PART 2

I slipped the pearl necklace back into the pouch and hurried to the garage before Melissa reached the porch.

I unlocked the tall cabinet and tucked the pouch behind the spare sprinkler heads. The lock clicked when I turned the key, though the old latch had been loose for months.

I tugged on it anyway.

It held.

At least, I thought it did.

When I turned around, Melissa was standing at the garage entrance.

“Good grief,” I said, pressing a hand to my chest. “You scared me.”

“Sorry!” she chirped. “I came to help the perfect hostess.”

Ryan appeared behind her.

“She means hello.”

Melissa shot him a sharp look.

I slipped the keys into my pocket.

“You’re early.”

“I know. Isn’t that nice?” Her eyes drifted over the shelves behind me. “Need chairs? Ice? Tablecloths?”

“We’re good.”

“Bug spray?”

“On the patio.”

Her smile tightened.

Ryan cleared his throat.

“Mel, she said she’s good.”

I almost laughed, but Melissa turned back to me.

“Gaia knows I mean well.” She tilted her head. “Don’t you?”

There it was.

The hook hidden under the sugar.

I smiled the way I smiled when I refused to start a fight.

“Come on,” I said. “You can help Elaine with dessert. She’s making pie from scratch.”

For the next hour, Melissa performed kindness like she was auditioning for sainthood.

She carried napkins outside, came back for cups we did not need, and complimented my lemonade twice.

William leaned close while I arranged corn on a platter.

“Is it just me, or is Melissa being nice?”

“It’s not just you.”

“Fake nice?”

“Medium-level fake.”

He smiled and reached for the platter.

That was when I heard Elaine speaking in the front room.

“I’m giving it to Gaia tonight,” she told George. “She has earned it.”

I froze with cherry juice on my fingers.

So did Melissa.

She stood by the counter with her hand hovering over the napkins.

Her face changed.

She did not look sad.

She did not look confused.

She looked furious.

Then she noticed me watching.

“Napkins,” she said loudly, grabbing them. “Found them.”

“They were right next to you,” I said.

“Silly me.” Her laugh had sharp edges. “You really do get everything, don’t you?”

I dried my hands.

“Say what you mean.”

She stepped closer.

“Mom talks about you like you’re the daughter she always wanted.”

“Melissa, not today.”

“I’m not doing anything.” She lifted the napkins. “I’m helping.”

“No,” I said quietly. “You’re circling.”

Her smile slipped.

Before she could answer, Mason ran into the kitchen, dripping water.

“Mom, Maisie says I can’t be firework captain.”

“Nobody is firework captain,” I said. “Go outside.”

Melissa’s eyes flicked toward the hallway.

As soon as she left, I crossed the driveway and checked the garage cabinet.

The pouch was still there.

I told myself to breathe.

The party continued.

George guarded his grill tongs like sacred tools. Elaine squeezed my arm whenever she passed. The twins ran wild. Guests laughed. Firework smoke began drifting over the lake.

That was what I wanted to protect.

Peace.

At sunset, William frowned.

“Where are the sparklers?”

“Garage. Top shelf.”

“I’ll get them.”

“No, stay with the twins. I’ll go.”

I crossed the driveway as the first firework cracked over the lake.

Then the garage side door opened.

Melissa stepped out.

We both froze.

Her face was flushed. Both hands smoothed the front of her floral skirt.

“Oh my God,” she said with a shaky laugh. “You scared me.”

I looked past her into the dark garage.

“What were you doing in there?”

“I got lost looking for the bathroom.”

“The bathroom is inside the house, Melissa. You know that.”

“I know,” she said too quickly. “I thought there was a door through here.”

“You took a wrong turn across the driveway and into the garage?”

Her smile twitched.

“It’s dark.”

“The patio lights are on.”

“Gaia, move.”

That did it.

Not the lie.

Not even the garage.

The command.

I stepped into her path.

“What are you hiding?”

Her eyes flashed.

“Nothing.”

“Melissa.”

“Move.”

“Show me.”

She clutched the front of her skirt with both hands.

“It’s none of your business.”

Then I saw it.

A strip of white fabric hanging just below the hem.

My body went cold before my mind fully understood.

“What’s under your skirt?”

Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

“Melissa,” I said slowly. “Show me.”

She spun toward the gate.

“Stop,” I said.

Her yellow heel caught in a crack near the edge of the driveway.

She stumbled hard.

Both hands flew out.

The white satin pouch slid from beneath her skirt and hit the concrete.

Pearls spilled out in a soft, terrible scatter.

For one second, the world went silent.

Then Melissa lunged.

I snatched the pouch and gathered the pearls against my palm.

“No,” I whispered.

She grabbed for my wrist.

“Give it to me.”

I pulled back.

“This is Elaine’s.”

Her nails dug into my skin.

“Hand it over, Gaia.”

“Let go.”

“If you don’t give it to me right now,” she hissed, “I’ll tell everyone you stole it.”

I yanked my arm free and pulled my phone from my back pocket.

Melissa’s eyes widened.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the police.”

“Don’t you dare.”

I pressed the phone to my ear and kept my voice steady when the dispatcher answered.

“I need to report a theft at my home. The person is still here and trying to leave.”

Melissa stepped closer.

“Hang up, or I’ll scream.”

“Go ahead,” I said. “Everyone should hear this.”

Continue reading