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“Okay.” Aunt Aileen stepped between them. She touched my uncle’s stomach, though she was mostly turned toward the husband. “If we leave, it’ll raise questions. We’ll go to the back patio. Let’s all try to ignore each other, okay?”
Uncle Nick shook his head and cursed once more before swinging around. “I can’t do this.” He went back outside.
The wife came to a stop just short of our group.
Aunt Aileen paled and her mouth trembled.
My mom took charge, grabbing my arm in a firm hold and reaching for her sister as well. “Okay. Enough of this. I’ve got a very curious and intelligent daughter, so prepare for this to get out. In the meantime, you guys go to your table. We’ll go outside, and let’s all pretend none of us is here.”
The husband seemed flustered, his chest rising. “We were here fir—”
My mom whirled on him. “Your wife cheated too. There are guilty parties on both sides, and hurt parties right next to them. Play your part and ignore us. We’ll do the same.”
My mom ushered my aunt and me past the hostess and out to the patio. I felt the floor tilting under me as I walked. What? There was a large empty table on the patio, so that was where we went. A waitress tried to intervene, but my mom had words with her. Aunt Aileen took my hand and led me the rest of the way to the table.
There were still dishes on it, so my aunt started clearing them.
Two girls hurried over and began cleaning around us.
“You guys didn’t totally come out here because of what happened to your father,” she told me. “It was for me too.” She watched the back door of the restaurant, a haunted look in her eyes. “Nick had an affair. I found out six months ago, and that woman isn’t even supposed to be here. She and her husband live in the city. They work together, she and Nick. I thought . . . Why is she here? This is where we live. Why?”
I reached over, taking her hand and holding it tight.
She moved her other hand on top of mine, grasping like I was a lifeline. Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head, talking to herself. “It doesn’t make sense that she’d be here. Unless . . . Oh God, unless she was hoping to see him again. But . . .” Suddenly, she jerked and went stiff. She looked me in the eyes. “The boys don’t know.”
My stomach tightened, and so did my hand between hers.
She shook her head, patting my hand. “Don’t worry. You’ve had too much to shoulder over the last year. I won’t ask you to keep this from them. I think it’s time it got out anyway. The boys have started noticing things. Clint asked the other day why his father was sleeping in the guest house. I told him it was because he snored, but he’s too smart of a boy. I’m sure he has suspicions.” Her voice broke, and she took a deep breath. “My boys. They’re going to be so angry. They always rally. They’re going to rally all over again. They shouldn’t have to. I was hoping this wouldn’t get out, and they go to college next year.”
I was speechless, but my hand in hers seemed to be helping more than any words possibly could. She stopped crying. They finished cleaning the table around us, and I wasn’t even going to think about what they thought or might have overheard. My mom came to the table with a pitcher of margaritas. The waitress she’d been talking to followed with water and a basket of something. Bread, maybe?
Mom put the pitcher down and sat directly across from us. Her eyes questioned me, wondering how I was. I gave her a small smile because, what else was there to do? “We need to do this more,” I told them.
Both my aunt and mom frowned at me.
“Us three ladies,” I explained. “I think we need some girls’ nights.”
My aunt started laughing, and my mom grinned back at me. “We’ll do it next Saturday night at our house. The boys can fend for themselves for a night.”
“I’m not going to say anything today.” I looked at both of them. “There’s enough drama going on.”
They both nodded, seeming relieved.
We sat and sipped our drinks, but Uncle Nick never came to the table. No one asked where he went. The guys joined us thirty minutes later. They sat at the end of the table, and I didn’t look at them. After finding out about my uncle’s affair, Scout’s hatred seemed petty.
Everything seemed petty.
A family was almost ripped apart.
Just like mine.
13
RAMSAY
I was getting ready for bed when my phone’s alert sounded.
Unknown: What’s your damage?
I lay down on bed and texted back.
