The One Before: A totally gripping suspense thriller with a shocking twist

by Miranda Smith

  It makes sense why he chose her now. Madison has no family of her own. No connections. That Douglas clan can swoop her up and swallow her whole. There’ll be no one left to advocate for her. That’s why I have to do this. But first I have to get Josephine Douglas out of my way.

  Twenty-Seven

  Madison

  I’ve spent the past three hours rotating between cleaning, unpacking and cooking. Coop called me on his lunch break to say he’d invited his family over for dinner. I stifled the immediate urge to strangle him; Lord knows I could have used another week to get the house in order. Maybe I needed a deadline. It’s been ages since I had one, and I always work my best under pressure.

  “What’s left to do?” asks Coop. In the ten minutes he’s been home, he’s watched me stumble between the living area and kitchen at least a half dozen times.

  “The table’s set. I just need to move empty boxes to the back porch. They’re an eyesore.”

  “It’s handled.” He places his hands on my shoulders and kisses my forehead. “Go upstairs and get ready.”

  I’m reminded I’m still wearing sweats that smell like scented candles and bleach. “Thank you,” I say, marching up the stairs.

  Josephine, Regina and Roman are due to arrive any minute. I don’t have time to shower. I dampen a washcloth and wipe the grime off my naked body, slip into a maxi dress and pull my hair into a low ponytail. I whip on some mascara and lipstick. The doorbell rings just as I’m fastening a necklace around my neck.

  I walk downstairs to find the Douglas family sitting in my freshly organized living room. It suddenly feels smaller with them here. Josephine stands to hug me.

  “Thank you for inviting us,” she says. “I’ve been dying to see the place.”

  “Of course,” I say. I give Coop a knowing glance as he approaches.

  “You’ve been in this house hundreds of times,” he says.

  “Yes, but it’s different now. This is your home.”

  “What’s for dinner?” Roman asks. He’s sitting by the fireplace, an opened beer bottle in his hand. It must have been one he brought, as we don’t have that brand in the house.

  “Just a casserole I threw together.” I look to Regina, who is wearing distressed jeans and a tank top, the most casual I’ve ever seen her. Her face is scrunched and reminds me of a teenager who is forced to be somewhere against her will. “I’m afraid it won’t be as good as anything you’d make.”

  “It’ll be great,” Coop says, before Regina can throw her first dig of the night. He squeezes my shoulders, an attempt to relax me.

  “Give us the grand tour,” Josephine says, taking my hand.

  I show them the dining room, which looks especially fancy now that the table is set with new china. I must have scrolled through a half dozen posts explaining the correct way to do it. Upstairs, I give them a glimpse of the bedrooms I finished arranging only hours ago. When we return to the main level, Coop has taken the dish out of the oven and placed it on the table. Everyone gathers around.

  “Love what you’ve done with the place, Cooper,” Josephine says.

  “Yeah, I feel like I’m in the showroom of a model home,” says Regina, unfurling her napkin.

  “Be nice, Regina,” Roman whispers.

  “Madison has done all the work,” Coop says, ignoring his sister. “You’re right. It looks great.”

  I smile a silent thank you and begin to eat.

  “Managing a home. Planning a wedding,” Regina says. “Not working can be a full-time job.”

  “No more talking until we all have wine.” Coop stands. His charm erases the cattiness his sister seems determined to bring into the room. He walks to the kitchen and returns with a bottle of Pinot Noir. He walks around the table with the delicacy of a server and fills everyone’s glass. Roman drains his beer—the second since he’s arrived—and pushes his glass forward.

  “Speaking of the wedding, I’m very excited about joining your next appointment,” says Josephine. “It’s been years since I’ve worked with Anne.”

  “I really enjoy her. I’m happy you were able to set it up.” My mind recalls Anne and her daughter, the reason it has been so long since she’s organized a wedding. I consider bringing it up, but I’m not sure how close she is to Josephine. My mother-in-law strikes me as the type of person to claim many friends, when in reality she has few. “We’ve made progress. After we sample cakes, there’s not much left.”

  “I thought you wanted Nectar to cater the food?” asks Regina, clinking her fork against her plate.

  “I do,” I say, taking a moment to wipe my mouth. “I mean, I’d expected you’d prepare the meal. I thought having you do the cake might be asking too much.”

  “I’m a professional chef,” she says, crossing her arms.

  “Exactly,” Roman says, stuffing his face with another bite of food. “You’re not a baker.”

  “My mother always said people can either cook or bake,” Josephine sings, trying to lighten the mood. “It takes a real talent to do both.”

  “What does that mean?” Regina asks.

  “It means you’re a fabulous cook,” Coop says. Across the table, Roman laughs.

  “It’s my brother’s wedding,” Regina says. “I can bake a damn cake.”

  “I really wasn’t trying to offend you,” I say. Already it feels like this night is slipping through my fingers. For whatever reason, Regina has been on edge since she arrived, and her attitude is worsening. “I’d love for you to provide dessert, if it’s not too much work.”

  “No,” Coop says, resting his glass. “Madison’s right. Having your crew be in charge of the meal is enough.”

  Regina doesn’t respond. She stares at the fireplace in the living room, taking a slow sip from her drink.

  “The food is tasty,” Josephine says. Mothering this lot for so long has made her an expert at putting out fires.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “Wait until you try the dessert,” Coop says. Everyone snickers at the connection to the previous topic, except Regina. She keeps staring into the other room, as though it’s her mission to pretend we’re invisible.

  “I was wondering if we could pick a date to go shopping, Regina,” I say. Her role as the black sheep of the Douglas family is obvious, and partially self-imposed, but I want her to see I’m trying to change things. I want us to become friends. “We still need to find your dress.”

  “Just tell me when and where,” she says, reluctantly being dragged back into conversation.

  “You’re the only bridesmaid, so it’s whenever suits you. My schedule is wide open.” I take a sip of my drink, unable to resist a response to her earlier insult. “As you’ve already pointed out, I’m not working at the moment.”

  “Why aren’t you having more people in the wedding party?” Roman asks.

  “We want to keep things small,” Coop says.

  “But why?” Roman leans on the table with both elbows. “Between your local friends and fraternity buddies, you could have a slew of groomsmen.”

  “You know how it is. Those friendships are artificial. We want the day to be about family.” Coop looks at me, his smile reaching out and calming my nerves.

  “Why isn’t your family involved?” asks Regina. She’s no longer fascinated by the fireplace in the next room; her entire body has turned to face me head-on.

  She’s not the only one. Everyone at the table is looking at me, waiting for a reply. Regina might have asked a rude question, but they all want to know my answer. This topic has been discussed before. Roman and Josephine’s lack of interference proves it.

  “I don’t have family,” I say, hoping my blunt response will put an end to this.

  “What about friends?” Regina asks.

  “Enough, Regina,” Coop says, tightening his hold on the wine glass.

  “Don’t you have some high school BFF or sorority sister you want standing beside you on your big day?” Regina asks in a false pitch.

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nbsp; “We want to keep things small,” I say. “Like Coop said.”

  “But why? From what I’m hearing, it sounds like you want to keep things small,” she continues, coiling her neck like a snake about to bite.

  “My friends are back in the city,” I say. “I don’t want to inconvenience them.”

  “So they’re not invited?” asks Roman, his tone slightly less intrusive.

  “Yes, they’re invited,” I say. “My best friend, Beth, is having a baby soon. It doesn’t make sense for her to travel. She’s the only person I care about being there.”

  “I’m not sure why this is anyone’s business,” Coop says, standing and carrying empty dishes into the kitchen. “It’s our wedding.”

  “She’s been poking around our business since she got here,” Regina says, pointing at me.

  “That’s not true,” I say.

  Roman drains the rest of his drink and clenches his jaw. Without saying anything, he pulls the bottle from the middle of the table and pours more.

  “You might want to slow it down,” Coop says to him, walking back into the room.

  “My drinking isn’t the problem right now,” Roman says, chuckling.

  The room is quiet, so quiet I realize the music I’d been playing as I cooked is still on. The soft melody drifts towards us from the kitchen. It’s the instrumental version of a popular song I can’t quite place. I cling to this unknown tune, trying not to feel the pressure rising in my chest.

  “I’m sorry, Madison.” Josephine is the first to speak. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into Regina. Whatever it is, she’s taking it out on you, and that’s not fair.”

  Regina pushes her chair and stands dramatically.

  “Will you settle down?” Coop tries desperately to reclaim the evening.

  “I’m only saying what all of us are thinking,” Regina whines. “She’s worming her way into our family, and we know nothing about her.”

  Is that what they think? That I’m infiltrating the Douglas caste? That I’ve trapped Coop somehow? The fact no one speaks suggests so. If they only understood how much I’ve sacrificed to be with him. My city. My job. My hand might have been forced on the last one, but I still chose to move here. And I’m choosing to stay, despite the tension between Coop and his family and this shitty town.

  “Why do you have to always start something?” asks Roman. He stares at Regina, and I can see there’s a dangerous sheen in his eyes.

  “Sorry, I don’t take orders like you,” Regina says, snidely. “All I did was ask questions.”

  “And Madison answered them,” Coop says, placing his arm on the back of my chair. “She didn’t have to, but she did.”

  “Why can’t you be happy for Cooper?” asks Roman. His eyes haven’t left Regina, but his face is reddening. “Why can’t you be happy for any of us?”

  “Oh, I’m happy. I’m the only person in this family who isn’t living like a fraud.” She pushes in her chair, then stomps to the back porch. It amazes me that even in a horrific display of rudeness, Regina still has manners. She’s conditioned. They all are.

  Roman stands and puts his napkin over his plate. “Excuse me.” He follows Regina out.

  “What’s going on with them?” Coop asks his mother.

  Josephine doesn’t reply. She sips her wine gracefully, ignoring the crumbling dynamics around her. Yelling breaks out on the porch. Regina first, then Roman. Coop leaves the table, joining his siblings outside in an attempt to mollify them.

  I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know where to start. There’s never been anyone in my life that could pull this level of frustration out of me over something so petty. And yet, I feel like I’m the source of all this. Coop’s family is displeased with me, and I don’t know why.

  “Well.” Josephine finally speaks, once Coop has slammed the back door shut. That one word pulls my attention immediately. I’m no longer distracted by the music playing or the raised voices outside. I’m tuned into Josephine, and what she’ll say next. “I apologize on behalf of my children.”

  “I’m not sure what went wrong,” I say. It’s true. I never predicted this evening could spiral so quickly.

  “When my children were younger, I never imagined they’d still behave this way. Become this bothered over the tiniest comments. A lot has happened since they were younger, though. You have to understand that.”

  “All I want to do is be happy here. I want to get to know all of you,” I stutter, thinking of the best way to form the next sentence. “I’m not digging into the past.”

  She smiles. “It’s okay for you to have questions. Regina prides herself for being different, but she’s more trapped than she’d prefer to admit. We all are, in our own way. What happened back then, between Cooper and Celia, had an impact on all of us.”

  This is the first time I’ve heard her say the name. The first time we’ve discussed anything deeper than material finishes. “Josephine, we don’t need to talk about this.”

  “Maybe we do.” She runs her forefinger around the rim of her glass. “From what I can tell, that’s what has set Regina off. Your interest in what happened back then. She’s very protective of her brother. Roman, too. It hasn’t dawned on my daughter, bright as she is, that you have a right to ask questions.”

  What has Regina said to them? We spoke about Celia at the lake and at Nectar; I didn’t say anything off-color. She’s been friendly since, so I don’t believe those interactions have brought out her hostility. It must be something else. There’s a layer of sweat forming between my skin and clothes. It’s like I’m under a spotlight, and I wish one of the angry Douglas children would barge back into the room and end this conversation. “Coop told me everything I need to know.”

  “It couldn’t have been easy for you moving to Whisper Falls and hearing the things people still say about him. It certainly hasn’t been easy for us.” She looks at me, her eyes searching. Her throat wobbles as she speaks, as though she’s trying hard to fight her emotions. That’s another skill she must have perfected over the years. “You must understand we’ve all carried this burden for years. It’s made us protective and loyal just as much as it’s made us paranoid and bitter.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good.” She takes a sip of her wine. “Now all I can ask is that you show us a little bit of patience.”

  Twenty-Eight

  Madison

  Cooper loads the last of the dishware into the washer and slams the door.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.

  “Where should we begin?” He slings a dishrag over his shoulder and leans against the counter.

  I copy his stance. “What happened out on the porch?”

  “Regina and Roman were having it out like two spoiled teenagers.”

  “What do you think set them off?” I ask, remembering their bickering outside. “Regina seemed aggravated before they arrived.”

  “You remember The Falls Report article you read last week?” He crosses his arms, as I nod. “Well, Regina and Bailey have been friends for a long time. Mom and Roman must have been giving her a hard time about continuing the friendship, considering what was written about me.”

  That’s not what I was expecting. Regina’s vitriol tonight was aimed at me; I thought she was upset about something I’d done. I didn’t think everyone was mad at her. It’s equally surprising Regina wouldn’t take Bailey to task over what she wrote in the article. During our conversation at the lake, Regina said people in Whisper had to choose their sides and defend their stance. Why would she choose to align herself with someone who openly criticized Coop? Her own brother? What side was she really on?

  “I’m no longer as sympathetic toward your sister,” I say, pouring another glass of wine. “That article was ridiculous. If they are friends, Regina should tell Bailey to back off.”

  “Regina doesn’t have many friends. If she cut ties with every person who made a snide remark about our family, she’d have no one,”
Coop says, sliding his glass toward me. “Her behavior in general irks me. I mean, how many digs did she make tonight? Saying our house looked like a showroom and pointing out you’re not working. Again. Between Regina’s bitchy attitude and Roman’s excessive drinking, there’s a whole pit of drama.”

  I look down. “Regina doesn’t know how to communicate without putting others down.”

  “She’s my sister. I know how she operates.” He looks at me and his demeanor softens. He pulls me in for a hug. “What I don’t want is you thinking you’re the cause of any of this. This is my family. It’s how we’ve always communicated. Sometimes I think they tire of putting on the Douglas front, that’s why it all crumbles behind closed doors.”

  “That makes sense.” It’s clear why he waited so long to introduce me to his family. Anyone who witnessed this behavior before a certain level of commitment could easily walk out the door. The only reason I don’t now is because I love Coop. I see he’s the one hurting in all of this.

  “It’s just embarrassing.” He runs his hands through my hair, his mouth close to my ear. “I’ve been away so many years, I don’t think I realized how miserable they’ve all become. They can’t even pull it together for one meal. To hell with the wedding.”

  I pull back and playfully slap his chest. “Don’t say that. Anne and I are hard at work to make sure it’s spectacular.”

  “I just don’t want my family to mess up our happiness.” He shakes his head as he pours the rest of the wine into his glass. “They really do want what is best for me. They just have the absolute worst way of showing it.”

  “That’s what your mom said.”

  “Really?” He leans back to get a better look of me. “You two talked?”

  “She just brought up what you’ve been through as a family.” I don’t want to mention Celia. Every moment between us can’t revolve around his dead ex-girlfriend. “She said the hardships have made you protective of each other. And paranoid.”