“Why?”
“Because I’d print them if what happened to me had happened to someone else. That’s what good reporting is all about, you know? Tackling tough cases like this one, helping to ferret out the truth, bringing the moral issues to light.”
The wind had come up and set the wind chimes moving. The melodic tinkling was a beautiful yet lonely sound.
Grace stared across the lawn and garden, thinking that what had happened to them could’ve happened to almost any family. Could’ve…but didn’t. “You own the paper. You get to decide. That’s one of the perks.”
“Omitting a story just because I’m involved in it doesn’t say much for fair reporting. But Mom’s taken enough abuse. I’m not going to resurrect old tensions by printing this garbage. There are enough accusations flying around already.”
The darkness in Stillwater was more complete than anywhere else she’d ever been. It seemed to press closer, a velvet shroud that sent a trickle of unease down Grace’s spine. She considered going inside, but the air in the yard was cooler. “Have you talked to Clay about the letters?”
“Yeah. He agrees I should toss them. So does Molly.”
Lightning bugs hovered near Grace’s porch light, glowing as if they were under some magical spell. “Have you figured out who Mom’s seeing?”
“Not yet. I drove by there late last night, even forgot my scruples long enough to approach the house and peek in the window. But the drapes were pulled and I couldn’t see anything. What about you?”
Grace had been far too involved in her own life to watch her mother very closely. “No.”
“She’s sure excited about you and Kennedy.”
Grace nearly said, “There is no me and Kennedy,” but she knew her sister wouldn’t believe her. Not after hearing Teddy and Heath go on about the camping trip, and how Kennedy had thrown her in the water and carried her to camp and roasted her some marshmallows.
“Have you heard that the Vincellis are suddenly campaigning against Kennedy?” Grace asked. She’d been too upset to broach the subject when Madeline was over earlier, hadn’t wanted to bring it up in front of Heath and Teddy. But now she wondered if her stepsister could help.
“I have.”
“Is there anything you can do to minimize the damage?”
“Like what?”
Pushing off with one foot, Grace set the hammock in motion as the wind began to whip the fine strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. “I don’t know. You could publish some kind of rebuttal.”
“I wish I could, but that’d only make things worse. Folks around here know my connection to you.”
“He’d make a good mayor.”
“Don’t worry, nothing they do will change the outcome of the election. The Archers are far more powerful than the Vincellis.”
Grace stopped swinging. “This isn’t about liking one family over the other. It’s about disliking me.” She was afraid the opposition would document the sins of her past and broadcast them all around town, and she feared that would hurt Kennedy’s chances of winning. If the Vincellis caused enough of an outcry, they could even endanger her job. Mississippi was nothing if not devoutly religious. “Where does Joe stand in all of this? Do you know?”
“I’ve heard he’s trying to remain neutral. Joe’s pretty self-serving. He probably doesn’t want to make enemies on either side, just in case.”
She hoped Kennedy would go about his business, the Vincellis would be mollified, and everything would return to normal. Grace had tried to call him earlier to tell him not to let the boys come over anymore, but he hadn’t been home.
“I hate Joe,” she said.
“He’s asked me out a few times,” Madeline told her.
“I hope you didn’t go.”
“No. He doesn’t know how to treat a woman. Anyone who’s seen how he behaved with Cindy can tell you that.”
Grace’s phone beeped, and she knew instinctively that it was the call she’d been waiting for. “Somebody else is trying to get hold of me,” she said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Somebody?”
“Stop it.”
Madeline responded with a laugh and then a yawn. “Okay, sleep tight.”
Grace doubted she’d get any sleep at all. She was too angry at the Vincellis—and yet, to a degree, she could understand. How would she feel if a member of her family suddenly went missing, and she suspected Joe or one of his relatives was responsible?
Taking a deep breath, she switched to the other caller. “Hello?”
“Sorry I missed you earlier.” Kennedy. The sound of his voice seemed to rush around her with the wind. “I was still at my parents’ house.”
“How’s your dad? Better?”
There was a slight hesitation in his response. “A little.”
“I hope it’s nothing serious.”
He cleared his throat. “No, but he needs some tests. Do you think you could watch the boys tomorrow so my mother can go to the doctor’s with him? I’d watch them myself, but I have meetings all afternoon.”
Grace got up and moved to the porch, hanging restlessly over the railing. “You want me to babysit Heath and Teddy?”
“Do I have any other boys?” he said with a chuckle.
“Are you crazy?” she replied. “You have to keep yourself and your children away from me.”
“I’m glad you didn’t leave that on my answering machine.”
“I shouldn’t have to point out the reality of the situation.”
“What reality? Why do I have to stay away?”
“You know why!”
“I’m not going to let the Vincellis dictate who I see, Grace.”
A clatter in the alley caused Grace’s stomach muscles to tighten involuntarily—until she heard a brief catfight and the cat she’d noticed while gardening came streaking through her yard.
“Then…I’ll leave,” she said. “I’ll go back to Jackson. Immediately.”
The thought had gone through her mind a million times since she’d seen that flyer. She hated to return to Jackson before she was expected at work, to face George and his new girlfriend, especially when staying in Evonne’s house felt right in so many ways. This old home was becoming hers. It had embraced her as Evonne would have. But if by staying she made life difficult for Kennedy or his kids, she’d rather go. Her family relationships were better than they’d been in years. Maybe that small amount of progress was enough. Maybe she could go on and forget.