The Lighthouse Chapter 3

Chapter THREE:

Alice Kelton tossed another swimming suit into the open suitcase on her bed. Frank’s phone rang and rang, and he did not pick up. “Of course,” she muttered, ending the call before his voicemail could demand she leave a message. She wanted to hurl the phone through the window, load up everything she owned, and get on the jet back to Rocky Ridge, the smallest of the islands that made up Five Island Cove.

It would probably take Frank at least a week to realize she’d even moved out. He worked in the city during the week, only coming home to grace everyone with his presence on the weekends. As it was Monday, and he’d left last night, Alice wouldn’t be missed for days.

Even when she was in their sprawling mansion on their immaculate grounds, she wasn’t missed. She hadn’t slept with Frank in over two years, as the man couldn’t keep it in his pants, and she didn’t want to get another disease, thank you very much.

Divorce was not something she had considered for very long, though the idea did occur to Alice from time to time. But Frank liked having her here in the Hamptons, simply so he could drop sentences like, “My wife runs the charity that helps disabled veterans,” or “Back home in the Hamptons…”

Yes, Alice had married way up, and she’d paid heavily for it.

“Mom,” Ginny said, drawing her out of her personal pity party. She didn’t allow herself to fall into such episodes very often, because she knew what kind of bed she’d been getting into twenty years ago, and she’d been making it and remaking it every morning since.

“Yes, dear,” she said, pulling her thoughts and feelings back from the precipice where they’d been dangling.

“Do I need my computer? How long are we going to be at Grandpa’s?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But yes, bring your computer. You’ll need to finish up the term, at the very least.”

Ginny didn’t look pleased about missing the last two weeks of the term, but Alice honestly didn’t care. Out of the twins, Ginny definitely cared more about her grades than Charlie, who had struggled with math since the third grade. Alice had been the one at the kitchen table with him night after night. Alice had been the one to hire the private tutors. Alice had been the one to police the time the kids spent on electronic devices, how much allowance the twins were allowed to have, and how many electives they could take and still be considered academically sound.

Frank expected the children to get into Ivy League schools. Frank expected peace and quiet when he came home. Frank expected children who didn’t act like children. And when they’d become teenagers…Alice had taken to bribing them to get them to act the way Frank expected.

Alice had given everything to him. She reached up and patted her mousy brown hair, reminding herself that no, she didn’t particularly like Frank Kelton all that much. But she had married him, and he’d provided a life of luxury for her that few could even imagine.

She smoothed down the front of her slacks, noting how empty her stomach felt. But she couldn’t eat, because women Alice’s age could hardly eat anything or they’d gain weight. And Alice could not go above a size eight. The front of her slacks wouldn’t be flat then, and she was determined to stay in the skirts and pants she’d spent a fortune on. Then she could stand up in front of the library board and demand ratings on their video sections, be admired and looked at longingly by the other trophy wives on her street, and get nominated for another term as the HOA president.

All in all, though, Alice did not care about any of it. She wanted a bowl of lobster mac from the run-down, nearly condemned shack on the south side of Diamond Island, with plenty of butter and breadcrumbs. Her mouth watered just thinking about it.

She tugged on the bottom of her sweater as she walked smoothly into the hall. “Charlie,” she said. “You’re packing, right? The jet leaves in a couple of hours.”

Her son did not answer, and Alice braced herself for an argument. Charlie loved to argue, and if he could get the grades, he’d make a fine lawyer, like his father. He didn’t get flustered by confrontation the way Alice did, and she really just wanted to open his door and find his neatly packed suitcase waiting by the door.

Life was rarely how Alice wanted it, though.

“Charlie,” she said again, knocking on the door. She tried the knob, but he’d locked it. “I hate it when you lock the door.” She pressed her face right into the seam where the door met the jamb to speak to him.

A moment later, he opened the door, and Alice fell back. He wore a sharp look on his face, and Alice couldn’t count how many times she’d seen those same slanted eyebrows on her husband’s face. “I’m coming, Mom,” he said. “You literally told me twenty minutes ago about this stupid trip.”

“It’s not my fault you do not answer your phone,” Alice said, lifting her chin. “Had you picked up the phone when I called earlier, you’d have had plenty of time to prepare.”

“I was talking to Jessica.”

“Ah, Jessica.” Alice put a smile on her face, because she didn’t need to push Charlie further away. “And how is she?”

“Great,” he said in a deadpan. “She was in crisis, Mom.”

“Oh? What kind of crisis?”

“The kind where she got a B.” He rolled his eyes. “Her parents are seriously so uptight, and she was crying.”

And surely Charlie had made Jessica feel all better. Alice cocked her head at him, hating the question in her mind. She didn’t want to speak it. She disliked making things awkward between her and the children, but some things just needed to be said.

“You’re not having sex with her, are you?”

“Mom,” Charlie said, rolling his whole head now. “No, okay? No. Stop asking me that.”

“I will not stop asking you that,” Alice said. “You’re fourteen years old, and you shouldn’t be having sex.”

“I’m fifteen,” Charlie said. “And—”

“You won’t be fifteen until next week,” she said. “Trust me, I know when you came out of my body.”

“Mom, gross.”

“Gross?” Alice cocked her eyebrow at him and smiled. “Jessica could get pregnant if you’re doing…that.”

“We’re not,” he said. “Besides, I’ve talked to Dad about this a hundred times. I know how to not get a girl pregnant.”

“That is so not comforting,” Alice said, true worry striking her heartstrings. “Using a condom during sex is still having sex. You know that, right?” She didn’t like Frank talking to Charlie about sex. What was he saying? Use a condom so you don’t get a girl pregnant. Don’t be stupid about it.

That was all fine and good—unless he was telling Charlie that so he didn’t get caught. That sex with a condom was like not having sex at all. Frank would do whatever it took not to get caught, as Alice knew only too well.

“Mom, can you please stop?” Charlie reached for something next to the door and shoved his suitcase into the hall. “Please. I already have a headache, and you’ve already ruined my fifteenth birthday.”

“I can’t help it if a close, personal friend passed away and the funeral is near your birthday,” she said. “Besides, Della makes a delicious chocolate cake, and it’s not like we’re not going to celebrate at all.”

But she knew what he meant. He didn’t care about having a party with her and her seventy-five-year-old father and the new wife he’d married a decade ago. Charlie wanted a shindig in the expansive basement, where he could have his friends over and they could eat pizza and drink soda, shoot baskets or pool, and watch movies.

She reached out and ran her hand down the side of his face. “I’m sorry about your birthday.”

He wore a growl on his face, but he said, “I know, Mom.”

If only he knew how much she’d protected him from. How much she’d do to make sure his life was as easy as possible. She picked up the suitcase and turned. “Okay. I’m going to put this in the car.”

“I got it,” Charlie said. “And if you leave yours in the hallway, I’ll take it down too.”

Alice smiled at him, wondering what she’d done to get such a good son. Especially from a sperm donor like Frank. “Thank you, dear. I just need to finish up a few things.”

She turned and went down the long hallway to the master suite. Alice could keep her composure in front of people like a pro. She’d had twenty-five years of experience. But behind closed doors…Alice sighed and slumped against the door behind her.

All the way to the floor she slid, curling her knees to her chest. Her step-mother’s chocolate cake sounded like heaven about now. Once, Alice had thought her mom could fix anything with a hug and a huge pitcher of lemonade.

Chocolate cake and lemonade did not fix marriages, though. They did not fill the lonely hours Alice spent by herself in a seven-thousand square-foot house that had no soul. They did not bring back the dead, as she knew so well.

Flashes of her fifteen-year-old self filled her mind like bright pops of light. Choosing the flowers. Following the casket into the chapel. Singing a song with her brother. The way the wind whipped at the cemetery. Going home. Making dinner for a father who didn’t come home that night.

And then she’d gone to Robin’s, where she’d always been welcome, where some sense of normalcy existed, even if her mother could pick at a person until they snapped back. That night, after the funeral, there’d been no picking and no snapping.

Robin’s mother had made fish tacos, and they’d all cried together. She’d told Alice to come any time she needed to, and she’d said she’d talk to Alice’s father about not leaving his teenagers home alone.

Acting quickly, she flipped the switch to turn off that line of thought. Instead, she focused on Kristen Shields, the woman who had guided Alice through so many tumultuous times in her life, including her mother’s death.

When Robin had called, Alice’s first words were, “Of course I’ll be there.” She’d started an email to their pilot before the phone call had ended, and the flight was scheduled on their private jet for later that afternoon.

In truth, Alice couldn’t face the thought of another week trapped in this house by herself. The walls of her life had been pressing ever closer the past month or so, and Alice needed an escape. She might not have thought she’d find it in Five Island Cove, but that was the direction she was being called at the moment.

And while April wasn’t the warmest time of year for a visit to the islands, she was going. And she was taking the kids. She might tell Frank later in the week, but she might not. She hadn’t decided yet.

Her phone chimed, reminding her she really needed to finish packing, and she got to her feet. Smoothing down all that had rumpled during the past five minutes, Alice stepped over to her suitcase and looked inside. Five Island Cove had stores and quaint little shops, and whatever she didn’t have, she could buy.

The cove had become a haven for the rich and famous over the past fifteen years or so, and Alice had found herself listening to friends at the high teas around the Hamptons talk about the homes they were building on Sanctuary Island or Pearl Island. Alice had said nothing, though most of the wives knew she hailed from Five Island Cove.

Since so many wealthy people visited the islands now, she knew she could find whatever she needed should her fancy slacks get dirty or ruined. So she zipped up the suitcase and set it in the hall before going into the bathroom to make sure every eyelash sat in the right spot. She slicked on lipstick and collected her purse from the drawer in her dresser, the motions done out of habit now. Every piece of Alice got put in the right place before anyone ever saw. Always.

In the kitchen, she found Charlie and Ginny sitting at the counter, both of them absorbed in their phones. “Ready, guys?” she asked cheerily, as if she’d been planning this little outing to a brilliant tropical island for months.

The twins got up but didn’t speak, and Alice supposed that would have to do. She smiled brightly at them, wondering if they could see through her façade. Probably, she thought, keeping the grin hitched in place. “Charlie, do you want to drive?”

Hope lit his face. “Really?”

“Really.” She took the keys out of her purse and handed them to her son. “You’re not going to kill us on the way to the airstrip, are you?” She laughed as he rolled his eyes and ignored Ginny as she complained that Charlie got to drive more than she did.

After all, Alice was very good at ignoring the things that bothered her, and she could deal with Ginny when they arrived at the ridge, miles and miles from the concerns and worries of this insufferable place.

* * *

“Alice!” Robin’s voice lifted above the others, and Alice’s pulse picked up. She hadn’t realized how comforting a kind voice could be. “Alice, over here.”

She turned to her right, and the sight of the petite, blonde woman brought a smile to Alice’s face. “Robin.” She veered to her friend, almost forgetting she’d brought two surly fourteen-year-olds with her. “This way, guys,” she added as an afterthought.

Robin balanced on her tiptoes, because she’d never grown much over five-foot-two inches. And she hadn’t changed a bit. Still blonde, with perfectly blue eyes. Robin had never had many blemishes, and she didn’t now either. She didn’t struggle with acne, or hair that didn’t poof perfectly the way she’d wanted it. Now, with the current styles, her hair fell straight down her back, and it looked kissed by the sun itself.

She must be starving, Alice thought as she reached Robin and the two hugged. Robin had been trim and tan and talented in high school, and she still was. The woman looked like she’d barely graduated from Cove High, without many wrinkles, crow’s feet, or laugh lines. Alice wondered how much she’d spent to keep her skin smooth, and she was dying to ask her how many calories she ate every day.

As if on cue, her stomach growled, and Robin pulled away, the joy on her face very real. “Are you hungry? I bet we have time to grab something.”

“I’m always hungry,” Alice said with a laugh, as if she were kidding. She stepped back, remembering how tight she needed to keep her real thoughts laced. “Guys, this is Robin Golden, one of my friends from high school.” She indicated her children, who had been properly trained to meet princes and presidents. “Charlie and Ginny,” she said, smiling at them, a stream of pride moving through her as they both put a charming smile on their face.

“Nice to meet you,” Charlie said, reaching out his hand.

Robin glanced at Alice, clearly impressed. “And you.”

“Ma’am,” Ginny said.

“Okay,” Robin said. “I’m the same age as your mother.” She grinned at the twins. “Now come on. I know just what your mother wants to eat.” She beamed at Alice, that knowing glint in her eye exactly the same. No matter what had happened over the past twenty-seven years, it hadn’t erased their bond.

Alice felt like she’d changed a ton, and likely Robin had too. But in this one moment, they were seventeen again, and they could communicate without words.

“Lobster mac,” they said together, and the laughter that spilled from Alice’s mouth afterward was probably the first real laugh she’d made in at least a decade.