Today's Promises (Promises #2)(34)

“Yeah,” she says, her tone laced with regret, “I sure wish I’d gotten out of the system at eight.”

“I think we all wish that for ourselves, Mandy.”

“We do what we can, though, right?”

“Yeah, we do.”

My eyes meet hers and I realize for the first time that, despite her I’ve-got-it-together demeanor, Mandy is broken too. Hence the ice cream eating issues. I wonder what else she’s dealing with in the aftermath of what we went through.

“I’m just glad I have Josh to keep me sane,” she tells me. “He helps me keep my shit together.”

Josh is over on the sofa, talking with Jaynie.

Jerking my chin in that direction, I say to Mandy, “He seems like a really good dude. Is he still getting along well with the twins?”

“Oh, good God, yes,” she exclaims, her expression brightening. “Cody and Callie love him to death. He may as well be their biological father.”

A little tinge of regret hits me that I couldn’t be more for Cody and Callie. But Mandy and I were never a couple; we never saw each other like that. The kids deserve parents who are committed to one another, and I would never begrudge them that.

“Are you still planning to adopt the twins?” I ask.

Mandy nods. “Yes, definitely. We have more classes to attend first. Plus, Josh and I need to be married.”

I nudge her arm. “Ooh, Mandy Sullivan, someone’s old lady. Who would’ve thunk it?”

She bats me in the arm, with a warning to, “Shut the hell up, Flynn.”

“Okay, okay.”

I dodge a few more smacks, and when my beat-down has concluded, Mandy says, “So, speaking of relationships… How’s everything with you and Jaynie?”

“Fantastic,” I reply immediately. “As always.”

She chuckles and peers down at the paper plate she still has in her hand. Tiny crumbs, what’s left of her slice of cake, lie submerged in a puddle of melted ice cream. Not one to waste food—none of us ever would—Mandy raises the plate to her lips and slurps down what’s left.

“Good to the last drop,” she remarks as she deposits her empty plate in the trash bag Jaynie dragged in earlier for the spent plates and gift wrapping from the presents the twins tore into a short while ago.

“Always,” I agree.

She dabs at her mouth with a napkin, and then says softly, “Can I ask you another question, Flynn?”

“Sure.”

“Besides your relationship going well, how are you and Jaynie adjusting to the real world.”

I shrug. “Eh, we’re adjusting, I guess. To be honest, though”—I let out a sigh—“I think I’m doing better at it than Jaynie.”

“Yeah?” Mandy leans back against the wall. “How so?”

“Well…” I glance over to the couch to make sure Jaynie’s still wrapped up with talking to Josh. When it’s clear she is, I tell Mandy, “Jaynie still has a lot of nightmares.” She nods knowingly, lending further credence that her issues run deep too. “And,” I go on, “this thing with Allison potentially getting out this summer has set Jaynie back in a lot of other ways.”

Mandy doesn’t ask for elaboration, not that I’d tell her. Some things are just way too personal.

Sensing my uneasiness at this turn in the discussion, Mandy narrows the topic to the investigation, which is far more welcome to me.

“Jaynie told me you met with the detective on the case,” she begins.

“Yes, yes, we did.”

Frowning, Mandy says, “She also told me about the excavation.”

I shake my head. “Yeah, that. Nothing’s come of it. At least, not yet.”

After a long beat where I suspect she’s thinking this through, Mandy says, “Why are the police so focused on just the old barn? Why not dig around in other places on the property?”

I blow out a breath. “Trust me, we wanted that to happen. But the detective claimed it wasn’t realistic. Apparently, without a damn good reason, there’s not a judge in this state who’ll sign a court order to dig up the whole damn place.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Yeah, it is.”

We watch the twins play for a minute, and then Mandy says, “You know what, though, Flynn? All the property doesn’t need to be excavated.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Forget about the old barn, is what I’m saying.” Mandy shakes her head. “What about the space where the new barn is located, the barn we worked in?”

She may be onto something. “Talk to me, Mandy,” I say, urging her on.

“This is no sure thing,” she prefaces. “All I’m going on here is pure speculation. It’s just that ever since I talked with Jaynie, I’ve been thinking about the Debbie Canfield case. And I keep trying to pin where she fits into the timeline.”

Intrigued that the always-clever Mandy might be on to something, I ask, “So, what’d you come up with?”

“Well, for starters, haven’t you always wondered why a new work barn was built in the first place?”

I shrug. “No, I never really thought about it.”

“Well, think about it now, Flynn. Think like Mrs. Lowry and Allison would have.”