Instead, Benton winced, and Grace actually thought he might cry. Then they heard Eddie retreat; they heard the engine of his car. He was leaving, just as he’d said.

Benton looked at Grace. “I’m going.”

“But…?” Grace said. “I thought…?”

Benton said, “When word about this gets around, it is going to be so bad, Grace. Bad for you, but really bad for me. I could lose my business. I will lose my business, for sure. I can’t stay here.” He pulled at hanks of his ginger hair. “I can’t believe I was so stupid! Jesus!”

Grace didn’t like the way he was talking. She said, “Ten minutes ago you said you liked hearing how I would give everything up for you.”

“Ten minutes ago we hadn’t gotten caught!” Benton said. “And when I said you were talking crazy, I meant it. This is make-believe, Grace. I’m not saying it hasn’t been wonderful. It was fun and exciting and sexy—just like a summer romance is supposed to be.”

“It’s more than a summer romance,” Grace said. “I’ve already decided to leave.”

“No, don’t do that. Please.” He opened the door to the shed, and sweet, cool air filled the space, but Grace found she couldn’t breathe. “I have to get out of here,” Benton said, and he strode away, disappearing around the side of the house without a look back at Grace. A few seconds later, she heard the engine of his truck. She thought, He’s leaving me. He’s leaving me.

In the minutes that followed, Grace called Benton’s cell phone seven times and left five voice mails. She sent him four text messages of varying lengths. In return, there was silence.

Grace called Eddie’s office. She needed to tell him that, no matter how angry he was, he couldn’t tell anyone about what he’d discovered. If he did, all of their lives would be ruined—his, hers, Benton’s, and the twins’! But Eloise answered and delivered Grace’s call to Eddie’s voice mail. Grace was afraid that either Eloise or Barbie would listen to the message, and so she talked about dinner plans. Steaks. Potatoes and corn. Then she broke down and hung up.

Eddie wouldn’t talk to her, and could she blame him?

Just then, a text came in from Benton. Grace was flooded with relief until she read it.

It said: I’m leaving the island tomorrow. There’s an opportunity in Detroit I’ve been considering for a while. I’m going to pursue it and let Donovan run the business here. We were careless and impetuous, Grace, and I accept 50 percent of the blame. I wish you well. You will always be my First Lady. XO B.

Grace couldn’t believe how hurt she was by his choice of words. He wished her well? He was moving to Detroit? They had been careless and impetuous? XO?

They had been in love—who cared about Benton’s career or Grace’s reputation? What did those things matter?

He accepted 50 percent of the blame. That was big of him.

Detroit? He had been “considering it for a while”—but this was the first Grace had heard about Detroit. Would McGuvvy meet him in Detroit? McGuvvy was from Ohio, right? And Ohio bordered Michigan, so, safe to say, McGuvvy would probably move to Detroit and teach sailing on the lake. Benton had probably been considering going back to McGuvvy for a while!

She would always be his First Lady, but what did that matter if she didn’t end up with him?

Careless? He made it sound like they had forgotten to wind the garden hose or check the pool filters.

Impetuous? Grace knew what the word meant, but she looked it up anyway. Acting or done quickly, without thought. He couldn’t have said anything that would have made her feel worse. He didn’t love her; the shout-out on Lucretia Mott Lane had been a drunken lie and his subsequent declarations, further lies. He hadn’t stood up to Eddie. He had acted afraid of Eddie, when he could have easily taken Eddie over his knee and spanked him.

He wished her well.

What ensued for Grace was nothing short of total devastation. She couldn’t stand to look at the gardening shed. She would gladly hire someone to come knock it down. She wanted to pour gasoline over the roses and set them on fire. She wanted the whole yard to burn.

She climbed into her Range Rover and drove like a bat out of hell to Benton’s office. It was still not quite noon, and all of the work trucks were gone, including Benton’s black pickup. Where was he? She just needed to see him, she needed a few calm moments to talk this through with him. Eddie wouldn’t say anything to anyone; he didn’t like sharing news that reflected poorly on him. No one would ever know what had happened. Benton could stay here. Or… Grace could go with him to Detroit.

No, she thought immediately. She couldn’t leave the twins like that. There was just no way.

She parked the car haphazardly and raced up the steps to Benton’s apartment. The door to his place opened, and a young, bearded man with glasses and a porkpie hat stepped out.

“Hi?” he said. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Benton,” Grace said. “Is he here?”

“He’s out in the field, I do believe,” the man said. “I’m Donovan, his manager. Do you have a question or a problem?”

“Both,” Grace said honestly. Then she felt like a total fool. “I’m Grace Pancik.”

“Oh, right!” Donovan said. “I thought you looked familiar. I saw the spread in the Globe. That was some great press. We’ve picked up three new clients from that already.”