The kitchen was spotless and smelled of bacon and pancakes. The beds were made. Nobody was home. How could Brad and Noah go away at a time like this? She checked the birthing room, the sunporch, the attic. The house was empty. Vulnerable. She closed the blinds, threw herself in the bed she shared with Brad, and curled up into a fetal position. She remained like that for the rest of the day. When Brad and Noah returned from wherever they’d been and checked in on her, she told them she had a migraine. She could barely even talk. “Please,” she said, “just leave me alone.”

THE NEXT MORNING, STILL WORRIED and heartsick, she took a long shower and prepared for Ann’s return to pick up Noah, trying to think of the best way to approach her. If only Ann had listed Michael as an heir, if only she’d been honest.

Poppy could tell by the curt texts Ann had sent that she was still smarting: tell him to be ready by three and no surprises this time. Poppy dressed, careful to choose an actual outfit with zippers and seams instead of her usual sweats. Once she was dressed, she realized the house was empty again. Hadn’t Brad come to the Cape to see her? He and Noah were two peas in a pod. She couldn’t stand it. She didn’t want to be alone anymore.

She had slipped on her sandals and walked outside, calling Brad’s name again and again, when Noah peeked out of the garage and darted across the lawn to meet her. “Aunt Poppy!” He was breathless. “You have to come!”

Noah’s smile was such a wonderful, refreshing surprise; it almost cut through her feelings of dread and concern. Then her heart broke for him: he didn’t want to lose the house any more than she did. He’d die when he heard about this developer, and about the mysterious “brother” who’d seemed so sweet. She still didn’t know why Michael had lied about being Noah’s father, and now he was forcing the sale without even telling her? She thought of how good it had felt to see him again, and now, just a few days later, she was upset that he was strong-arming the sale. She had to stop Michael. She had to!

“What’s going on?”

“Seriously, you just have to see what Brad found.”

“Tell me it’s not a dead animal.”

“It’s the greatest thing ever. Come! Just come see!”

After a lifetime of summers on the Cape, Poppy wondered what new discovery could make Noah so ecstatic. He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the barn. He was practically skipping. “Hurry!”