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“But you have dated models?” Dave pressed. “Right? We’ve heard about it. We saw your picture in that magazine with that model.”
Zack knew what photo they were talking about. They’d been at a party that he never would have attended unless he’d been with her. She was a nice woman, but they didn’t have much in common. They’d dated for a few months and then drifted apart.
“I have but not as much as you guys seem to think. Besides, they’re human, just like the rest of us.”
“Says the guy that’s boned one,” Ethan laughed. “C’mon, we’re all old and married. Give us some details so we can live vicariously through you.”
Zack sure as hell didn’t want to discuss his sex life. The only good thing about the turn the conversation had taken was they’d stopped asking him about Lucy.
“Do you think that there will be a memorial service?” he asked, trying to change the subject.
Five grins instantly fell, and an awkward tension dropped over the table. Not the same kind he’d experienced with Joel less than an hour ago, but it still felt off. Everyone had been happy and laughing, and then it was gone in an instant.
“Uh yeah, sure,” Leo said with a shrug. “They probably will. I’ll go if I can get off work.”
“I don’t think I’ll make it,” Jay said. “But I’ll send flowers or something.”
The other men nodded, their gazes on the table, the wall, or anywhere but at Zack or each other.
“It was a shock to find her,” Zack said. “I guess I always thought that she ran away.”
“We all did,” Dave piped up. “Sarah and her stepdad were always arguing. I assumed she’d had enough and just left.”
“It made sense,” Leo agreed. “I never thought…you know.”
“Did your dad and stepmom leave on their honeymoon today?” Ethan asked. “They were going on a cruise or something like that. Or was it Hawaii?”
That veered the conversation to vacations and the pros and cons of beaches over other destinations. It appeared that the group was determined that they weren’t going to talk about Sarah.
Eventually, they all needed to go, and one by one they all exited the tavern, leaving just Jay and Zack.
“I should be getting back to my folks’ house,” Jay said. “I said I would grill hamburgers for dinner. I don’t visit as much as I should, so I want to make sure I spend as much time with my family as I can on this trip.”
“It was good to catch up,” Zack replied, taking the last drink of his beer. “This has been an interesting visit home.”
“I bet,” Jay said, clearing his throat before continuing. “It’s probably pretty boring compared to your life in the city.”
“I don’t know about that. A lot has happened here, after all. Sarah being found is a big one.”
Zack didn’t mention that it had spurred him and his siblings to hire their own investigator as well.
Jay rubbed at his chin, clearly wanting to say something but not doing it.
“You all seem very uncomfortable when I bring Sarah up in conversation. She was our friend, but no one seems to think that her being found is a positive thing.”
“You should just let this go,” Jay sighed. “Go back to New York and forget all about this. Sarah has been gone for years, and we’ve all processed and dealt with it. You seem to want to re-litigate the past but none of us have the stomach for that. We can’t change anything. It’s over and done.”
“I just said that I thought that she ran off. I’m not trying to change the past.”
“Listen, I don’t want to go into this but let’s just say that Sarah wasn’t as innocent and naive as a lot of people seemed to think. You might have been surprised when she disappeared, but a lot of us weren’t. She had some stuff going on.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Just stuff. I was raised that we don’t talk smack about someone that’s passed on, and I’m going to stick to that. I’m just saying that what she showed everyone at school wasn’t always the real Sarah, okay? I’m not saying she deserved what she got or anything like that. I don’t victim-blame. But they say every teenager has a secret life of sorts. Sarah wasn’t any exception.”
Jay shoved back his chair and levered to his feet before reaching into his pocket. Zack shook his head and picked up the bill that had been left earlier.
“I’ve got this. I think I get the family discount.”
