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Of course. I’d love to chat with my favorite son-in-law. How about we meet at one?
Sounds great.
I didn’t know Bunny well well; we’d only had a few brief interactions during family dinner and a couple of times around town before I married Nora. Her reputation preceded her, though. Bunny was a lifelong townie known for having a revolving door of husbands until she took in the McDonaghue kids after their mom disappeared and their dad went away for murder.
In an instant, Bunny stopped spending every night at the local bar. She joined PTA meetings and travel basketball teams. No longer just a friendly face around town, she damn near became a pillar of the community. No one saw it coming.
Of course, that didn’t tell me much. I knew, better than anyone, that the rumors and reputations floating around town told less than half the truth, and sometimes none at all. But Bunny loved the McDonaghues, and the feeling was mutual, even from Len, the grumpy hermit who built her a house.
Which is why I had to start with her.
I finished my breakfast, got in my car, and made the two-hour journey back to Franklin Notch, beelining straight for Bunny’s house. Bunny sat in a rocking chair on her front porch overlooking the driveway. Her house sat opposite Len’s. Instinctively, I searched for any sign of him being home.
“They won’t be back for a couple hours,” Bunny called, holding a garden gnome as she walked down the stairs to greet me. She pulled me into a surprisingly firm hug, her peroxide blonde hair brushing my chin, the gnome poking my ribcage. “Here, give me this.”
She pushed the gnome into my hands.
I raised an eyebrow. “What? Why?”
“Len says I can’t have any more. Apparently, they’re cluttering up the lawn. Not that he has any visitors, and lord knows Millie doesn’t care, but since you clearly want something from me, I thought you might return the favor. Give me this gnome.”
I turned the gnome over in my hand, taking in the ruddy red cheeks and the small painted sunflower in its hand, and laughed. “Okay. Bunny, I brought you a gift.”
Her eyes lit up and she pressed a hand to her chest. “Well, aren’t you the sweetest? Coming up here to give an old woman a gift?”
“You’re not an old woman, Bunny.”
She smacked my chest with her palm. “Don’t ruin such a gracious gesture by lying. Come in and tell me why you’re up here all by your lonesome.”
I followed her into her house, a perfect carbon copy of Len’s place across the driveway. Well, an almost-perfect copy. The sheer number of knickknacks coating the walls, floors, and shelves was impressive. I nearly stumbled over a small bevy of garden gnomes staged by the door.
“Can I make you some tea?” she asked, deftly avoiding the stack of library books by the living room sofa and moving around the kitchen island, which was covered in animal-shaped salt and pepper shakers.
“That’d be nice, thanks.”
She made a pot, and I helped her carry a vintage tea set into the living room. She cleared a stone statue of the Man in the Mountain off the center of her coffee table so I could set the tray down. I waited with a lump in my throat while she poured us both a cup.
“So, Andy,” Bunny said, settling into her overstuffed yellow chair, letting it envelop her. “What can I do for you?”
I sipped the tea, letting the chamomile calm my stomach, however briefly. I set the delicate tea cup back onto the coffee table.
“I need to confess something.”
She laughed, setting down her tea and leaning forward. “Oh, a confession? I imagined you were here for something but didn’t think it’d be juicy.”
My neck tensed. I sucked in a breath.
“Well, go on. Spill it,” Bunny prompted. “I’m not getting any younger.”
“I love Nora. I want you to know that.”
“I’ve been in love enough times to know the look. I didn’t doubt that,” she said cautiously, her enthusiasm for my confession sobering.
I didn’t blame her and, as much as I wanted to tear off the Band-Aid, I had difficulty saying the words.
“I’ve loved her for a long time, but the story we told you all about dating since last year? We lied. Nora married me because she lost her job and needed surgery. I needed her, too. Having a wife made me look more stable in front of the investors, like someone reliable.”
Bunny blinked rapidly, tilting her head as if she hadn’t heard me correctly. “You better start from the beginning.”
