Page 85 of The Anniversary Party

Brian lowered his voice, “Chance cut the landline. He also broke into the shed.”

“Did he say why?”

“He thought if he cut the line and took off, everyone would assume he killed Rex. He was hoping for a manhunt to draw attention away from Bethany.”

Leo shook his head. The same storm that gave Bethany her chance had thwarted her husband’s efforts to help her. It was something out of an O. Henry story.

Brian wrapped his arm around his wife. “We can’t thank you enough for everything you and Sasha and your friends did. As awful as yesterday was, it would have been so much worse if we’d been left to our own devices.”

Leo smiled. “No thanks needed.”

Then he pulled Sasha away from her conversation with Tessa and led her to one of the round tables, where they joined Hank, Aroostine, Maisy, and Bodhi.

“How’s everybody doing this morning?”

“Tired. I’m hoping for an uneventful, unexciting day,” Hank told him.

“Wasn’t that the gist of your toast yesterday afternoon?” Bodhi said.

“Something like that,” Hank agreed.

From the other round table, Naya leaned across Carl and wagged her finger at Hank. “You jinxed us.”

Hatty made the rounds with a carafe, refilling coffee mugs. She stopped between Leo and Sasha and said, “Rex ordered an unreasonable amount of champagne for tomorrow night. His sister doesn’t want it. She and I thought we’d offer it to you as an anniversary present.”

“That’s sweet, but it’s not necessary,” Sasha said with a smile.

Annette heard her and crossed the room to join them. “It’s entirely necessary. Please, take it. What you don’t want, the Carlisles can add to their collection. I don’t even know what Rex was thinking. Who orders a dozen bottles of sparkling wine for a party of ten?”

“Rex must have had one heck of a party planned,” Sasha said, wide-eyed.

“The delivery woman said Mr. Stoddard told the shopkeeper he had a big announcement planned, and there’d be a lot of reason to celebrate,” Hatty offered.

“Huh, is that a fact?” Leo said.

“That’s what he said,” the innkeeper confirmed.

“Rex never was good at reading a room,” his sister said.

Leo knew that much from his very brief exposure to the man. He kept the thought to himself.

Instead, he said, “Did he honestly think the news that Rowan was his son would be cause for celebration?”

Annette shook her head. “Knowing Rex, he may have. He was famously self-absorbed.” She sighed. “Brian and I are staying for a while to help my parents through the immediate aftermath. And so we can get to know our nephew.”

Leo cast a look at Chance. “Have you talked to Chance about that?”

“Not yet,” Annette acknowledged, “but we’ll figure something out. I’m not sure what he’ll want to do, but we’d like to be in Rowan’s life in some capacity.”

“You have a lot to figure out in the days ahead,” Sasha said.

“We do. Anyway, Brian and I are heading out to meet her parents. I just wanted to say happy anniversary and goodbye.”

Sasha popped to her feet and hugged Annette. After the Elenexes left, the rest of their group milled around in the foyer until the van arrived to pick them up. Sasha and Leo said their goodbyes to the rest, then joined their guests in the kitchen to help John and Hatty clean up the remnants of breakfast.

“You’re our guests,” Hatty protested. “You don’t need to do that.”

Leo eyed her bandaged arm pointedly. “We’re going to help.”

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