Page 53 of The Perfect Revenge
Jessie answered as she waited for the call to connect.
“I’m calling Kat.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Hannah was cold.
She hadn’t noticed it as she and Dallas watched the last rays of the sun dip behind the Pacific Ocean.But now that they were in near darkness, the cool mountain air had snuck up on her.
Dallas had set up the tent while she went off to relieve herself.By the time she got back, it was done.
“That was fast,” she said.
“It’s not my first rodeo,” he replied.
“I know it’s a hazard, but it’s too bad we can’t make a fire,” she said.“It’s getting brisk.I think I’ll bust out my windbreaker.”
“Good idea.”
“And I guess the sleeping bags are designed for anything really chilly, right?”
"In theory," he said as he knelt down and puttered around in his backpack.
“What do you mean?”
He looked over at her with an odd expression before returning his attention to the backpack.He fished around for a moment longer before pulling out something she couldn’t quite see.
“I just don’t know that you’ll be using the sleeping bag tonight,” he said.
“Why not?If we can’t make a fire, I’ll definitely need it.”
“Can I tell you a story?”he said, easing out of his crouch and sitting on his butt.
"Okay…" She thought that was an odd non sequitur, but assumed the story would explain the sleeping bag thing.
“I was kind of a loser when I was younger.”
She wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she said nothing.
“I felt like no one understood me, especially after my mom cheated on my dad and he died.”
“I’m so sorry,” Hannah said.“I know how hard it is to lose parents.And in such a senseless accident like that.”
"Yeah," he said, looking down at the ground."I wasn't totally honest about that."
“What do you mean?”
“I guess it was hard for me to admit it out loud,” he said, sounding almost sheepish.“Even now, everyone thinks my father got drunk and lost control of his car.But that’s not what really happened.”
Hannah wasn't sure if she should ask, but Dallas seemed to be opening the door, so she stepped through.
“What really happened?”
"He killed himself," he said matter-of-factly."He made it look like an accident, but I know the truth.He was so broken after learning that his wife, the mother of his son, had been carrying on an affair with her boss right under his nose.It was too much for him to accept that the person he'd chosen to spend his life with was actually a back-stabbing slut.So he ended things."
Hannah didn’t love his language.But considering the trauma Dallas had endured, she didn’t think this was the time to be policing it.She was more concerned with whether his claim was true or if this was a scenario he’d conjured up in his head.
“How can you be sure?”she asked.
