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Me.
Whatever the case, it’s obvious that Uncle Josh told a whopper of a lie.
And if he’s lied about that…
What the hell else has he lied about?
“Got it.” My uncle opens the backseat door and triumphantly presents the crystal paperweight that’s etched with my parents’ wedding date.
He tries to hand the thing over and becomes concerned when I refuse to take it.
“Tess, what is it?” Worry lines appear on his forehead. “Is it the baby?”
He drops the paperweight on the floor and reaches for me but I recoil from his hand.
Uncle Josh shrivels with anxious confusion.
I hold up the photo. “You didn’t realize he was in the background, did you? Take a good look at Dr. Spigato.”
He’s no longer confused. Now he’s alarmed. “Tess, I-”
“What’s his real name? And don’t lie to me.”
The air goes out of his lungs. He glances around, then ducks inside the car, closing the door behind him. I hear a lock click and understand that I have made a terrible tactical error.
I shouldneverhave confronted him here. Alone.
Uncle Josh stares at his hands and nods to himself. “All right. This has been a long time coming.”
“What has?” I’ve been inching my hand over to the door handle. I’m not shocked to discover I can’t open it.
He notices and gives me a grim look. “He’s a buddy of mine. Very into theater. He’s best known for playing Ebeneezer Scrooge every holiday season at the Em City Concert Hall.”
“Like I give a shit about his resumé.”
Uncle Josh scowls at the profanity. “I’m trying to explain this to you.”
I need to get away from him somehow. “Great. Let’s go get some lunch and you can explain the whole situation.”
He mulls the idea over. “No, that won’t work.”
“Sure it will. I’ll listen to whatever you have to say. I’m sure you have a good explanation. But right now I’m hungry and so is the baby.”
His answering chuckle is devoid of humor. “Stuart always said your biggest flaw was too much honesty. You weren’t like us in that way. I don’t agree that it’s a flaw. But it means you can’t fool me.”
My heart pounds. “Uncle Josh, let me out of here right now.”
He rolls his head back on the seat, then slowly looks my way. “Sorry, I can’t do that.”
Terror takes over and I try the door handle again. When it doesn’t budge I pound on the door itself, then the window. “HELP!”
But Uncle Josh has no patience for hysterics. He grabs my right arm. I try to punch him with my left fist but he snatches that with no problem, pinning both my wrists together in one of his large hands, then clucking his tongue, like restraining me is annoyingly easy.
“Let. Me. GO.” I flail and struggle and get nowhere.
“Tess.” He barks my name in his stern cop voice, something he’s never used on me before.
“You need to calm down and get yourself under control.”
