Page 26 of Unforgivable

She points to the tags. I’d been so focused on the photographs I completely missed the tags. I snatch the phone from her.

#homesweethome #familyiseverything #familycomesfirst #lovemyfamily.

I stare at the pictures, then at the tags, all the likes she got, all the comments from people I’ve never heard of.Beautiful family! You’re so lucky! Awwwww! So cute!

“Does he post them too?” she asks.

“What do you mean?”

“On his Instagram feed.”

“He doesn’t have one. I mean he does, but he never uses it. I think there’s just one photo of Charlie at the beach and that’s it. Jack doesn’t like social media.”

“Really?” Summer’s watch beeps. She looks at her wrist. “Five o’clock. Do you want to go for a drink?”

“A drink?”

“It’s still happy hour at The Good Bar. What do you say, boss?”

I hesitate, but only for a moment. “Okay, why not, that would be nice.”

* * *

Outside the bar I call Jack. “I’m going for a drink with a friend,” I say. I make it vague because I want him to think I’m going for a drink with amalefriend.

“What time will you be home?”

“Mmm…I don’t know. I’ll be back for dinner. Maybe you can pull together something.”

A beat. “Sure. I’ll get pizza. Everything okay?”

I’ve got tags in bright neon signs zigzagging through my brain.No, not really, what’s #homesweethome #familyiseverything #familycomesfirst #lovemyfamily about?Instead, I blurt, “Has Charlie not been going to school?”

Another beat of silence. “I was going to tell you—”

“You weregoingto tell me what?”

Silence.

“Tell me, Jack.”

“Bron insisted. She wants to have time with Charlie, that’s all. It was just a couple of days, I swear.”

“And why wasn’t I told?” My voice has risen an octave and is starting to sound dangerously close to shrieking. I take a breath. “It makes me feel…odd, that I wasn’t consulted, or even told.”

“I know, you’re right. I’m sorry. Honestly, I thought you’d say no, that’s all. I wanted to avoid another confrontation.”

Another confrontation.

I glance through the door to the bar and spot Summer carrying two glasses of white wine. I shouldn’t be doing this now. “Charlie didn’t tell me either last night. I think that’s odd. Do you think it’s odd, Jack?”

Silence.

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you asked her to lie to me!”

“No! Of course not! Not lie! I just asked her not to mention it—”

“What?”

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