Page 89 of The Banned Books Club

Cormac switched the phone to his other ear. “He told you, too?”

“No, I’m guessing he knows better than to try that with me. But he told Louisa and Edith. They both called me in tears afterward, insisting I must be wrong.”

He shoved the files he’d been working on away from him. “They did? Because Louisa seems to have accepted the truth...”

“It didn’t take me long to convince them. Your reputation speaks for itself, Cormac—and so does his.”

That he’d established some credibility made Cormac feel a little better. “I don’t know about Edith, but Louisa will hardly talk to me.”

“They’re both upset. Give them some time. They’ll come around. Accepting that they were wrong about their ‘loving father’ isn’t easy.”

“You realize you’re preaching to the choir, that I’ve had to accept the same thing?”

“I do, which is why I also implored them to go easy on you—even though you’re sleeping with the enemy,” she added with a laugh.

“Gia didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know, honey. I’m just teasing. But...considering the close connection you have to the man who caused her so much pain in the past, itisa little surprising.”

“Ihad nothing to do with what happened back then. And, fortunately, she recognizes that.”

“Not many women could. Even if they didn’t hold you accountable for anything, you’d remind them of the past.”

“She’s not like other women. She’s strong, opinionated, feisty.”

“She must be pretty special,” his mother conceded. “First my husband destroyed his life wanting her, and now my son is sleeping with her. I admit, since the truth has finally come out and it didn’t go our way, we’ve all had to swallow a bitter pill. I’d rather she be out of our lives, so we can go on and forget. Maybe I’m the one who can’t handle the reminder.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about,” he assured her. “She won’t be in town very long. After Ida’s funeral, Gia will be heading back to Coeur d’Alene and her helicopter business.”

“And you’ll be okay with that?”

“Of course. I’m not likely to fall for someone I know from the beginning I can’t have,” he said as if that should be obvious.

But even as he brushed off the question, he felt a frisson of concern.

Gia put the pan she’d used in the kitchen sink and left it there so she could focus more fully on the telephone call she’d just answered. When she’d seen Sammie’s name appear on caller ID, she’d assumed it was a follow-up to the text she’d received this morning:Robert Cormier’s We All Fall Down is a thriller for young adults?

When Gia had confirmed that Sammie had the right read, she’d received a second message:So what’s wrong with it? Why was it banned?

Gia had explained that some parents didn’t appreciate the tough issues Cormier tackled or how he went about it. They considered the book too hard-hitting for its intended audience.

It’ll be interesting to see if we agree, Sammie had written back, and Gia had thought that was all she’d hear from her friend for the day—until she’d had dinner with her parents, and they’d moved into the living room to watch TV while she did a little food prep for tomorrow. Then Sammie had called her and, in lieu of hello, had said, “Is it true?”

“Are you talking about Margot?” Had the news about her sister running away with Greydon and Matthew already gotten out? If so, Gia had no doubt it would spread like wildfire, adding to the drama surrounding Sheldon’s affair.

“I’m talking about Cormac,” Sammie said.

Gia had been about to put the bread custard she’d made for breakfast in the oven along with a second pan she planned to take over to Cormac’s tonight. But at this, she straightened. “What about him?”

“Are you really sleeping with him?”

Gia could see why her friends would find that shocking. It certainly wasn’t anything she’d anticipated, either. But neither had she expected it to become public knowledge. “Who told you that?” she asked tentatively.

“Ruth. She said Edith called her, very upset that you’re now involved with her brother.”

“We’re notinvolved,” Gia said. She’d been so focused on her mother and what was happening with her sister that she hadn’t even considered how the people in Wakefield would react to having her name coupled with Cormac’s in a romantic way. She’d never even thought they’d find out.

“So...youhaven’tslept with him?” Sammie asked, trying to clarify.

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