said. “I’m definitely going to check out your books as soon as I get back to Boston.”
“I started the first one,” Helena chimed in, surprising me completely with her admission. “It’s really good.” I met her eyes, and she smiled warmly. “I highly recommend them.”
How sweet! I thought. Helena was rapidly becoming my second favorite person on the island. Eventually the conversation veered away from my novels. Helena and Trina started to complain about their significant others, and I felt more and more out of place, having nothing to contribute.
“Just think,” Helena said, “give it a few more months with Adam, and you’ll be sitting here bitching about him right along with us.”
Certain I was blushing profusely, since Adam and I were nowhere near that point, I lowered my eyes. Helena must have forgotten that I had signed a lease for only three months. It was way too early to be making assumptions about where my relationship with Adam was heading. Not to mention she didn’t know the other half of why I was even here.
“Uh, I don’t know about that…” I trailed off.
“Well, I beg to differ,” Trina said, jumping into the conversation. “I know my brother, and he is definitely into you.”
“Did he say anything?” Helena asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.
“He doesn’t have to say anything. I can tell.” Trina paused. “Let’s just say he looks happier than he has in a long, long time.”
My heart soared to new heights thinking I could possibly be the reason for Adam’s newfound joy.
Trina patted my hand. “And, Maddy, you are the kind of woman Adam needs. Not someone like that wretched Chelsea,” she huffed, making a face.
Here was my chance to possibly uncover some more info. “You didn’t like her?” I ventured.
“Didn’t like her? Hell, I hated her.” Trina’s eyes darkened. “She was the worst thing that ever happened to my brother.”
Helena glanced away, biting down on her lower lip. After what she’d told me the other day, how she somehow felt she was to blame since she’d introduced Chelsea and Adam, I knew how hard it had to be for her to hear this.
Unaware, Trina said vehemently, “Thank God, the bitch is gone.”
Her tone was so cold and dispassionate as she uttered those words that a heavy silence fell over our table. It didn’t appear Trina was going to be as forthcoming with her reasons for hating Chelsea as Helena had been. The air was tense as none of us seemed to know what to say next.
Breaking the tension at last, Trina said, “Listen, I’m going to the ladies room.” She pushed back her chair. “And then I’m going to make us some cappuccinos, and when I get back we are so changing this subject.”
Helena and I both nodded in hearty agreement. Once Trina closed the restroom door, Helena began to quietly fill me in on why Trina despised Chelsea so very much. I thanked the heavens above that the beautiful Helena Jackson had a penchant for gossip when she began to tell this story:
Trina had never been fond of the flashy Chelsea Hannigan, but she grew to despise her when she started to believe Chelsea viewed Adam as just another prize possession to hold onto. In high school and throughout his early college years, Adam had genuinely cared for Chelsea. His intentions had been nothing but honorable back in those early days. As time wore on, though, he too grew to distrust Chelsea. He heard the rumors, but every time he’d confront her, Chelsea denied any wrongdoing. But, of course, his suspicions were confirmed with the incident at Billy’s.
Trina, like Nate and Helena, was absolutely stunned when Adam didn’t immediately break things off with Chelsea. Hell, she’d been caught red-handed. And adding insult to injury, she’d defended