“No.” Joanna straightened her shoulders. “I’m sure rumors say otherwise, but it was her choice to move. She wanted something small, easy to maintain and close to town. Not Silver Point, obviously, because apparently my ‘antics’ made it difficult for her to show her face in town. I embarrassed her. She said the locals were hostile and suspicious of her.”

Mel felt anger rumble. “She should be embarrassed, all right, but not because of anything you did. And if any of us were hostile, which I doubt because we’re mostly a friendly bunch as you know, then it would have been because of the way she treated you. Are you going to see her while you’re here?”

“I don’t know.” Joanna turned. “Coming here was a spontaneous decision. I don’t plan on leaving the beach house.”

“How did you leave LA without anyone following you?”

“I left in the middle of the night. I needed to get away.” Her gaze darted to the beach and Mel had a feeling there was something Joanna wasn’t telling her.

“Well, if you’re looking for privacy and space to think, then you chose well.”

“Space to think. That’s it.” Joanna’s gaze was back on her. “I haven’t decided what happens next.”

Mel frowned. “But if you’re not leaving the house, then all you’ve done is swap one trap for another. Although admittedly this one has a truly great view. You should come into town, Joanna. Even if the press discover you’re here, the locals would protect you.”

Joanna stooped to pull a dead flower from its stem. “That’s a romantic fantasy. We both know that’s not true.”

It hurt, the lack of trust, but maybe that was what two decades with Cliff Whitman did for you.

“How long will you stay?”

“I don’t know. Until the press figure out I’m here. Then I suppose I’ll have to move on.”

Mel tried to imagine her movements being dictated by anything other than her own wishes.

“You shouldn’t have to leave unless you want to. That’s not fair.”

Joanna stared out over the ocean. “Life isn’t always fair.”

“I know. I found that out that time I was grounded for doing your homework. Or maybe you don’t remember—”

“I remember.” Joanna laughed and Mel laughed, too, the two of them connecting over that shared memory.

And just like that her anger dissolved.