Convenient Lies

by Robin Patchen

  “Oh, he’s precious. What’s his name?”

  Rae swallowed a lump of emotion. “Johnny.”

  Sam leaned in for a closer look, then stepped back and looked at Rae’s left hand. “Quite a ring you have there. Your husband must be some guy.”

  Oh yeah. Julien was something.

  “Let’s go in the kitchen.” Rae nodded in that direction, and Samantha passed, her heels clicking on the hardwood. Even with the extra couple of inches on the shoes, Sam was still shorter than Rae. Her dark brown hair was loose and curly and swung across her back as she walked. She stopped in the middle of the kitchen and looked around. “I haven’t been here in so long. It’s hardly changed.”

  The room, with its yellow walls and pine cabinets, was bright and cheery even with the drizzle outside. A shelter in the storm, just like Gram had always been. “You want some coffee? I made a fresh pot a little while ago.”

  “Sure.”

  Rae put Johnny in his bouncy seat on the kitchen table and pulled out a coffee mug. She poured the coffee and set it on the counter with a clean spoon, smiling at the picture of Sam leaning over Johnny and murmuring baby talk. This is what her life should have been.

  And where had that thought come from? Hadn’t she always wanted to escape this town? She shook off the questions. “Sugar? Cream?”

  Samantha didn’t even look up from the baby. “Do you have low-fat milk?”

  Rae turned to the fridge with a comfortable smile. All these years, and Samantha was still worried about her weight. “No milk. I have some baby formula.”

  Samantha giggled. “Black is fine.”

  Rae poured herself a fresh cup and approached the table.

  “Shall we sit?”

  Samantha sat in the chair that faced the window, the same chair she’d always chosen. If Brady were here, he’d sit in the chair against the wall, and Rae would sit between them. And when Gram had joined them, she’d sit on the opposite side. How many times had the four of them shared a plate of cookies or sipped hot chocolate right here?

  “Brady said you wanted to see me.”

  “I’m so glad you agreed.” Her gaze drifted to the baby, then to her coffee, before meeting Rae’s. “I...” She blinked twice.

  Were those tears? “You don’t have to say anything, Sam. I don’t really know what happened between you and Brady, but I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.”

  “I tried to find you. When I couldn’t, I begged Gram to tell me where you were, or at least to tell you I needed to talk to you.”

  “She told me.”

  Samantha swallowed and nodded and wiped her eyes. “I have to explain.”

  Rae didn’t need a blow-by-blow. “Let’s not rehash it. It’s not important now.”

  Samantha sipped her coffee. Her hands trembled, and the liquid inside her cup shimmered.

  Rae could hear Brady’s words from the night before as if he were standing right behind her. Samantha and I are both still alone, but it seems you’ve found your happily-ever-after. So many years later, she would have expected both Samantha and Brady to be married, if not to each other than to somebody. But there was no ring on either of their fingers.

  “It was my fault,” Sam said. “Brady’s mother had said all that stuff—”

  “I remember.”

  “You have to admit, you were acting a little crazy.”

  “There was a reporter in her house. After all I’d done to avoid being in the news, and Brady’s mom invited that lady from the Boston Globe to his graduation party.”

  “Mrs. Thomas didn’t know who she was. When Brady explained, she realized what she’d done.”

  “It wasn’t Mrs. Thomas’s fault you and Brady fooled around.”

  “He was ashamed of himself.”

  “Well, at least he felt something after cheating on me.”

  “No, before that,” Sam said. “He should have defended you to his mom. He didn’t know why you were acting like that, and he thought maybe...” She trailed off.

  “Maybe I was crazy, just like my mother.”

  “But then he saw that woman, and he realized why you’d run out of there so fast, why you’d been so upset.”

  Samantha stared at her hands, unfolded them and folded them again. “We’d both had too much to drink, and he was feeling bad about you. And he thought you’d never forgive him, and I...” She looked up. “I knew you were going to leave us and never come back. You hated Nutfield and the memories here. I knew eventually it would just be Brady and me. I was already angry with you for it, even though you hadn’t left yet. And I already missed you.”

  Rae stood and checked on the baby, who seemed about to fall asleep. Mostly, she needed a distraction for this memory. “So it was all my fault?”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Sam said. “I take full responsibility. I’d always had a crush on him.”

  “I thought you loved me too. You were my best friend. I thought I could trust you.”

  “You could, and you still can. It was ten minutes, Rae. We kissed, we...fooled around, and then we both felt so bad, that was the end of it.”

  That moment had been the end of a lot of things for Rae.

  “Brady never stopped loving you,” Sam said. “I didn’t, either. And I’ve never stopped missing you. I know we hurt you, but we’re both sorry.”

  “And like I said, I already forgave you.”

  “And yet, you never came home.”

  Rae thought of all the pain, all the choices she’d made because of what her two best friends had done. She’d altered the course of her life because of it. She’d changed colleges so they wouldn’t be able to find her. She’d cut off all ties to her hometown because of that night. And for years, she’d blamed Brady and Samantha. Now she knew she’d overreacted. Now she knew she’d never have friends like them again. Yes, they’d betrayed her, but she’d betrayed them too.

  She’d lost everything. And as much as she wished she could go back and undo it all, she couldn’t. She had to focus on finding her dad’s treasure and getting out of town. And she had to keep Brady and Sam far, far away.

  Rae reached across the table and took Sam’s hand. “I do forgive you, and I’m glad we’re able to put it behind us.”

  Her friend smiled and settled in.

  Rae released her hand. “Unfortunately, I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to do before I go home to my husband. So...thanks for stopping by.”

  Sam’s smile faded. “Oh. Right. Well, maybe we can get together while you’re here, for lunch of something.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Sam nodded slowly. “Okay, then. I guess I’ll just...” She pushed away from the table, and Rae walked her to the door, careful to hide her regret behind a polite smile.

  Sixteen

  Brady walked the short block from the police station to McNeal’s in the drizzle. Aside from the occasional car splashing down Maple Street, the town was silent. He’d been gone from Nutfield too long. Join the service and see the world? He’d seen enough for a lifetime. Now he was content to stay at home. Downtown Nutfield had looked very much like this as long as he could remember. Quaint and inviting, but today it seemed like an impressionist painting, all muted and blurry.

  He paused in front of McNeal’s. The clinking of dishes and muffled voices seeped through the closed door, and the yellow light from the diner painted the sidewalk in a warm, welcoming glow. Brady pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  Sam had chosen a booth by the window. He walked across the room, nodding to familiar faces, grimacing at the remarks about the Patriots, as if not quite sharing a name with the quarterback made him somehow responsible, and slid into the booth. His smile faded at the look on her face.

  “I guess it didn’t go well.”

  “It went fine. She forgives us.”

  Sam didn’t look like somebody who’d just had a fine conversation. “So what’s wrong?”

  The waitress kept her from answering. “Hey, Detective. Wh
at can I get you?”

  He glanced at Sam’s half-finished coffee. “How about more coffee for Sam and a Coke for me?” He looked at his friend. “You ready to order?”

  “Soup of the day, please.”

  “You’re going to waste away.” Brady turned to Bonnie. “I’ll take the club sandwich.”

  After she left, Brady turned back to Sam. “What did you think?”

  She shrugged. “Rae seemed really guarded. Didn’t tell me anything about her husband or her home.” She took a sip of her coffee and set it back down. “She didn’t tell me anything important.”

  “Did you get any impressions you wanted to share?”

  Samantha shrugged. “She seemed ready for me to leave the minute I got there.”

  He’d gotten the same impression.

  “Johnny doesn’t look much like her, does he?” Her voice was soft, tentative.

  “He must take after his father.”

  “Right. What do you know about her husband?”

  He pulled out his notepad and flipped to the right page. “His name is Julien Garcia Moreau. He was born in Toulouse in seventy-five. His mother is French, his father... Well, according to the one photo I saw of him, he has the same coloring as Johnny. Moreau owns a pretty big corporation.”

  “How long have they been married?”

  Brady set the notebook down. “I don’t know. Rae said they’d been living in Tunis.”

  She cocked her head in question.

  “It’s the capital city of Tunisia, a small country on the northern coast of Africa. It’s kind of tucked in between Libya and Algeria.”

  “Sounds lovely.”

  “I bet it is. It’s on the Mediterranean, and according to Rae, it was one of the better places for westerners to live in Africa. For a predominantly Muslim country, they have pretty liberal policies, new women’s rights laws, stuff like that. But from what I’ve read, it’s not nearly as safe now as it was a few years ago.”

  She nearly smiled. “Since when do you know so much about Tunisia?”

  “I just want to make sure she’s all right.”

  “Um-hmm.”

  He was spared the need to further explain when Bonnie set Samantha’s bowl down, then his plate. “Anything else I can get you?”

  After their “no, thanks,” Bonnie left.

  Sam stirred her soup. She took a small sip, then peeked up at him. “You find her marriage license?”

  He swallowed the first bite of his sandwich. “I haven’t had enough time to dig into it.”

  “Okay.” She held his gaze, probing. “Why exactly are you bothering to dig into it?”

  “She didn’t seem a little off to you? Scared?”

  Sam nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I can look into the license, if you want me to.”

  As court clerk, sometimes Samantha did research for the police. She was very good at it.

  “You sure you don’t mind?”

  “Not one bit.” She smiled. “You’re telling me you don’t have any feelings for her?”

  He busied himself smoothing his napkin before he answered. “I’m not getting involved with anybody, ever again. Besides, she’s married.”

  Samantha blinked and studied her lap. “Right. Sorry.”

  Brady leaned forward. “Samantha?” He waited until she looked up. “It wasn’t your fault she took off.”

  “It sort of was, though.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. You were trying to do the right thing, to come clean before she heard it elsewhere.” He tamped down long-held frustration with a sip of his drink. It didn’t help. “She should have come to me, asked me what happened. What does that say about her feelings for me that she could walk away without a backward glance?”

  “Still—”

  “It’s done. You and I are good, and she’s forgiven us. Don’t beat yourself up about it again. Okay?”

  Samantha nodded and sipped her soup.

  They finished their meals while Brady turned over everything he knew about Rae and again came to no conclusions. He’d thought maybe Sam could get more information out of her, but that hadn’t worked out. And that troubled feeling he’d had about Rae since he’d seen her Saturday night wouldn’t go away. Maybe, if not for that used car in her driveway, he could be convinced all was well in her world. But something wasn’t right. And he was determined to find out what it was.

  Seventeen

  Rae parked her car in front of a hair salon. At one point, this building had housed a cobbler, but she wasn’t surprised to see that business gone. Who had shoes repaired anymore? Everything was disposable in America. She’d been gone long enough to be surprised and horrified by that. In Tunis, people cherished their possessions. They had so few, and there weren’t Walmarts on every corner.

  She lifted Johnny from his car seat and slid him into the sling fastened across her chest. Once she’d snapped him in, she draped his blanket over him to protect him from the drizzle.

  She reached back in the car for her bag, then checked to make sure the manila envelope was in there. She’d be relieved to have the evidence against Julien in a safe place, and the safe deposit box seemed the best option. If Julien somehow found her, maybe she could leverage this to protect Johnny.

  The thought of Julien in her hometown had her checking over her shoulder. It was only a matter of time before he followed her trail here. All she could hope was that she’d be gone by the time he did, and he wouldn’t decide to find out if she’d confided in anyone.

  The sidewalks were empty, but that was no surprise with the rainy weather. She peered at the buildings across the street as she walked. One used to be a dress shop. Now it sold souvenirs. With Nutfield’s beautiful lake, its proximity to the ocean, and its abundance of antique shops, the town was getting its share of tourists. Gram hadn’t been too keen on the outsiders, but according to the Nutfield Gazette, most local business owners tried to attract them.

  No tourists wandered the streets today, but when the leaves exploded in fall colors in another few weeks, there’d be people everywhere. If only she could stay to witness her favorite time of the year. At least she’d miss the leaf-peeper traffic.

  Across the street McNeal’s was filled with diners. Rae stopped beneath an awning to stare. Yellow light spilled onto the sidewalk from the huge windows in front. She imagined the clanking of dishes and the clatter of voices. People laughing and calling to one another, friends sharing some inside joke she’d never been a part of. She hugged herself against the chill and had nearly turned away when she caught sight of the couple seated at the window.

  Brady and Samantha. Bosom buddies, like they had been for years.

  A car approached, splashing through a sizable puddle on the street and spraying her jeans. When the car passed, Rae looked again at the window and met Brady’s eyes. Crap. If she wanted to keep Brady safe, she needed to avoid being seen with him in public.

  She rushed down the sidewalk. The bank was two doors down, right past the old shoe store. Maybe she should duck in there—

  “Rae, wait!”

  She walked faster, knowing it was futile. Maybe Brady would trip or slip in a puddle.

  Better wet than seen with her.

  His hand closed on her arm, and he fell in step beside her.

  “I’d like to think you didn’t hear me.”

  She kept walking. “I’m in a hurry.”

  “You know, Samantha and I are just friends. I mean, I know you saw us together, so—”

  “I’m not jealous, Brady.”

  She stopped in front of the bank’s glass door. Across the street, Samantha stepped out of the diner, lifted a hand in a wave, and turned in the opposite direction.

  Rae watched her for a moment before turning back to him. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

  Brady’s lips turned down. “She told me you two talked, but then you dismissed her.”

  “I was busy.”

  Brady looked away, and she couldn’t help taking the op
portunity to look around, see who was watching them. Probably every eye in downtown. This was not good.

  Brady met her eyes again. “I was never attracted to her, you know. And after that night, she didn’t find me very attractive, either.”

  A car drove past, the sound of splashing water drowning out the dripping of the rain on the sidewalk. She watched the taillights. Someone who recognized her? Someone who could tell Julien she’d been there?

  She turned back to Brady. “There’s no reason for me to get to know Sam again. I won’t be here long enough to make it matter, and now that Gram’s gone, I don’t see myself coming back.”

  She lifted the blanket and peeked at Johnny to give her something else to look at. Sound asleep. The drizzle and cold didn’t seem to bother him one bit, all cuddled up against her chest. She hadn’t felt that kind of comfort since…since Brady.

  “You’re not planning on ever coming back?”

  She looked up to see an expression cross his features. He looked...heartbroken.

  “I don’t see the point.”

  He swallowed. “As long as you’re here, I can help you get things settled. I know you’ve been going through stuff, and I know you have a lot you need to do. I’d like to help.”

  She needed him to leave her alone. She needed to know she wasn’t putting him in danger. She glared at him, desperate for him to believe she was angry. “I don’t need your help.”

  “You might need a friend.”

  A friend. Yes, she could definitely use a friend. But the risk was too great.

  She shook her head and backed away. “I have to go.”

  “What’s going on, Rae?”

  She shivered in the cold and held her child closer. “I just...” What could she say? She looked around again. The street was deserted, and they were far enough away from McNeal’s not to be seen by anybody inside. Still, she had to get away from him before people started talking.

  He looked around, too, as if trying to figure out what had captured her gaze. Then he looked back at her. “You can trust me, Rae. I’m not perfect, but I’m still the same guy you shared your secrets with.”