Page 111 of The Treasure House

“You had a baby?” Tina said, looking at me with big, wondering eyes. And then the penny dropped. “And you never told me?”

“How did you know where I lived?” I asked shakily. I’d never told her that either. Her letters were always delivered to Suni and Wayne’s house.

“Tate’s got a friend who works at Social Security,” Tina said. She was fascinated by Flo.

“But that’s illegal!” Suni exclaimed. “They’re not allowed to give out private information!”

Tina scoffed. “No one is going to call the cops on a mother trying to find her long lost daughter.”

“Still freezing my nuts off out here,” Tate grumbled.

“He’s right,” said Tina. “We’re freezing out here. Don’t be rude, Angel—let us in.” Tina crossed the threshold, pulling Tate in her wake. “We’ve been driving for more than twelve hours to get here, and in bad weather to boot.”

Jake joined me and Flo at the door. I didn’t close it. I felt panicked at the thought of closing it. “Are you okay?” he murmured. “What’s happening?”

“No,” I said, my teeth chattering, more from the shock than the cold. “I’m not okay.”

My memories of Tina were colliding with the actual Tina who stood here before me in the flesh. I saw flashes of her dancing in our apartment, singing into a wooden spoon like it was a microphone, stopping halfway through doing her makeup to swipe some lipstick on me, curling up in bed like a cat while I read to her. But here in front of me was a wrinkled older woman with the energy of a prowling animal. And Tate. A prison guard who had helped my mom break parole and illegally ripped my details from a database. I felt my two lives—past and present—colliding. It was like watching a documentary where a black hole swallowed a star. My life was hitting an event horizon.

“Mom.” Flo pulled my head down to look at her. “She said she’s my grandma.”

“I am, precious,” Tina exclaimed. “I’m your Grandma Tina.” She bent over so she could be eye to eye with Flo. “Oh my goodness, this can’t be real. And what’s your name, baby angel?”

Flo’s nose wrinkled.

“This is Florence,” I said, still shivering.

Jake gently closed the door and put his arm around me.

“Florence?” Now Tina’s nose wrinkled. “Why Florence?”

“Because I liked it,” I said tightly.

“Sounds like an old British woman.”

“Any chance I can use your restroom?” Tate asked, bored with the whole scene.

I didn’t want him in my house.

“I’ll show you where it is,” Jake rumbled. I saw him exchange glances with Wayne and Lance as he led Tate to the bathroom.

“Did your mommy tell you about me?” Tina asked Flo, smiling.

The smile dropped when Flo shook her head. Tina stood up abruptly and fixed me with a wounded glare. “I don’t know about her, she doesn’t know about me—what the hell, Angel?”

“Mom?” Flo looked up at me, and for the first time in a very long time I saw her look a bit scared. My heart pinched painfully.

“Okay,” I said. “Stop. Let’s just stop.” I tried to gather my wits. This was what happened with Tina. Chaos. I had to find some order. “Look, Tina—”

“Tina? Since when am I not Mom?”

“Mom,” I corrected myself. “I didn’t tell Flo about you because…” I couldn’t say it. Or maybe it was just there were too many things to say. “Because she was young, and I didn’t know how to explain it so that she’d understand.”

“Explain what?” Flo asked, sounding more subdued than normal.

“Explain that your grandma was in prison,” Tina told her, flinging her hands up dramatically. “That she was a junkie. Your mom is ashamed of me.”

Flo was still looking up at me, her big dark eyes full of questions. I squeezed her, hoping she’d understand that I’d answer them later.