How to Keep a Secret

“He was our dad. Little girls are allowed to love their dad even if he’s flawed. Mom wouldn’t want us to hate him.”

Jenna flopped down on the chair next to her. “You look exhausted. What time did you get up?”

“Five.” And she’d been upholstering a sofa until midnight. “Since when have you been a keen morning runner?”

“I will never be a keen runner at any time of the day, but that doesn’t mean I can’t run when I have to. I’ll run for cookies, I’ll run for ice cream and I’ll run for my sister.” Jenna waved her hand toward the door. “I’ll give you four minutes to get changed. I can’t be late for school.”

Lauren was touched. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I have a ton of things to do to get this place ready for the rental.”

“An hour out of your day isn’t going to make a difference. What’s all that?” Jenna frowned at the boxes stacked against the wall in the kitchen.

“That,” Lauren said, “is just some of the junk Mom cleared out yesterday.”

Jenna opened the box on top and peeped inside. “Dad’s trophies?”

“She’s taking them to the Goodwill store.”

“She opened up his man cave?”

“Not only did she open it up, she cleared it out.”

“And she didn’t seem upset?”

“She was energized. Once she started, there was no stopping her. I helped her. I think she found it cathartic.”

“A month ago, I never would have believed it possible.” Jenna closed the box back up. “So now we have a tenth bedroom.”

“I still need to clean it up and decorate, but yes. Eventually.” Would they get it all done in time? She’d been working nonstop since they’d agreed on their plan.

She’d thrown herself into the redecoration of The Captain’s House, relying more on creativity than cash. She spent her days trawling thrift stores and yard sales, and was consistently surprised by what people were prepared to throw away.

She bought wooden crates cheaply, painted them and used them as side tables in the children’s bunk room. She sewed pretty patchwork quilts for the beds in coastal colors, using scraps of fabric that had been discarded. She’d picked up an outgrown beach dress in bold blue-and-white stripe and used it to recover cushions in the garden room. She had to pay more than she’d planned for the perfect rug for the living room, but she’d found bargain lighting that had helped rebalance her books.

Every night at dinner she showed off her fabric finds to her mother and they discussed colors and textures. Her mother was painting the rooms, mostly in white to reflect the light and space. Lauren used the furnishings to add color.

She sewed late into the night and started again early in the morning. Their deadline hung over her. She knew she needed to get a few rooms finished so that they could photograph the house and advertise it, but she’d underestimated how long it would take to transform a house as big as this one. And they still had the Sail Loft to tackle.

“You’ve been busy,” Jenna said and Lauren nodded as she folded the quilt.

“It stops me thinking about Ed, and Scott. And takes my mind off worrying about Mack.”

Jenna grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table. “How is she?”

“Happier I think.” Which was a relief. Lauren wasn’t quite sure what had brought about the change and assumed it was school. She was too relieved to question it too close

ly. “We don’t talk much but she seems to have stopped treating me like the enemy.”

“That’s a start.” Jenna finished the apple. “Come on. It’s low tide. We can run along the beach.”

It had been years since she’d run along the beach.

Lauren was tempted. “A short one.”

They ran along the bike path that led between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, and then dropped down to the beach.

The moment her feet hit the sand, Lauren found her rhythm. She wondered why she hadn’t done this before now. She’d forgotten it. Forgotten how much she loved it.

Her stride lengthened and her running shoes were virtually silent on the sand.