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“Hey, everyone,” Julie said when she walked in. “Thank you for having us. I’ll wait until Dan comes in to say hi because it’s too damn cold on the beach.”
Margaret ran to the sun porch to see the other children.
“Have a seat,” Lisa said, patting the couch next to her.
“This is a familiar setting,” Julie said, nodding at the others. “I won’t lie and say that I haven’t missed it.”
“You’re always welcome here,” Lisa said.
“Is that true?” Julie asked.
“It is as long as you’re not blaming me for anything,” Lisa answered.
“What could she blame you for?” Laura asked.
“I feel like your cottage and the baby skeleton discovery put the kibosh on our relationship,” Lisa said. “Ever since my mother found that damn skeleton…”
“I take full responsibility,” Julie said. “We killed that baby by neglecting it as much as if we’d done it with our bare hands.”
“Oh, for fuck's sake!” Alison yelled. “Are we going to talk about Ginger Harrow and her godforsaken baby every time you come around?”
“It’s on my mind,” Julie cried. “She was having an affair with Brent. It was his baby. He was my boyfriend.” She pointed to Laura. “The relationship unfolded in Laura’s cottage.”
“I should have had the damn place torn down,” Laura mumbled.
“Julie, I feel you’re accusing me, though,” Lisa said.
“Well, you brought that night up,” Julie said. “Going through labor with Ginger in that freezing cold, moldering cottage, trying to hide everything from Pam and Jack. I was scared to death they’d show up.”
“I had to sneak out of my bedroom window,” Lisa said, shivering.
“What if Brent had come around?” Julie said. “It might have been an entirely different scenario.”
“My brother might still be alive,” Lisa said sadly. “He’d be living in wedded bliss with Ginger Harrow, raising a family, instead of being murdered by your father.”
“Why’d I ever come here?” Julie cried. “You keep blaming me, but you’re the one bringing all the crap up.”
“Is there going to be a time when we will not let you two go down memory lane about that night?” Laura said.
“You’re not kidding,” Alison said. “Give it a rest once and for all.”
“I’m sick to death of it,” Lisa said.
“I’m going to call Sandra,” Laura said. “You guys won’t talk about it in front of her.”
“No, because she had a one-night stand with Brent on the night we were going to reconcile, and now she has his only living child,” Julie moaned.
“And her husband was married to Ginger Harrow,” Alison reminded them.
“No, that’s not why,” Laura said. “Bella needs to be in this group so I can get pictures.”
“I guess you’re right. How’s she doing?” Julie asked, her body language saying she was resigned, her shoulders slumped. “Dan said she’s smart.”
“Just wait. She’s more than smart.”
They waited for Sandra to arrive, watching the children playing in the sunroom, unaffected by the drama taking place in the living room. Hocus, in the midst of lunch preparation, kept one ear to the conversation.
Sandra came with Bella, who screamed in terror when she saw Julie and then tried to hide behind her mother’s legs. Sandra extricated herself and took Bella into the sunroom so she could play with the other children, but Bella looked over her shoulder at Julie, eyebrows down.
