“No, Grace,” Benton said. “She is not flying in. I don’t keep in touch with her—you know that.”

“Right,” Grace said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you seem distant, like you’re pulling away.”

Benton slid his phone into his pocket and faced Grace. “You should probably give your girls some attention.”

“I’m sorry?” Grace said. “Are you telling me how to parent?”

“I had a conversation with Hope,” Benton said. “It was no big deal, but even she told me Allegra was heading for trouble. I feel like I’m taking you away from your number-one responsibility.”

“You… no, you’re not,” Grace said. “The girls are… well, they’re sixteen. If I paid more attention to them, they would call me annoying and tell me to go away.”

Benton sighed. “You’re right. I have no business telling you how to parent.”

“Is something else bothering you?” Grace asked. “Something you’re afraid to tell me?”

Benton nodded slowly. “I think people are talking about us.”

“Do you?”

“There’s a woman named Donna who works for Mrs. Allemand, and she heard Madeline King was writing some sexy novel about a woman and her contractor. I guess people are saying it’s based on you and me.”

“Madeline?” Grace said. Madeline was writing a new novel, but Grace didn’t know the subject.

“You haven’t told Madeline about us, have you?” Benton asked.

“No,” Grace said. She feared the tops of her ears would burst into flames, giving her away.

“I know she’s your best friend,” Benton said.

“Was my best friend,” Grace said. “She isn’t speaking to me right now because of this thing with Allegra.”

“She’s not writing this as some kind of revenge, then, is she?” Benton asked.

“No,” Grace said, but her mind was racing to the night when Grace invited Madeline up to her study, and then all those phone calls. Madeline knew every detail. If she were writing a book… but no, Madeline wouldn’t do that, not even as a revenge tactic.

Two of the women at this table will betray the person on their left.

Grace shook her head to clear it. “Who’s Donna?” she said. “And where did she hear this rumor?”

“I guess she’s friends with a girl named Greta, who’s the nanny for that blond woman Sharon that we saw at the party.”

“Oh God,” Grace said. “Sharon is awful. Sharon makes stuff up all the time and tries to pass it off as the truth.”

“Well, all I’m saying is what I heard.”

“I thought you didn’t care who knew,” Grace said. “That’s what you said the other night.”

“I had been drinking.”

“So you do care?”

“Well, I don’t love being the subject of gossip. I have a business to run. I hate to generalize like this, but it’s the women who hire me—however, it’s the men who pay the bills. But this all reflects much more poorly on you, Grace. I don’t want anyone thinking badly of you.”

Grace took a deep breath. “I’m ready to leave Eddie.”

Benton raised his eyebrows in an expression of boyish hope. “Really?”

“Really,” she said. Then she thought about the twins. Allegra was already such a mess, and Hope was fragile.

Benton read the doubt off her face, maybe, because he said, “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s just work on the yard for the shoot for now.”

Grace nodded. “Okay.”

He said, “I’ll stay for lunch tomorrow, Grace, I promise.” He bent down and kissed her in a way that turned her inside out. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Grace said.

Benton strode away, and a few seconds later, Grace heard the engine of his truck. She ran upstairs to her study and called Madeline.

Three rings, four rings, voice mail.

Grace said, “There’s a rumor going around that you’re writing your new novel about a woman having an affair with her contractor, and apparently some people think it’s about me and Benton? This had better not be true, Madeline.” Grace swallowed. “This had better not be true.”

MADELINE

She hadn’t held out much hope that Brick would want to ease his heartache by spending time with his mother, but Madeline offered, and Brick accepted. In the week following Allegra’s deception, they hung out together. The first day, they grabbed sandwiches from Something Natural and drove out to Sesachacha Pond, where Madeline sat at the water’s edge and Brick listened to music on his headphones. The second day it rained, so they went to the movies at the Dreamland Theatre, each with their own tub of popcorn and box of Milk Duds. The third day, they rode their bikes to Madaket and napped on the beach until the sun set in orange and pink streaks—then Trevor met them at Millie’s for fish tacos.

The fourth day, Brick wanted to “stay home and chill,” whatever that meant, so Madeline wrote in her apartment all day.

The fifth day, Brick asked Madeline if she wanted to join him and Parker Marz at Cisco Beach.

“Sure,” Madeline said. Parker was smaller in stature than Brick’s other friends, but he was smart and funny and related well to adults, and Madeline enjoyed his company.