Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(32)

He shrugged.

“I already told you that I talked to your dad. He was so excited that you wouldn’t be here alone.” She released a breath as if it were a chore. “Listen, Trevor. Your mom means the world to me. We’re friends, and I want to do whatever I can to make her life easier—”

“You mean make Dad’s life easier,” Trevor cut in. “Since he’s the one in charge while Mom is gone.”

“Well, I’m sure your mom will appreciate my efforts either way.” She started opening cupboards and drawers near the stove. “Where do you guys keep your pots and pans?”

He walked past her and opened the pantry door. “Most of them are in here.”

Jane walked inside the pantry and easily reached the highest shelf for a pot. The sleeve of her blouse fell to her elbow. “What happened to your arm?”

“What?”

“That scar I saw on the back of your arm when you reached for the pot. What happened?”

Again, she looked away. She walked back into the kitchen, busying herself with emptying the paper bags. He didn’t think she was going to answer his question, but suddenly she stopped what she was doing. This time, she made eye contact, and he didn’t like what he saw. Sadness? Anger? He wasn’t sure.

“I was in a car accident.”

In a flash, her eyes went from hard and dark to soft. She blinked, looking suddenly like she might cry, making him wish he’d never asked.

“The accident changed my life, and I’d really rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.”

Trevor nodded. His face felt warm. For the first time since he’d met Jane, he felt sort of bad about not liking her. Lots of people didn’t like dogs. It didn’t make them a bad person, did it?





CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Nora was about to disconnect the call when David finally answered the phone. “Hey, honey. How’s it going?”

“I’m fine,” Nora said, “but I already miss you terribly.”

“I miss you, too. We all do.”

“Hi, Mom!”

Nora smiled at hearing Trevor’s voice in the background. She also heard what sounded like the television before she recognized Jane’s familiar laugh. “Is that Jane?”

David cleared his throat. “Um—well, yes. She showed up when I was out and made spaghetti while keeping Trevor company. We just finished dinner. Trevor ate two helpings.” There was a short pause before he added, “I was under the impression you knew she was coming to the house.”

“How would I know? She never called me back. The message Jane left for me at the hotel said she was detained and would be arriving today. I assumed she would be at the hotel when I returned.” Nora felt annoyance bubbling inside her. She did her best to tamp it down and stay cool.

“Is that Nora?” she heard Jane ask.

Nora did not want to talk to her, not when she was feeling upset. “Tell her I have to go. I—”

There was a rustling sound. Before she could finish her conversation with David, Jane was on the line. “Nora! How is Paris? When I checked the weather over there, it appeared to be nothing but sunshine. I so wish I could be there with you now.”

“I was expecting you to be at the hotel when I returned,” Nora said flatly. “What’s going on?”

“Well, I didn’t want to ruin your day, but before I could get out the door the other morning, I had to take care of a problem.”

“A problem at work?” Nora asked.

“Yes. Christian Murray was having trouble with the new software. He was in a panic.”

Nora had spent a lot of time training Christian and his staff. “What sort of problems was he having?”

“No need to worry about this now,” Jane said. “It turned out to be a user problem. No big deal. We figured it out, but by that time, I had missed my flight.”

Nora had called to check in with Mr. Murray, one of IMPACT’s VIP clients, the day before leaving to let him know she’d be gone for a few days. If he was having complications, she wondered why he hadn’t mentioned it. Not only that, Christian Murray aside, she knew for a fact that there were plenty of flights from Sacramento to Paris.

“All the first-class seats on United were taken,” Jane said, as if she could read Nora’s mind. “I refuse to fly coach with two stops, and besides, if I had taken a flight out today, I would have missed most of the show. But then, as I mulled it over, I had an epiphany.”

Nora said nothing.

“I thought, how could I help my good friend while she’s away? And it came to me in a flash. I’ll greet her children when they come home after school and make her family dinner.”

Nora wasn’t buying it. Her tone was sharp when she asked, “Did you meet Robert Gillespie at last year’s conference?”

“Yes. Best thing that ever happened. That’s why it was so important that you are there to represent our company.”

“To find more clients like him?”

“Exactly.”

“You didn’t use unethical practices to gain favor and win him over?”

Jane released a long, exasperated sigh. “Don’t tell me. You ran into Levi Hale, and he blames me for all his problems because he can’t accept losing a potential client to a woman?”