Folly Cove by Holly Robinson Page A

Laura had been married to Jake long enough that she took dental hygiene seriously.
    Laura said, “What are you really doing here, Anne?”
    â€œI came home for a visit. That’s all. No big agenda.”
    â€œReally? Last I heard, you weren’t ever coming back to Folly Cove. What changed your mind?”
    â€œLook, it’s late. Let’s talk tomorrow.” Anne’s knees felt leaden, but she managed to walk past her sister and the men toward the door.
    â€œFine,” Laura called after her. “Just remember that I’m keeping an eye on you.”
    Anne wheeled around. “Maybe you should keep an eye on your
husband
for a change! He came here looking for me tonight. Ask him!”
    â€œThat’s a lie!” Jake said.
    â€œHe did come in here looking for Anne,” Sebastian said. “I think.”
    Jake gave him a pitying look. “And I think you’re going to have some headache in the morning, buddy.” He turned back to Anne. “Please, Anne. You’ll just stir things up if you insist on fabricating stories again.” His face had drained of color; he ran a hand through his hair so that it stood up in brown tufts around his ears.
    Anne curled her hands into fists. “You’re the only one fabricating anything here.
Tell
her, Jake.”
    â€œOh, will you please shut
up
!” Laura said. “I’ve seen you in action, Anne. Once a slut, always a slut!” She lurched forward and slapped Anne across the face.
    The sound reverberated off the marble bar. Anne held her face for a moment, then lunged to slap Laura back.
    â€œYou bitch!” Laura shrieked. She reached out to grab Anne by the hair, but Anne ducked sideways so fast that Laura nearly fell over.
    Jake caught Laura around the waist and held on to her as Anne went back to the freezer, grabbed a handful of ice, and pressed it to her face, staring at Jake, willing him to defend her. He dropped his eyes and led Laura, who was crying now, out of the bar by one arm.
    â€œWow. You okay?” Sebastian said.
    â€œWhat do you think?” Anne said. “Look, go home and have some coffee. Can’t you see it’s closing time?”

CHAPTER FOUR

    O utside the terminal, Elly spotted Laura parked by the curb despite a red-faced state trooper gesturing at her to move. Laura’s expression was stoic as she sat with both hands precisely placed on the steering wheel and pretended to be deaf and blind to the cop. Kennedy, in the backseat, was almost unrecognizable. When did her niece get so big and round?
    â€œHey, you’re early!” Laura leaned over to give Elly a one-armed hug after she’d climbed into the car, then pulled away from the curb with a queen’s wave at the cop.
    â€œYeah. The trip was still stupid long, though,” Elly said. “You’d think we’d have faster planes by now, right? Or at least flying cars. How did the Jetsons get things so wrong?”
    â€œWho were the Jetsons?” Kennedy asked.
    Elly pulled down the visor mirror and rolled her eyes at her niece. “Just the best cartoon
ever
. What’s your mom making you watch on TV these days, huh? CNN?” She slipped off her shoes and propped her feet up on the dashboard.
    Behind her, Kennedy giggled.
    â€œWhat’s so funny?” Elly asked.
    â€œMom doesn’t let us do that,” Kennedy said.
    â€œDo what?”
    â€œPut our feet up there! It wrecks the car. And she hates looking at dirty bare feet.”
    Laura was silent, staring ahead at the traffic on Route 1 as they headed north from Logan airport. The cars appeared sluggish and benign to Elly after surviving Los Angeles freeways, where people thought nothing of driving eighty in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but her sister was squinting in concentration.
    â€œYour mom doesn’t like it, huh? That’s too bad.” Elly pushed her feet higher on the dash toward Laura and wiggled her toes.