Page 76 of Love and Other Lost Things

“I knew your dad could be kind of strict.” Ali’s face clouded over. “We were all afraid of him. But we had no idea he was…”

“It wasn’t physical at first.” Jane stared into her mug of tea. “At least not with me. Though the way he treated my mom was a different story. He was mean, and I was terrified of him. But then—that day before I left… that day, he got violent.” It felt so good to say it. To admit it. To stop being the only one holding this secret.

Ali cursed under her breath.

“I—well, I won’t get into the details. But it was bad. And I packed a bag and took off,” Jane said.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “We would have been there for you. You had to know that, right?”

“I was afraid. He was the police chief. I didn’t think anyone could help.” Jane looked down at her hands. “So, I ran away.”

“Jane, I’m so sorry we weren’t there for you then. But”—Ali slid off her stool and rounded the counter to stand in front of Jane—“I hope you know that we’re here for you now. If there’s anything you ever need…” She reached out and brushed a hand against the fading bruise on Jane’s cheek.

Hannah nodded. “Things aren’t the same as they were back then. Ed is on the police force. They arrest abusers now. They can’t get away with it.”

Jane looked at her old friends. Maybe she couldn’t have leaned on them back then, but they weren’t kids anymore. And maybe she wasn’t alone anymore.

“Did Nik know about your dad? What happened that night?” Ali asked.

Jane shook her head. “He didn’t know back then. But now he does.” She glanced out at Scarlett playing in the yard. Jane studied her daughter’s face, looking for signs of Nik’s features. Maybe Nik didn’t know everything. But hopefully soon she’d have more answers.

Hannah’s face softened. “He loves you, you know. He always did.”

Last night in the kitchen came back to her again. Nik’s mouth against her, his hand hot against her skin. She loved him, too. She always had.

The sound of laughter drifted in through the window, and Jane realized the sun would be setting soon. “I should probably get Scarlett home for dinner. She’s going to be starving. She’s never played so hard in her life.”

Hannah peeked out the window. “They’re having so much fun. Why don’t you let her stay? She can have a slumber party with Amelia, and we’ll order a pizza.”

Jane considered it. Slumber parties were another experience Scarlett had never gotten to have. There was nobody Jane would have trusted to keep Scarlett overnight. And Matteo wouldn’t have allowed it anyway. But Jane knew she could trust Hannah with her life.

“If you’re sure?” Jane asked.

Hannah nodded. “Go and enjoy your night off. I’ll bring her back tomorrow.”

Jane said goodbye to her friends and waded out into the snow to call Scarlett over. Scarlett’s shoulders slumped as she slowly dragged a snow shovel across the backyard. “Do we have to go, Mommy? All the other kids are staying for another hour.”

“Actually,” Jane said with a grin, enjoying being the bearer of good news for once, “you can stay. Hannah invited you to sleep over with Amelia. Would you like that?”

The happiness on her daughter’s face filled Jane’s heart. Scarlett deserved to be a regular kid, without fear, without constantly running away.

Jane got in the car, but instead of heading home she turned left at the sign for Sand Hill Lane. Nik’s mother had said that Nik had a place there. It was a winding country road, just outside of town, with large sections of woods between properties. Jane slowed as she passed each driveway, checking out the cars parked there, the houses nestled between the trees. A couple of miles down the road, she spotted a gray sedan parked in a driveway. The car looked to be the same make and model as the one she rode in with Nik a few days earlier, and the one parked at Mrs. Andino’s house at Christmas.

Jane took a chance, pulled into the driveway, and climbed out of her car.

The house was more of a small cabin made of long wooden planks stained a deep caramel color. A wide front porch stretched across the front, furnished with red-painted Adirondack chairs. She heard a rustling sound and spotted Nik emerging from around the back of the house in a flannel jacket and hiking boots, carrying a stack of logs.

He stopped on the driveway and blinked. “Jane. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I was—uh.” She gave him a sideways smile. “I was in the neighborhood?”

Snow swirled around them, landing on his shoulders and making his dark hair shimmer like a halo. He grinned back. “Well, come in then.”

TWENTY-NINE

Jane followed Nik into the house. The front door opened to a large living room with a worn gray couch draped in a plaid blanket and set in front of a fireplace. Nik had lit a fire, and it crackled in the hearth. The kitchen was set off to one side, separated from the living room by a long counter. On the other side of the main room, Jane could see a short hallway with what looked to be two bedrooms and a bathroom. It wasn’t large and there was nothing fancy about it. The wooden coffee table was marked with scratches, and she was pretty sure the couch had been in Mrs. Andino’s house when they were kids. Jane could imagine Nik buying his mom a new one and taking the old one for himself. But the cabin was warm and comfortable. It felt like Nik.

It felt like home.

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