Page 3 of Silent Echo

Harper shrugged. “A while ago. After you went back to the doctor, I think. She said something like it was good that you were getting some help and that it would be good for you to go back to work.”

Now Charlotte was fuming. What the hell was Eli doing talking to his assistant about her? She didn’t want Harper to see that she was upset by it, so she simply smiled.

“One step at a time, babe. I’m just getting my footing again. Although I might do some consulting. One of my former colleagues reached out. She’s starting a social media business and asked if I’d be willing to work on a per-project basis.”

Harper’s blue eyes twinkled, and her face broke into a wide smile. “Mom, that’s awesome. You should.”

Maybe doing some consulting workwouldbe a good distraction. A way to take her mind off the past. She’d text Patricia when she got home and tell her she’d give it a try. Nothing too arduous, a small job that would require only a few hours a week.

They pulled up to the school drop-off line, and Harper gathered her backpack and jumped out. “See ya.”

Charlotte watched as Harper’s shiny blond ponytail bobbed up and down as she ran toward her friends. Despite what had happened a few months ago with the drinking, Harper was an easy and happy child. She was popular and did well in school, her only failing being that she was too eager to please and, therefore, susceptible to peer pressure. They had grounded her for a month, and Harper swore that was the last time she’d drink alcohol. Charlotte wasn’t naïve enough to believe that her daughter would never slip again, but she hoped for Harper’s sake that she would stay on the straight and narrow.

She thought about Harper’s question about being bored. The truth was, it took all her energy to get dressed, drive Harper to school, and take care of the necessities of their household.She still slept most of the day away and would set an alarm for when it was time to pick Harper up. Her depression wasn’t gone, merely hibernating from pill to pill.

She contemplated doing a few errands, but only because she was stalling. Today was the day she’d promised Dr. Morrison that she’d pack up Sebastion’s room, and she didn’t feel ready to face it. But the reality was she would never be ready, so she drove straight home and marched into his room. She sat on his bed and brought his pillow to her nose, but it didn’t smell like him anymore. Those first few weeks, she’d barely left his room, his teddy bear clutched in her arms as she cried herself to sleep in his bed. She looked around the room a final time. At theToy Storywallpaper, the Hot Wheels cars lining his dresser, and the bookshelf holding his favorite books and stuffed animals. She closed her eyes, imagining for a moment that he’d be home soon, his little hand pushing the blond curls away from his eyes—cobalt-blue eyes that stole their color from the Caribbean. She picked upWhere the Wild Things Areand clutched it to her chest, remembering the last time she’d read it to him and how he’d run around the room pretending to be one of the creatures from the book. A sob escaped her. She put the book down and ran from the room. She’d pack it up another day. She wasn’t ready.

She flipped on the television and plopped down on the sofa. She’d doze until it was time to get Harper from school. Her phone buzzed as she was about to pull a blanket over her—a text from Eli.

Dinner tonight? I was thinking Dominic’s.

She started to type back, then stopped. She wasn’t in the mood to go out to dinner, but shehadpromised Eli she would make more effort. But she was still pissed about Madison’s comments to Harper. She would talk to him about it at home tonight. She sighed. There had been a time when Eli was herentire world. Charlotte had been born into privilege, a third-generation member of the well-known Van Arsdale family. They’d been in Maryland since the 1800s, and her great-great-grandfather had invented the travel iron that was now in all the major hotel chains. Charlotte’s parents were big believers in making your own way. They paid for her private schools, college, and her basic necessities. But they refused to give her a trust fund. She would inherit their money someday but it wasn’t something she counted on. She had always had a job from the time she was a teenager, and after college, she went into advertising, where she worked hard and was promoted often.

When she met Eli, he was an up-and-comer at a prominent investment firm in downtown Baltimore. He came from a more modest background, and she felt sure when she introduced him to her parents, they would appreciate his work ethic and fall in love with him as she had. But they had disapproved. The things that she loved about him—his spontaneity, sense of adventure, and passion for living—they saw as unstable, reckless, and undignified. But when they realized there was no dissuading her, they gave her the wedding she’d always dreamed of. And when Harper, her honeymoon baby, was born, they embraced Eli with open arms, so enamored were they of their grandchild.

During those first few years, they were both rising stars in their chosen fields and their marriage thrived. Staring at his text, she recalled the day they’d looked at the house they lived in now. It wasn’t on the real estate agent’s list because it was way above their price range, but Charlotte had noticed the open house sign when they pulled onto the street to look at a different house.

“Let’s just take a look,” she’d said to Eli, and he’d smiled and agreed.

Charlotte hadn’t believed in love at first sight until she stepped into that house. From the moment she set eyes on it, she was besotted. It was a white colonial that overlookeda large creek. The view from the bay window in the kitchen was spectacular; it revealed a rolling green lawn that led to a large dock on the water. Beautiful sailboats dotted the creek, and she felt like she could sit there and watch the sun spray diamonds over the water for hours. The kitchen was a dream too, with butter-yellow cabinets, top-of-the-line appliances, and a gorgeous custom-built island that could accommodate twelve. She could picture them having dinner here, then going on the boat that they’d have to buy. She would plant hydrangeas in all colors and teach Harper how to garden. They would fill the rooms with more children, laughter, and love, and it would be perfect.

They both had been quiet as they walked through, and Charlotte’s heart sank as they left, knowing it was above their means and that everything else they looked at would pale in comparison.

Eli kept watching her face, reading her mind despite her best attempts at appearing blasé. “It’s your dream house, isn’t it?”

“It’s beautiful, but it’s too much. One day.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon looking at other houses, but her heart wasn’t in it. “Maybe we should just wait,” she told him. “Rent a while longer.”

“Whatever you want, babe,” was all he said.

She had put the idea of moving out of her head. A month later, on a Saturday, he suggested taking Harper to the park. It wasn’t until they drove past it that she realized something was up. “You missed the entrance,” she said.

He looked over at her with a mischievous grin. “I just have a quick stop to make.”

When they’d pulled onto the street, she couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. “What are we doing here?”

“Patience,” he teased.

Her heart beat faster when he pulled into the driveway of the house she’d fallen in love with. “Why …”

He got out of the car and opened her door. “Welcome home, Mrs. Fleming.”

Grand gestures were a part of Eli’s makeup and she loved him for it. He was always doing things to make her happy. And not just the big stuff. Whether it was a book she mentioned or a scarf she admired in a store window, he remembered and would surprise her with it. But this was over the top.

“I thought we couldn’t afford it!”

“It’s all taken care of—my bonus. I put a huge down payment on it. The mortgage payments will be more than manageable.”

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