Mom put a hand to her forehead. “I’m losing my mind. I can’t even imagine that he would lie to me like that. Iknowhim. Or maybe I just thought I did. Maybe my judgment was clouded and you were right about him all along.” Tears seeped from Mom’s eyes.
Jenna’s heart gave a hard crack. “I’m sorry, Mom. I admit it doesn’t look good. But if he’s so deep in debt, it’s no wonder he wouldn’t want to charge anything else.”
“But he didn’t have to lie about it. If he lied about this, what else did he lie about? Maybe I don’t know him at all.” Mom gave her tears an angry swipe. “And why would he go on an expensive cruise when he had this kind of debt? That’s just irresponsible.”
Jenna’s mind spun for a reasonable explanation. But obviously Gordon had been dishonest. “You should confront him about it. Hopefully there’s some kind of explanation.” But a memory flashed in Jenna’s mind—his phone conversation where he’d claimed he was in Maine. She didn’t want to lay anything else on her mom, but itwas relevant to the conversation. He’d lied to someone on the phone about where he was.
“What?” Mom asked. “What are you thinking?”
Jenna grimaced. “I just remembered something. Something I overheard when he was on the phone. It didn’t make sense at the time. It still doesn’t, but it might be nothing.”
Mom’s shoulders straightened and her chin went up. “Tell me. I need to know everything. If I’ve been a fool, I’ll just have to face it.”
Jenna took Mom’s hand. “It was shortly after I arrived on the island. He told whoever he was talking to that he was in Maine. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Maine?Why would he say he was in Maine?”
“I don’t know. It raised a red flag for me. He also told the person that he loved them. When I discovered he was living with a woman, I assumed he’d lied to her about where he was for some reason. Then when I found out he was living with his sister, I just put the Maine thing aside. But now... I was hoping you might have some insight.”
Mom gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m starting to think I don’t know anything at all. I should’ve listened to you and instead I let my emotions run away with me. And now I’m in love with a man I can’t even trust.” More tears leaked from her eyes.
The hurt in her eyes was like a sucker punch. “Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry this is happening.”
The rumble of an engine sounded outside the window, growing nearer.
“He’s home.” Mom straightened her slumped shoulders and wiped her eyes.
Jenna gave her hand a squeeze. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to ask him why he lied to me. Do I look okay?”
Her eyes were slightly red and turned down at the corners. “Youlook fine. You’ve got this.” Jenna gave her a hug, wishing she could imbue Mom with strength. Her mother lingered in her arms for a moment.
At the slam of the car door, they eased apart.
“My heart’s pounding. I feel sick.”
“You’ll be fine, Mom. You’re a strong woman. Tell him what happened and give him a chance to explain.” Though Jenna wasn’t too hopeful he’d have a reasonable excuse. “I’ll run across the street and give you two some privacy.”
“No.”Mom grabbed her hand. “Can you just... hide somewhere? Maybe listen in? If he comes up with some cockamamie tale, I don’t know if I’ll be able to tell if it’s the truth. I don’t know which end is up anymore.”
“Whatever you want. You’ve got this, Mom. I’m here for you no matter what.” Jenna squeezed Mom’s hand one last time before she slipped from the room and down the hall. She slipped into the bathroom and whispered a prayer for her mother. Jenna’s own heart ached in sympathy.
She left the door cracked so she could hear. The front door opened and Gordon greeted her mom. There was a slight pause before he asked, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I have something I need to ask you about.” Mom’s voice sounded stilted.
“Okay...”
“I was taking towels up to your room and I saw the credit card statement you left in the bathroom.” Her voice trembled at the end of the sentence.
The long pause didn’t exactly alleviate Jenna’s fears. She clutched the collar of her shirt.
“And you think I lied to you.”
“Youdidlie to me.”
Another pause followed. “The credit card might be in my name, honey, but it isn’t mine.” He sighed. “Can we sit down and talk about this?”
