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“Where are we going?”
“The team is going to The Club to celebrate,” I said.
We surmised that the only possible reason Addison shamed Taylor was because Bianca had dumped Addison as a doubles partner, preferring to play with Taylor. Considering that Addison was never a number one player, it seemed an extreme move.
Entering the restaurant, we scoped the room. Mom and Dad were sharing a table with the Fitzpatricks. Millie elbowed me and we smiled at the hostess and strode straight to the other side of the room where several tables had been joined for the team and parents. With all girls wearing their school uniforms, as was I, it wasn’t immediately obvious where Taylor was. But I recognized the back of Bianca’s long blonde hair.
Millie and I approached like we were on a mission, but the closer we got, I could see that Taylor wasn’t there. And neither was Addison. I scanned, looking for an empty chair that might indicate she was in the bathroom.
Bianca had already shifted back in her chair, her eyes narrowing, probably at the sight of Millie and me together.
“Hey, where’s Taylor?” I whispered.
Bianca stood. She directed us away from the table into a huddle, whispering. “She never arrived. She said she was going to come.”
“What about Addison?” Millie asked.
“She and her mom just went to close the shop. They should be back in a minute.” The O’Days owned the sports boutique in the complex.
“Did you talk to Taylor?” I asked. Bianca shook her head glumly.
“What about Addison? Did you talk to her?” Millie wanted to know.
“She said she was just doing her job,” Bianca said, exhaling with frustration.
“That’s what she said to me,” Millie huffed. “She said that shetold meshe was uploading it.” Millie’s jaw clenched. “Arghh! She’s such a liar.”
I nudged Millie. “Okay, let’s go.”
Driving down the hill from Covington Heights, I filled Millie in on the house at Fox Avenue, heavily putting the blame for the Franks’ living conditions on my parents—it was their fault they’d rented out a house that was in urgent need of renovations. Though I cut them a little slack, telling her how dire the housing market was in River Valley.
There was only one car in the driveway and it wasn’t Taylor’s. A deep, deep fear etched in the pit of my stomach.
Millie walked tentatively along the rickety concrete path, watching the uneven paving. “I planted the shrubs in the garden box,” I said randomly, hoping she’d find some shining light in the otherwise rundown house.
I rapped in a rhythm—da-da-da-da-da, da, da, a weird habit, yeah. Footsteps approached on the hardwood floor.
Brandon looked surprised as he cast his eyes over us, Millie, half hidden behind me.
“Hi Max.”
“Hi. Mr. Frank.” It seemed like I should be more formal. “Uh, is Taylor here?” In my heart of hearts I knew what the answer would be.
“No, she’s gone with the team to dinner.”
I grimaced at Millie, and remembering my manners, “Oh, this is Millie Conway, she’s—”
“I’m the reporter who was writing a story on Taylor and the tennis team,” Millie interjected. “We met on the weekend at Peter’s.”
“Ah, yes,” Brandon said with a smile, “she told me about that.”
“Taylor’s not at the Club with the team,” Millie said in a breathless rush. “We’ve just been there and she didn’t show.”
Brandon’s brow creased as he stepped back and ushered us through. He shook his head as I stopped to remove my shoes. “It’s fine. No need.”
I knew the layout of the house, having had to help Mom and Dad clean it before the Franks arrived. I padded lightly down the short hallway to the living room. A round black and white patterned rug covered the floor, and a pale gray couch covered in colorful pillows faced the large screen television hanging on the wall. A sideboard against the opposite wall displayed some photo frames, various ornaments and a host of trophies. The drapes were new, a deep plum color, not matching anything in the room, but they brightened the space. Whatever the house looked like from the outside, the Franks had made it homely and cozy inside. Brandon apologized for the basket of unfolded laundry in the middle of the room, and shifted it out of the way with a laugh. “That’s Taylor’s job.”
I smiled, but Millie giggled nervously.
