BooksBarbecue
Back The Newcomer Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgments
  69. Also by Mary Kay Andrews
  70. About the Author
  71. Newsletter Sign-up

The lies, she thought. So many, many lies. And why? She downed the rest of the wine in her glass. She was ashamed of how gullible she’d been, at how easily she’d bought into Tanya’s tale of woe.

“No, no, no!” She looked over to see Maya, batting her arms wildly in the air, although her eyes were still tightly closed. “Nooooo!”

Letty pulled back the covers and climbed into bed with the little girl, snugging her close against her chest, inhaling the sweet scent of baby shampoo.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m here. Go to sleep, baby,” Letty said, stroking her back and smoothing the hair from her damp forehead.

“Letty?” Maya sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. “I got a bad dream.”

Not again, Letty thought. They’d had three good nights in a row without the night terrors.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Letty asked.

“The bad man came,” Maya said tearfully. “He tried to get me.”

“That was just a dream, sweetie. There is no bad man here. I would not let a bad man come in here. Okay? I promise you. Never, ever will I let that happen.”

Maya snuffled and buried her nose in Letty’s shirt. “Okay.” She looked up at her aunt. “Will you do the bunny song?”

Letty rolled her eyes but began to sing, letting her fingertips trail along Maya’s back. “Little Bunny Foo Foo, hoppin’ through the forest, scoopin’ up the field mice and boppin’ ’em on the head…”

Maya giggled and chimed in on her favorite part, wagging her finger at her aunt. “Down came the Good Fairy, and she said, Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don’t wanna see you scoopin’ up the field mice and boppin’ ’em on the head.”

Letty lost count of the number of choruses she repeated until Maya finally drifted back to sleep. When she was sure the child wouldn’t stir, she crept into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, undressed, and crawled back to bed.

She’d opened the windows earlier, and now she heard laughter and music coming from the direction of the pool.

“B-10,” she heard a man’s voice call. “G-59.” She recognized the voice as Joe’s. “O-74.” Ironic, she thought. It was eight o’clock on Sunday night and she, the youngest guest at the Murmuring Surf, was already in bed, while the Murmuring Surf’s elderly regulars were still chowing down on free barbecue and a hot bingo game.