The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-03-06T16:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

The Eiland house was full of people Shannon didn’t know. Somber strangers who were mostly dressed in black, murmuring about how unexpected it had been. How shocking. Poor Pam. The kids were mentioned by name. No one had seen it coming. He’d been so strong, so healthy. How would she survive?

All great questions, Shannon thought as she walked through the formal living room and picked up abandoned plates and cups. She carried them to the kitchen, where Nicole and a woman named Hayley were loading the dishwasher.

The caterer had offered to arrange for staff to assist with cleanup and putting out the food, but Shannon and Nicole had said they would handle it. Because somehow it felt like helping in a time when there was genuinely nothing to do. Hayley, who had introduced herself as John’s secretary, obviously felt the same way. Every fifteen minutes she carried a coffeepot throughout the room of mourners, offering refills.

“Hey,” Adam said as he came up and put his arm around her. “How are you holding up?”

“Okay. I was just thinking how we all get caught up in ridiculous tasks at a time like this. I can’t stop cleaning up after people. Hayley’s obsessed with the coffee and Nicole keeps topping up all the buffet items.”

He squeezed her close. “No one saw this coming. We’re all in shock. John was a great guy. From what my dad told me, there was no evidence of any heart trouble. His blood pressure was low and he was plenty active on the job. It was just one of those things.”

Shannon knew what he meant but doubted Pam saw it that way.

She visually searched the room until she spotted Pam standing surrounded by her kids and a few friends. She was pale and seemed to have lost weight. Impossible considering it had only been three days, and yet she looked gaunt and drawn.

Shannon saw that everyone else was talking, except Pam. She stood in the middle of the group and yet entirely alone. Her hands shook as she balanced a plate of uneaten food. The half sandwich and scoop of mac and cheese trembled.

Jen, Pam’s oldest, started to cry. Her husband led her to the largest sofa. Several guests moved to make room.

Jen was pregnant, Shannon thought, remembering when Pam had told her the news. The stress couldn’t be good for her or the baby. Nor was the realization that her child would never know his or her grandfather. Was Pam thinking that? Was she aware she was going to be a grandmother alone?

Shannon couldn’t grasp what it must feel like to have been with someone for over thirty years, yet imagining the loss was somehow easier. Maybe because pain was universal. Whatever the cause, everyone had felt it in some form or another.

She wanted to say something to her friend, to offer comfort. A ridiculous need. Because there was no comfort to offer. Pam had been married longer than Nicole had been alive. She’d just lost her husband.

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