Susannah's Garden (Blossom Street #3)(60)

Okay, so her brother might’ve been involved with someone else, although to Susannah it didn’t seem likely that Doug would deceive Patricia that way. Granted, she’d idolized her older brother, she’d always turned to him for advice and had considered their relationship special. She’d counted on him. In fact, before she left for France, he’d promised to do what he could to help her work out the situation with Jake.

“I have another question for you,” she began, “and I hope you don’t mind my asking.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Did my brother ever say anything about my father?”

Patricia blinked as though the question took her by surprise. “Like what?”

“Well,” she said, then exhaled slowly. “Did he ever say anything that might lead you to believe my dad wasn’t the upstanding citizen everyone thought he was?”

“Never.” Patricia sounded shocked. “Your father was a judge.”

“He wasn’t perfect. He had flaws like everyone else.” Because she felt she needed to explain further, she said, “I’m going through my father’s things, and I’m learning a lot about my family—stuff I never knew. If you remember anything, it might help me connect all the pieces.” Of one thing she was certain; her brother would never have condoned paying off Jake’s family. He would’ve been as outraged as she was.

Patricia’s face went blank and she slowly shook her head. “Your brother never said a word to me about your father.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice. She’d hoped Patricia would have some answers to give her.

She finished her lemonade and set the glass down. “I’d better go and do some packing,” she said, getting to her feet. “Thank you so much for seeing me.”

Patricia stood, too. “I was happy to do it.”

She walked Susannah to her car. “Listen,” she said. “If you do find out who left those flowers at Doug’s grave, would you mind letting me know? I’d be curious to learn who it was.”

“I’ll do that,” Susannah promised and shut the door.

On the drive back to the house, she decided to stop at Safeway, since she needed a few groceries and didn’t want to make a special trip later.

Walking into the store she felt someone staring at her and turned to find Sharon Nance, Troy’s mother and her former classmate, a few feet behind her. The woman looked at least sixty. There was a hardness about her, evident in the wrinkled overtanned skin and heavily made-up eyes. She wore a short jean skirt that rode halfway up her thighs and a thin, purple sweater with lots of gold chains around her neck. She was smoking a cigarette.

“Hello, Sharon,” Susannah said cordially.

“Well, if it isn’t Susannah Leary.” Sharon tossed her cigarette on the asphalt and crushed it with the toe of her flip-flops.

“It’s Nelson now.”

“Oh, right,” she said in a bored tone.

“Your son and my daughter seem to have hit if off,” Susannah said, not letting on how much she disapproved of the relationship.

Sharon’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that right?”

Apparently Sharon didn’t know, and Susannah was sorry she’d said anything. She nodded and as they neared the front of the store, she reached for a grocery cart.

“What are you doing in town?” Sharon asked, taking the next cart.

Rather than going into a long explanation, Susannah merely said she’d come back to move her mother.

“Really?” Sharon said with a sarcastic edge. “I thought maybe you were here ’cause of Jake. I saw Yvette the other day, and she told me you’re thinking of looking for him. She figured I might know where he is.”

Susannah didn’t take the bait. “The subject of Jake did come up,” she said, playing it low-key. And wouldn’t Sharon love to know she’d actually paid a P.I. to find him?

“He came back to me, you know.” She shoved the cart alongside Susannah’s. “After you left for that hoity-toity French boarding school, he wanted to get back together with me.”

Susannah let that comment slide and headed toward the produce aisle. She didn’t trust Sharon for a minute.

“Can’t say I blame him,” Sharon added, following close behind her. She carelessly tossed a small iceberg lettuce into her cart. “I was here and you…weren’t.” She emphasized the last word.

“And I’ll just bet you were available, too.” Susannah didn’t bother to disguise her scorn.

Sharon laughed. “I always knew he’d come back to me. You were fun for a while, but I was the woman he wanted. I will say he was bummed after you left, though. He showed me that St. Christopher medal you gave him.”

Susannah made an effort not to reveal her shock. She’d almost forgotten about that. She had given Jake the medal and couldn’t believe he’d shown it to Sharon.

“I heard from him not too long ago,” Sharon said, pushing the cart past her. “I might still have his number if you want it.”

Susannah’s fingers tightened on the cart handle.

“Stop by the Roadside Inn some night and I’ll see if I can find it for you,” she said casually as she strolled by.