Beach Roses by Jean Stone

Author:Jean Stone [STONE, JEAN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-48202-0
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2003-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

Right now death would come as a relief, Hannah thought. She had taken her antinausea medication, had stayed away from anything chocolate, which had been making her sick, and had done her darndest to stay out of Riley’s way before leaving home that morning. Still, as they climbed into Faye’s car and waited out the last push to the pier, she was feeling bad enough to consider not going.

Katie would, after all, be fine without her. The girl did not need an entourage to attend a funeral.

Hannah sat in the back beside Rita, who had left the door open on her side.

“Listen,” Rita said, with one foot in the car, the other plunked outside on the gray-painted concrete floor of the boat. “I’ve been thinking that you really don’t need all of us, Katie. Too many people will only cause more chaos. It would be better if I stayed behind.”

The boat swayed a little in the wake of the tide. “Oh,” Katie said. Just Oh, nothing more.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” Rita continued, “but we make a rather obvious group … four women, one pregnant, two country-bumpkins …” If she was trying to make a joke, nobody laughed. Instead, Katie started to cry.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” Rita said quietly, “but the truth is, I’m not very good on city-soil. Out of my element.” She rubbed her hands together and nodded her head, agreeing with herself, though no one else was. “Faye, would you mind popping the trunk so I can get my suitcase?”

Faye, however, stared straight ahead and did not pop the trunk, and all Hannah could think of was that now there was no way that she could get out, too. She clutched the door handle and wished she could be more outspoken like Rita and not always the one who ended up doing things she rather would not.

“Get back in the car,” Faye suddenly said. “We’re in this together, Rita, like it or not.”

The big engines were cut; they sat there in silence. Then Rita pulled her other leg into the car and firmly closed the door. “You’re right, Faye. I’m sorry. Of course, we’ll all go.”

The boat bumped the pier and the large cavity opened, and Faye started the Mercedes as they waited their turn to get off.

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