When We Believed in Mermaids: A Novel

Mari recalls the summer she discovered a crack in the closet of her childhood bedroom that allowed her to watch Dylan in his bedroom. She would often see him having sex with his many girlfriends. Dylan knew about this and didn’t do anything to stop her. Everyone assumed Kit, Josie, and Dylan had a sibling relationship, but Josie never felt that way. She always felt she had a different connection with Dylan. Mari also recalls that Dylan continued to push her to tell him about the sexual assaults she suffered. She remembers a night when they were drinking alcohol stolen from the restaurant and she let it slip that Billy Zondervan was the one who had hurt her. Dylan told her they should call the police, but Josie insisted that no one would believe her because Billy was a famous actor.

Mari sits outside with the dogs and thinks of how good it was to see Kit again. Simon joins her, and suggests she invite Kit to dinner the following day. Mari agrees, but worries that if she does, things will change between her and Simon because the truth will inevitably come out. She doesn’t want to lose her husband, but she wants to reconnect with her sister.