Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(28)

“Oh, come here.” Jane wrapped her arms around her. “Everything is going to be okay,” she said, her voice soothing, calming. Jane took a step back and said in that determined, slightly aggressive way of hers, “Let’s go get some ice cream. Everyone knows that ice cream makes everything better.”

Jane closed Nora’s car door, grabbed hold of Nora’s hand, and led her toward her red BMW parked a few cars away. After tucking Nora safely into the passenger seat, she came around the front of the car, slid in behind the wheel, and sped off.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting on a bench in Capitol Park eating ice cream from one of the local shops. Hot fudge sundaes for both. While getting in and out of the car, standing in line at the ice-cream shop, and finding the perfect park bench with a view of the rose garden, Jane managed, quite easily at that, to get Nora to tell her everything that was bothering her—leaving David behind while she went to Paris, Hailey’s uppity attitude, and her father’s illness.

“I know I’ve said this a zillion times since we met,” Jane said, “but you have a beautiful family. We’ve both been teenagers before, and we know Hailey will come around. She’s testing her wings before it’s time to take flight in a few years.”

Nora groaned. “That’s part of the problem. I’m not ready for her to take flight.”

“Well, you can’t stop time. And besides, it’s your job as a mother to make sure your kids are prepared to go out there and make things happen. You want them to be strong with a touch of stubbornness.” Jane made a fist to go along with her semiangry expression. “They need to be tough so that they won’t get gobbled up by that great big world out there.”

Nora laughed. How could she not? “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For the speech. For making me laugh. For being you.” Nora shook her head. She thought of what Hailey had said about Jane being her friend. Since she’d met Jane, she’d felt like Jane had forced her friendship on Nora. But maybe she’d been wrong. “I’ve never had a friend like you. So strong and independent. So sure of herself.”

Jane quieted.

When Nora looked at her, she thought Jane appeared suddenly lost in thought, as if there were deep, dark secrets that wanted to come forth, but she wouldn’t allow them to. Jane’s life wasn’t as perfect as it appeared from the outside. Maybe Jane truly needed her friendship more than Nora had first thought.

“Are you okay?” Nora asked. “From the start, you’ve been too good to be true. Offering me a position at your company, sending me off to a luxury spa to be pampered, picking up my daughter and making dinner for my family. And now, here you are, driving me around town, buying me ice cream, and doing everything in your power to make me feel better when I don’t think I’ve ever asked you how you’re doing. You once mentioned a childhood trauma that changed your life. Do you want to talk about it?”

For a moment there, Nora thought Jane might actually open the floodgates and tell her about her childhood and why she couldn’t bear children. There was so much more to Jane, but she seemed to hold everything inside. It felt as if there was an unknown tension between them. How could they be friends if Jane didn’t open up? Nora wanted to help Jane find a way to let her walls down so she might begin to heal. “I’m here for you if you ever want to talk,” Nora said.

Jane jumped to her feet, walked to the closest trash bin, and tossed the rest of her sundae. “Too much of a good thing can be disastrous on the hips.” She returned to the bench. “I don’t want to regret this little outing next time I hop on the scale. Come on, let’s get back to work.”





CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Nora stood at the door, luggage at her feet. Today was bittersweet. She was leaving for Paris. A dream come true? Not quite. She was leaving David behind. There would be no point in visiting the Wall of Love (Le Mur Des Je T’aime), no reason to picnic at the Luxembourg Gardens. A sunset cruise along the Seine? That would have to wait until she and David could make the trip to Paris alone and kiss while they floated beneath the lovers’ bridge.

“All ready to go?” David asked.

She smiled, turned to face him, and put her arms around his neck so she could feel his jaw against her face and nuzzle the soft, warm part of his neck. “I wish you were coming with me.”

“You’ll be busy at the trade show, soaking it all in. And besides, you’ll have Jane to keep you company.”

That much was true, she thought. She pulled back so she could see his handsome face. “Whatever happened with that new client you were meeting last week? I never asked.”

“It didn’t work out,” he said, turning away. He walked to the door and picked up her luggage.

His face flushed. Or was it her imagination? Before she had a chance to query him further, he shouted, “Kids! Come say goodbye to Mom.”

Trevor was there in an instant, his skinny arms curled around Nora’s waist, and she held him tight, breathed him in. He was growing like a weed, but he was still her little boy. She used to be a foot taller than Trevor. Now the top of his head was even with her collarbone, and there was no need to reach out and lift his chin in order to see his face when she spoke to him. “Be good,” she said.

A dimple flashed. “Love you, Mom.”