Since She Went Away(10)

She stared at the bottle. A couple of beers or glasses of wine became the norm after Celia disappeared. Sometimes more than a couple. She needed them. Every night she needed them.

That’s when she heard Jared’s door open followed by footsteps coming down the hallway.

“Mom? I’m walking Tabitha home.”

Jenna turned and saw Jared’s head peeking into the kitchen. She recognized the look on his face. He wanted to rush out of the house, make a break before she could say or do anything else. No way, she thought. She wasn’t going to let everybody go their separate ways on that crazy note of embarrassment.

“Come on in here,” Jenna said, making a waving gesture with her hand.

“Mom,” Jared said, teeth gritted.

“I want to meet . . . did you say Tabitha? Come on.”

“Are you kidding?” Jared asked.

“Tabitha?” Jenna called. “Can you come here for a minute?”

Jared looked as if someone had just dropped a ton of bricks on his shoulders. He possessed the teenager’s ability to overexaggerate even the slightest indignity.

Jenna walked to the hallway and saw the girl making her way toward her. Jenna’s quick first impression in the bedroom had been correct—the girl was beautiful. Bright green eyes and a long neck. She’d pulled on a winter coat, a little too big and two seasons out of style even to Jenna’s eyes, but it wasn’t zipped yet, and Jenna saw the slender, shapely figure that almost every teenage girl seemed to be blessed with. Once upon a time, Jenna had that body too, and she cursed herself daily for not appreciating hers when it was in full bloom.

Jenna held out her hand. “I’m Jenna Barton. Jared’s mom.”

“Hi.” The girl took her hand in a limp shake. Her skin was warm, a little sweaty.

“I’m sorry I walked in that way,” Jenna said. “I had a long day, and I wasn’t thinking. You’re welcome here anytime.”

The girl smiled, but the look seemed forced, as though she didn’t want to show her teeth. Jenna couldn’t tell if she was shy or embarrassed or both. Up close, Jenna saw that the girl’s haircut looked unprofessional, as if someone just trimmed the edges straight across every once in a while. Maybe she even cut it herself. And her clothes weren’t anything special either. Knockoff jeans and a fading top, the sneakers, once white, scuffed and dirty. A kid without a lot of money, which made her beauty all the more impressive. It wasn’t enhanced by the clothes or the haircut or orthodontry. She was the real deal, a stunner.

“What did you say your last name was?” Jenna asked.

“Tabitha Burke.”

The girl didn’t look up and meet Jenna’s eye. But there was something about her face, and not just its youthful beauty. Something about the shape, the set of the eyes looked familiar.

“Burke,” Jenna said, leaning against the hallway wall. “Are you related to Tommy Burke? He manages that electrical supply company out on the bypass.”

Tabitha shook her head. “No.”

“Mom, Tabitha doesn’t have relatives here. She’s new to town. Don’t start asking her about everyone you went to high school with.”

“I was just asking about the Burkes I know.”

“We have to get going, okay? I’m walking Tabitha home.”

“Do you want me to drive you? It’s dark and cold.”

“I’ve got this, Mom. Okay?”

“Are you sure? I mean—” Jenna stopped herself. Life had to go on. They couldn’t hide inside all the time.

“Mom.”

And Jenna knew he was right. She needed to back off and let him walk the girl home if that was what he wanted to do. It was early, and there’d be a lot of cars and people out despite the darkness. She sighed, letting go. She tried very hard to let go.

“Okay,” Jenna said. The girl, Tabitha, still looked sullen and stiff, her eyes fixed on the floor as though Jenna’s shoes were fascinating. But Jenna couldn’t shake the sense she’d seen the girl before. And recently. Maybe she’d been a patient at Family Medicine. Jenna couldn’t ask about that, couldn’t run the risk of violating the girl’s privacy. Walking in on her dry-humping her son was enough humiliation for one night. And if the girl had the guts to come back, to stick around after that inauspicious beginning, then Jenna would admire her. “Well, I’m sure your mom appreciates the fact that you have someone to walk you home in the dark.”

Jared’s eyes rolled to the ceiling and back, as if Jenna had just offered the queen or the pope a hit from a joint.

Tabitha raised her head a little, her cold green eyes meeting Jenna’s. “My mother . . . ,” she said, her voice flat.

“You mother? Is something . . . ?” Jenna lifted her hand to her mouth. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. Did she pass away?”

If there’d been a hole to crawl in, Jenna would have jumped in with both feet. And pulled the top shut behind her. First catching them in the bedroom and then that comment. It made cursing at Becky seem like a minor miscue. She’d made the ridiculous mistake of assuming that everyone else’s life was better than hers, that she could be a single mom but Tabitha’s family was perfectly intact.

“Not that,” the girl said. She held Jenna’s gaze. “It’s kind of an unusual situation, I guess. I live with my dad. Here. My mom . . . moved away. She’s—she’s had some problems.”