Page 108 of Summers at the Saint
Livvy had seen Madelyn Eddings bustling around the hotel, fluffing pillows in the lobby, replacing faded flower arrangements, but she wasn’t exactly sure what her job title was.
“Uh, hi,” Livvy said, sitting up. “Mrs. Eddings? Is there something I can help you with?”
“What?” Madelyn, startled, dropped the suitcase. “Oh, Olivia. It’s you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Olivia said. “Did you need something?”
Madelyn picked up the suitcase and squared her shoulders. “My husband would like for me to gather together our daughter’s belongings and bring them home.”
Our daughter?Livvy thought.
She started walking down the hallway, her heels clicking on the vinyl floors, and Livvy jumped up to show her the way.
Madelyn pointed to the brass plaque with Parrish’s name beside her bedroom door. “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer privacy. This is… incredibly painful. For Ric and me.”
“Okay, sure.” Livvy turned and went back to the lounge, trying and failing to catch up with the show she’d been watching.
A moment later, Madelyn was back to the lounge. “Who’s been rummaging around in that room?”
Livvy felt her face flush. “After the deputies searched the room, well, it kinda looked like a bomb went off in there. Felice and me figured it would be pretty upsetting for her family to come in and find her room like that, so we packed up her things…”
Madelyn let out a long sigh and dabbed at her eyes with a crumpled tissue. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I didn’t mean to snap at you, or to imply that you did something wrong. That was very thoughtful of you two. I guess I’m still emotional about losing our girl. I know you and Felice were Parrish’s good friends. And the boys too, of course.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Livvy said. “We all miss her, a lot.”
“Thank you,” Madelyn said. “Were there any other things of Parrish’s, maybe things she’d left in your rooms, or in the common area, that didn’t get packed up?”
Livvy’s thoughts turned to the bitch book and she felt a twinge of guilt. “I don’t think so. Parrish was way neater than me, or Felice. It was really just a matter of picking up the stuff the cops flung around her room. We folded her bedspreads and stuff and left them in there.”
Madelyn glanced back into Parrish’s room. “Olivia? We don’t really have any twin-sized beds at our home. I was wondering—would you like to keep the comforter and pillows and the rest of the bedding? Maybe as a memory of Parrish?”
“Really?” Livvy was almost embarrassed at how readily she jumped at the offer. “If you don’t need them, then yeah, I’d love to have them. That’s so nice of you.”
Madelyn gave her a knowing smile. “I’m really not the wicked stepmother Parrish considered me, you know.”
“Uh, well, we didn’t really talk a lot about family,” Livvy lied.
“It was partly my fault. I’d never been able to have children of my own, so I desperately wanted Parrish to embrace me as a mother. Her own mother ran off when she was essentially a baby, so she hadabandonment issues, and then, right when she’s a teenager, along comes this rival for her daddy’s affections. She resented me from the beginning, and I resented her for making things difficult in my marriage, for essentially forcing Ric to choose between us. It was always a power struggle, especially if we made the mistake of showing our affection to each other in front of her. She’d never had to consider her dad as a sexual being.”
Eeeewwwww,Livvy thought.Waaaayyy too much information.
“Must have been tough,” Livvy mumbled, anxious for the conversation to end.
Madelyn sighed. “I have so many regrets. And now it’s too late.” She studied Livvy intently. “You probably have a great relationship with your mom, right?”
“Yeah. She’s awesome. Raised me all by herself. We’re more like sisters than mother-daughter,” Livvy lied again. It was getting to be a habit.
“Hold on to that,” Madelyn advised.
Livvy texted Felice as soon as she got back to the hotel.
MEET ME IN BREAK ROOM, STAT!
She watched the little bubbles on her phone, waiting for Felice’s response.
CANT. LUNCH CRUSH. SEE YOU AT 3.
Livvy fed quarters into one of the vending machines in the break room and was munching on a PayDay candy bar when Felice finally strolled in shortly after three.
