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You brought pie to a birthday party?” I smile at her, holding up a delicious-looking pie like an offering to me in both hands. “How original.”
“Well...” she smiles, biting the corner of her lip. “You know the saying…when in doubt, bring pie.”
I can’t help but laugh at her nervous smile and the pie in my face. “Who says that?”
“We do. Well, my mother, but it usually works.”
“Made it yourself, that’s why you’re here at the end of the party?” She’s standing there with the pie, not saying anything. I’m wondering if she’s going to come in or loiter outside till the party’s over. “Are you coming in or are you waiting for the pie to sprout wings?” I tease, taking the pie from her hands.
“I’m nervous.” She steps in, and I close the door. “I’ve never come to one of these things. Mom usually brings him, or Shay, when she’s forced. Mom didn’t want to ruin his fun so I left work early.”
“She asked if I could keep an eye on him for her. She said Shay was coming soon.”
“She left when you opened the door. She’s not a fan of kid parties. She hates clowns.”
“I’m not surprised she’s not the clown type.”
“We saw Stephen King’s It when we were kids, against my mom’s warnings. She hasn’t gotten over it yet.”
“I’m not surprised at that either.” I chuckle, placing my hand on her back, giving myself a reason to touch her. “Come on, party’s almost over. No reason to be nervous, I’m with you.”
She smiles. “Okay.” That smile does all sorts of things to me—mainly me wishing I could touch her more and place a kiss right on those pretty lips of hers.
It’s all going well. I’m standing behind her, talking to one of the dads, and she’s watching the boys tell their friends goodbye. Then one of the mothers comes up to her.
“Hi, I’m Denise.”
“Hi, Denise, I’m Lacey.”
“I’ve seen you a few times at school. Which one of these little rambunctious humans is yours?” She points to the kids running around.
Lacey looks over where Jacob and Jackson are playing and smiles, pointing him out. “The little one doing a fantastic imitation of a peg-leg pirate is all mine.”
“Oh, Jacob. He’s usually with his grandmother, isn’t he? She’s very nice.”
“Yes, I usually have to work.”
“Mm. You seem familiar. Your name does, too. Where have I seen you, besides school?”
“I don’t know? Maybe you’ve seen me at Le Fleur? I work there.”
“No, no...” She looks at Lacey as if she’s figuring out a long lost mystery.
I watch Lacey fold her arms, getting more and more uncomfortable the longer she stares at her. I feel about as on edge as she looks. I wonder if I should go over and wrap this up, tell Denise we need to go. But I don’t want to overreact.
“College! You, yes...oh my.” Her voice comes down to a whisper. “Robert Stanton.”
My heart twists when she says that name, making my blood run cold. I know what’s coming, and I see Lacey’s body grow stiff as Denise stares at her, then at Jacob, solving a painful mystery we all wish would stay unknown.
“That’s him? Your son. There were rumors—I’m sorry,” Denise says with sympathy, and I see what I know is pity in her eyes when she turns back from looking at Jacob laughing and playing. “How brave you must be to deal with it all.” She glances back at Jacob once more, and in a hushed voice says, “It must be like reliving it every day.”
Lacey’s back gets straighter than an iron rod. A flash of anger goes over her face, her lips pressed together. Seeing and hearing enough, I walk over to take them away from this. I come to a stop beside her, putting my hand on her lower back to let her know I’m right here with her, reminding her she’s not alone.
As if she understands what I’m trying to say with one simple touch, I feel her move back into my hand as she answers Denise, her voice strong and even. “When I look at my son, all I see is an innocent little boy, oblivious to all the ugliness in the world. An ugliness that hasn’t touched him yet, that he knows nothing about. I hope it stays that way for as long as possible. He is my son, Denise, and I love him more than anything in this world.” Her voice wavers slightly on her last words. “Do you understand?”
She looks between us, her eyes dropping to the floor then looking back at Lacey’s alone. “I do. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. You don’t need to worry. I won’t repeat what I know.” With that, she walks off.
