Since She Went Away(56)

“It looks that way.”

“And she kept it hidden from everybody?”

“People usually hide affairs.” Jenna pushed the food around on her plate. At least he was talking. Not what she wanted to talk about, but at least the boy was talking. “For all I know, she has friends who knew. Just because we were close for a lot of years doesn’t mean I knew everything about her.”

“Yeah.” He nodded as though he were listening to music. He wasn’t. The headphones were off. Jenna could tell he was absorbing the knowledge about Celia, processing it, learning some things about the adult world. “And this weird, random guy shows up trying to pawn her earring?”

“He’s a suspect,” Jenna said. “Or he might be. We went to high school with him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He was a total oddball back then. Just thinking about the way he used to creep around the school in his army jacket makes my skin crawl. Even after all these years. I need to call Detective Poole and see if they’ve learned anything.”

“I guess it takes a lot of trust to be in a relationship.”

“It does.” She twirled spaghetti on her plate. “Do you think you trusted Tabitha that much?”

He grew defensive. “She didn’t betray my trust.”

“I didn’t say she did.” They ate in silence for a few minutes. “Who am I to talk? I don’t think I’ve ever trusted a man that much in a relationship. Not your dad. Not anybody else.”

Jared looked up, his face showing surprise. And not just at the content of the revelation, but also the raw nature of it. They were moving into that territory where parent and child found themselves standing on the same level for a short time, sharing the same view. It could be invigorating and unnerving for both parties.

“I just thought Tabitha and I would go on and be together. For a while. And you know what the really frustrating part is?”

“What?”

“I don’t know why she did it. I don’t know if I did something wrong or what it was.”

“I doubt it was you. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your mom. When I talked to her the other day in the parking lot, I could tell she cared about you a great deal. That’s why she brought that book back to me. She wanted me to tell you that. She cared.”

“Really?”

“Really. I suspect it’s her dad. Or something else we don’t know about. Has she been back in school?”

“No. No one’s seen her. They think she’s gone. Moved away.”

“Are they looking into it?”

“I asked Mrs. Timmons. You know, the counselor. The one who looks like a hippie? She said they have to file some reports when a kid stops coming to school. They’re doing that with the proper authorities.” He shrugged, trying to put away all his awful feelings with one gesture. Jenna knew it wouldn’t work. Nothing was ever that easy.

Jared took a second serving, and Jenna poured some wine for herself while he ate. She offered him ice cream for dessert, but he shook his head, saying he might eat some later.

“Can I ask you something else?” he said.

“Sure.”

“I always thought Ian was kind of cold and, you know, had a stick up his ass. Like, way up. Not mean or anything. Just . . . distant.”

Jenna tensed at the mention of Ian’s name. Her hand tingled where his thumb had rubbed. In that very room, at that very table.

“He can seem that way,” she said. “But he’s not. He’s just serious about work. He has a lot of responsibility at the foundry.”

“I know he’s your friend. And you know him well, right?”

He gave her a sidelong look, one that seemed to anticipate her response, as though the words she used to answer him might be surprising or revelatory in some way. She kept her eyes on Jared, her hand on the wineglass, resisting the urge to look down at the back of her hand. Had he seen something the other night when he came home?

“Pretty well. We were better friends in high school. Why are you asking about this?”

“The other night when he was here, and I walked to the door with him, he was pretty chill. You know, friendly and everything. Friendlier than I’ve ever seen him.”

“You’re older now. Maybe he feels more comfortable around someone your age than a little kid.”

“Maybe. And Celia was cool. Is cool, sorry. I always . . . I like her. She’s friendly and warm.”

“What is this all about?” Jenna asked.

“How did Ursula end up being such a royal bitch?”

Jenna held in a laugh and a mouthful of wine, which burned against the back of her throat. She finally swallowed. “She’s going through a brutal time. Cut her some slack.”

“She wasn’t that bad when she was a little kid. She was tough and bossy, but not mean. You don’t see her at school. She picks on other kids, weaker kids. She’s always trying to undermine everybody’s confidence in class. I think I really hate her.”

“I always thought you had a crush on her,” Jenna said. “Celia did too. We could tell the way you looked at her.”

“That’s gross.”

“Look, some people in our lives are just difficult,” Jenna said. “Hell, look at Grandma.”