Page 65 of Summer After Summer

“I should hope so after the fee she’s going to get on the house transaction,” I say.

Charlotte frowns. “She did great work for us.”

“Do I want to know what her fee is?” Sophie asks.

“I doubt it.” I lean back on the couch. It’s never been comfortable, and age hasn’t helped it. “Fred offered to have his lawyers set up the trust.”

“Did he?” Charlotte says.

“Don’t look at me like that. He and Lucy were talking about it.”

Sophie leans forward eagerly. “I think they’re cute together.”

Charlotte watches me as I take in this information. “Why have Fred do it and not Ann?”

I try to keep my voice nonchalant. “Because he set up something similar for his uncle when he died. And he offered. But I don’t care. You guys decide.”

“I think we should keep it in the family,” Sophie says.

Charlotte gives a satisfied smile. “I’ll tell Ann.”

“I meant Fred.”

My throat goes dry. “Fred’s in the family now?”

“If things work out with him and Lucy …”

“Work out how?” I say. I don’t want to know, but I don’t have the strength to avoid asking.

“He said he bought this place because he wants to settle down. Why not with Lucy? She’s great.”

“Wait, what?”

“You told me that, right, Charlotte? Or maybe Lucy did? Anyway, they’ve been dating—a few dinners, and I think they played golf once.”

I thought they’d had one dinner after meeting at the garden party. Clearly not. “That’s hardly wedding bells.”

“Didn’t you announce your engagement after, like, a month?”

“That’s not a recommendation for a quick romance, surely.”

Charlotte makes a noise in her throat that’s like a growl. “This is stupid. We’ll use Ann.”

“No,” I insist. “I want to keep this separate. We’ll use Fred’s team.”

“Fine. Whatever. I have a match to get to.” She flounces out of the room, and we watch her leave.

“She’s playing tennis now?” Sophie asks.

“Apparently, she’s full of secrets. Like this house.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve just been thinking about Mom a lot … Do you think she was happy?”

“With what?”

“Her life. William.”

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