As she slips beneath the covers beside her snoring husband, she wills sleep to overtake her quickly; a complete and dreamless sleep.
But she finds herself staring up through the skylight above their bed at the bare tree branches moving against the night sky, thinking of the past and the mysterious box in the attic. Now, not only does she feel as though she’s inhabiting a blond stranger’s body whenever she looks into a mirror, but she’s been enveloped by the strange sense that she’s inadvertently trespassed into someone else’s life.
Oh, who is she kidding?
It’s like she’s been thrown back into her own life, the one she’d tried so hard to leave behind with her teenage years.
Fourteen years ago, having long since transformed herself from a rebellious kid to an upstanding wife and mother and fourth--grade teacher, she’d nearly ventured back into dangerous territory. Teetering on the familiar good girl/bad girl precipice, she could easily have lost sight of who she really is and what matters most. But in the end, that hadn’t happened. Sheer conviction kept her on the straight and narrow. That was all that counted.
That, and the fact that Jake and the kids would never find out.
Or so she believed.
Now someone—-Rick? Damn you, Rick!—-wants her to be aware that her secret was never safe; that she isn’t safe at all, even now. Her entire world can unravel in an instant, and she’s no longer in charge.
Sleep refuses to claim her just as it did fourteen years ago tonight, dooming her to greet the cold and gloomy December dawn with restless exhaustion and the sense that the battle she thought she’d won long ago has begun anew.
From the Mundy’s Landing Tribune Archives
Society Page
June 20, 1993
Rowan M. Carmichael Weds
A. Jacob Mundy IV
Surrounded by family and friends, Rowan Mary Carmichael exchanged vows with Asa Jacob Mundy IV in a double ring ceremony at Holy Angels Church on Saturday afternoon.
The groom is the son of Mrs. Laura Mundy III of Mundy’s Landing and the late Asa Jacob Mundy III. The bride is the daughter of Jonathan “Mickey” Carmichael of Mundy’s Landing and the late Katherine Devlin Carmichael. Given in marriage by her father, she wore her mother’s silk gown, which had a V--neckline and was accented with Alen?on lace appliques, and she carried a bouquet of peonies and roses.
The bride’s sister, Noreen Carmichael Chapman of Oyster Bay, was matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Liza Mundy of Austin and Carolyn Kaliszewski of Buffalo. Edward Mundy, cousin of the groom, was best man, and ushers were Mitchell and Daniel Carmichael, brothers of the bride. Andrew Carmichael, the bride’s nephew, was the ring bearer.
Following a honeymoon in Cancun, the newlyweds will make their home in Westchester County, where Mrs. Mundy will begin a teaching position in the fall. Mr. Mundy is employed as an advertising executive in New York City.
Chapter 3
The work week passed without further incident. For that, Rowan is grateful. She hasn’t allowed herself to completely forget about the package of burnt cookies, still tucked away beneath the attic rafters, but she’s gone from dwelling on it in a constant state of paranoia to accepting that it happened and trying to move on.
That’s much easier to accomplish in some moments than in others. During the days when she’s busy in the classroom, she barely has time to think about it, much less check her Facebook page to see whether Rick Walker has responded to her errant friend request. But her nights at home have been marked by frequent and futile Facebook patrols and by restless worrying and wondering and very little sleep.
By the time Friday night rolls around, she’s feeling utterly drained. She’d much prefer climbing into bed in her pajamas to climbing into the bleachers in the high school gym. But Mick has a home game, and she never misses one.
Her friend Nancy Vandergraaf does a double take as Rowan settles onto the bench beside her. “Rowan! I didn’t recognize you without your red hair. What happened?”