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“Our daughter, Penny, is alive,” Wally said softly. “After thirty years away, she contacted me.”
Rina’s mouth went dry. She felt like she was floating.
But Wally wasn’t done.
“I’d waited a full month before I told Ellen about Penny. You can imagine how much that hurt her, realizing I’d carried that with me. That’s why she hit me. The reveal was enormous. She hated me for covering it up.”
ChapterFifteen
Gail’s high school classmates posted photographs of Gail on their social media. “Have you seen this girl? She’s missing! Help us find her!” Claire swiped past their posts through photographs of Gail in many awkward stages of high school, remembering birthday parties, theater productions, and marching band parades. In one of the photos, Gail’s friend Bianca wrapped her arms around both Gail and Abby in front of the Sunrise Cove. It had to have been their fifteenth birthday— so many eons ago. If Claire remembered correctly, that had been when Zach had ruined Christine’s perfectly decorated cake. Not long afterward, Christine and Zach had fallen in love.
Russel returned home after two days in the city. Claire heard the garage door purr up and set her tablet to the side. She realized she’d been scrolling through social media posts for hours, looking for clues about where Gail could be. She’d even looked for Nathan, but it seemed he didn’t have a social media account. Abby suggested he was “too cool” for an online presence. Claire had no idea what she meant.
Russel breezed into the house, placed his suitcase by the door, and opened the fridge. Claire listened to the familiar rhythm. Soon, he would exit the kitchen and find her in front of the crackling fire, looking in a sorry state. She wore no makeup, and she hadn’t washed her hair in days. Her thought, always, was: what if Gail called while she was washing her hair? What if she couldn’t hear?
“Oh! Hey. There you are.” Russel greeted her from the doorway between the kitchen and living room. He was eating a slice of cold pizza, dressed in what looked to be an exquisite suit. Claire hadn’t had anything to do with its purchase. Once upon a time, Russel had struggled knowing what color combinations to put together. Now, he had a business-savvy wardrobe.
“Hey. How was the city?” Claire’s voice cracked.
Russel finished his pizza and joined her in the living room, sitting on the opposite side of the couch, his eyes on the fire. “It was okay. More meetings. More chaos. You know.”
Claire didn’t know. She’d only been to New York City a handful of times.
“I take it you haven’t heard from Gail?” Russel said. His voice was edged with worry.
In a weird way, just knowing he cared enough to ask was a relief.
“No,” Claire said. “But Rina was able to access some of her messages. It looks like she had a boyfriend, after all.”
Russel’s shoulders loosened. He looked like he’d just won the lottery. “That’s good news, right?”
“Why is it good news?”
“Because she’s probably with this guy,” Russel said. “I mean, that’s normally what happens with these kids. They fall in love too quickly and make rash decisions. And then, when the relationship inevitably fails, they come home. Right?”
Claire pressed her lips together. On the one hand, Russel was right; even Rina had said over the phone that nine times out of ten, that was the case. But what about the tenth time? What if Gail fell under that horrific, ten-percent chance?
“It’s been ten days, Russel,” Claire said.
“Exactly. Ten days is nothing. It’s a breeze. Remember when she read that Kerouac novel?”
“On the Road?”
Russel snapped his fingers. “She was obsessed with it. She always talked about going on a road trip across the continent. Remember? She and Abby had that whole plan.”
“But they were going to do that after college,” Claire protested. “And they weren’t hiding it from us.”
“Mark my words,” Russel said. “That’s what she’s doing.”
Claire’s throat threatened to close up. She gaped at this man, this man she’d loved for decades, and blurted, “Why are you being so cold?”
Russel’s smile fell, and his expression was suddenly stony, his cheekbones carved from rock. “I don’t know what you think you’re getting out of all this. Moping around the house isn’t going to bring Gail back.”
Claire sputtered. “Russel!”
Just as quickly, Russel changed his expression. His eyes softened, and he wet his lips. “I’m sorry,” he said, ripping his fingers through his hair. “This is just as hard for me as it is for you. But I’m throwing myself into work. I’m trying to distract myself. When Gail wants to come back, she will.”
“But what if she needs us, Russel? She’s eighteen years old.”
