Underneath it was a listing I’d saved several weeks earlier.
“Private Luxury Pool – Available for Hourly Rental.”
The advertisement featured my swimming pool, patio furniture, garden, and outdoor kitchen.
It even showed the wooden pergola my late husband had built.
At the bottom was the host’s name.
Mrs. Parker.
I turned toward the guests.
“How many of you paid to be here?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Then a woman standing near the pool raised her hand. “I did.”
Another man nodded. “So did we.”
Within seconds, almost everyone was raising their hands.
A woman in a blue swimsuit stepped forward.
“I paid $75 for two tickets.”
A man near the barbecue frowned.
“My wife booked this place for a family party one weekend. We paid $200.”
“When?”
“Almost a month ago. We had our son’s birthday party here.”
I felt my stomach turn.
It must have been when I was visiting Emily.
