Page 70 of Kept in the Dark

June 28, 2011

5:21 pm

“Ice cream sounds really good right about now,” Sara said.

Hailey shook her head, “After everything that just happened, you want ice cream? I still can’t believe you talked to Dad. The last thing we need is for him to get involved. And thanks to you, he’s going to make it so much more difficult for us to open Mom’s case.”

“I’m fully aware of the situation, Hailey. I’m just done letting him control everything I do. And plus, I haven't had ice cream in thirteen years.”

Despite being angry at Sara, Hailey had to admit ice cream sounded like a nice treat on such a hot day. The storm had since passed and the sun was now shining bright, drying up the water that had poured out of the sky.

Hailey took a right and drove back past the park toward a little ice cream shop that had been a favorite spot for them as teenagers. Shocked that it was still standing, Hailey found herself reminiscing.

The restaurant was a quaint, mom-and-pop shop that served savory foods but was famous for their sweet treats. It was an outdoor eatery with tables lined under a pavilion. They walked up to the window, ordered their snack and sat at one of the tables.

The sound of cars passing by filled the silence as they waited for their order, not knowing what to say to each other. It was clear they were at odds, though Hailey didn’t understand why. After they had connected about their battle wounds, she believed they had patched things up. Well, maybe not entirely, but enough to start mending their broken relationship.

Hailey was trying to help her sister, but all Sara seemed to want to do was fight and argue. She had known it would take a lot of work to fix the relationship, but it wouldn’t go anywhere if Sara was constantly destroying what little progress they made.

“Why are you trying so hard to get back at me? I’m trying to help you, and you keep throwing it in my face. I thought I could trust you with my secret and all you‘ve done is try to manipulate me into telling Trey.”

Sara leaned in close to Hailey’s face, her voice just above a whisper, “Despite what you might think, I was actually trying to help you.”

Hailey balked. “Ugh! Don’t act so self-righteous. We all know ninety percent of what you do is for your own selfish gain.”

An employee from the shop called out their order and they both collected their ice cream and sat back down.

Sara sighed. “Look, I’ve seen the way you and Trey look at each other, it makes me want to puke.” She waved away a bee and continued. “I’ve lived the consequences of people keeping secrets. All you would have done was ruin the second chance you have with him. If you’re comfortable keeping a secret from someone you love, it’s never going to work.”

Hailey looked at her ice cream, unsure if she could trust her sister’s claims. “Is that what happened with Chase? You kept a secret from him?”

Sara shook her head. “No. I told him the truth.”

Hailey tilted her head. “That doesn’t really help your pep-talk.”

“Whatever, Hailey. It doesn’t matter what you say, you know I’m right. Trey knew something happened with Ryan and it would have eaten away at him. And if you refused to tell him, it would have strained your already fragile relationship. You can’t trust people who keep secrets from you. Trinity doesn’t need parents like that.”

Hailey winced. She hadn’t expected Sara to be so honed in on her shortcomings.

She nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry for accusing you of being selfish.”

Sara lifted a shoulder. “Well, I am selfish about ninety percent of the time.”

“Like that stunt with Dad? You don’t think you should have warned us?” Hailey said.

“I’m done cowering in a corner. I’m not a little girl anymore and I want him to pay for what he did to me.”

Hailey shook her head. “Well, pulling the lion's tail isn’t all that smart. We both know we have to figure out how to play his game better than him. All you did was piss him off more than he was before.”

“Good. People slip up when they’re pissed, which is why I did it,” Sara replied.

That much was true. And David was already starting to get nervous. He wouldn’t have called to threaten them if he wasn’t concerned about them poking around. Hailey wondered if there was any truth to Sara’s claims that he was involved with Morgan’s death. It certainly looked that way. “Just promise me you’ll stay away from Dad and let Trey handle him,” Hailey said.

Sara scowled. “Not a chance.”

“Sara, let Trey handle it. You’re going to get one of us hurt.”

“Do you not understand that I have to do this?” Sara leaned in toward Hailey and pointed to herself. “I need to prove to myself that he can't control me anymore.”

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