by Elena Aitken
The phone chimed again.
“Pretty demanding client.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you sure you don’t need to check that?”
Reluctantly, Davis pulled his phone from his back pocket and glanced at the screen. “Yup.” He slid the phone facedown onto the counter. “Just a client. It can wait. So do you want to come with me to buy the car? Because I was thinking I could just pop over to that dealership by my office after work and—”
Again, the phone.
“Seriously, Davis. Can you just turn it off?”
“Of course.” He glanced at the screen, his face sliding into a slight frown before he silenced it and tucked it back into his pocket. “Okay, so I’m thinking about five if you want to join me.”
She nodded and tried not to notice his suddenly strange behavior. He must be more stressed at the office than she thought. “I’ll meet you there.”
He kissed her on the cheek and was just about out the back door when she called out to him. “And Davis?”
He turned.
She held up his birthday gift and grinned. “Do they even make cars with lighters anymore?”
“I still can’t believe you promised her a car.” Maren looked into the window of a gray, four-door sedan. It looked like a safe, reliable automobile. Not that she knew anything at all about cars. When Davis didn’t reply, she looked over to where he stood next to a bright-red, two-door with a convertible top. She frowned. There was no way. Not for a first car. She was certain she read statistics somewhere about the accident rate for teenagers who drove sporty vehicles. Especially red ones.
But Davis wasn’t looking at the convertible. He was staring at his cell phone, his fingers moving rapidly along the keyboard. They’d met at the dealership over twenty minutes ago and it was the third time she’d caught him distracted by his phone. Important client or not, he needed to put it down.
“Davis.” She snapped her fingers until he looked up. “Can we do this, please?”
“Of course.” He finished whatever it was that he was typing and tucked his phone away. “How about—” He moved to point to the red convertible but shook his head. “Not this one.”
Maren laughed. At least they were on the same page about that.
They spent a few more minutes walking around before the salesman they’d sent away earlier so they could browse in peace returned. “Do you see anything you like?” The man who’d introduced himself as Jeff Jacobs, and had what Maren would describe as an honest smile, asked as he walked up. “This is a good choice.” He pointed to the blue hatchback they’d been standing in front of. It was only a few years old, and there was nothing flashy or particularly sporty about it. But it was cute. A word Davis said shouldn’t ever be used to describe a car. “All of our used cars come with a fifty-point inspection and a three-year warranty.”
“What kind of engine is under the hood?”
The two men started talking about engine sizes and warranties, and satisfied that Davis had it under control, Maren wandered around the lot while they worked out the details. She ended up in front of the red convertible and closed her eyes. How much fun would it be in the summer? Top down, hair blowing back in the breeze, not a care in the world except driving down the freeway and—the car seat in the back.
Her eyes snapped open. There would be no carefree convertible driving for her. At least not for another eighteen years.
Oh my God. She’d be almost sixty years old when this baby graduated from high school.
Maren’s knees buckled with the realization.
Sixty? She should be thinking about grandchildren at sixty, not graduations.
The world tilted dangerously under her feet and she put a hand on the car’s cool metal to keep herself from falling over. What was she thinking? She couldn’t do it all again. Eighteen years of playdough, ballet classes, Little League, homework, skinned knees. Starting over again.
No.
She couldn’t do it. It was all too much. What were they thinking, having a baby again at forty?
She shook her head from side to side with such a ferocity that her hair whipped her in the face and stung her cheeks.
“Maren?”
Davis’s voice called to her and permeated the fog that had descended over her brain.
“We’re going to make this official. Are you ready?”
Somehow she nodded, her mini breakdown coming to an end as the feeling once again returned to her feet and the fog cleared enough so she could see him and the salesman across the lot looking at her. She focused on the positives. The miracle of growing a baby and then cradling that little piece of perfection, counting all ten tiny fingers and toes. First words and “I love you, Mommy’s.” She raised her hand in a wave. “I’ll be right there.”
“Come on,” Davis called. “We’ll wait.”
Ten minutes later, they were settled in Jeff Jacobs’s office, papers of all descriptions spread across the desk. Jeff Jacobs was talking about some sort of protective treatment for the undercarriage when Davis’s phone went off. Again. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it in what was becoming a very annoying pattern.
“Seriously, Davis.” Maren glared at him. “Can you not put that away for a few minutes?”
He frowned but nodded his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He placed the phone on the desk and turned his attention to something Jeff was pointing out on the paperwork.
“A few more signatures and we’ll be all set.”
Maren nodded and smiled even though nobody was talking to her. Davis was handling the purchase and Maren would handle the party. Thinking of the party, she might as well start making a list. Maybe Sabrina could pick up the cake for her from that bakery by her house? She reached for her phone, but it wasn’t in her purse. She must have left it in her car.
Maren glanced at Davis’s phone on the desk. He was deep in a debate with Jeff about throwing in new tires and Maren didn’t want to interrupt, so she just slipped his phone off the desk and punched in the four-digit code she knew by heart. She was going to flip through his address book and pull up Sabrina’s information, but there was no need because her name was open on his texting app.
It wasn’t unusual for them to text with each other, but what was unusual was the message on the screen.
* * *
No. We’re not telling her anything.
* * *
Telling her what? Who was her? Obviously they were talking about her, about Maren. Right? Her stomach flipped dangerously in that way that stomachs flip when your body knows instinctively something is very, very wrong. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she might have read. And scrolled up earlier in the conversation. Maybe they were talking about—
* * *
She needs to know the truth. It isn’t right.
* * *
That was Sabrina. To which Davis had replied:
* * *
Absolutely not. Maren can’t know. It would kill her if she knew the truth.
* * *
They weren’t talking about anyone else. She looked away from the phone in her hand and stared at her husband, who was now signing something. He glanced over and saw her with the phone in her hand.
“Maren? I don’t—”
“I’m just making a list for the party in your notes app.” She forced a false brightness into her voice as the lie slipped easily out of her mouth. Davis smiled at her. Was it a little unsure? Was there doubt in his eyes? Did he know she was lying? Did he suspect that she’d just seen whatever it was she obviously should never have seen?
“Okay,” he said. “I know you have a lot to do for the party. I can finish this up if you want to get going?”
“Yes.” She tossed his phone down on the desk. “I’m going to do that. I’ll see you at home.”
Moments later, she sat in her car, her breath coming in hard pants. Whatever was going on between her husband and her best friend, whatever she’d seen, it hadn’t been what she thou
ght.
Of course it hadn’t. She was confused. She’d taken it out of context. There was no truth for her to know. Nothing that would kill her. She was being ridiculous.
Somehow she managed to convince herself of her own lies. After a few deep breaths, her breathing slowed, her heart rate returned to normal and she no longer felt as though she were going to throw up. She switched the radio station to an upbeat top forty hit, cranked the volume and started to sing along with the catchy tune as she drove out of the lot.
Sometimes life wasn’t about the truth. It was only about survival.
Rylee
It had been a few weeks since the sleepover, and Sienna still wasn’t talking to her. Rylee had tried texting her and calling her. And besides a fit in the middle of the school hallway about how “selfish and reckless” Rylee was, Sienna had totally shut her out. Even on her birthday, Sienna didn’t break her silence. It was all ridiculous. Sure, Sienna was mad that Rylee drank too much and maybe she shouldn’t have.
Okay, she knew she shouldn’t have. But she couldn’t go back and change history.
And it wasn’t like Sienna didn’t have a good time. According to Brice, Cole said they’d talked all night and ended up playing some video games together. He also said he thought Sienna was pretty cool and they might hang out again. So there was that. She should be thanking Rylee, not ignoring her.
Besides, they hadn’t gotten caught. Sienna’s mom never knew they weren’t there. If they’d been busted, Rylee would know because there was no doubt that Mrs. Wright would have told her mom and then she would have been grounded for life. And not only was she not grounded, her parents were acting super weird, like she could do no wrong. Hell, they’d bought her a car.
Okay, she knew it was because they’d obviously forgotten her birthday, but whatever. She wasn’t questioning it. Especially since she’d been lucky enough to score a last-minute testing appointment and earlier that morning her dad had driven her to the DMV and she’d nailed her driver’s test, thanks mostly to all of his lessons over the last few months. As soon as she got the keys to her brand-new birthday gift, she was taking it out for a spin because wheels meant freedom. Even if they were a guilt gift.
Just like the party her mom insisted on throwing for her. She’d been running around all day and Rylee almost felt bad about how much work her mom was going to when she really didn’t want a party at all. But it probably made her feel better about forgetting her actual birthday, and it’s not as if it mattered either way. Besides, it would be kind of funny to see the look on her parents’ faces when she introduced them to Brice for the first time considering they didn’t even know she had a boyfriend.
“Rylee.” Her mom called up the stairs as she finished putting the last coat of mascara on. “Your friends will be here soon.”
When she got downstairs, her mom was running between the kitchen and the back deck where the barbecue was already going, her dad standing guard even though there was nothing on the grill. She waved at him through the window as she walked into the kitchen.
“There you are,” her mom said without looking at her. “You look really pretty.” There was an extra high-pitched tone to her mom’s voice, almost frantic.
She looked down at the top that she’d picked out because it was blue. Brice had told her blue was his favorite color. It was a small thing, but it had seemed really important while she was getting ready.
“Thanks.”
“Your friends will be—” They were cut off by the sound of the doorbell and her mom visibly jumped before smiling. But it wasn’t her normal smile. “I bet that’s them now. You should go let them in.”
Rylee turned to do just that, but something stopped her. “Mom?” She waited for her mom to stop mixing the salad and look at her. “Are you okay? You seem a little…” She trailed off, not sure how to finish the sentence. And then the doorbell rang again, and her mother shooed her out to greet her guests, and she never did find out why her mom was being so weird.
Rylee had invited a bunch of kids from school. It was pretty last minute, and it was probably pretty lame to go to a barbecue that was hosted by parents where there would definitely be no alcohol, but she was pleasantly surprised when most of the kids she’d told about the party showed up.
With one glaringly obvious exception.
Sienna wasn’t there.
Rylee tried to not let it bother her. Instead, she let Brice drape his arm around her shoulders and pull her close as they walked around the backyard together. She’d secretly been hoping that her parents would freak out a little when they met him. But her mom had only smiled and said, “It’s nice to meet you.” And her dad was even worse. He’d offered Brice his hand and shook it as if he were one of his clients. It was all way more awkward than she’d expected, but not at all in the way she’d thought.
“Happy birthday, kiddo.”
Rylee turned to see Auntie Sabrina standing behind her with a brightly wrapped box in her hands. Despite being called by her annoyingly childish nickname, Rylee broke out into smile. At least there would be one normal adult there. “Auntie.” She jumped up and gave Sabrina a hug. “You’re here.”
“Sorry,” Sabrina said. “I guess I shouldn’t call you that anymore. I mean, you’re all grown up now. I can hardly even believe it. And of course I’m here. I wouldn’t miss your birthday for anything.”
She handed over the present and Rylee laughed. “Auntie, don’t you dare cry. You can call me whatever you want.”
“I’m not going to cry,” she said. “Now, are you going to introduce me to this handsome guy who I assume must be your boyfriend?”
Rylee beamed. Auntie Sabrina always knew exactly what to say at the right time. So much better than her parents. She grabbed Brice’s hand and hauled him up to his feet. “Brice, this is my Auntie Sabrina. She’s way cooler than either of my parents.”
“It’s true.” Sabrina grinned.
“It’s nice to meet you, Aunt Sabr—”
“You can call me Sabrina.” She saved him with a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sabrina.” Next to him, Rylee was so proud. Even though she’d secretly been hoping that her parents would freak out to find out she had a boyfriend, deep down of course she wanted them to like him. Or at least not hate him. It just made things so much easier. And that went for Auntie Sabrina, too, because she was just like family. Her grandmother would have to meet him next, and there was no telling what she would say.
Across the lawn, Rylee caught a glimpse of her mom carrying a platter full of raw burgers out to her dad. She watched as her mom looked up and then quickly turned around without handing over the tray. Her dad stood with his hands out, clearly trying to say something to her as she almost ran back inside.
Something was definitely going on.
“Would you excuse me for a minute?” she said to Brice, who just shrugged and sat back down in the circle of kids while Rylee put the present down and grabbed her auntie’s hand. “Do you know what’s wrong with my parents?” she asked as soon as they were out of earshot. “Mom’s been acting weird all day.”
Sabrina glanced around, but both her parents were inside anyway. “I have no idea,” she said. “I just saw your mom the other day and she seemed fine. Well…I mean…”
“I know, I know.” Rylee waved her hand. “The baby thing.”
“The baby thing is kind of a big thing, kiddo. Maybe that’s all it is.”
“Maybe.” Rylee shrugged, but her intuition told her it was more. She certainly hadn’t felt as close to her mom in the last few weeks, but she knew her. And even if she wasn’t paying very close attention, she wasn’t blind. They’d forgotten her birthday, and now…
“Rylee!” Before she could dwell on it anymore, her mother’s voice cut through the noise of the backyard. “Where’s the birthday girl? It’s time for your present.”
Her car. She still couldn’t believe they’d bought her a car. It was crazy.
Rylee sp
un around and met Brice’s eyes. He jumped up to join her. They’d already talked about how awesome it would be for them to have a car to hang out in.
“You better go,” Sabrina said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Sabrina
Something was up with Maren. And if Rylee had noticed it…
Sabrina watched as the birthday girl crossed the yard to join her parents at the front of the house. She’d seen the blue hatchback with the bright-red, oversized bow on the hood when she’d come into the house. Rylee was going to love it.
Her gaze switched from Rylee to Maren, who had a frozen smile pasted on her face as she watched her daughter.
She was making a point not to look anywhere else. Something was wrong.
Her stomach filled with dread. Did she know?
She’d texted Maren earlier that day to see whether she wanted her to pick up a cake at that bakery she liked that was close to her house, but she’d never heard back. She’d just chalked it up to her being too busy with planning the party, but now…
No. There was no way she could know.
Sabrina waited until most of the guests had funneled through the yard to the front of the house to see Rylee get her present before she made her way in through the back door to the kitchen. It was hot, the baby was kicking, and she desperately needed a glass of water.
The kitchen was empty and Sabrina leaned up against the sink as she drank deeply, quenching her thirst. Maybe she shouldn’t have come? Maybe she should just—
“I didn’t think you’d be here.”
Her body reacted to the voice that was almost as familiar as her own. She turned to see Davis.
“It’s Rylee’s birthday. There was no way I could miss it.” As she spoke the words, she knew that that was exactly why she’d come. She loved Rylee. She was family. There was no way she would have missed her sixteenth birthday. Despite the mess she’d made.