Page 27 of Threat of Danger
Her mother huffed. “Derek came back.”
The subtext being that Derek hadgotten over itand returned to his parents like a good child would. While Jess continued to play the drama queen because she was selfish.
“Good for Derek.”Dammit.She hadn’t meant to say that. She hadn’t meant the snap in her voice either.
“If I ever need help, he’s always there.”
Even that fed Jess’s anger. “You never blamed Derek.”
Pinched silence. Then, “You were the one making eyes at him, always putting yourself in his path.”
Why did you go into the woods with that boy?her mother had asked back then, over and over. Because, of course, she blamed Jess. Other people too said similar things behind Jess’s back. Yes, what had happened to her was a tragedy. But if she hadn’t been sneaking around in the woods with a boy in the first place, nothing would have happened, now would it?
Even after all these years, the memories made Jess want to punch something. She wanted a good practice session at the gym. An hour or two of kickboxing would do the trick.Maybe I became a stuntwoman to deal with my pent-up fury and aggression, she thought, not for the first time. Throwing oneself off a tall building released a shitload of tension.
She hated when she felt this tense. She was never like this anymore. Except, coming back, she felt like a helpless girl once again, broken, either pitied or blamed or both—a victim.
She recoiled from the word.Nota victim.Never again.She was an adult. Childhood hurts could no longer touch her. She had a life, far away from here. None of this mattered.
“I saw a snack shop in the lobby.” She pushed to her feet. “They were putting out fresh doughnuts when I came up. I’ll go bring you one and some tea.”
She walked out without waiting for a response. They needed a break. She’d go, grab a snack, come back, and then they’d start over.
Except, when she came back, everything suddenly turned even worse than when she’d left.
Jess froze in the open door, staring at Principal Crane sitting on the chair Jess had left only fifteen minutes earlier. The man was holding her mother’s hand. Which was not the most disturbing thing by far. The most disturbing thing was the expression on her mother’s face.
Because Rose Taylor was looking at Principal Crane with ...love?
On the bedside desk were his gifts: three mini-cupcakes, three red roses already in a Styrofoam cup of water, and a women’s magazine.
The sight of her mother with a man other than her father hit Jess with a visceral response. She stepped into the room. “What the hell?”
Crane jumped up and stepped back. He smiled at Jess with a guilty expression on his face that looked way weird on her old high school principal.
He wore a cheap suit, like he always had. He was thicker in the middle, his gray hair thinner on top. The same mild, encouraging tone in his voice that she remembered, as he said, “Jess. I was so glad to hear that you’re back. You haven’t changed a bit.”
Might not have changed, but sure have learned. I now know how to kick you through that window right behind you for messing with my mother.
OK, so that might have been too harsh a response, but ... Was her mother dating the man?
“We are all very proud of you here in Taylorville,” the man said, trying to suck up. “I hope you know that.”
The sense of anger and betrayal that slammed into Jess was stunning in its fury. Her father was probably rolling over in his grave.
She put the doughnut and tea on the tray built into the bed. “I need to go. I told Chuck I’d go and see the trees with him today.”
Her mother called after her. “Jess, I—”
But Jess was already walking to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Would she? Because right now she just wanted to drive straight to the airport and go home to LA, to her little apartment. She wanted palm trees. She wanted Eliot and his calm, kind presence.
Coming to Vermont had been a mistake.
Her mother didn’t need her. Her mother had aboyfriend, for heaven’s sake. Chuck had the sugaring under control. Zelda handled the house. Jess was completely superfluous.
This afternoon, she would clean out the downstairs and drag her mother’s bed down to the study. Tonight, she’d catch up with Pam. Then tomorrow, when Jess came to the hospital for a visit, she would bring her duffel bag and go on from here, straight to the airport.
