Free Point Hope by Kristen James Page A

another baby in the house. I know how hard it is when they’re up all night and need constant care.”
    “Angel.” It took entirely too much effort to get that word out. The rest were even harder. “Trey and I were talking about splitting up when we heard about Ricky.” She let that sink in for a while before even glancing over.
    “Oh.” Angel looked confused and let down, like she’d received bad news personally. “You’ve never acted like anything’s wrong, or said anything about you and Trey having problems.” She didn’t have anger in her voice, thankfully. Rosette shrugged, unable to speak through her tears. “So…what will you do now?”
    She leaned back, pulling in a breath, fighting away her emotions so she could talk. “We agreed to focus on the kids and get through the funeral. But after that, we got the call about Amanda.” Her voice caught on the name. It still seemed like Amanda would come home any minute—just walk through the door and scoop up her baby.
    “And now it’s all in limbo.” Angel wrapped her other arm around Rosette. “Oh, my God, Rosy.”
    “It’s just like my parents, but it’s me this time. Me who will be hurting my kids.”
    Angel was holding her breath. Rosette’s words were enough to explain a much bigger picture. Angel had been there for Rosette when her parents divorced; she knew how ugly it’d been and how much it had scared Rosette. Her dad was gone now, and so was her mom for all intents and purposes. They hardly spoke.
    They watched a man in a tan raincoat stroll by with his German Shepherd, down by the wet sand in front of the waves.
    “A few weeks ago, Alex had a friend over.” Rosette actually felt like that’d been a year ago because so much had happened since. “I overheard them talking, and TJ asked Alex what it was like living with us. I couldn’t hear everything they said, but I heard Alex say I’m like his sister-in-law and his mom wrapped into one.” Rosette dreaded facing the fact that she might lose Alex if she lost Trey. When she lost Trey, actually.
    Angel held her a long time. “Is there someone else?”
    Rosette almost snorted. She twisted her head. “Would I ever do anything…” She realized too late that Angel wasn’t talking about her. After all, why would Angel ever suspect her of anything like that? No one would ever guess that she had once kissed Ricky.
    But how had she not thought of Trey possibly having someone else? Who, though? He didn’t spend much time around any other women. “I really don’t think he could.”
    “I could ask Mitch to talk to him.”
    “No!” Rosette startled herself along with Angel. “No, please don’t tell anyone, not even Mitch.” She couldn’t handle the thought of other people knowing their marriage was falling apart. They’d think the worst of her—deserting Trey after he lost his brother. Their kids were still little, and they had Alex to think about too. And tiny Hope. Someday Hope would figure all this out and realize no one had wanted her. Rosette would look like a bad wife and mother…and the kids might hear other people talking too. Of course, they would learn about it at some point, but she didn’t want to think that far ahead.
    “Trey has never hinted, or acted weird, or said something odd? I just wondered...” Angel looked away, but there had been something in her eyes.
    “Angel?”
    “I got a weird vibe from Leena. Maybe between them, too.”
    Leena, from next door? “Don’t you think I’d get a weird feeling if there was something there?” As Rosette said the words, she remembered how Trey had been so nice and said she could go for a walk…and Leena had seemed like she wanted to stick around.
     
    ~  ~ ~
     
    The heat in the house almost stung her skin after several hours on the brisk, windy beach. Rosette checked first to see if Leena was there; she wasn’t. She walked by Trey, taking in the picture of him holding the baby to his chest. His smiling face was soft