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“Usual tricks?”
“Changing the subject, acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about, like right now.” She jabbed a finger in Bliss’ direction. “That expression, right there. Dreamland with a ‘keep out’ sign.”
“That’s me. Duchess of dreamland.” She tugged another pin from Carly’s hair.
“Ow.” Carly winced.
She should apologize. Keep laughing off her spaciness. But something welled up inside her, and she didn’t. There was something she had to say, had to get off her chest.
“You’re wrong,” she blurted. “What you said at dinner. I’m not always gone when the bad stuff happens.”
“Oh. Okay.” Carly waited, rolling with the quick change of subject.
“That party at Madison Square Garden, when I left to go to another party. That was the last time I saw Gault.”
Carly drew in a sharp breath, but didn’t interrupt Bliss.
“That last flight he took…I was supposed to see him then. He was going to stay at my apartment. He told me there was something he wanted to talk to me about. I…I sent a driver to pick him up at the airport.” The story came rolling out of her as if a water main had burst in her heart. “The driver called to say he never saw him get off the plane at LaGuardia. I called Gault’s phone over and over until finally someone answered. It was a paramedic who said I should go to the hospital right away. That’s when I called Conor. He was in Hawaii, but he’d already gotten the news from the doctors. I guess they only call the firstborn? I don’t know.”
“I didn’t know any of this.” Carly put a gentle hand on her arm. “What did you do next?”
Bliss shrugged. “I went to the hospital. He was already dead, but they let me see him. I sat with him for a while. Someone brought paperwork for me to fill out, but I didn’t know most of the information needed. So I said Conor would take care of it as soon as he got there. I asked them where his hat was, so they went and found it with the rest of his things. I knew he’d want to have it close, so I put it next to him. Then I left.”
“Did you see Conor?”
“No. I came back the next day, but he had already come and gone. Gault was…he was gone too.” She bit her lip so hard it hurt. Maybe the pain would keep her from crying. “You said I’m never there when the bad shit goes down. But when he died, I was the first one there. The only one, for a while. And I still don’t know what he wanted to talk to me about.”
“Jesus, Bliss. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“I…don’t know. It’s not the kind of thing we talk about, is it?”
“I guess not. Our family, man…” She shook her head, causing another hairpin to go flying.
“No, I can’t just blame our family.” Bliss was determined to be honest with herself and with Carly. “It’s me. I could have told you about Gault and the hospital. I didn’t tell anyone. I was afraid I’d start crying and ruin the mood and your hairstyle and…”
“Yeah, the hairstyle’s a little problematic.” Carly swiveled to peer at herself in the mirror. Half her hair had come down, and the rest of her head looked like a metal plate. “But I’m glad you told me about Gault.”
“Me too.” Bliss let out a long breath. This was what she’d wanted, to be closer to her half-siblings. With Gault gone, it was just them now.
With Gault gone…
That thought made her shiver. Telling Carly about Gault and the hospital had brought it all back, and she felt raw now. She thought longingly of her suite at the inn, and her knitting. Starting a baby blanket would make her feel better.
Just then, Danny Cooper popped his head around the doorjamb. He was tall and blond, and looked very much like his mother, Brooke Kendall, who had died soon after giving birth to him. Brooke had been one of Carly’s crew, one of the older girls Bliss had always looked up to. She’d been a rebel from one of the wealthy summer families.
“Polly Hansen’s on the phone. She wants to know how many extra folding chairs to bring for the reception.”
“All of them,” Carly said gloomily. “I keep inviting more people.”
“What happened to that limit we set?” Thomas appeared just behind Danny. Unlike his blond son, he was dark-haired and stern-faced. He was a former fire chief, and even as a teenager had been intimidating to Bliss. She remembered hiding behind a boat shed once, afraid to cross paths with him.
Thomas smiled at Bliss warmly. “Thanks for solving our hair crisis. Apparently you can’t have a wedding without good makeup.”
Carly gave him a little swat on the ribs. “It’s all about the photos, I told you that. It’s midwinter and we’re all as pale as sheetrock. Do you want us to look like a ghost family in our photos?”
“That sounds awesome,” said Danny. “We could dress like zombies for the wedding, then we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
Bliss shared a conspiratorial glance with him. “Let’s do it. Zombie makeup is even more fun than regular makeup. Look.” She gestured at Carly, who’d let out a strangled protest. “She’s looking paler already. Are you okay, Carly? Just breathe. In and out.”
