Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(45)

“What about Richard?” Nora asked. “I thought the two of you were a couple?”

“Richard wanted to go and was so upset he had to miss it, but he had business out of town and couldn’t attend.”

“He’s a dentist. What sort of business would he have to attend to?”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I’m just curious,” Nora said.

“He travels abroad to volunteer his services with a mission group.”

Nora was dumbfounded, wondering if her husband had ever planned on telling her. More importantly, something told Nora that Jane had a pocketful of stories just like this one to throw Nora off-kilter. Jane was doing what she did best—trying her damnedest to make Nora feel small and insecure.

But this time was different. Nora was seeing Jane for who she truly was, and the notion that she’d asked David to escort her somewhere only made it easier for Nora to slide the envelope clutched in her hand across Jane’s desk. “Here’s my letter of resignation. I’m leaving IMPACT.”

Jane paled. It was the first time Nora could recall getting a genuine response from her. Nora wasn’t one to enjoy seeing someone caught off guard, but under the circumstances, it felt good.

“You can’t,” Jane said, her mouth agape.

“Can’t what?” Nora asked.

Jane tilted her head to one side and then the other, as if to get the kinks out and give herself a moment to adjust to the news. “What I mean is . . . let’s talk about this before you make any rash decisions.”

“My mind is made up.”

“Why? Tell me what’s going on. Please.”

Nora inhaled. Despite everything, she owed Jane some semblance of explanation, didn’t she? “As you know, Dad has dementia—”

“Yes. The kids were upset. Your dad is obviously a very special person. I’m so sorry.”

Of course Jane needed to remind Nora that she’d been with her family last night when Nora was at the hospital.

Jane opened her top drawer and pulled out a brochure. “This morning, knowing what you were going through with your dad, I visited Sunshine Village, a senior community in Carmichael, to see if they had any room for your parents.”

“I’m sure they have a long waiting list,” Nora said, trying to process it all while also thinking how inappropriate it was for Jane to do such a thing.

“It’s all about who you know. Mary Carpenter is the executive director at Sunshine Village. She has one apartment available. It’s spacious with a view of the courtyard. She can only hold the spot for a few more days. The best part is you wouldn’t have to resign.” Jane fixated her big, bright eyes on Nora. “What do you think?”

I think you’re fucking crazy. Instead she said, “Mom has made it clear she doesn’t want to live in a home.”

“It’s not a home. It’s a—”

“I know what it is. Mom wants to care for Dad at the lake house where he’s happy.”

A look of confusion crossed Jane’s features. “So your dad’s illness isn’t really the reason for your resignation, is it?”

“Of course it is,” Nora said, and yet Jane’s tone of voice made her feel like a teenager who had been caught in a half lie. Nora straightened her spine. “My dad has wandered away from the house more than once. Mom needs help, and I want to be there for them in their time of need just as they were always there for me.”

“They were there for you, weren’t they?”

Baffled by the strange comment, Nora couldn’t read the glassy-eyed, tight-lipped expression on Jane’s face, so she said nothing.

“What about the rest of your family?” Jane asked.

Confused, Nora asked, “What about them?”

“Your husband and your kids,” she said in such a way that suggested Nora hadn’t given them a second thought when it came to her decision, which, again, was only half-true, but it was no business of Jane’s.

Nora refused to let Jane get under her skin. “As you know, David works remotely from home at least eighty percent of the time. Trevor will be thrilled, and . . .” Nora picked at the button on her blouse.

“Ahh . . . so you haven’t told Hailey yet.”

“She’ll be fine.”

Jane shook her head as if she knew better. “Hailey only has two more years of high school left.”

Hailey always complained about the bullies at her school and how she didn’t feel challenged by the curriculum. But there was no need to explain herself to Jane. “There’s a wonderful high school only ten miles from the lake house in Whispering Pines,” Nora told her. “The same high school I attended.”

“I thought you went to high school in Elk Grove.”

“My parents moved right before my senior year, and that’s when I transferred to Whispering Pines High.”

“Why did your parents move?”

“It’s a long story. I’d rather not get into it.”

The silence hovered between them.

Jane spoke first. “The school year is about to end. All the kids have made plans for the summer. I think it’s safe to say that Hailey will resent you if you force her to move away from her boyfriend.”

A flash of intense heat shot through Nora’s body. After Jane’s initial blow about David escorting her to an event, Nora thought she was ready for anything else Jane tossed her way, but she’d been wrong. Nora had already decided she would drive the kids back and forth, let them finish the year out. But she was done explaining her life plans to Jane. “Hailey doesn’t have a boyfriend. Unless you’re talking about Alex. If that’s the case, they’re just friends.”