CHAPTER 7

June 2014

It was 20 years since that night, but the memory was as vivid as if it were yesterday. It hadn't been easy, starting over again. But Bob was true to his commitment, and they worked through the rough spots together. Life had become better over time. Their trust in one another became firmer every day. Ten years ago, when Bob retired from the fishing boat and they bought the Thyme & Tide, life was so good that Peggy could almost forget everything that happened before. She only wanted to live in the now – to savor the joy that every new day with her husband brought her.

"Why? Why now?" she whispered now, pressing her forehead more firmly against the cabinet. Why, after all these happy years, did Colin McFadden have to come back and ruin everything? She'd tried so hard to put it behind her, ignore the tiny voice that sometimes whispered to her late in the night: "You know he's going to find out eventually. And it will hurt him. Maybe enough to do something crazy. Maybe enough to forget the past 20 good years."

The sudden chime of the bell over the front door startled Peggy. The first of the check-ins had arrived. The others would be here soon, and they'd all expect to see her smiling and happy to see them. Mrs. Beldon straightened up and blinked away the tears, prepared to greet her guests. She knew a moment of reckoning was coming, and she hoped she had the strength to face it. Until then, she'd keep on pretending that everything was all right. What else could she do?