“I see no reason for him not to come. It’s your birthday,” Nona says.
Right.
“We’ll see about that.”
I lean back and relax against the porcelain edge.
He won’t come.
If he wanted to visit me, he would’ve done it already.
“How long has he been in town?” I ask, lifting my gaze and finding the woman frozen in place.
“I don’t know.”
The slightest hesitation in her voice registers with me.
“Has he talked to you?” I ask.
“No.”
“Nona?”
The blood drains from her face.
She hates it when I suspect that she is lying.
She’s an honest person, and getting caught in the middle isn’t her idea of sticking to her values.
She has no choice, I imagine.
“Did he ask you to keep it a secret?” I ask.
My eyes stay on her, my lips pressed together.
“He did,” I infer from her silence. “What did he say to you? Don’t tell Leilani? Why would he do that? And why does he hate me so much?”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“What did he say to you, Nona?”
My voice booms in the large space.
“He said it would be better if you didn’t know. He also wanted to know if you were all right.”
I lift an eyebrow in disbelief.
“That’s it?”
She nods.
“When did you talk to him?”
“On Wednesday.”
Two days ago.
Huh.
