Page 93 of The Banned Books Club

Maybe cutting ties with her gave him a better chance of reconciling with his sisters...

“You’re making too big a deal out of it,” she told Sammie. “Cormac and I are just friends, which is monumental enough, considering the past, right?”

“Absolutely,” she agreed. “He’s just so picky when it comes to women. Ruth said he’s never even given her a second look, and yet he wants to get involved with his family’s mortal enemy. We can’t help wondering how you two got together in the first place.”

“I get it. Like I said, it started out as commiseration and sort of went from there. So...what’s going on with Ruth these days?” Gia was interested in the answer to this question, but she was also hoping to change the subject.

“You haven’t heard from her?”

“Not since right after the Banned Books Club meeting. I think she’s become too close to Edith to be friends with me.”

“I didn’t realize they knew each other that well, but I think you might be right. It’s too bad she can’t be friends with both of you, especially now that everyone knows it was Mr. Hart who lied about that incident in high school.”

Gia wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Everyoneknows that?”

“Yeah. You haven’t heard?”

Gia picked up her strawberry lemonade. “I’ve been almost entirely out of circulation. Why don’t you fill me in?”

“Cormac didn’t tell you?” Sammie said. “I heard Mr. Hart more or less admitted to him that your version of events was the right one.”

That’d happened right before Gia had slept with Cormac for the first time. But she’d thought Cormac had agreednotto tell Edith and Louisa—or anyone else so that it wouldn’t get back to them. Why had he gone ahead? “Does that mean they’re finally willing to accept the truth?” she asked.

“I don’t think they really have a choice—although Mr. Hart’s saying he didn’t admit to anything.” She rolled her eyes. “He claims Cormac is just saying that because he’s become infatuated with you. But they know Cormac wouldn’t outrightlie, especially about that, so, yeah, they have to believe it.”

She took a sip of her lemonade. “I’m sorry they had to be disillusioned about their father.” She’d tried to let them go on just as they had been, but she doubted anyone other than Cormac would believe that.

“Thank God the truth has been established once and for all,” Sammie said. “Mr. Hart has beensounfair to you.”

Gia put her lemonade back down. “He’s hardly apologetic, even now. Because he didn’t ‘hurt’ me physically—or really get anywhere sexually—he thinks there shouldn’t have been a penalty, especially such a harsh one.”

Sammie grimaced. “Ew. He’s so gross. It was more than the fondling. It was that business with your grade, right? At least now everyone knows that the court got it right and maybe those involved, like you and your family and Cormac and his family, can get some closure.”

“I hope so. I’d like to put it all behind me and forget about it at last.”

Sammie was about to say something else when her eyes fastened on a spot over Gia’s right shoulder and she put down her fork.

Gia twisted around to see what had caught her attention and saw Sheldon sitting with Cece in a corner booth. Apparently, since Margot had left town, he wasn’t particularly concerned about being seen out and about with his other woman.

“That’s brazen,” Sammie whispered.

Gia curved her fingernails into her palms to help contain her anger. “He thinks he’s untouchable, that once Margot is found, he’ll get his money and his kids back and toss her aside with nothing.”

“Do you think he’ll ever find her?”

“That’s a good question,” Gia said and glared at Cece until she noticed and touched Sheldon’s arm, who looked back and locked eyes with her.

Sammie leaned in. “I wonder what he’s thinking.”

Sheldon gave them a defiant “kiss my ass” grin before turning back to his girlfriend, and that was when Gia vowed that she wouldn’t let him get the best of Margot, no matter what it cost her.

Why did you tell Louisa and Edith, after all?

That text came from Gia on Sunday evening while Cormac was watching a football game he’d recorded earlier. The Jets were playing. They were his favorite team, had been since he was a kid simply because his best friend’s father had been a Jets fan and watched game after game with them. His own dad had shown more interest in books than sports.

But Cormac had been having trouble paying attention to the game even before Gia texted him. Just knowing she was so close, right in the house behind him, had made for a long week. He’d forced himself to stay away from her, but whenever he was home, he had to fight the impulse to go to the window every few minutes to see if she was in her parents’ backyard.

He couldn’t understand why he wanted to see her so badly. They’d had a good time together, and he knew she was a nice person. But there was no way they could ever get into a serious relationship. If she was leaving town, he’d have to say goodbye to her eventually. It made sense not to gettooclose.

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