The Summer of Keeping Secrets by Jill Lynn

Author:Jill Lynn [Lynn, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-08T22:15:38+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

After they finished Gran and Grandad’s bedroom late in the afternoon, The Cliff House settled into a contemplative silence, its temporary inhabitants retreating to their respective corners to regroup.

Despite their attempts to take breaks and take care of themselves during the house purge, Reed assumed the current mood was caused by fatigue. And even though they were nearing the final stages—they would knock out his bedroom tomorrow and then move on to The Armpit, which would likely take the better part of a week—they were all feeling the emotional weight of saying goodbye to Gran and Grandad’s home.

Mom had seemed distracted at the end of sorting. Likely overcome by the emotion of handling her parents’ personal things and the weight of what he’d revealed. She’d gone on a walk, doing the loop at the top of the neighborhood.

Slade had been in a funk ever since Mom had revealed that Cyrus was Garrett’s son. And then this afternoon, she checked something on her phone, and her mood had darkened in a flash. She’d been so irritable that Reed was giving her a wide berth. After a quick dinner of sandwiches, she’d holed up in her room.

And Reed himself had been reeling ever since Lindsey had called and flat-out leveled him this morning.

He’d stayed quiet regarding the new developments when discussing his marital problems with his mom and sister because he was tired of dissecting his and Lindsey’s issues. He was tired of himself.

Now Reed once again headed to the neighborhood entrance at the bottom of the hill in the hopes that the climb back up would cause him to pass out, giving him a respite from his misery.

Though even the best runner’s high in the world wouldn’t make a dent in his current torment.

When Lindsey called this morning, she’d relayed that she’d had dinner with her mom the night before. She’d asked about him and the house before delivering the hit that had buckled his knees.

The moment she’d said, “my mom has some advice for us,” Reed’s internal alarms had begun flashing and screeching.

He loved his mother-in-law, but she was jaded from the demise of her own marriage and the atrocious way her husband had treated her. Chad had left Linds and Gina to start another family as easily as tossing out rotten food. It made sense that Gina had wounds and trust issues. Rightfully so. But transferring her turmoil to Reed and Lindsey’s situation—as if they were at all related or similar—had created an anger in Reed he hadn’t thought possible.

Gina’s advice was that they part ways amicably now—as friends—before things got vicious between them. That they should cut their losses and move on.

All day Reed had fluctuated between confronting Gina and drowning in the panic that with one suggestion from his mother-in-law, his marriage was officially over.

There was no one—outside himself—that Lindsey trusted more than her mother. At least...that’s how it used to be. But now Reed didn’t even know if he was in the top five of Lindsey’s inner circle.

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