Page 99 of A Temporary Memory

The man looked like he walked off a golf course and straight onto the porch. He had dark sunglasses pushed into his gray hair. The woman was dressed similarly, with a light sweater slung around her shoulders as if she got cold easily and all the time. Her hair was the perfect shade of silver, and I doubted it was from a bottle. She gave off a regal air, and her demeanor screamed intelligence.

“Curtis. Lauri,” Cody greeted.

My gasp sounded before I could stop it. Meg’s parents. The grandparents who didn’t know Cody was staying in Crocus Valley. The in-laws who didn’t know their widower son-in-law had been fucking the nanny all summer.

Half the summer.

“Alcott. We decided to come early and spend the week with you to help with the transition.” The man, Curtis, rose from the porch swing. His curious gaze kept swiveling back toward me.

“We thought it’d be easier on the kids if they had a few extra days with us.” The father-in-law’s gaze continued to jump to me and return to Cody. When he slipped his attention to Cody’s empty left hand, my muscles twitched to sprint to Thelma’s apartment. “Sorry, we should’ve called. Is that room still open?”

“It is,” Cody said, his tone ringing empty.

Lauri’s sharp gaze pinned me. “You must be the nanny. Tova, is it?”

I nodded, afraid to speak.

This couple was intimidating. This couple was like the parents who complained that a burlesque dancer shouldn’t be teaching their kids the grapevine. This couple was probably more like Frederick’s family, the Baldwins of the Baldwin Opera House. Educated. Cultured. Wealthy. Everything I wasn’t.

“The young girl who won’t let us in said you and Tova went for a drive?” Sharp curiosity in Lauri’s voice hid a deeper emotion I didn’t want to see unleashed.

She would hate me if she knew. I was sleeping with her daughter’s husband, and she’d been gone for less than a year. My stomach churned.

“Catherine wouldn’t let you in?” Cody asked, confused, and walked toward the porch.

Curtis’s chuckle was surprisingly relaxed. “Hard to be mad at a pit bull protecting your grandkids. She’s quite firm for a kid. Was clear we had to wait until you got back and confirmed our identity. Good choice for a sitter.” Again, his gaze swirled toward me as if to ask,Are you?

I wasn’t, and this was a good time to leave. “I’ll head back—give you all time to settle.”

Cody’s jaw worked. We looked at each other, a quiet conversation moving between us.

We need to talk,from him.

You know now’s not the time. Don’t tell them about us.

It’s not their business. But this isn’t over between us.

You know it has to be.

With my final unspoken thought, he said, “See you tomorrow.” It almost sounded like a question.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Lauri said cheerfully. “We’re here.”

My heart dropped like a stone in a water-filled pothole—a short, hard distance. “I—I have—the kids—” How did I argue with them? I couldn’t be done with Grayson and Ivy. I had a whole week left with them.

You should’ve thought about that before basically dumping their dad.I was so upset with myself, I almost internally addressed myself as Tova, my dear.

When would I learn? I had no power. When I wasn’t useful, I was handed off.

Cody gauged my reaction. “Tova’s working with them on their dance routine. They’ll be sad if she doesn’t show all week.” To me, he dropped his voice and asked, “Come by after lunch at least?”

Again, I heard what he didn’t say.I won’t tell them about us. Since there is no us anymore.

I squared my shoulders. His in-laws admired Catherine for looking after the kids. I cared about them, too, and had nothing to be ashamed of. “Nice to meet you both. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With one final glance at Cody and the sad but accepting expression on his face, I rushed toward Thelma’s apartment.

Inside, I slid my suitcase out from under the end table. I didn’t know what else to do. I’d broken up with Cody before we got a chance to really be an item. His in-laws were in town, and they’d know. A sharp couple like that who could spout more knowledge in five minutes than I’d learned in my life would know what I was doing with Cody. The performance was on Friday. I needed to be here for the kids, but at the same time, I couldn’t stay.

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