Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(36)

“I must have jet lag. Sorry to have bothered you, Christian.”

“No bother at all. Rest knowing that everything is fine over this way. I’ve been pleased with the software. The new system has saved me time and frustration with inventory and processing orders. I’m glad you called so I could thank you.”

“Thank you, Christian. I appreciate that. If you ever do have questions, please don’t hesitate to call me.”

After the call ended, Nora fell back into the pillows and tried to wrap her head around it all. She was more perplexed than ever. Was it possible Jane had confused Christian Murray with another client? Or had Jane made the whole thing up—an excuse as to why she hadn’t made her flight in time? But why would she do that? And then Nora thought of everything Trevor had said about Jane liking David and how she creeped him out. What was going on?





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Nora walked into Midtown Sushi on P Street and spotted David at a table near the window. He stood, and when she reached his side, he kissed her. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you.”

David pulled out her chair for her, and once they were both seated, she said, “My homecoming was a little underwhelming this morning.”

“The minute you walked into the kitchen, my plan was to sweep you into my arms, but then we were sidetracked when you spotted Hailey’s purple hair.”

She smiled. He was right about that.

“I missed you,” he said.

“It’s nice to hear, considering I was under the impression Jane worked out just fine as my replacement.”

“Not even close. You know I would never turn away a home-cooked meal, but I did think you and Jane had discussed her coming over.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I should have asked her to leave. I’m sorry. I messed up.”

“I appreciate you saying so. Trevor told me that he thinks Jane has the hots for you.”

David’s brows shot up. “He said that?”

“Not those exact words but close enough.”

“I think Trevor is sensitive to change.”

“Meaning?”

“He’s a thirteen-year-old boy. He’s dealing with a lot of emotional and physical changes that happen during puberty. It’s not a bad thing.” David reached across the table for Nora’s hand. “To prove my love for you, I’ll make dinner every night until you get tired of my spaghetti.”

Nora smiled. “How about twice a week?”

“It’s a deal.”

Once David released his hold on her hand, she placed a napkin across her lap. “What about Hailey? How was she while I was gone?”

“She spent every day testing me, asking me if she could go to the mall with friends I had never heard of before.”

“And what did you tell her?”

“I told her no. The same thing I would have told her if she’d asked for permission to dye her hair.”

The server came to their table, and David told her they needed another minute. After she walked away, David said, “I don’t think Hailey will keep her new hair color for very long.”

“Why not?”

“Whenever she walks into the room, I sing ‘Purple Rain’ or ‘The Purple People Eater.’”

Nora chuckled. “I guess we’re lucky she didn’t get any piercings or tattoos.” She clicked her tongue. “Speaking of tattoos, did Alex come to the house while I was away?”

David nodded. “He made a couple of appearances. He seems like a nice kid.”

“Do you think they’re just friends?”

“Absolutely not.”

Nora felt gutted by it all. “Why is our daughter so afraid to tell me the truth?”

“I’m not sure, Nora. But we have two good kids. We’ve done good.”

“So you approve of Alex?”

“Do I have a choice? If I tell her he can’t come over, she’s going to sneak out. I’d rather have them at the house rather than off somewhere I don’t know about.”

Nora was quiet for a moment before she said, “Dyeing her hair purple, or green, or whatever color she wants doesn’t bother me. It’s the fact that she doesn’t talk to me about those sorts of things any longer. We used to spend days discussing whether she should cut her hair, bangs or no bangs? We would look through magazines and at photos of people on social media who had certain hairstyles we thought might look nice. That’s what I’m mourning. That connection.”

After they ordered and their meal was brought to the table, Nora told David about her conversation with Jane when she was in Paris, and how Jane had said she’d missed her flight because of a panicked call from Christian Murray.

He nodded. “That was the same story I heard when I asked her what happened.”

“I talked to Christian Murray this morning. He was perfectly happy with the new software. Everything was going well on his end.” She leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial voice, “He never called Jane.”

“You’re sure?”

“That’s what he said. And there’s more.”

He waited.

She sat up taller. “Rumor has it that Jane used unethical tactics to steal a client from Levi Hale, one of our competitors.”