Page 18 of Return to Whitmore
Realizing she was acting strange, Charlotte quickly unlocked the door and ushered Nina in. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m sort of out of my mind right now.”
Addison hurried into the foyer, wringing her hands. Her eyes were buggy. “Do you know Seth?” she asked Nina.
Nina gaped at her, aghast. Then she gave Charlotte a look that Charlotte translated asyou lied about what you were up to tonight, didn’t you? Charlotte locked the door and pulled her fingers through her hair.
“Wine? Tea?” Charlotte suggested. But nobody heard her.
“Seth Green?” Nina asked, narrowing her eyes.
“That’s my husband,” Addison said. “He’s missing. Do you know him?”
Charlotte stepped away from them, her heart hammering.
“I don’t know,” Nina said. “I think I might.” She gave Charlotte another look.
Charlotte walked to the sofa and sat down. Both Nina and Addison remained standing.
“What happened?” Charlotte asked Nina. “I thought you were in for the night?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Nina said. “I was out for a drive and saw your lights on. I wouldn’t have knocked otherwise.”
Charlotte nodded. Long ago, Nantucket had that cozy neighborhood feel, where you could just drop by your neighbor’s place without asking first. But nobody had done that to her in a long time. She hadn’t been ready.
But Nina was her sister, sort of.
Not by blood, of course. But Nina didn’t know that yet. Maybe Charlotte would never tell her.
“Who are you?” Addison asked Nina, her voice warbling.
Nina took a deep breath and turned to look at her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry your husband is missing.” And then, she threw her arms forward and drew her into a hug.
Tears sprang to Charlotte’s eyes. It was clear that however Nina had been raised in Michigan, she’d been raised to learn compassion and love. She could show it, perhaps better than Charlotte could. Charlotte stood and flinched, trying to draw herself near, to hug her sister and sister-in-law. But she couldn’t bring herself to and instead crossed her arms over her chest.
Eventually, it was clear that they wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight. Charlotte grabbed a bottle of wine and three glasses and poured as Addison explained everything to Nina, everything she already had to Charlotte, that she and “Seth” had been living in Hawaii, that he’d disappeared, that they had three children. Nina blinked back tears and finally told her, in a shaking voice, “Seth is my older brother.”
Addison gasped and clutched Nina’s hands. “But you’re just a baby!”
Nina laughed. “I’m thirty-eight,” she said. “Not such a baby. Not in most circles.”
“I mean, you’re younger than us,” Addison said, gesturing toward Charlotte.
“I was the youngest,” Nina agreed. “Seth was my older and most favorite brother.”
“Is there another brother?” Addison asked, mystified.
Nina blinked at Charlotte. Confusion filled her face. It was clear she didn’t know how much to share, how much to show. Charlotte didn’t know either.
“I haven’t seen Seth since I was eleven years old,” she said finally. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed him.”
Because she thought he was dead, Charlotte thought darkly.
Addison slumped on the sofa and rubbed her temples. She began to talk in circles, telling Nina about her and Jack’s marital problems, about the fights they’d had through the years, and the time they’d nearly divorced. “But never, through any of that, did he tell me he had siblings and a house on Nantucket. I don’t know what to believe.”
Charlotte’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Addison and Nina didn’t notice and continued to speak. Now that it was late, later than late, Charlotte couldn’t fathom who it might be, but curiosity pulled her to the kitchen to check it.
Miraculously, it was a message via the comment section on her filmmaker website. Nobody had used that box in maybe six years. She clicked through, expecting to read spam bots or something like that, but discovered that, in fact, a real, flesh-and-blood person had been the writer.
Unknown: Hello, it’s Vincent. I know tonight was a surprise for both of us. I would have liked to talk more. How long are you on the island?
