The store was off island, a twenty-minute drive. Plenty of time for that talk now. But Jenna’s heart thumped with dread. The thought of hurting her mother pained her. She’d clearly grown very fond of Gordon. Was probably in the early stages of love. But that gave Jenna even more reason to divulge the truth. Even though it would be hard, it was the loving thing to do.
The program was back on now, but her mother had muted the show long ago. Mom was apparently texting Gordon back. Whenshe set down her phone, Jenna took the opportunity. “Mom, can we talk a minute? I—I have something I need to tell you.”
Her mother’s pale blue eyes sobered. “What’s wrong, honey? Are you okay?”
Of course Jenna would be her first concern. It only made her feel worse about what she had to say. “First, I have a confession to make. Ty and I did go to Alexandria for my interview, but after that... we swung up to DC.”
A glimmer of joy entered Mom’s eyes as a smile bloomed on her face. “I knew it! I could just tell something was brewing between you guys. It’s about time!”
Jenna parted her lips but couldn’t seem to formulate any words. Her mom had been expecting a romance to develop between them? Jenna thought she’d put that dream to bed long ago.
“So you went on a little romantic getaway?” Mom turned fully toward Jenna, pulling her knees to her chest. “Tell me everything. I’m so excited it’s finally happening.”
“Oh, Mom, no. That’s not what—” Well, it kind ofwaswhat happened. But that particular situation was complicated—and beside the point! She had to get this conversation back on topic. “That’s not why we went to DC.”
Mom’s face fell. “Oh. Then you’re not together?”
“No, we’re not.”
“Then why did you—?” In a matter of seconds her mother’s eyes went frosty and her expression closed. “Please tell me your little excursion had nothing to do with Gordon.”
“Before you get upset—”
“Too late.”
“—hear me out. Please. You know we only have your best interests at heart.”
Mom faced forward, lowering her feet to the floor. “So Tyson’s in on this too. The both of you are conspiring against Gordon. What in the world could you possibly have against him? He’s been nothing but kind to me—and to you.”
“Perhaps, but there’ve been a few red flags, Mom. Don’t you see how fast this is moving? Plus I heard a suspicious phone call between him and someone—he said ‘I love you,’ and I got the feeling something wasn’t right.”
Mom scowled. “Oh, he said ‘I love you’ to someone on the phone. How heinous! He does have family, Jenna—did you think of that?”
“Of course I did, but—” Jenna gave her head a hard shake. “Just listen. We discovered something in DC. Something that’s going to be difficult to hear. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but you need to know the truth.”
Mom crossed her arms and leveled an impatient look at Jenna. “Well, go ahead then. Tell me whatever it is you think you know.”
Jenna winced. This was harder than she’d expected. She was about to break her mother’s kind, soft heart. But it had to be done. “Ty and I went by Gordon’s house. There’s a woman living there, Mom. Her name is Rosalind Smith. We didn’t speak with her, but we saw her exiting the house early in the morning. And the mailbox had mail addressed to her.” There. It was done. She set her hand on Mom’s. “I’m really sorry to have to tell you this.”
Mom stared at her for ten full seconds, her expression blank. Jenna couldn’t even guess what she was thinking. She was probably in shock, registering what Jenna had said. Processing what it meant.
“And the two kids?”
Two kids?Jenna blinked. “What two kids?”
“The two teenagers who also live there. Didn’t you find any mail for them while you were rooting through his mailbox?”
Wait. Her mom knew about Rosalind? And they had kids together? None of this was making sense. Had Jenna misunderstood?
Mom huffed. “Rosalind is Gordon’ssister, Jenna. She’s divorcing her two-timing husband and living at Gordon’s house with her kids until things settle down.”
Hissister?
Rosalind was Gordon’ssister? Could Jenna really have gotten this so wrong? It all lined up: the piece of mail, the “I love you,” the woman living in his house. But what if he’d only told Mom that to cover the truth? It was possible, wasn’t it? But Jenna had to tread carefully here. “Okay... but if she’s married, why’s her last name still Smith?”
Mom narrowed her eyes. “Because she never took her husband’s name. Are you seriously doubting him even still? Even though I’m sitting here giving you a perfectly reasonable explanation?”
“Well, I— It’s just... he never mentioned her, that’s all.”
