How to Keep a Secret

She knew her niece had been having trouble at school and Lauren had called her, racked with guilt, to tell her how she’d “lost it” with Mack a few days earlier.

Privately Jenna had been a little relieved to hear Lauren had exploded. Her sister’s almost unnatural level of control had been starting to worry her and in her opinion Mack had been pushing boundaries a little too far.

“Come on in. I made all your favorite things to eat.”

“This room is looking cozy, Jenna,” her mother said, and Lauren nodded.

“It’s so you.”

“Messy, you mean?”

“Comfortable.” Lauren glanced around. “A house should feel lived-in and loved. With yours I immediately want to kick off my shoes and lounge on the sofa with a book.”

Jenna was about to reply when Greg appeared from the kitchen, his emotions carefully concealed beneath charm and warmth.

She tried to catch his eye, but he wasn’t looking at her.

He poured everyone a drink and after an exchange of small talk, they moved to the table.

Jenna served the soup, along with crusty bread rolls flavored with sea salt and rosemary that she’d baked herself. All she wanted to do was be alone with Greg to talk, but there was no chance of that.

“Did I ever tell you my book group loved your cakes?” Nancy reached for one of the rolls. “They were gone in a moment. Everyone was talking about them.”

“I’m glad. And I forgot to mention that I bumped into Sheila. She told me you’d been to visit Kaley in hospital and given her one of your coloring books and pens. That was kind of you.”

Nancy gave a short laugh. “I have boxes of them gathering dust.”

Lauren picked up her spoon. “You have a lot of things gathering dust in that house, Mom.”

“As my grandmother said, you never know when a thing might become useful. I’m not good at throwing things away.”

Jenna had learned not to question her great-grandmother’s wisdom, particularly as she was no longer around to defend herself. She’d died before Lauren was born, leaving responsibility for the house, its contents and the entire Stewart heritage with Nancy.

“I think you might need to learn.” Lauren put her spoon down and pulled a sheaf of papers from her bag. “Take a look.”

Jenna was confused. “A look at what?”

“When I was driving round the other day, I noticed one of those huge beach houses for rent. It gave me an idea,” Lauren said. “I want to know what you think.”

Nancy raised her eyebrows. “Since when did we work at the dinner table?”

“Since we had a family crisis. If this works out the way I hope it will, we’re going to need to use every minute of every day.” Lauren opened the file, pulled out a spreadsheet covered in numbers and slid it across the table. “I’ve talked to a few people in town and run the numbers.”

Jenna looked at the spreadsheets and floor plans. “You’ve been busy.” She picked up the sheets closest to her. Each room in The Captain’s House was carefully mapped out by hand on graph paper. “Can’t you do this on a computer?”

“Yes, but I prefer the old-fashioned way.”

It must have taken hours, but that was good, wasn’t it? Finally her sister had a focus and a purpose.

Jenna glanced at Greg, but he was silent.

She was surprised no one had sensed the tension between them. Or maybe no one thought to look.

Jenna took a closer look at one of the sheets of paper. “What is that long line?”

“This is the garden room, and the line is the window.” Lauren turned the paper round. “You can see door openings, and how that’s going to work with the space.”

Jenna had never considered how a door opened when she’d planned her decoration. “And those small squares?”