Without thinking, she flipped on the faucet.
Coming closer, Cassie lowered her voice. “Liza, please talk to me.”
Squirting soap onto the sponge, Eliza scrubbed with all her strength, oblivious to the scalding temperature of the water as it turned her hands bright red. Why wouldn’t the scorch marks come off? Suddenly, nothing else mattered except getting the baking sheet sparkling clean.
Cassie switched off the faucet and grabbed her elbow, steering her out the back door onto the patio.
Only once she was outside, with the cool breeze caressing her skin, did Eliza realize hot tears stained her cheeks.
Leading her to a quiet bench tucked beneath a wisteria-covered arbor, Cassie pulled Eliza down beside her.
They sat in silence for several minutes, Eliza watching the soap suds drip from her hands onto the smooth cobblestone where they burst and disappeared through the sinewy cracks.
“How long have you known?” Cassie asked softly.
“Since always,” Eliza croaked, the words burning the back of her throat. “There’s never been anyone else.” Swiping at her tears, she flinched as the soap stung her eyes.
Cassie waited without saying a word, rubbing a soothing hand along her back.
“The night of graduation, Grant gave me a promise ring,” Eliza continued, her voice distant as though it came from across the courtyard. “A delicate rose gold band. He’d even had the inside engraved.” She gazed at her ring finger, now barren, save for a few lingering soap suds. “It never should have happened. No one knows that better than me. But Ben…” Her voice broke, and Cassie wrapped her arm around her shoulders.
“Ben is my greatest earthly treasure. I—”
“I know,” Cassie murmured, stroking her arm.
“I wanted to tell Grant about Ben as soon as I found out. I—I went to his house right after I took the test. But…” Eliza squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to relive the memory.
“But what?” Cassie pressed gently.
“As soon as Harriet saw me, she knew something was wrong. She… she made me tell her.” The tears fell unrestrained as a painful sob rose in her chest. “She told me Grant had a promising future and she wouldn’t let… someone like me ruin her son’s life.”
“She didn’t!” Cassie gasped, her fingers clenching Eliza’s arm.
“I told her Grant had a right to know. And to make his own decision. But…” Eliza’s gaze dropped to her hands. The bubbles had disappeared, leaving her exposed skin dry and raw.
“But what?”
The fervent compassion in Cassie’s voice broke Eliza’s resolve. She couldn’t keep the secret any longer. “Grant’s father is my parents’ accountant. According to Harriet, my dad never paid taxes on any of the handyman work he did around town.” Eliza’s cheeks burned with shame and she kept her gaze locked on her hands. “Harriet said if Stan turned him in to the IRS, my parents would lose everything. And my dad could go to jail.”
Cassie’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes shimmering with sympathy. “Oh, Liza. I’m so, so sorry. I… I don’t know what to say.”
“I didn’t, either. I was so… terrified.” The word came out in a whisper, and Eliza shivered despite the warm afternoon sun. All the fear and loneliness of that moment came rushing back, pulling another sob from her lips.
Her own tears spilling down her cheeks, Cassie squeezed tighter.
“Harriet’s threat kept me quiet for years. But on Ben’s third birthday, when Luke gave him his first baseball mitt… I broke down. Grant should’ve been there. I knew it wasn’t right that I’d been sacrificing my son’s relationship with his father so I could protect my parents. And I’d resolved to tell him everything. But that’s when the article came out.”
“What article?”
As the clouds shifted, Eliza hugged herself, running her hands up and down her forearms to banish the sudden chill. “Grant’s company got a write-up in a magazine. Everyone in town was talking about it. The headline was ‘Superstar Startup.’ I’ll never forget the quote they pulled from the interview and turned into a giant graphic. ‘The secret to my success? Zero distractions. No ballet recitals or Little League. One hundred percent focus, one hundred percent of the time.’”
The ache in her chest suddenly too intense to ignore, Eliza hunched forward, burying her face in her hands.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean—”
“That’s not all….” Taking a deep breath, Eliza forced herself to sit up and meet Cassie’s gaze. “He also said, ‘I’ve always known a family wasn’t in my future. And it’s allowed me to take certain risks. And those risks have paid off.’” Eliza recited Grant’s interview with uncanny accuracy, having read and reread the article a thousand times until every single word was scorched into her memory. “That’s when I realized Harriet had been right all along. Or… at least, Ithoughtshe was. But now… I don’t know what to do, Cass. Please, tell me what to do.” Crumbling inward, Eliza allowed the sob to escape, racking her entire body.
Cassie didn’t stir, holding her until the trembling in her shoulders subsided.
