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Rose spent her days off with Oren. They couldn’t get enough of each other. By late September, they were clumsier about their arrangement and spending long hours in the Nantucket Historic District. Although they didn’t dare hold hands or touch, Rose knew how close they’d become. It was apparent to every passerby.
On one of these afternoons, she spotted Officer Sean Slagle across the street from where she and Oren ate ice cream cones.
It was startling to see Sean out and about like this. Ever since that first kiss she’d shared with Oren, Rose had convinced herself that the fire didn’t exist, that Natalie had never been Oren’s wife, and that Rose was the only woman Oren had ever loved.
But the way Sean Slagle looked at them now brought it all back.
“Those clowns,” Oren said now, guiding Rose away from Officer Sean. “They don’t have anything on me. They haven’t even come around to ask questions in weeks. But they still look at me like I’m a monster in some German fairy tale. I can’t take it.”
Oren gave Rose a look that meant she needed to play along.
Rose said, “It’s awful. It’s so obvious you had nothing to do with what happened.”
Rose had stopped herself from sayingthe fire.It sounded too violent.
Oren took her by the hand and led her farther away from Sean, rounding the corner and diving into a little restaurant where the cheapest plate of food cost fifty-two dollars. Oren grabbed a table in the back and ordered the fanciest wine Rose had ever drunk, plus a cheese plate that made her think back on the Kraft singles she’d grown up with and laugh. Had Oren ever eaten such cheap food? She imagined not.
Oren took both of her hands over the table and kissed her knuckles. His eyes were like saucers. “I don’t know what I would have done this year without you,” he said. “You’ve saved me.”
Two days later, Rose received a letter at the Walden Estate. This was a surprise to everyone, as Rose’s family hadn’t sent her anything all summer long, and she’d hardly spoken with any of them on the phone.They’re happy I’m gone,she’d reasoned already.They had too many kids to keep track of as it is.
The letter had no return address. Rose took it to her bedroom and tore it open to find a brief note from Officer Sean Slagle.
Rose,
Please stay away from Oren. Although we can’t get him behind bars this time, it’s clear to all of us at the station that he’s dangerous.
Let me know if you need help getting out of your current situation.
Come by the station any time on your day off, or call my home phone number, which is listed below.
Sean
Rose folded the letter and returned it to its envelope. Her first thought was to get rid of it. God forbid Oren found it and thought she was sneaking around on him. But her second thought was:how dare he?She hadn’t agreed to go out with Sean, and now Sean wanted to make unfounded accusations about the man she loved. He wanted to “save” her from the happiest she’d ever been. He didn’t know anything about her! He just assumed!
She knew Sean was just jealous. That had to be it.
But she couldn’t let Sean’s jealousy destroy her life.
After the children went to bed that night, Rose snuck back to Oren’s and considered telling him about Sean’s letter. But she imagined Oren would fly off the handle, so she kept quiet. Maybe being in love meant knowing what to keep from your lover to ensure his happiness. Perhaps it was all a balancing act.
Autumn continued, bringing storm clouds and questions from the Waldens about how much longer they wanted to stay on the island. Did they want to go back to the city? Did they want to try out California? A teacher joined the staff for the school year and took up many hours of the day with the children, which allowed Rose beautiful mornings and afternoons with Oren. It was remarkable to her that nobody in the Walden family had caught on yet. Or, if they had, they’d decided they didn’t care.
Even Zachary was too enmeshed in his personal affairs to notice Oren’s newfound commitment.
Rose wondered if everything would go on like that formonths and months. She wondered when they would have to make a decision and reveal their hand.
But then, time had its way with them.
In October—just four months after they met—Rose discovered she was pregnant with Oren’s child.
Everything changed after that.
Chapter Fifteen
Present Day
Rose’s newfound obsession with Natalie snuck into her nightmares. She found herself in a burning room with Natalie as Natalie tried to tell her something in a language Rose didn’t understand.“What is it?”Rose begged her in her dreams. But Natalie couldn’t say anything before she collapsed on the ground.
