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“I would have woken up at three in the morning to get to the rink if it meant not having to live with her. Do you know that I worry all the time that I’m going to be like her? Of all the competitors I’ve had to face in my life, the biggest one was my own mother.”
Reese could see the pity in Cam’s eyes, so she looked away.
“That’s why we had you stay at our place for long chunks of time. We knew it was a toxic environment for you.”
“Remember that time I stayed with your parents all winter? My mother didn’t even care. She didn’t call to see if I was okay. She was happy to be rid of me.”
“I know your mom will never do this, but she needs therapy, to deal with whatever is going on with her. As an outside observer, I think she surrounds herself with all that junk because it replaces something that is missing. Maybe the fact she never had more kids, or that she was in a failing marriage, I don’t know. But she’s not well.”
Reese pushed her plate away with nearly a slam. “I refuse to feel sorry for her.”
Cam’s green eyes opened wide. “Sorry for her? Never. I’m trying to figure out what makes her tick.”
“I wouldn’t bother. She has no intention of changing.”
“Don’t you want to be able to salvage something one day?”
“If you want an answer at this very minute, it’s a no.”
He stared at Reese for a long time before he spoke again. “Something you just said is sticking with me. You aren’t like her, Reese. Not even a bit, but do you think you are?”
She kept her gaze focused on the white Formica table. “Sometimes I see it. We’re both cold, distant, lacking personal connections. Don’t you see that?”
His face contorted in confusion. “No, not even a little. You’re not cold at all. You’d give anyone the shirt off your back. Personal connections? Hello, what about me? Distant? No, but I think you close yourself off because you’re scared of being her. Don’t make this a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
She wanted to protest, but maybe he was right. But what if he wasn’t?
He put up one hand in surrender. “I’m going to back off. I probably should have done that already.”
“Let’s not talk about me, my mom, my dad, Jennifer, your dad’s business, or Josh Semple.”
“Then what are we going to talk about?”
Reese couldn’t help laugh at the goofy smile on Cam’s face. “Anything but what I just mentioned.”
“Tell you what, let’s finish our burgers and go see a movie. We’ll buy the biggest bucket of popcorn and watch the funniest movie they have. Just like old times.”
“I’d like that.”
It was just what she needed. Mindless entertainment with her best friend.
ChapterThirty-Four
Reese was sitting on her condo balcony with a fresh cup of coffee enjoying the crisp morning air. The trees had just begun to change colors and the rain from the night before had left behind the smell of decomposing leaves. She’d always liked that smell of musty sweetness, but autumn also brought on a lingering sense of anxiety. Just like Grady, she’d hated the beginning of a school year as a kid. It meant added responsibilities beyond skating. It was also a time she struggled to make friends or keep old ones. She didn’t have as much time as everyone else, and unlike Cam, she wasn’t outgoing, so connections rarely lasted. And though she was a good student, she would sometimes fall behind in her work, and it was a battle to get up to speed.
She sat back in her lounger and grabbed her iPad. She’d decided to take Friday off. Grady had a rare night off, too, and they planned to enjoy the night in with movies, dinner, and who knows what else. Her heart skipped a beat at that.
She hit the Home button on her iPad and saw a notification for a newLowdownpost. She’d subscribed because she didn’t want to miss anything posted about her, and even though it had been almost a week with no new gossip regarding her situation, she checked each notification.
And today was her unlucky day.
She read through the post and seethed with anger. The mole had told the blog’s writer all about her childhood, right down to her mother’s hoarding and how her father had abandoned Reese when she’d turned eighteen. No detail had been left out. She wanted to throw her iPad off the balcony. Who had done this? It took her a moment to calm down—even her breathing—before she could come up with suspects, but the list was still mostly the same. Cam and his family, John, Marnie, Daria, Grady, and whomever they told. The list was still far too long. She could rule out her parents. The blog was too embarrassing for them to have participated.
She called Cam, but his phone went to voicemail. It was too early to call Grady, since he’d been on a road trip and had come in late the night before. She checked her watch. It was just after eight, and Daria was always in the office early.
“Did you see theLowdown?” she asked the second Daria answered. She didn’t even give her a chance to say hello.
“I did,” Daria said with a groan.
