Page 59 of The Banned Books Club

It was more than fair—ifhe’d done it. “I don’t think it’s a wise idea to start a fight at a restaurant, Dad. I’m hoping you’ll call them and get them to change their minds.”

“Why would I do that?” he asked.

“Because it’s in the past, and we need to let it go! We’ve been over this.”

“It’s not in the past for me, especially now that she’s in town and everyone’s talking about it again and...and looking at me as if their young daughters might be at risk. That’s a terrible feeling. You have no idea because you still have a great reputation here in town.”

He had a great reputation because he hadn’t done anything to sully it.

Dropping his head in his hands, Cormac tried again. “Dad, if they want to talk to her, they need to do it privately. Ganging up on her, especially in public, isn’t right.”

“She’ll be fine. I just saw her in town a couple of hours ago. And you know what she did? She started screaming at me. That was at a restaurant, too. All I was doing was turning in to the drive-through to grab a burger—and she made a big scene. I don’t feel sorry for her. She deserves whatever she gets.”

Cormac had a hard time picturing the woman who’d come to the house doing what his father had just described. Was it true? He was beginning to doubt everything his father said. “So...you won’t step in and stop them?”

“No! I’ve been miserable for seventeen years. Maybe it’s timeshefeels a little pain.”

“Dad—”

“You need to callthem, not me. I’m not getting involved.” The line went dead.

“Damn it!” Cormac muttered. Was his father’s reaction due to righteous indignation? Or something else?

A snippet of Gia’s testimony seventeen years ago came back to him:He said he held all the power, so no one would believe me if I tried to challenge him.

But she had challenged him. Did his father want to see Gia punished because she was lying—or because he’d thought he could get away with what he’d done, and she’d fought back and proven him wrong?

Gia couldn’t help being nervous. She showed up at the restaurant thirty minutes early just so she wouldn’t have to walk into the room after it was full. Even then, she wished she’d asked Margot to accompany her. She’d been a lot more confident in her friendships when she’d planned this event, hadn’t felt as though familial support would be necessary. The Banned Books Club had lasted when almost nothing else from high school had.

The waitress showed her to the room Sammie had reserved. It had two long tables going down each side, so Gia chose a seat at the far end, where she could watch the door as people arrived. She’d checked in with Ruth and Sammie after she left the drive-through, just to be sure the whole thing was going to come off, and they’d both assured her that there’d been a good response to the email.

We’re expecting eighteen people, which is huge, considering some members haven’t been active for a long time, Sammie had said, and she was probably right. Coming to the online Christmas party once a year wasn’t quite the same thing as being an active ongoing member.

Fortunately, Sammie showed up a few minutes after Gia. Then Ruth came. The others started dribbling in at seven. After her encounter with Mr. Hart, Gia had been tense and uneasy—she hadn’t felt like socializing, not in her hometown where opinions of her were so polarized. But she slowly started to unwind and enjoy herself and was talking and laughing as the waitress delivered the food. It wasn’t until she was halfway through the meal that she heard a murmur that caused her to look up. Then she saw Louisa and Edith stalk into the room, looking grim and determined, followed by two men she could only assume were their husbands.

16

Cormac could see the Suburban Louisa drove at the edge of the parking lot and hoped he wasn’t too late. He’d argued with himself for too long, trying to talk himself out of coming. It was none of his business. He shouldn’t get involved. His sisters had a right to their own opinions and could decide for themselves how they wanted to act. It wasn’t his job to police them, especially since he still didn’t knowfor surethat they were wrong about what had gone down with his father.

But in the end, he couldn’t bear the thought of Gia being confronted in public, couldn’t allow his sisters to go after the woman he’d seen crying in the backyard. Gia had been through too much already—and she was going through a lot now.

As soon as he could find a spot to leave his truck, he jammed the gearshift into Park, turned off the engine and jumped out, cursing his father as he jogged in for putting him in this untenable situation. Protecting Gia against his own family would cause a rift he’d have to live with long after she was gone. Louisa would probably quit the clinic, which would leave him in the lurch. And if she and Edith got mad enough, it could be quite some time before they were willing to speak to him again.

If he had to bet, he’d say even his mother would advise him not to get involved.

But he hadn’t asked his mother for her opinion. Since Louisa and Edith wouldn’t listen to him, and his father wouldn’t try to stop them, he felt he had no choice.

The hostess at the restaurant looked startled when he threw open the door and marched past her without a word. But he didn’t have a second to waste. He was familiar with the restaurant. They hosted parties in the back room, so he knew exactly where to find the Banned Books Club.

Because of his own loose association with the group, and how long it’d been since high school, he was surprised to find so many people there. But Gia had always been popular. For a moment, he thought he should’ve left it to one of her many friends to stand up for her. There might be a little shouting, then his sisters would leave. No big deal. Gia didn’t need him.

He could still get out before anyone saw him...

But what if itdidn’tgo down that way? What if no one stood up for her and Gia felt attacked from all sides? What if she was further traumatized and had to go back to therapy? She’d only come to town to say goodbye to her dying mother, for God’s sake!

He couldn’t let his sisters do what they had planned. So instead of grabbing hold of that final excuse and turning around, as he desperately wanted to, he entered the room just as Louisa was pointing at Gia while yelling at someone else, “I know her mother has cancer! I’m just sorry it isn’t her!”

There was a collective gasp. Even Louisa’s husband, Victor, turned to gape at her. That was when Cormac’s eyes locked onto Gia’s face—and he saw the blood drain out of it. “You’re a truly nasty person,” she said to Louisa, and even though she’d spoken quietly, she’d spoken into absolute silence, so everyone heard it.

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