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Sixteen
Hendrix was surprised when he didn’t hear from Lynn that night. He tried calling her, planning to check in without mentioning Ellen or their disagreement. He was hoping they could move on as if nothing had happened, because he didn’t feel he’d done anything wrong.
But she didn’t answer. And she didn’t call back.
He guessed she was trying to punish him for taking Ellen’s side and not apologizing for it afterward. But he couldn’t see why the respect, love and loyalty he owed his aunt had anything to do with Ellen. He didn’t have to feel the same way she did, did he?
Honestly, Hendrix wished he’d befriended Ellen sooner. But when he was younger, he’d been doing his best to cope with his own issues. Having to be taken in and raised by an aunt left him feeling indebted in a way a son or a daughter would not. He’d seen Ellen rejected and didn’t want the same thing to happen to him. He’d been too desperate to prove he was worth rescuing.
But that was before, when he was younger. He could easily have been kinder to Ellen in the past ten or twelve years. Now that he was getting to know her, he couldn’t really say why he hadn’t. The general feeling in the Fetterman household, he supposed.
He tried watching TV. But there wasn’t anything on that could hold his attention. He was too caught up in what it had been like to spend the day with Ellen—what she’d said, how she’d looked, her incredible smile (when she deigned to offer him one) and the skepticism he saw so often in her beautiful eyes when she looked at him.
After turning down the TV, he retrieved his laptop, propped his feet on the coffee table and navigated to the dating website Ellen had mentioned. He was curious to see if she’d removed her profile and if Jordan Forbes was still on there, trying to meet women.
Unfortunately, he had to sign up and create a profile of his own before he could check. Online dating was something he’d never done. But he was offered a free trial he could cancel whenever, and it only took a few minutes to answer some basic questions and slap up a single picture.
After that, he was able to find Jordan immediately. The son of a bitch hadn’t left the site. And there was no warning about him that Hendrix could find. Maybe Dr. Forbes had convinced whoever researched complaints at the company that Ellen was lying. A dentist held considerable credibility. And as Ellen had said, he didn’t have a criminal record. Perhaps they did enough research to feel they wouldn’t be held liable if something terrible happened and that was as far as they went.
Since Jordan was still allowed on the platform, would he be satisfied and leave Ellen alone? Was there no longer anything to worry about?
Hendrix hoped that was the case. He was tempted to let Jordan know he was keeping an eye on Ellen, but he was afraid that would only backfire by antagonizing the dude further.
He’d just decided to wait another week to see what, if anything, happened, when his phone signaled a call from Stuart.
Before he answered, Hendrix glanced at his watch. Eleven fifteen? It wasn’t like Stuart to be up so late.
He pressed the Talk button. “What’s going on?”
“About to go to bed,” Stuart told him. “What’s going on with you?”
“In what regard?” There had to be a reason behind this call. Otherwise, they could talk in the morning. He, Lynn and Stuart showed up at the office at 6:00 a.m. sharp every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to coordinate and plan for the business. Then they got together more loosely, or by telephone or text, the other days as needed.
“Lynn’s been pretty upset since you walked out of here,” Stuart told him.
Hendrix had suspected as much. Had she put Stuart up to contacting him so she wouldn’t have to lose face? “Is she there with you?”
“No. She’s in the bedroom, asleep. I wanted the chance to talk to you in private.”
This was completely unexpected. Hendrix couldn’t remember another time Stuart had sought him out for a conversation he didn’t want Lynn to hear. “You were there when we had the argument. Did you agree with Aunt Lynn or with me?”
“It’s not that simple.”
Of course he’d equivocate. Stuart would never say a bad word about his wife, even if she was clearly in the wrong. And he rarely made a concrete statement about Ellen. He dodged the subject of his daughter whenever he could—seemed more interested in pretending she didn’t exist. “Then why don’t you break it down for me?”
Silence.
“Stuart?”
A long sigh came through the phone. “I feel bad about Ellen, Hendrix. I should’ve done more for her while she was growing up. I think you realize that. But just between you and me—and this is something I’ve never breathed a word of to Lynn or anyone else, so I’d appreciate you keeping it strictly confidential...”
When he paused, waiting for confirmation, Hendrix said, “Of course.”
“I’m not sure she’s mine.”
Hendrix almost dropped his phone. “As in...not your daughter?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
