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Well, Becca could certainly have all the attention now. Cate wanted to fade into the woodwork. Though she had always wanted to be closer to her sister, the six and a half years between them sometimes seemed like an unbridgeable gap.
As Cate and Becca hovered awkwardly in the foyer, Gillian Penland appeared through a doorway. “Oh, Catie,” she said, holding out her arms.
The warm, tight hug took Cate by surprise. Her mother was not usually a physically demonstrative person. That she chose to be so now made Cate’s throat constrict with emotion.
After a moment, her mother released her, patting Cate’s shoulder. “Don’t you look beautiful, sweetheart. Come on, you two. We’re eating in the kitchen nook. Daddy’s waiting.”
Cate’s eyes widened. “He’s not at work?”
Her mother frowned. “Of course not. When we heard you were coming by, we all wanted to be here for you.”
Cate couldn’t help shooting a look at her sister. Becca rolled her eyes.
Reggie Penland stood as his threegirlsentered the room. “There you are,” he said. “How are you doing, sweetheart?” He hugged her, too.
Had Cate slipped into some adjacent dimension where her family was warm and fuzzy instead of complaining and confrontational? One look at Becca dispelled that idea. The girl sat down with a grumpy expression on her face. “Let’s eat,” she said. “I’m starving.”
The Penlands employed a longtime housekeeper. But she was nowhere in sight. The food—barbecue and a trio of sides—had been set out on the table already, along with a pitcher of iced tea.
Perhaps Gillian read her daughter’s unspoken question. “I gave Amelia the day off. She’s gone to the zoo with her daughter and grandkids. I love her to death, but you know how she gossips.”
Cate heard the subtext loud and clear. This lunch might include moments of embarrassing conversation best kept between family. “I’m sorry I missed her,” she said, taking her usual seat and pretending she was hungry.
Her father pinned her with a curious gaze. “How are you doing, Cate? There’s been a lot of talk, of course.”
Becca snickered. “Not to mention a few hilarious Cate-and-Jason memes on the internet.”
Cate kept her expression calm with an effort. “I’ve been better. But I’m making it. The hard part is deciding what to do next.”
Her mother passed a bowl of potato salad. “I’m sure you’ll find your way.” She paused. “Have you spoken to Jason?”
“Yes. Briefly. On Saturday night,” Cate said. “I told him to go on to Peru. No point in wasting the trip.”
Her father frowned. “Did he go alone?”
“I have no idea, Daddy. Why does it matter?”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the table.
Gillian shot her husband a warning glance. For once, Becca was silent.
Cate looked at each one of them, confused. “Am I missing something?”
Becca huffed an exasperated breath. “They want to know about the other woman. The one he left you for.”
All the blood drained from Cate’s face. She felt it go and saw the room swirl drunkenly. “Oh, my gosh,” she whispered. “There is no other woman. Jason’s not like that.”
Her mother blanched. “Is he gay? And you just found out?”
Cate wanted to laugh hysterically. Her parents stared at her with identical looks of consternation. Becca kept right on eating.
This was a disaster. Damn Harry and his meddling. Cate sucked in a much-needed breath. “Jason realized that he loved me, but he wasn’tin lovewith me. That’s it. No big secret. Are you happy? Now you all know as much as I do.”
Reggie muttered something under his breath but filled his plate. Gillian still looked distressed. “Didyoudo something unforgiveable, Cate? Did you cheat on him? Maybe with his cousin, the one you’re staying with?”
The question hurt. A lot. Cate stared open-mouthed at her mother. “Of course not. How could you ever imagine that?”
Her father joined the fray. “Well, everyone we know thinks Jason hung the moon. Our friends were all jealous that we were getting the perfect son-in-law. So it’s kind of hard to imagine him leaving you at the altar unless he had a damn good reason.”
