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Gail from the Blue Monkey had called this afternoon asking what shifts she wanted to work next week. Soon, she’d back to her old routine. Waiting tables at the restaurant, dodging Jen and Sean at the apartment, and trying to find time to write. Same old, same old world. Funny. She’d been back in Whispering Bay less than a week, but her regular life seemed like it belonged to someone else.
She glanced around the near empty stadium. Just five nights ago she’d told Jen Whispering Bay was home. And in a way it was. She thought about what her life would be like if Mimi got her way and Allie were to move back permanently. Despite Allie’s objections to the contrary, it was shockingly easy to envision. She could write anywhere. She could wait tables anywhere, too. What she couldn’t do from just anywhere was help Mimi with the mayoral campaign. Or help her brother with his shaky marriage. Or get close to her niece and nephew again. Those were only things she could do if she lived right here.
“Well, that was a good one.” Zeke stretched his arms above his head and yawned. “Get Claire and let’s head on home,” he said to Mimi.
“There’s a party tonight. I said she could go, as long as she’s home before midnight.”
Allie froze. Claire was supposed to tell her parents about the Grayton Beach fiasco after the game. Not run off to some party.
Zeke frowned. “Where’s the party and who’s driving her home?”
“One of the other cheerleaders. I think,” Mimi said.
“You think? You don’t know for sure?”
Mimi turned to Zeke, eyes blazing. “What’s your problem?”
“I don’t have any problems. At least that’s what you told that quack you’re making me see.”
Oh no. Maybe crashing into one another was a bad idea. Best to keep them still skating around. “Um, guys, do you want me to find Claire and tell her she can’t go to the party?” Allie offered.
“That would be great,” Mimi said, snapping back into polite mode. Zeke stood there, his lips drawn tightly like he was having trouble keeping his mouth shut.
A little bit of Allie felt like dying. If Zeke and Mimi got a divorce it would be like…it would be like losing Buela all over again. Her little family would disintegrate. She didn’t want to think about that happening ever. Best to concentrate on finding Claire and diverting any possible disaster.
“I’ll search for her in the gym,” Allie said.
The Whispering Bay High gym was packed with excited teenagers and their parents. Claire could be a few feet away from her and it would be too crowded to spot her, so Allie tried Claire on her cell, but it went directly to voicemail.
Talk about déjà vu! She suppressed a shudder. Surely, Mimi had heard wrong. Claire had learned her lesson. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to lie to Allie. Would she? Not when she’d promised Allie she’d come clean with her parents tonight.
No, everything was fine. She’d just wait till the crowd thinned. Then she’d spot Claire and they’d rendezvous with Mimi and Zeke.
Football players high off tonight’s victory strutted out of the locker room, freshly showered. Families made their way out the exit doors and there was still no sign of Claire.
The overhead gym lights blinked twice. It had been twelve years but Allie still remembered what those flashing lights meant. The gym was about to close up.
She scanned the dwindling crowd and spotted a few girls in cheerleading uniforms. “Excuse me,” Allie said to one of the girls. “Have you seen Claire Grant?”
“Sorry,” the girl said with a shrug, “I’m not sure where she went to.”
“Well, can you tell me whose house the party is at tonight?”
The girl looked confused. “Tonight?” The cheerleader standing next to her tried to discreetly elbow the gir
l, but Allie still caught the not-so-subtle movement. Did they think she was an idiot? “Oh! You mean the after game party? Um, I think it’s at the house of one of the football players. Sorry,” she mumbled, “but I can’t remember the exact details.” Both girls scurried away before Allie could question them further.
A sour fuzzy feeling crawled its way into Allie’s stomach and settled itself straight down to her toes.
“That was some game, huh?”
Allie turned to find Tom standing behind her. He wore jeans and a T-shirt and a brown leather jacket and he smelled like…Friday Night Lights meets tuxedo at the Met. Familiar, yet exciting and somehow foreign at the same time. The overwhelming urge to bury her nose against that jacket was so strong she had to concentrate on keeping her feet planted firmly to the gym floor.
“Yeah, it was great.”
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
No use asking how he knew there was something wrong. “I’m waiting for Claire to come out of the locker room. Um, you haven’t seen her, have you?”
