Page 40 of Saltwater Secrets
When the story came to a close, they held the silence for a moment, watching through the kitchen window as Estelle chopped an onion. Soon, Hilary got up to help her in the kitchen, and Aria joined shortly thereafter, leaving Logan to fend for himself with the other Colemans. At the counter were three generations of female Colemans, preparing the Fourth of July feast that would carry them through the evening.
But a few hours later, Hilary received a text from Renée.
She wanted to come to the Coleman House. She wanted them to meet Jefferson. Apparently, Estelle had told her about the party—either weeks ago or via a mysterious text exchange that Hilary didn’t know anything about—and she wanted to show off. Maybe she was showing off to Jefferson, or maybe she was showing off to the Colemans. Either way, Hilary didn’t really have a choice but to tell her to come on by!
Chapter Eighteen
By the time they reached the Coleman House that Fourth of July, it was clear that Jefferson Everett and Renée Wagner had had a few too many drinks. Responsibly, they’d left the Lamborghini somewhere, wherever it was they’d had those drinks, and took a cab over to the Coleman House. Estelle opened the door to greet them, and far behind her, Aria hovered on the back porch, her hand around Logan’s elbow, craning to see as much as she could of the mysterious couple. Renée waddled in on her heels, drawing Estelle into an enthusiastic hug. After that, she hugged Hilary as though the two of them had really bonded. They hadn’t. Aria would have been told about that because Aria and her mother told each other everything.
Why did Renée want to put on this show for Jefferson Everett?
Renée had been given the photo album, filled with photographs of Dorothy, Rachel, and Renée. In the wake of that, what on earth was going through Renée’s head? It stood to reason she’d been shaken up. Aria had never had a sister, but she could only imagine the loss that had been for Renée—a sisternearly exactly her own age, with whom she’d probably done everything.
How had Rachel died? Why was it such a big mystery?
Estelle led Renée and Jefferson onto the back porch, where Renée spotted Aria and said, “There she is. My best girl.” Aria nearly looked behind her to see if Renée meant someone else. But no, here she came, ready to hug Aria, to show Jefferson that she had this “close” relationship with a girl who could have been her daughter. “I have someone special for you to meet,” Renée said, turning toward Jefferson. “This is my partner, Jefferson.”
Partner! What a name for someone who’d yanked her around emotionally for decades. Aria shook his hand and said, “Nice to meet you,” but saw in his eyes a sinister glow. She remembered what her mother had told her: that during her years locked away in the estate, Dorothy had written to Renée, telling her that Jefferson was too much like Philip Wagner, that she’d always imagined she’d be with someone better than that. That she’d wanted Renée to be safe with someone who could actually love her.
That was when Jefferson and Logan spotted one another.
All the color drained from Logan’s face. He stood straight and extended his hand. “Mr. Everett! It’s wonderful to see you again.”
Aria’s head pounded. What was going on?
“Logan, my boy,” Jefferson said, putting on a false smile. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“It’s a coincidence,” Logan said. “I met Aria a few weeks ago, and she invited me to Nantucket to celebrate the holiday.” He was speaking rapidly, animatedly. And then, to explain himself, he shifted to Aria to say, “Mr. Everett is one of the producers for my film.”
Aria’s blood ran cold. Although she’d mentioned Renée’s boyfriend to Logan, she’d never said his name aloud. It meant that he never could have put two and two together.
Logan and Jefferson spoke for a little while about Logan’s animation and how excited Logan was. Logan was clearly on edge. Aria wasn’t sure she liked the performance he was putting on
When Logan and Jefferson’s conversation fizzled, Jefferson said under his breath to Renée, “You said Roland was here?” It was gruff, as though he’d come here only because he’d been promised to meet the “great businessman,” someone he could actually relate to.
He hadn’t said anything to Aria at all.
“Of course, darling. There he is. Lovely to meet you, Logan.” She led Jefferson across the porch to introduce him to Roland, who beamed—maybe in a false way—and shook Jefferson’s hand.
“That’s right,” Grandpa Roland said. “We did meet before. I remember now.”
Jefferson was off to the races, recounting to Roland a semi-funny event that had brought them together years ago—something to do with a crazy-expensive restaurant, an early-internet mogul, three billionaires, and a sailboat lost in a card game.
Renée hung beside Jefferson, looking a little lost.
“I’m sorry about that,” Logan muttered to Aria. “My heart is pounding.”
“Let’s take a breather,” Aria whispered.
They walked to the water, where they dipped their toes in the surf, continuing down the beach until her grandparents’ massive house was the size of a postcard and the sounds of the party dimmed. Only a few rogue laughs rolled toward them.
“He’s not my favorite of the producers,” Logan said of Jefferson. “I’m pretty sure he’s just a money guy, brought in by the other more artistic producers to secure additional funds. I overheard them having to convince him that I was worth it. I don’t even know if I am.” Logan hung his head.
“Don’t say that.” Aria felt at a loss. “You’re a brilliant animator. You deserve every bit of backing you’ve secured so far. You deserve even more than that!”
But Logan remained quiet for a few moments, as though frightened he’d just destroyed his career.
Aria didn’t want to be the one to break the silence. She wondered if her story with Logan was already coming to a close—all because of Renée.
