Page 43 of The Summer We Mended
Jess swallowed hard and fought back the anger that wanted to bubble out.Clark had told her that he had a bachelor’s degree in finance.That he was an accountant, and because he was her husband, she didn’t think to check his story.She’d been too busy building her company to visit him at work or look into his story at all.
The man had run an entire line on her for a very long time, and she hadn’t even thought he was telling lies.It never occurred to her.
Jess and Clark had met not long after Jess moved to California to start her business.One of her mentors in the tech field introduced him to her, claiming Clark was a successful financial coach.Clark told her that he was an accountant but also ran a side gig in which he helped people build their financial portfolios, save money, and budget better.In reality, Clark was building trust with clients and getting them to use a fake bank as their savings account.He scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from people.He used her company to continue doing so.As head of her accounting department, he had access to her profits and was writing off expenses that didn’t exist, skimming money off the top, among other things.No one wanted to believe that he acted alone.He had ruined her credibility.And because she felt she had to protect Maisie from the truth, she didn’t press charges.She let him get away scot-free while she dealt with the aftermath.
Looking back, it made sense why he wanted to get married so fast, why he pushed her to have a baby so quickly.It was all part of his ploy.Jess wanted to collapse as she faced the reality that she had married a man who didn’t even love her; she loved him, but she was just a means to an end to him.That was gut-wrenching.The only thing that kept her from breaking down was Maisie.She couldn’t let her daughter watch her fall apart.
When people raved about how great he was, it was so hard for her to keep her mouth shut.But she did, for Maisie.
Her mother moved on, talking about lantern designs and gathering driftwood and recipes she wanted to dig out of old church cookbooks.Jess listened, nodded in the right places, but her mind was still wrapped tight around the things left unsaid, the pressure of trying to move forward while everyone else clung to a past version of her that no longer fit.
She would apply to more jobs this afternoon.Keep her head down.Focus on Maisie.On healing.That was the only dance she had energy for.
The rest of it?She just didn’t have the heart.
ChapterSixteen
Anna
Anna sat on the porch swing of her mother’s house in Vineyard Haven, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the lawn.The twins were napping, a rare and precious window of quiet.She sipped her iced coffee and stared at her phone, thumb hovering over the screen.
Hey Jess, want to grab dinner and a drink tonight?Mom and Margot offered to watch the kids.
She hesitated for a moment before hitting send.She wasn’t sure if she had the energy to go out herself, but she was certain that her cousin needed it more.Jess had been back on the island for a few weeks now, and Anna could see the strain in her eyes, the forced smiles.Maybe a night out would help.
To her surprise, Jess replied almost immediately.
Sure.But fair warning, when I mentioned it to my mom, she got overly excited and started talking about game night.She will probably call Aunt Lily soon.
Game night.Anna sat back in the swing and smiled.The phrase alone sent Anna spiraling into a thousand memories, most of them filled with popcorn bowls, mismatched socks, and shouting matches over Monopoly rules.Back then, every Saturday night like clockwork, her parents, Jess’s parents, would rotate hosting duties.Jess, Anna, Cody, and Jess’s brothers, James and Justin, would huff and roll their eyes like it was the worst thing in the world to be asked to stay in and play board games.But the moment the pizza hit the table and someone pulled out Scattergories or Pictionary, they were yelling, laughing, and fighting over who got to be on which team.
Anna could still remember James accusing Justin of cheating at Uno, and Cody dramatically declaring that “this house has no honor” when he got skipped three turns in a row.Jess always chose team games over competitive ones, and Anna, being the one with the neatest handwriting, was often stuck keeping score or acting as the tiebreaker judge, which she took very seriously.
They stopped doing it when high school schedules got too full, when football games and parties became the new Saturday night tradition.But in quiet moments, like tonight, Anna could admit she missed it.They all did.Even Cody, who would never say it out loud.
She tucked her phone in her back pocket and stepped inside, hearing the familiar hum of voices from the kitchen.The smell of baked chicken and something lemony filled the air as she entered the bright, slightly chaotic space.
Nora was sitting cross-legged on the kitchen island, a juice box in one hand and a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur in the other.
“Did you know T-Rexes couldn’t brush their teeth because their arms were too small?”she announced to no one in particular.
“That’s tragic,” Margot said with a grin, spooning pasta salad into a large ceramic bowl.“And yet, relatable.”
Lily’s phone started ringing.She moved to look at it and then continued to let it ring.Margot looked up at her in shock before she answered it for her.
“Hey, Claudia!”Margot greeted cheerfully.“Lily is elbow deep in dishwater, so I answered the phone for her.”
Anna could hear her aunt’s excited voice through the phone.She smiled to herself, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and leaned against the doorframe as she listened.
“Game night?”Margot repeated with a wide grin on her face.
Lily started shaking her head before she said, “No,” quietly.
Margot pretended not to notice, and as she and Claudia continued talking, Lily’s no became more adamant.Margot continued to ignore her, even turning her back so she couldn’t see her.
“I think a game night would be great.It’s time we let the little ones see what it’s all about.We can order some pizza.I can run out and get some more snacks.”
Lily was standing in front of Margot, waving her arms in the air to get her attention.Margot put her finger up, telling her to hold on a minute, and Lily just shook her head in disbelief.
