The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis Page B

grabbed a tube of sunblock, and squeezed a dollop into her palm, the scent of coconut rushing over her.
    â€œMmm . . . that smells delicious,” said Maggie. “Like I could eat it.”
    Jess smiled. “Be my guest.”
    â€œI was beginning to think summer would never get here,” Maggie admitted.
    Jess leaned back in her chair. “Me too. This winter felt impossibly long.” They’d had record-breaking snowfall in Boston, and as the snow piled up outside, she’d felt more and more like a prisoner in her own home. Then Cole had arrived, like a tender crocus hiding in the flower beds fronting her porch. The fact that she had kept Cole a secret from Maggie all these months amazed her. And yet where to begin? There was so much more she had to explain about her marriage falling apart before she could get to Cole. But she couldn’t be sure that Maggie, her twin, her best friend, would take her side. She thought of describing Cole’s warm laugh, his funny stories, how he surprised her by kissing her at the kitchen sink one night, how soft his lips were and how she could feel actual back muscles through his shirt.
    She considered trying to explain to Maggie how, when your husband becomes a stranger, when he no longer seems interested in talking to you or making things better in your marriage, it is surprisingly easy to fall for someone else. Even now that the fling had run its course (Jess had ended things over lattes in Harvard Square just days before vacation), would her sister understand? Maggie’s moral compass was strong; the mention of Jess’s affair might cause it to crack.
    â€œSo?” Maggie turned to her, as if reading her mind. “Tell me everything. I want to know.” Her voice dropped an octave. “How are things with you and Tim?”
    As much as Jess wanted to tell, she felt slightly ambushed. She couldn’t get into it right now with Tim and the kids in front of them, could she? She would need a few more smoothies for that. “They’ve been better?” She hoped her voice sounded breezy, cavalier.
    â€œMommy, watch me!” Teddy called out from the edge of the dock.
    Jess lifted her eyes and watched as he performed a cannonball that ended in a deafening, triumphant splash.
    â€œI honestly don’t know where to begin,” she said now and waited for Teddy’s head to reappear above the water.
    â€œOh, hold that thought,” Maggie said. “I forgot the salsa. I’ll be right back. And when I come back you’ll tell me everything?” She pushed up from her chair.
    â€œYou bet,” said Jess. She gave a thumbs-up as Teddy pulled himself up on the dock and glanced back at her for approval. Summers are so easy, she thought. All she needed to do was make sure the kids were slathered in sunblock.
    By the time Maggie returned, however, Grace and Teddy were begging Jess to come in the water. And she couldn’t say no, not on the first day of vacation. She glanced over at Tim, who appeared to be deep in conversation with Mac. Of course. She grabbed a chip and dipped it in the homemade salsa. “Delicious,” she proclaimed. Then she shook her head and apologized to her sister: “Duty calls.”
    Maggie groaned. “All right. But you’re not off the hook. I’ve got you for days,” she said as she sat back down. “I want to make sure everything is perfect between you two.”
    Jess laughed and tugged off her cover-up before tiptoeing across the hot sand. If only it were that easy , she thought. She waved to the kids, then dove in, swimming away from thoughts of Cole, infidelity, and her broken marriage.
    After a few hours, the children’s skin had turned a bright shade of pink despite multiple applications of sunscreen, and Jess insisted everyone head inside. Grudgingly, the kids tromped upstairs to change out of their bathing suits and then tromped back down to hang them