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Which means I’m definitely going to get mad.
A tap on the door has both our heads swinging in that direction.
Mindy leans in the doorframe, wearing skinny jeans with heels and a baggy silk blouse. She’s holding a manila file in one hand.
Jake bounces off the bed. “I’m getting out of the crossfire. Sorry, Tay, I only did this because she blackmailed me.”
Mindy rolls her eyes. “I didn’t blackmail you, I asked where Taylor was.”
“You bribed me.” He points at her. “She brought me pie from Bubby’s.”
“You asked for that pie three days ago. It had nothing to do with Taylor.”
Jake disappears out the door, calling out behind him, “You two can fight. I’ve got pie waiting for me.”
Mindy faces me. “I’ll leave if you want, Taylor. I’m not trying to intrude or bother you. I just wanted to finalize some of the details for the gig, and since I’m here, I thought it would be weird to text from, you know, downstairs.” She shifts on her feet.
This is good timing. I need to talk to Mindy anyway, I need to tell her, somehow, that I’m ready to... I don’t know, try to forgive her? Can I do this? Am I ready? It’s only possible if I can trust her with my guilty truths. This whole fight started because I was vulnerable, and she crapped all over me.
There is only one way to know for sure if she means it. If I can trust her again.
I force a smile. “It’s fine.”
She perches on the edge of the bed, only about a foot away from my chair. Her back is as straight as an arrow, her spine rigid with tension. “So I have the signed performance contract here and we had a question about—”
“I’ve been looking for Mom,” I blurt out.
She stares at me, her face frozen in stunned shock. “What?”
Moment of truth. Will she freak out and lose her mind like she did when I told her about Aria?
“You know, that lady who birthed us and disappeared? I hired a PI and I’ve spent the last seven months trying to track her down. And I just found out what happened to her.”
Her mouth pops open. She shuts it with an audible click and swallows before asking, “What did you find?”
I search her eyes. She’s not angry. She’s surprised and curious. “She’s dead.”
She blows out a breath, leaning forward and propping her elbows on her knees, her hands covering her face. “Jesus.”
“I’m sorry, I know it’s a lot. It’s just... I haven’t told anyone.”
Then I give her the whole story. How I hired Georgia, how I’ve been following leads all over the country trying to find her, and how I finally tracked her down to Boylesville and the subsequent conversation with Jonas. I leave out Atticus but explain how I started looking through the box of her things, but then couldn’t continue. Not without my family.
When I’m finished, her expression is blank. “Wow.”
“Yeah. I want Piper to come to Whitby for the show so I can talk to everyone. I meant to tell you all at once, but well...”
She reaches over and touches my arm with her palm. “I’m glad you told me. Thank you for trusting me with this.” She pulls back. “I know I reacted badly when you told me about Aria.”
I snort. “There’s the understatement of the year.”
She swallows. “I know. I was wrong. I lashed out at you because I felt guilty too.”
My brows lift. “You did?” She might have mentioned her guilt before, the first time she apologized, but I was too pissed to listen.
“I never truly blamed you for what happened to Aria. You were only sixteen. I blamed myself.”
“Why? You didn’t even live here. You were off at college.”
