Nico is sneaking out.
Or at least that’s what it seems like when I hear the back door opening on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Thank God we never bothered to oil the hinges, because I can hear that door opening and closing all the way across town. I toss aside my book and reach the back door just in time to catch Nico before he takes off.
“Excuse me, mister.” I clear my throat. “Where do you think you’re going?”
He looks up at me without a trace of guilt on his face. “Spencer’s house. You said I could go whenever I want.”
I did say that. But I thought he had been banished from Janice’s home.
“Spencer’s mom is okay with that?” I ask.
“She said it’s okay as long as we stay in the backyard.”
I’m relieved. I hated it when Janice said Nico couldn’t play with her son, so I’m glad he’s back in her good graces. Apparently, he’s not allowed inside her immaculate house, but that’s understandable.
“Fine,” I say. “Just be home by dinner.”
Nico nods, then hurries off in the direction of his friend’s house. I was so focused on my son’s imminent escape that I hadn’t noticed my husband in the corner of the backyard. Not that it’s unusual to see Enzo in the backyard—it’s his favorite place—but he isn’t working out there. Instead, he’s talking quietly on his phone, a smile playing on his lips.
Who is he talking to?
I wave at him to get his attention. He blinks a few times when he notices me, and the smile momentarily drops off his face, but he recovers quickly and waves back. He murmurs a few more unintelligible words into the phone, then shoves it into the pocket of his worn blue jeans.
“Millie.” He jogs across the lawn to talk to me. “I have very good news.”
“Oh?”
“Yes! There’s a potential client with two large estates that need services. Very big job. This is very good.”
I glance down at his phone, protruding from his pocket. “Were you talking to the client?”
“Yes.” He hesitates. “Well, no. Not exactly. That was Suzette on the phone. The clients they are friends of hers. She would like me to meet with them tomorrow.”
“Oh ” I had been hoping tomorrow could be a family day. “Where are you meeting them?”
He hesitates another beat. “It is informal meeting. At private beach.” Alarm bells sound in the back of my head. “A meeting at the beach?
Will Suzette be there?”
“Well yes. They are her friends.”
I do not like any part of this. First, Enzo is ducking out on a family day. Second, a business meeting at the beach? Third, I don’t want him alone around Suzette in a bikini. Especially after that smile on his face when he was talking to her.
A fleeting thought drifts into my head. The other day, when the plumber showed up to demand his money, Suzette was wearing a new expensive-looking bracelet that she told me was a “gift.” And then at the same time, a thousand dollars were suddenly missing from our bank account. Is it possible that Enzo used that money to buy a gift for Suzette?
No, I don’t believe that. He wouldn’t.
And yet
“If you’re going to the beach tomorrow,” I say, “you need to take the kids. The whole family.”
“What? No.”
“I’m not asking, Enzo.”
He shakes his head. “Millie, this is important business meeting.”
“Our family is important too,” I point out. “You’ve been working nonstop since we moved here—”
“For us.”
“And we hardly ever see you,” I continue. “You haven’t taken the kids to the beach yet since we moved here. They would love it. Nico especially could use a day at the beach—he’s been so down since getting kicked out of Little League. And I’ll keep an eye on them. I won’t disturb you until you’re done with your meeting.”
He’s quiet for a moment, thinking it over. “Okay, yes. I see what you say. I will speak with Suzette. But she will not be happy.”
Yes, I’ll bet he’s right.
