Fury twisted inside Ellie. “And you’re a bitch! A manipulative, conniving bitch.”
Amelia looked on in stunned silence.
Marie turned up her nose. “You’ve been waiting thirty-one years to say that to me, haven’t you? Are you happy now?”
Ellie took a step forward, her blurred eyes locked on her mother. “No. I haven’t been happy in a long time, but at least now I know the lengths you’ll go to get your way, which is why I never want to speak to you again.” Turning on her heel, she left the house, slamming the door behind her.
* * *
Anxious to tell Jack what she’d discovered, Ellie drove straight to his house and knocked on the door.
“Ellie.” He looked surprised to see her. “Back so soon?”
She glimpsed the empty living room behind him. “Sara’s not here, is she?”
Jack shook his head. “She decided to spend the night at her mother’s. Is everything all right?”
“Not exactly. May I come in?”
Jack welcomed her inside and offered her a seat in the living room. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thanks. This will only take a minute.”
Jack found his chair and sat down.
“I’m sorry for barging in on you like this, but my mother and I just had a huge fight, and I didn’t know where else to go.”
Worry creased his forehead. “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
The conversation played inside her head. “You know, I think I will take something to drink.”
“Okay. More tea?”
“Do you have anything stronger?”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “Tell you what, I was just about to fix supper. Why don’t you join me? I’ll pour us a drink, and you can tell me all about it.”
Ellie nodded, feeling herself relax.
Jack poured two whiskeys and in no time had prepared a chicken salad for them. “There.” He joined her at the table. “Better?”
She nodded and took a bite. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“So what were you and your mother fighting about?”
Ellie put down the fork and wiped the corners of her mouth. “You.”
“Me? I don’t understand.”
“Jack, this is going to be difficult to hear, but I’m just going to come out and say it.” Panic swelled inside her. “Earlier, you said something that took me by surprise. You said Sara had known about your plan to propose to me. That triggered something—a memory—from the night my mother showed up. Clara and I had been in the living room talking when there was a knock at the door. When she answered it, I saw my mother standing in the doorway. We locked eyes, and I remember thinking something was off. When she finally came in, I noticed her looking at my hand, as if there was something she was expecting to see.”
“A ring.”
“Exactly. And the only way she would have known was if someone told her, someone who knew about your plan. To my knowledge, the only people that knew were you, your mama, George, and…”
“Sara.”
Ellie watched as the pieces came together for him.
