“What do you mean she’s gone?” Ida sat at the kitchen dinette with Leo at the other end, looking absolutely bewildered as Gia paced.
“I mean she’s gone,” Gia said. “Her car’s not there. The kids aren’t around. Everyone’s clothes—except Sheldon’s—are gone. And Margot’s purse was nowhere to be found, so I’m guessing she took that, too.” She held up her sister’s phone, which she’d brought back with her. “And yet her cell was right there in the kitchen in plain sight.”
Ida’s eyes rounded in her gaunt face. Covering her mouth, she spoke through her fingers. “Why would she go anywhere without her phone?”
“I’d say she forgot it, except...except I think if she’d meant to take it, she would’ve gone back for it. We rely on these little computers too much these days. It’s not something you’d be happy to leave behind.”
“That makes sense,” Ida agreed.
“Not to mention that everything seemed so...purposeful,” Gia added after searching for the right word.
“How so?” her father asked.
She turned at the end of the kitchen and came back toward them. “Well, first, there were the rumors of Sheldon being involved with another woman. I got the impression when I brought up the subject with Margot that she was well aware of what was going on. Since she wouldn’t let me confront him, I assumed she was simply letting him get away with it—like she has with so many other things. But maybe she put me off because she had something bigger planned...”
Ida dropped her hand. “Like what? A divorce? Where has she gone? And how are we supposed to reach her if she doesn’t have a phone?”
Gia didn’t want to say it, but the obvious answer was that they couldn’t reach her. No one could. “I think...I think she’s left him.”
Her family, too. Gia didn’t add that. But Leo obviously understood the implications because he came to his feet as he said, “Margot would never leave her mother when...when she’s battling...what she’s battling.”
Ida’s eyes brimmed with tears. “And even if she would, she’d never take the boys away from us, not to mention their father.”
Gia couldn’t see her sister crossing that line, either. Margot had never stood up to Sheldon. So then to do something so drastic... It seemed out of character. But nothing else explained the facts as Gia knew them. “I think that’s exactly what she’s done. When I let myself out of her house, the neighbor was watering his lawn. I asked him about Margot, and he said the last time he saw her was early yesterday morning. He said he was changing the oil in his truck as Sheldon loaded up to go hunting. They spoke for a minute, then Sheldon left, and about an hour later, Margot dragged several suitcases to the Subaru.”
“Did she say anything to him?” Leo asked.
“No. When he yelled a hello to the kids, they said they were going to McDonald’s and then the park, but she was so busy making trips to and from the house, he didn’t get the chance to say anything to her. He said she looked ‘tense.’”
“Should we call Sheldon?” Her mother reached for her phone, which was on the table next to her. “See if he knows what’s going on?”
“No.” Gia moved quickly to stop her. “We can’t include him.”
“Why not?”
Gia thought of the voicemail she’d planned to leave Margot, giving her fifteen minutes to get in touch before Gia approached Sheldon. She’d never left that message. Once she’d found Margot’s phone, she’d assumed it would be futile. But she’d realized after that there were ways her sister could check her voicemail remotely—if she knew how. “Because we all know how levelheaded Margot is. If she left, she did it for a reason.”
“Without telling us?” Her mother couldn’t seem to comprehend the sudden desertion, and Gia understood. Margot had never done anything like this before.
“She must’ve thought it was necessary,” she said.
“Sheldon’s infidelity has to be at the bottom of it,” Leo said. “She must be brokenhearted, poor thing. But spouses cheat all the time. She can’t just take the kids and disappear.”
“Most people don’t go that far,” Gia agreed. “No one wants to walk away from everything they know and love. And she’s always been close to Mom. That tells me she must’ve felt she had no other choice.”
Ida wiped an errant tear. “This is so hard to believe.”
Gia wished she knew the passcode to her sister’s phone. She wanted to see whom Margot had called and texted last. Maybe there’d be some clue as to where she went—if she was involved with another man or whatever. But she’d already tried several combinations—Margot’s birthday, her boys’ birthdays and several other guesses—with no success. “Could there be another man in her life?” she asked hesitantly.
“No way,” her mother replied.
“You haven’t heard her mention anyone? There’s been no new name that’s cropped up?”
“None,” Leo replied. “She hasn’t been seen with anyone, either.”
Now Margot’s insistence that Gia return home made sense. Gia could even see why her sister would call her return “crucial.” She’d needed someone in Wakefield she could rely on to support Ida so she could leave in good conscience.
But why would she disappear without saying goodbye? Especially to Ida? That was the piece of the puzzle Gia couldn’t understand.
“What do we do now?” Ida asked. “Go to the police?”
“Not yet,” Gia told her.
Her mother’s voice went up in pitch. “You don’t want us to call Sheldon or the police?”
“From what the neighbor said, she left of her own free will, Mom. And she did it the day Sheldon went hunting—almost as soon as he was gone. Think about the timing.”
“She didn’t want him to know she was leaving,” Ida said.
Gia nodded. “That has to be it. If we want to help her, we need to trust that she knows what she’s doing.”
“So...now what?” her father said, also looking confused. “We just wait?”
“Wait and hope she reaches out to let us know she’s okay.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Ida asked uncertainly.
Gia shook her head. “I don’t know. Just...give me some time to break into this phone and see what I can find.”
Cormac had tried calling Louisa and Edith. Neither of his sisters would pick up. He did get Victor to answer, but Victor said that Louisa was devastated he’d turned on her, especially in public, and when Cormac pointed out that he’d done everything he could to speak to his sisters in private before they crashed the Banned Books Club reunion, Victor had snapped that he didn’t feel Cormac had any right to get involved either way and hung up.
As Sunday afternoon turned into Sunday evening, Cormac began to wonder if Louisa would even show up for work on Monday. And if she didn’t, what was he going to do? Hold her job? Cajole her back? Would that even be possible?
He could hire a replacement, of course, but he’d hate to do that. They had always enjoyed working together. Besides, training someone else would take time and effort. And then what would he do if Louisa wanted to come back?
He was worried about the clinic, but he was even more worried about his niece and nephew. Surely, she wouldn’t try to keep him from interacting with the kids.
At about eight o’clock, he called his mother.
“I’ve heard,” Sharon said the moment she picked up. “My next-door neighbor’s daughter was at that book group meeting, and she just brought me a pumpkin from her garden and gave me an earful.”
“And you haven’t called me?”
“I’m trying to stay out of it. You’re all my children. It wouldn’t be fair for me to choose a side.”
“But you believe the same way I do—that Dad did it.”
“Believe is the key word, Cormac. I made it clear the other morning that I don’t know for sure, and I don’t want to be responsible for leading you and your sisters to a conclusion that could possibly be wrong. Not when it comes to a relationship as important as that of a child with a father. You asked me what led me to form my opinion, and I told you because...because you’re a man now and should have all the facts. If Louisa and Edith ask, I’ll tell them the same. That’s all I can do.”
“What about Gia?” he asked.
“I feel bad for Gia. But—” she hesitated before continuing, obviously choosing her words carefully “—as terrible as it might sound, I have to put my family first. Do what I think is best for the three of you.”
“Even if it means letting Dad destroy her life?”
“Don’t be overly dramatic,” she replied. “She’s moved on.”
“She’s having to put up with all kinds of bullshit about the past when you and I know she was probably an innocent victim.”
“I don’t ‘know’ anything,” Sharon said. “That’s the problem.”
A knock interrupted. Hoping it was Gia—they’d had such a good time talking in the hot tub last night that Cormac had been thinking about her all day—he told his mother to hang on while he checked to see who was at his door.
A glance through the window showed him it wasn’t Gia; it was his father.
“Dad’s here,” he told his mother. “I’ll let you go.”
“Cormac...” Sharon said, her voice a warning.
“What?”
“Be careful. You’re risking a lot for a woman you’ll probably never see again—after a month or two.”
But he didn’t understand how he could do anything different. He had to stand up for what he believed, didn’t he? Had to protect the people—or person, in this case—who was innocent. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t.
There was no time to explain that, however, and he wasn’t convinced she’d understand even if he tried. Ever since it happened, she’d managed to remain neutral—beyond what could be inferred from the divorce. But she didn’t know Gia as well as he did. Or care about her the way he did. And if he said that, she’d want to know why he cared, which was a question he couldn’t answer, because he didn’t know. “I understand. I’ll talk to you later.”
He hit the end button and swung open the door. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
A muscle moved in his father’s jaw. “I need to talk to you,” he replied curtly.
Apparently, Sharon wasn’t the only one who’d heard about the debacle at the restaurant. But Cormac thought it took some gall for his father to show up angry. According to Gia, Evan had even lied about what’d happened at the drive-through. He’d confronted her, gone so far as to block her escape while he harangued her. Last night in the hot tub, she’d explained the whole thing in greater detail. The guy who’d stepped in sounded like Grizzly Bowman. He owned the shooting range about five miles out of town, and his pit bull was a patient of Cormac’s. If it was Grizzly, Cormac would be able to corroborate her story—unlike what’d happened before. “Come on in,” he said.
His father had gone to the trouble of combing his hair and shaving. That was nice to see. The scruffy look wasn’t flattering on him; it made him appear too unkempt.
“Is it true that you went to the restaurant last night and told everyone there that I’ve been lying about Gia all these years?” he asked as soon as he’d slammed the door behind him.
“Haven’t you?” Cormac said.
His father’s face turned beet red. “You really did. Louisa and Edith were right. I can’t believe this! I could take it from almost anyone else, but not from you.”
“You lied to me about what happened at Delia’s,” he pointed out.
Evan spread his hands. “What’d I say?”
“You said she started screaming at you and made a big scene.”
“That’s true!”
“No, it’s not! You were the one who saw her. You kept driving past, glaring at her and trying to intimidate her. Then you turned in, blocked her car and said some very nasty things.”
“That’s not true—”
“It is true!” Cormac interrupted. “Grizzly was there! He saw the whole thing. He told you to leave her alone, didn’t he?” It was a bluff to pretend he’d already spoken to Grizzly. But he was dying to finally hold his father to the truth.
Evan’s eyes went flat, devoid of feeling. “How’d you know Grizzly was there?”
“She told me.”
“When did you talk to her?”
“I’ve talked to her several times. She’s staying in the house right behind this one, for God’s sake.”
“She doesn’t know Grizzly. He moved here after she left.”
“Is that what you were counting on?” Cormac demanded.
“She deserves whatever I say to her and then some,” he replied, suddenly changing his story.
Cormac froze. “So you were lying...”
He threw up his hands. “Are you even listening to me?”
“I’m listening. I just don’t like what I’m hearing.”
“She destroyed my life!” his father shouted. “And for what? What I did—it was hardly anything!”
Cormac gaped at him. Had he just admitted to molesting her seventeen years ago? “Making a sexual advance on one of your students is a very serious offense, Dad.”
“I barely touched her!”
“But you did touch her. First, you set her up. You gave her a bad grade, so she’d come to you to get it changed. Then you tried to use the power you held over her to coerce her into having sex with you. Isn’t that true?”
His father straightened. “No.”
“You just said you ‘barely’ touched her. ‘Barely’ is still touching her.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he insisted.
He was only taking it back because Cormac wasn’t accepting his justification, and Cormac could tell. “You’ve been lying all along,” he said, feeling stunned. “You know it, and I know it!”
“Quit putting words in my mouth!” his father snapped and bolted from the house without even bothering to close the door.
Cormac watched as he got into his old Blazer and tore out of the drive, nearly hitting the neighbor’s car, which was parked on the street. What had just happened? Evan had admitted the truth but then taken it back?
That had been an admission, though, hadn’t it?
What was Cormac supposed to do now? Would his sisters even believe him if he told them what’d just happened?
He didn’t shut the door even after his father was gone. He stared out into the night for several minutes, letting the chill wind ripple through his hair and clothes. All this time his father had been saying and doing anything he could to avoid responsibility for what he’d done to Gia. And until very recently Cormac had stood by him.
The whole thing was so disgusting!
“Hey.”
He blinked and focused. Gia had come from around the back. Had she heard Evan leave?
He didn’t get the impression she even knew Evan had been here. Fortunately, she’d missed him, but only by a matter of minutes.
He tried to answer her but couldn’t speak. The rage that filled him tightened his throat to the point that he didn’t have a voice.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking alarmed.
He shook his head. He didn’t want to see her right now. He was too upset. But he didn’t know what to do to make her leave, not without also making her feel bad.
“Cormac?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but once again couldn’t squeeze any words past his throat. Then, inexplicably and without warning, his eyes began to fill with tears of anger and frustration.
That was the last thing he wanted. Embarrassed on top of everything else, he started to close the door. He had to get away before she could tell he was breaking down. But the next thing he knew, she grabbed hold of his arm and turned him toward her.
“What is it?” She searched his face for answers with those stunning eyes of hers, but when he couldn’t provide her with an explanation, she put her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Gia had been worried about how Cormac’s family would respond to what he’d done last night. Now she knew she’d had good reason to be concerned. Something significant must’ve happened with them—or, much less likely, something else had upset him—because his whole body was rigid. “It’s okay,” she murmured again, rubbing his back. “What happened?”
“My father... I’ve just...lost my father,” he said as if everything he was thinking and feeling could be summed up in that one simple statement.
“What do you mean? Has he been hurt?” She started to pull back, but he buried his face in her neck and continued to hold her.
“No. I...” When he’d had a moment to compose himself, he lifted his head. “I just realized that he’s not the man I always believed he was. I mean...since you’ve been back, I’ve had to face the idea that he was probably lying about what happened in high school. That’s shameful enough. But harassing you at the diner, too, and the way he characterized it afterward, and how he’s been using Louisa and Edith—and wants to continue to use me—to give him false credibility...” He shook his head as if that was the best he could do to explain what was going on.
“I feel terrible,” she said. “I don’t want to be the cause of this. For nearly two decades, I’ve been blamed for destroying your family. I hate the thought that just by coming home, I’m responsible for more pain.”
He stepped back, breaking the contact between them. “That’s just it. You care about the damage that’s being caused. That says it all right there.”
“Your father’s a proud man, Cormac. He’s embarrassed that he was caught doing something so far beneath him. So he’s still fighting to shore up the lies he told. I think he’d do anything to reclaim some of the respect he had before. It’s not right, but...it’s understandable.”
“Not to me,” he argued. “If he’d just told the truth, I could’ve forgiven him! You were almost an adult and so beautiful, even back then. I could understand wanting you. I’ve always wanted you. It’s what he’s done since—all the lying and the total disregard for how it affects everyone around him—that’s shown me who he really is. And I don’t like what I see. I can’t admire it. I can’t—”
He stopped. The way she was looking at him let him know he’d said something completely unexpected.
“What?” he said, taking another step back.
“You’ve always wanted me?” she echoed.
Squeezing his eyes closed, he rubbed his forehead. “I shouldn’t have said that. I can’t talk right now. I have no filter. I’d better—”
“Cormac,” she cut in.
Dropping his hand, he looked at her.
“I can’t thank you enough for your inherent honesty and...and goodness. I admire it—admire you—and hate that it’s costing you so much.” She meant to give him another hug, a brief one, and leave. She’d come at a bad time, caught him in an emotional moment that should’ve remained private. But what started out as a hug quickly turned into a heated kiss.
They pulled away, seemingly at the same time, both of them breathless. “Sorry about that,” Gia said as he said the same thing, almost in unison.
Gia would’ve laughed, but there was nothing funny about that kiss. She could still feel the heat of it all the way down to her toes.
What’d just happened? She’d never had a thing for Cormac Hart. And yet...she was beginning to see him in a far different light. “That was incredible,” she said on a long breath. “Possibly the best kiss I’ve ever had.”
His eyebrows slid up. “You’re not mad at me?”
“I’m not even sure you’re the one who instigated it. Are you?” It’d felt spontaneous, as if they’d each made a move at exactly the same moment.
“To be honest, I don’t know, either,” he said. “I just assumed it must’ve been me because I’ve wanted to do it for so long. And I couldn’t imagine you... Well, I was absolutely convinced I’d be the last man on earth who—”
She didn’t wait for him to finish. Stepping closer, she rose up and pressed her lips to his once again.
His arms went around her, and one hand came up to support her back as she parted her lips for his tongue, simply giving herself over to him and what she was feeling. Since she’d come home, there’d been so much angst and upset—not to mention futile but Herculean efforts to outdistance the past. That was probably true for him, as well. But this was pleasurable in the most exciting way.
All she could feel, smell and taste was Cormac, and in this moment, that seemed to be all she needed.