The Cottage on Nantucket Read online

  “Maybe she met someone else,” Tessa said aloud. She hated that the only chairs currently at the cottage sat out on the deck, but while they’d made good progress in the garage, the painters had been working in the house. Two-thirds of it now gleamed with an off-white color Janey had called oyster egg.

  She shook her sister out of her head. Janey had said she and Milford were exclusive. She was allowed to go to dinner with whomever she wanted, and Tessa picked up her phone from the wide armrest on the Adirondack chair and swiped to get to her son’s name.

  Surprisingly, he answered on the second ring. “Mom,” he said. “How are you?”

  “Good,” she said with a sigh. Relief streamed through her, along with so much love. “Dad said you’re doing well. Busy.” She put the phone on speaker and set it back on the armrest.

  “So busy,” he said, his voice filling the air around her. “But I love working with Hyclone. They just have a massive highway project going on this summer, and I’ve been right in the thick of it.” He continued to detail the ins and outs and challenges of designing and implementing a major roadway between New York and New Jersey, and Tessa just listened to the sound of his voice.

  She asked him a question here and there, and he finally fell silent. “Thanks for calling, Mom,” he said. “And hey, thanks for not interrupting and trying to tell my story as if you know what I might say next.”

  Tessa burst out laughing, and she hadn’t even had a drink yet. “Dad can do that sometimes, can’t he?”

  “He can do that all the time,” Ryan said dryly. “It was fun to see him earlier this week, though.”

  Tessa smiled as the sun set even further, throwing navies and violets into the sky. “I’m glad.”

  “What’s happening at the cottage?”

  She told him about the garage and the house needing a new roof. That they were going to keep Mom’s car, because while it was old, it also only had fifty thousand miles on it and ran great. That the remodel should be done by the end of July, and if he could get away, Dad would be on the island the first weekend in August…

  “I might be able to make that work,” Ryan said. “I’ll need to check a few things first.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Tessa said, debating whether she should bring up this new significant other Ron had mentioned. In the end, she didn’t. Instead, she said, “Listen, my mother owns a house on Long Island. We think it’s empty right now, and I’m wondering if you might be interested in living there.”

  “Long Island?” Ryan asked. “Wow. I didn’t know Grams had a house out there.”

  “I didn’t either. I’ll be there on Monday to see what’s going on with it. We might sell it. Who knows? I thought I’d find out what you thought so I could have all the pieces when I sit down to talk with Janey about it.”

  “I suppose it depends on how much it is,” Ryan said. “And how far from my job and school. I only have a year left, and I’m almost certain I can get a job here at Hyclone when I graduate. They’re the fastest-growing civil systems company on the East Coast. In fact, they just signed with the city of Raleigh to expand their bridge systems. That project doesn’t start for another ten months though.”

  “It sounds like the house might not work for you.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “All right,” she said. “Well, I’ll let you go.”

  “Love you, Mom,” he said quietly, and Tessa felt the power of it stream through him.

  “Love you too, Ry.” Tessa reached over to tap the red phone icon, ending the call. She got up and moved to the railing, leaning against it and looking all the way up into the sky. The stars had started to prick through the near blackness, and a sense of peace and calmness came over her.

  Rustling in the dry beach grass sounded to her left, and Tessa’s gaze shot that way. “Hello?” she called, wishing the back of the cottage had lights on it the way the front did. Daddy had once wanted to put flood lights back there so they could play volleyball and badminton after dark. Mom had never done it though, as he’d died the next month.

  Tessa’s skin prickled as she searched the darkness. The wind always seemed present on Nantucket, and surely it had just disturbed the tall grass. “Or it was a cat,” she murmured to herself. Still, she turned, grabbed her phone, and headed inside. She didn’t need to make herself an easy target, that was for sure.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  More information for this house will be provided once you’ve gone to the bank and the hotel.

  Tessa hadn’t received any more information for the house on Shoreline Way. She pulled up to the house in her rental car, the minty green exterior charming and quaint at the same time. This driveway could easily hold half a dozen vehicles, and then there was the three-car garage too.

  She kept her sunglasses firmly in place as she rose from the car. The sound of the beach echoed behind her, and she turned around. Right across the road lay the beach, its white sand stretched toward a gorgeous blue slash of water.

  “Unbelievable,” fell from her lips. This house seemed false, and she couldn’t believe she owned this.

  Turning back to the house, she surveyed the crisp, green grass and the blooming flowerbeds. Someone took care of this place, but she had no idea who. All the other assets had names and phone numbers attached to them. This house had nothing.

  Black shutters hugged the windows, completing the captivating feel of the house. Tessa felt woefully underdressed to even be here, and if she’d ever been invited to this address for a garden party or a bridal shower, she’d have to visit a high-end boutique in the city to find the right clothes.

  She had no key for the house, so she marched toward the sweeping staircase that led to the pillared porch. Up she went, and she didn’t hesitate as she reached to ring the bell. A song played behind the closed door, and it hadn’t quite finished before the bright white door opened.

  A woman stood there, probably a decade or so older than Tessa. She wore a modest blue dress that had been ironed into precise lines. Tiny white dots covered the whole thing, and she wore a very sensible pair of black pumps.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice so proper it almost carried a British accent.

  “Yes,” Tessa said. “I own this house, and I’m wondering what you can tell me about it.”

  The woman had dark hair she’d cut into a stylish bob, and her makeup had been applied flawlessly. Simple silver hoops hung from her ears, and she looked every bit the part of a celebrity housewife for this pristine house along the beach, only blocks from the million-dollar homes in Southampton.

  “You’re not one of Dennis’s,” she said. “So you must belong to Lydia.”

  The mention of her mother brought hope to Tessa’s heart. “Yes,” she said. “I’m Tessa Simmons, Lydia’s daughter.”

  The woman gave her a sympathetic smile. “Yes, I can see her in your eyes now.” She stepped back. “Do come in. I’ll do my best to help you if I can.”

  “Thank you.” Tessa glanced down and stepped over the lip of the doorway, inhaling the sweet, citrusy scent in the house. “Do you live here?”

  “Actually, no,” she said. “My goodness, I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Minnie Martin. I’m Dennis’s cousin. Second cousin…once removed?” She gave a light laugh. “I’m not really sure how to describe it. Dennis’s mother and my father are step-siblings. They don’t share any blood, so neither do Dennis and I, but we both lived in the city for so long that we became close.”

  “And you don’t live here?” Tessa glanced around the house, which did possess a bit of dead air.

  “No,” Minnie said. “I come out every once in a while to make sure the management company has what they need, and they called to say the last renters had just moved out, and they thought we needed to replace a couple of rugs. I came to see those and give the approval.”

  “I see.” Tessa hated that she’d fallen into this formal personality, but Minnie seemed to require it. “So you managed
the property for Dennis and my mom?”

  “Sort of,” she said, stepping past Tessa. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Sure,” Tessa said, following the woman out of the foyer and through a doorway that led into an immaculate sitting room that connected to a dining room and then a kitchen at the back of the house. She didn’t see any rugs even close to needing replaced, but she didn’t say anything.

  Minnie opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. “I’m afraid this is all there is.” Her dark eyes flitted around the house almost nervously, and Tessa’s anxiety grew as well.

  “That’s fine.” She reached for the water and seized onto the cold plastic to anchor her thoughts. “So this house is rented out?”

  “Usually,” Minnie said, turning to the kitchen sink and flipping on the water. “The previous renters just moved out a week or two ago, and I don’t believe there’s anyone moving in yet.”

  “There’s no for-rent sign out front,” Tessa remarked.

  “Signs on the lawn are not allowed here.” Minnie flashed her a smile that didn’t feel very happy. Tessa didn’t dare sit down, though she wasn’t sure why.

  “Who collects the rent here?” Tessa asked.

  “I do,” Minnie said, still not looking at her.

  “And you then give it to…my mother? Or…?”

  Minnie finally put down the washcloth she didn’t need. “Dennis and Lydia allowed me to keep it.”

  “Really?” Tessa asked, disbelieving her for some reason. “Rent for a beautiful house in Southampton? That must be thousands of dollars each month.” She couldn’t believe her mother would allow that. The bank accounts hadn’t been extravagant, and even a salary of ten thousand dollars from the hotel didn’t seem excessive.

  “The rent here is forty-four hundred dollars,” Minnie said. She faced Tessa with tears in her eyes. “Without the rent I get from this place, I would not be able to maintain my lifestyle in the city.”

  “I see,” Tessa said, though a frown pulled through her whole body. “Well, I hate to tell you this, my mother left me this house in her will. I own it now, and I’m not sure I can keep giving you almost five thousand dollars.”

  Ron would be so proud of her, and Tessa’s smile felt somewhat genuine on her face. “Can I look around? There’s hardly any details on the house. I don’t know how big it is or anything.”

  “Sure.” Minnie put a plastic smile on her face. “I’ll get you the card for the management company I’ve been using and wait outside while you do what you’d like.”

  “Thank you.” Tessa watched her walk through another doorway, and she heard a drawer opening. She sipped her water in the kitchen, looking out a huge window that overlooked a brilliantly beautiful backyard. Green grass. An in-ground pool, as if the beach right across the street wasn’t good enough. A pergola, and chaises, and two patio tables and chairs sat on a rocked patio.

  A waterfall cascaded down boulders in the back corner of the fenced yard, and a built-in dog run sat next to that. This place was pure heaven, and if Tessa didn’t move to the cottage, she thought she’d very much like to live here. It was closer to the city for Ron, and she could find something to do on Long Island. They had libraries here, right?

  Minnie’s heels clicked by, and Tessa turned in time to see her leaving the kitchen area. A few moments later, the front door opened and closed, and Tessa breathed a sigh of relief.

  She started exploring, starting with the door right behind her. It led into the garage, where a single car sat. A very expensive Mercedes Benz, in fact.

  Tessa’s compassionate side fired, and she turned away from the garage. Minnie had walked into an office, and Tessa gaped at the massive oak desk in the middle of the room.

  That attached to the master suite and en suite bathroom, and Tessa found the expansive living room with the television and pool table on the left side of the front door.

  The steps led upstairs directly in front of the entrance, and she found four more bedrooms up there, two on each side, each with a bathroom separating a pair of them.

  Everything seemed to be clothed in the best bedsheets. High thread-count towels hung in the bathrooms, with exquisite art on the walls.

  If someone had lived her in the recent past, Tessa could not tell. Everything about Minnie’s story seemed…odd, as Tessa didn’t see any rugs that needed to be replaced either.

  She returned to the master suite and opened the closet. A suitcase sat there, and several dresses and blouses hung on the rod. Minnie wasn’t just here to check on some rugs. She was living here.

  In the office, Tessa began opening the drawers in the desk. The last time she’d done that, she’d found something that had changed everything. Her heart pounded the same way now, but there were no envelopes, no binders, and no pages stuffed away somewhere.

  Frustrated, and starting to worry about the time she’d been in the house alone, she straightened and ran one hand through her hair, pushing it back off her face.

  Someone knocked on the window behind her, and she yelped as she spun around. Another woman stood there, her hair completely void of color and her eyes the same color as the ocean across the street. She gestured for Tessa to come open the window, but Tessa found she couldn’t move.

  The woman grew more animated, and she said something that Tessa couldn’t hear through the glass. She looked to her left and when she looked back at Tessa again, her eyes were wide and afraid, and she pointed to the right.

  Then she was gone.

  Tessa remembered the several steps she’d climbed to get to the porch and into the house, and she wondered how that older woman could even reach the window. She hurried toward it now and pulled it up before looking out.

  To her right, she saw the older woman jogging away in a track suit. To the left, she saw Minnie standing on the patio with her arms crossed. Besides the frown on her face, there was something askew about her that Tessa couldn’t quite place. When Minnie’s gaze switched to the window, Tessa quickly stepped away from the window and pressed her back into the wall beside it.

  “Her hair was sideways,” Tessa whispered. Minnie had been wearing a wig.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Tessa kneaded the steering wheel as she drove away from the house on Shoreline Way. She’d found Minnie in the driveway in her car, her dark wig perfectly pristine. She’d said she’d be returning to the city, and Tessa had gotten her phone number.

  She’d driven away first, because Minnie had said she needed to run inside and get the spare key to turn into the management company. Minnie had gone left while Tessa right, and she pulled into the first coffee shop she saw. She waited in line to get the caffeine she didn’t need, because she needed time to pass.

  She got her caramel mocha, and she mapped the way to the nearest public park so she could sip it and hopefully get Minnie off the island. She drove around the island, burning time and gas, finally returning to Shoreline Way.

  Her nerves skittered through her like sunshine scattering over the beach. She went past the immaculate lawns and skillfully sculpted trees and bushes to the house next door. Peering through the windshield, she pulled into the driveway of another beautiful beachside home.

  She gripped her purse in one hand and her cellphone in the other as she got out of the car and approached the front door. The stark white door opened before Tessa reached the stoop, and the older woman with hair matching the color of the door stood there.

  “You came back,” she said, glancing left and right. “Come in quickly.” She backed up, and Tessa darted into the house. The door closed and clicked locked behind her, and she felt like dialing the first two digits for emergency services so she’d only have to tap a couple of times to get help.

  “Who are you?” Tessa asked, turning back to the woman in the track suit. “What’s going on?”

  “You’re Lydia’s daughter,” the woman said, reaching up and patting her almost icy blue hair. “I recognized you immediately, because I�
��ve spent plenty of time with your mother.” She offered Tessa a warm smile, and the anxiety bleeding through Tessa ebbed away.

  “You have?”

  “She spent her time here, every year from Labor Day to New Year’s.” The woman moved past her and padded further into the house. Tessa turned, tried to decide if she should follow or not, and decided she wanted answers.

  “What’s your name?” she asked again.

  “Oh, silly me,” the woman said. “I’m Esme Carmichael.” She looked over her shoulder, and those blue eyes tickled something in Tessa’s memory.

  “You look familiar,” she said, and the woman grinned. She had straight, white teeth, and all the pieces clicked together. “You’re Esme Carmichael, the supermodel.”

  “Guilty,” the woman said. “I don’t model anymore, obviously. Well, from time to time, when they want to show that all women are beautiful, no matter size or age, I get called back in.”

  Tessa settled at her peninsula and accepted the cup of tea Esme offered her. “You knew my mother?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said, growing serious. “And I know that Minnie is not who she says she is. She’s Dennis’s oldest daughter, Minerva, and she has been collecting the rent on that house since Lydia passed.”

  “It’s only been a couple of months.”

  “That’s almost ten thousand dollars,” Esme said. “Maybe you don’t need that money, but I know Minerva shouldn’t have it.” She shook her head as if trying to get her hair over her shoulders, but it had been cut short and barely moved. “I call the cops every time she comes, but I think they think I’m going senile.” She gave a light laugh. “This time, I saw you pull up only a few minutes after her, but I still called. They haven’t even come yet.”

  “Does Mom really rent that house?”

  “Only through the end of August,” she said. “The family that was there left at the beginning of June, because the husband had another job in Egypt.” She spoke as if everyone traveled the world and lived in a rental house in the Hamptons in their down-time. “Minnie’s trying to get the management company to rent the house again, obviously. What did she tell you for why she was there?”