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“How is school going?”
“Good. I’m managing better with classes now that football is over. We still have workouts and stuff.”
“What about the incident between you and Luke Green?” She sat beside me at the kitchen island, her hand resting on my forearm. “I still think you should talk to someone. What happened was a terrible accident, and I know you’re struggling.”
“I’m fine.” That was the last thing I wanted to rehash. “I don’t need to talk to anyone. And Grandad is helping me with the legal stuff.”
She was quiet for a second, seeing more than I wanted her to. “Please talk to me, honey. Are you okay?” Then her eyes widened. “Is Aspen?”
I was such an idiot. I’d forgotten Phoenix had rushed his wife to the hospital closest to the university just yesterday under a false alarm. I grabbed onto the topic change like the lifeline it was. “Things are fine with Aspen. But you know she’s having a hard time taking it easy. That’s driving her out of her mind.”
Mom smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yeah, she doesn’t seem like one to lie around.”
I snorted. “She isn’t, so Phoenix wants the rest of us to keep tabs on her when he’s not there. She’s been known to lift those surfboards she paints instead of waiting for someone else to do it for her.”
“That’s what Phoenix told me, too, but are you sure you guys have it covered? I can try to get some time off.”
“We’re good.” There were enough of us. If I couldn’t help, then our cousins or their girlfriends would. “Save your time off for when the baby comes. I’m sure they’ll need a lot of help.”
“I can’t wait. I checked in with Phoenix late last night. He seemed good, but I’m sure it’s wearing on your brother. It’s good he’s got you to help him.”
I gave her a close-lipped smile. I hadn’t been much help lately, and I felt like shit about it. I would have to make it up to him without him discovering my mess with Cindy, Joe, and now Winter. And in the back of my mind, on a horror reel, was Luke. I couldn’t shake that memory or the guilt if I tried.
“Do you want some breakfast?”
Her words thankfully jerked me back to the present. “Maybe just an apple.”
She took one out of the fridge, washed it, and handed it to me. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I took a bite and chewed before I asked her the thing I’d wanted to when she’d been working a double shift. The same day I’d found out at Grandad’s that new evidence had come out against me.
“Do you remember when I was in fifth grade and school was kinda… difficult?”
“Do you mean when you and Phoenix started sleeping in the same room again for a while?”
Huh,I’d forgotten about that. That had been so my brother could make sure I wouldn’t do anything to hurt myself. Having a twin was on a whole other level. We knew things about each other without even having to say a word. That was also why I wanted to avoid the meeting with our group he had scheduled later about taking shifts with Aspen so she wasn’t alone. I couldn’t avoid it, but I wanted to. He would know something was up without me saying anything.
“Ah, it was around that time. Do you remember a girl who drowned and one who almost did too?”
“Yes, it was terrible. The whole town went to the funeral. Their mama was a drug addict who pushed the little girls into the lake. The one who died was Cole’s age, and the other was in your grade.”
Everyone from my school went?“Why didn’t I know about it?”
“Oh, honey. You were going through all that stuff with that bully at school, and your doctor didn’t think you should be involved or know too much. So, we didn’t talk about it.”
I could see her point. “What else do you know?”
“Not much. Or not much more than what they showed on TV and in the papers. The mom was pretty normal when the girls were young. After her husband died, she started doing drugs, and it went to hell after that.”
“Did you know their mom?” She could have, especially if she had a drug problem and got rushed to the ER.
“I did but not very well. When you boys were in preschool up until first grade, I think, you were in a playgroup with them and Cindy Elian’s kids. But that was before Cindy and her husband started having problems. Last I heard, she hadn’t gotten a divorce, so they must have resolved things. She teaches at Thane, but you might not cross paths with her. She’s an art teacher.”
Holy fuck.What Cindy had said about Mom finding out suddenly made sense. But I doubted it would have the effect she wanted. Mom would be furious at her mostly.
“The group fizzled out after Katrina’s husband died. She closed herself off. Cindy had her own things going on with her husband cheating on her, and I was trying to get Joe to pay child support—or at least come spend time with you boys.”
I snorted. “That didn’t go well. I’m sorry, Mom.”
She shook her head, a flash of anger darkening her eyes and pinching her lips. “That’s not on you or your brother. Ever. Joe is Joe. And I know he wants a chance to get to know you now, which is your decision. I just… I don’t…”
