Emma's Secret: A Novel

and she’d forever regret that small act.
    She’d chosen this side of Station Beach hoping that it would offer more in terms of entertainment for her kids. Tiny Tots park was just above the beach area, with children running around and playing amid the slides, swings, and teeter-totters. In the distance was the old lighthouse rumored to be haunted by a former keeper who played the bagpipes while the sun set.
    She had the kids follow her down to the pebbled beach, and they found a small section of grass on which to place their bags and towels. She instructed the girls to lay out their towels and set up the umbrella to block the sun, and then led them back to the bus, where they stood in line to order their ice cream.
    Megan held Emma’s hand while Hannah stood on her other side. Emma’s eyes lit up. Sadness washed over Megan as she thought about everything her youngest daughter had missed. By this age, the other two girls had practically lived at the beach with Megan, and they would have thought nothing about the swarms of kids playing around them. In fact, her girls would have by now seen several of their friends from preschool or the neighborhood and been begging to go play with them. But not Emma. She’d been so sheltered at the farm; Jack and Dottie had rarely taken her anywhere. It angered Megan that her daughter had missed so much, but at the same time, she had to thank God—because it could have been worse. At least Emma was alive.
    After ordering their ice cream cones, Megan walked the girls back over to their towels. She thought she’d have been more relaxed than she was. Once upon a time, the beach had been her second home. Peter had once suggested putting a pool in their backyard before they had kids, but Megan rejected that idea. She loved the beach: the feel of the sand between her toes, the sun kissing her skin. She loved closing her eyes while lying back, listening to the waves as they crept along the shoreline. She never wanted to give that up. But instead of finding the sounds relaxing today, Megan was tense, on edge. Was it safe? Could her children play here and not disappear?
    She was being irrational. She was allowing her fears to ruin her day. So instead of giving in and taking the kids home, Megan made sure there was a smile on her face as her sunglasses hid the unease in her eyes. But when she caught Hannah’s look, she knew she’d done a poor job masking her fears.
    “Want to build a sand castle with me?” Hannah squatted down next to Emma, who had chocolate ice cream dripping downbetween her fingers. Emma’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, and Megan dug out the sand buckets and tiny shovels.
    “Alexis, why don’t we have a contest? We’ll be in teams.” Megan handed the buckets to the girls. Alex frowned while she searched the beach area.
    “Hailey and Taylor are here. I’d rather go hang out with them.” Alexis waved at her friends, who waved back. The girls stood knee-deep in the water directly in front of them.
    “You’re gonna ditch your family for your friends?” Megan pretended to be hurt, but winked before Alexis could argue back. She didn’t need another blowup today.
    Hannah stood up. “It’s okay, Mom. Why don’t you relax? Emma and I will just build our castle together. There’s an empty spot.” She pointed just off to the right of their towels. “You can watch us the whole time.”
    Alex dropped her bag and ran down the beach. Megan started to call out to stop her, but when she realized who Alexis had run to, she relaxed. Hailey and a bunch of other kids from school all gathered at the water’s edge. She was glad Alexis had friends to play with here. Megan caught the eye of Barb, Hailey’s mom, who waved at her from down the beach. Megan waved and smiled back. It had been a while since she’d last spoken to Barb. Back when Alexis and Hailey had been younger, they used to do playdates on a regular basis.
    Megan sat down on her towel while she watched Hannah lead Emma over to a spot on the beach where they could build their sand castles. It felt odd to be sitting there not joining in on the fun, but she’d let Hannah take the lead for a few moments. She knew she should be encouraging Hannah to go play with her own friends instead of watching over Emma; the two older girls needed to retain a sense of freedom, and Emma needed to learn it. But sinceshe’d come home, Megan had kept Emma close at all times. She did notice the way Emma’s gaze continued to