Page 51 of The Banned Books Club

“He used to date her when we were in high school, remember?” Ruth went on. “She married some dude who was a friend of her cousin’s. They moved to Chicago, where he’s from, but have since divorced, and now she’s back with her son, Ashton, who’s in sixth grade at Wakefield Elementary.”

Where Ruth taught third grade... “Do you have any idea what caused the divorce?”

“Apparently, Ashton’s father decided he’d rather travel the world than support a family. He’s in Thailand or Tibet or somewhere else far away. That’s what Linda Pugh, Ashton’s teacher, told me. She also said he came to school in a Wakefield Trucking cap the other day.”

“That doesn’t mean he got the hat from Sheldon. At least twenty people work for Wakefield Trucking—”

“But none of them have been seen in the car with Cece when she comes to pick up her son from school. He has.”

Gia tightened her grip on the phone. Sheldon had so little respect for Margot he’d make it that blatant? His own boys went to Wakefield Elementary! “How often has that happened?”

“More than once, I take it. He thinks he’s being cautious by having her park a block away and staying in the car, but Linda is good friends with another parent who lives nearby. Maxine McConkie has seen him twice and mentioned it to Linda.”

Gia kneaded her forehead as she tried to decide what she should do. Did Margot know? Was she ignoring it, hoping it was only a brief affair that would go away on its own when Sheldon grew bored? If so, where was her self-respect? Or was Sheldon’s involvement with Cece what Margot was about to confide the other night? “I’m surprised Ashton isn’t the one talking about it. If he’s in sixth grade, he’s got to be...what...eleven? That’s old enough to know something’s going on.”

“Ashton’s autistic, only spends one day a week in Linda’s class. The rest of the time he’s in special ed.”

“I see. So as long as they fool the neighbors, they don’t have to worry about her son.”

“Exactly.”

Gia cursed under her breath. No wonder Margot had wanted her to come home and take care of Ida. She was dealing with some serious issues in her own life.

But then...why was she always defending Sheldon? Insisting he was wonderful? “Thanks for telling me,” she said to Ruth.

“You bet. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

“I’d rather know the truth.”

“Me, too. So what are you going to do? Are you going to tell Margot?”

Gia wanted to confront Sheldon, blast him for being the douchebag she’d assumed he was when he married Margot. He’d just proven her right. Maybe she’d tell him that eventually. But first, she needed to talk to her sister.

14

Normally, Cormac loved his work. By Friday, he found himself just going through the motions while trying to decide what he should do now that he felt it was Gia who’d been telling the truth about what’d happened in high school. Since he’d joined his mother’s side, the family was split down the middle. His sisters would be upset that he’d defected—Louisa was already upset with his earlier uncertainty—and he didn’t want to put them through any more grief.

But he also felt bad that his mother had been the only outlier for so long. That couldn’t have been easy on her, especially with the public humiliation and embarrassment she’d suffered, along with the betrayal. No wonder it’d taken forever for her to start dating. Right after the divorce, she’d been busy trying to earn a living so she could finish raising her children, which she’d had to do without much help from Evan, who’d lost his job and couldn’t seem to get back on his feet. Then she’d had two weddings to pay for—alone—and grandchildren to welcome. After what she’d been through, she probably had deep-seated trust issues when it came to men.

Over the years, Cormac had taken his mother’s strength for granted, he realized. He’d even blamed her, on occasion, for breaking up their family right when her husband needed her most. Louisa and Edith had said things that led Cormac to believe they’d done the same.

But now he saw the situation in a whole new light and understood how hard it must’ve been for her. She hadn’t even been able to rally her kids around her! They’d all chosen to believe their father, despite the fact thatshewas the only one who was still coming through for them.

Shoving what remained of his sandwich to the side—he was eating in his office so he could be alone, since Louisa still wasn’t really talking to him—Cormac rubbed his temples. He’d not only been unfair to Gia, he’d been unfair to Sharon. His mother could’ve tried to enlist his support long ago by sharing what she’d told him this morning, of course. Maybe he would’ve listened and changed his mind much earlier.

But there was an equal chance it wouldn’t have done any good. Had she tried to persuade him and failed, it would only have created a greater division between them, which was why he wasn’t prepared to take what she’d told him to his sisters. Sharon didn’t actuallyknowif Evan was guilty; he’d never admitted anything. Cormac only believed the way she did because he was finally open to the other side. His sisters would have to be of a similar mind, and he wasn’t convinced they’d ever get there.

He glanced at the clock. His next appointment was due in ten minutes.

Figuring he might as well get on with his day, he started to gather up what was left of his lunch so he could return it to the small fridge in the breakroom when his phone went off.

Tyler Jenkins, an old friend he’d known since elementary school, was trying to reach him. They’d been talking about setting a date to go fishing, but they’d both been too busy to make it happen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, what’s up?”

Cormac wiped the crumbs from his desk. “The usual. Taking care of the dogs, cats and horses in the area—and maybe a few other animals. What about you?”

---