“Keith, please—” I don’t want to discuss this with him.
“You had him scared. Two years here and he was afraid he’d be fired from another job.”
“I don’t want to talk about this.” My nerves feel tight enough to snap. I can’t help but wonder if I was wrong about Keith, if maybe there is more to him. “It’s over, water under the bridge.”
“But it isn’t. He fucked her up. You need to know that Serena found out about him.”
“Craig? She found out about her husband?” I ask, trying to keep up and praying that I’m right.
“The boy. Your and Craig’s kid.” Keith turns and takes a step toward me. “She told me today. She’s been going through things and found documents from the adoption attorney you used in California.”
A million memories bombard my thoughts.
A baby.
A boy.
Your and Craig’s kid.
In a flash, I recall it all. The real reason I couldn’t attend my best friend’s wedding, the last conversation I had with my grandma, and why my father hates me.
I push the memories away.
“Jill?” Keith says, closing the space between us. “Are you listening?”
I reach for the warm tea and work to concentrate on the here and now. “Yes.”
“She found the correspondence that Craig signed, relinquishing paternity.”
I didn’t want to include Craig in any of the legalities. The attorney convinced me to name the baby’s paternity, saying that if I didn’t, one day the seed donor could come back and claim his rights. As if he had any. Craig did nothing other than plant a seed. I was the one who nourished and cared for it—for him—for nearly forty weeks of gestation. I lay my hand over my midsection, my stomach churning. “Why does she care—now?” I ask. “He’s an innocent child.”
Keith’s stare darkens. “Her husband is dead, and she just found out that someone else gave Craig a son before her. In her eyes, no one is innocent.” He comes closer and reaches for my shoulders. “Listen to me. I came here tonight to warn you.”
“Keith, I really need to get to Liv’s. I think we should talk later. Call me when you’re on the road.”
Releasing me, he shakes his head and walks to the front door. I stand perfectly still as he closes and locksthe glass door and turns back. We’re now locked in this cottage—together. “Before I leave, I want you to understand what I’m telling you. Serena is dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” I nod. “Okay. Do you think she’s the one who hurt Craig?”
“I think people in this town know exactly what happened to Craig, and they aren’t telling. I also think I’ve underestimated the degree to which Craig’s behavior damaged Serena.”
“Damaged? Hurt her...as in physically?” In none of my recollections was Craig ever violent. He was attentive and affectionate; it was part of his charm.
“No,” Keith replies. “Craig was too conniving for that. Physical abuse leaves visible marks. Mental and emotional are worse. They mess with the psyche until the victim can’t think straight.”
“Victim—Serena?”
“I refuse to think of her as a victim.”Paraphrasing Liv.
He nods. “After I talked to Manes about the camera again today, I remembered my dad saying something about Serena installing a new home-security system. That’s why I went to her house.”
My gaze goes to Keith’s. “You think Serena set up that camera?”
Momentarily, my thoughts overpower the present. I think back to the two of us at the memorials. If she set up the camera, she knows who dumped Marty.
I take a long drink of the warm tea.
Keith is talking. “...you will be aware, and because of that boy. Like I said, she knows about him. If she found him...”
