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I wipe my eyes and sit up straighter. “You have to stop wasting any more of the time you still have. Not a single second of it.”
33
KENNETH
Igo to the game today because I need to try and gauge Derek’s behavior. The moment I notice that he is being cockier and smiling more than normal, I am worried. What if Selena’s parents couldn’t be trusted? What if the second she arrived at their house, they phoned Derek to let him know? Derek was able to convince his entire family that he’s a good person. What if he had been able to fool Selena’s family as well?
It’s cold and cloudy out, the snow coming down on and off every couple of minutes. With numb fingers because I forgot my gloves, I pull out my phone and try Selena’s cell. Again, she doesn’t answer. I haven’t even been able to bring myself to go back and count how many times I’ve tried. It’s too embarrassing. But all I want to do is apologize to her. I can’t stand the thought of her hating me, and I can’t stand not knowing if she is okay.
“Um, are you Kenneth?”
I turn around to a woman whose skin is almost as white as the snow falling from the sky. Her dark brown hair is pin-straight around her face, and she’s bundled up in warm winter clothes.
“Yes, I am.” I stick out my hand, and she gives it a quick shake. She looks familiar, but I’m just not entirely sure why.
“I’m Leah,” she starts. “You may not remember me because I was quite a few years behind you in school, but I think we’ve talked a few times growing up. At the park and stuff.”
It hits me. We lived in neighborhoods across the way from each other and would frequent the same park that was in her neighborhood because it had the better field to play sports on. Sometimes Leah joined in on our games of tag.
“Leah, yeah! I do remember you, actually. Wow. How are you?” A lot of people around Quincy have recognized me since I’ve been back, but not many of them have tried to make conversation. Especially not ones who hardly know me. I look down and notice that she doesn’t have a ring on her finger. Vaguely, I wonder if she’s here to hit on me.
Her smile turns to a grimace at my question. “Well, to be honest, normally I wouldn’t be caught dead at a place like this,” she informs me. “But it’s a long story.”
“I see.”
I look over at the game just as Derek is scoring a touchdown. The crowd goes wild, and Derek does a dance. Thankfully, I do hear a few boos in the stands, too.
“I noticed you over here, and thought I would come talk to you about something,” she says. Blush is creeping into her cheeks as she avoids my eyes.
“Really? About what?”
“Well, I can’t say much because I signed an NDA.” She hugs herself. “But I just think you should know. Your father, Shawn? He really loves you.”
At the mention of an NDA, I had been expecting this conversation to be about Derek. About how she had been paid to keep quiet about something. Her mentioning my father is the last thing I would have thought.
I raise an eyebrow. “How do you know my father?”
“I can’t really say, but did you know that I run a couple of support groups at the town center?” She looks at me with big eyes as she nods her head slowly, trying to get me to understand. I think I do. My dad must have been in one of her groups. Or maybe Eliza went to one when she was here recently.
I give her a smile, even though I don’t feel happy about her statement. “Oh. Um, well, thank you for letting me know, Leah. Uh, yeah… It would be nice to hearhimsay that, however.” Maybe she will pass along the message.
She nods her head. “He will. Just hang in there.”
I scratch my chin, not knowing how to reply. Then I think maybe the conversation is over, and she’s going to go back to wherever she was sitting, but she doesn’t move.
“And I am…” She trails off and sucks in a breath. I’m not at all expecting the next things that come out of her mouth. “Well, I guess I’m just gonna come right out and say it. I knew you were here. It’s why I came. Not just to tell you about your dad. But I was also wondering if you would be willing to take a statement from me. Not anonymously.”
I am so confused. Because she can’t possibly mean what it is I think she means. What it is I desperately want her to be meaning. “A statement?”
She looks confused, too. But when she clarifies, goosebumps of relief flood across my entire body. “I don’t know how any of this works, but I heard you need a story on Derek Heed. And I want to give you one.”
34
GISELLE
Am I a horrible human being? Should I even be in this house right now, right beside Shawn after I spent New Year’s Eve alone in Eliza’s hotel room with her? Shawn is dying! And here I am, at their beachfront mansion because Eliza asked me to, acting like I don’t care. I do care, but Eliza told me she needed me. She had to go home and face her husband eventually, and she wanted me by her side. We had both agreed to keep what happened between us a secret.
When we got back from Quincy, I had work to do, photoshoots to attend, along with making appearances with Steve so that the public thinks we are still together. Then after all of that was done, I told Eliza I was free, and she begged me to come over.
