Sara placed her hand on her sister’s stomach. “Hey, what’s this?”
Tessa grinned. “I think it’s a baby.”
Sara spanned both of her hands across the width. “You’re enormous.”
“I love it,” Tessa whispered. “You wouldn’t believe all the shit I’ve been eating.”
“You must be feeling it kick all the time now.”
“She’s going to be a soccer player.”
“She?” Sara raised an eyebrow.
“I’m just guessing. Lem wants to be surprised.”
“We could go to the clinic tomorrow.” Elliot Felteau had bought Sara’s practice, but she still owned the building. “I can just pretend I’m doing something landlord-y over by the ultrasound machine.”
“I want to be surprised, too. Besides, I think you have enough on your plate right now.”
Sara rolled her eyes. “Mother.”
Tessa chuckled. “My God, that was epic. What a shakedown!”
“I can’t believe how awful she was.”
“You kind of sprung him on her.”
“I thought…” Sara shook her head. What had she been thinking? “Hare wasn’t any help.”
“He’s taking this harder than you think.”
“I doubt that.”
“Tommy used to cut his grass, too.” Tessa shrugged. “You know how Hare is. He’s been through a lot.”
Hare had lost many friends as well as his longtime lover to AIDS, but Sara thought she was the only person in her family who remembered that his casual attitude had predated the epidemic. “I hope he didn’t embarrass Will.”
“Will took care of himself just fine.”
Sara shook her head as she thought about the mess she had made. “I’m sorry, Tess. I didn’t mean to bring all of this to your doorstep.”
“What’s ‘all this’?”
She thought about the question. “A vendetta,” she admitted. “I think I’ve finally found a way to get Lena.”
“Oh, honey, will it make a difference?”
Sara felt tears in her eyes. She didn’t fight them this time. Tessa had seen her in much worse shape before. “I don’t know. I just want…” She paused for breath. “I want her to be sorry for what she did.”
“Don’t you think she’s sorry?” Tessa tread carefully. “As awful as she is, she loved Jeffrey. She worshipped him.”
“No. She’s not sorry. She won’t even accept that she’s the reason Jeffrey died.”
“You can’t really think that she knew that bastard boyfriend of hers was going to kill Jeffrey.”
“It’s not what she wanted to happen,” Sara admitted. “But it’s what she let happen. Jeffrey would’ve never even known that the man existed but for Lena. She put him in our life. If someone throws a grenade, you don’t say they’re innocent because they never considered that it’d actually blow up.”
“Let’s not talk about her anymore.” Tessa wrapped her arm around Sara’s shoulder. “All that matters is that Jeffrey loved you.”
Sara could only nod. This was the one truth in her life. She had known without a doubt that Jeffrey had loved her.
Tessa surprised her. “Will’s nice.”
Sara’s laugh didn’t sound very convincing, even to her own ears. “Tess, he’s married.”
“He was looking at you all googly-eyed at the table.”
“That was fear you saw.”
“I think he likes you.”
“I think your hormones are making you see things.”
Tessa leaned back on the stairs. “Just prepare yourself for the first time being awful.” Sara’s look must’ve given her away. Tessa’s mouth dropped. “Oh, my God. Have you already slept with somebody?”
“Shh,” Sara hissed. “Keep your voice down.”
Tessa leaned forward. “Why am I trekking all the way to the only pay phone in Oobie Doobie to call you if you’re not gonna tell me about your sex life?”
Sara waved her away. “There’s nothing to tell. You’re right. It was awful. It was too soon and he never called me again.”
“What about now? Are you seeing anybody?”
Sara thought of the epidemiologist from the CDC. The fact that this was the first time all week that she’d really considered the man said it all. “Not really. I’ve been on a few dates, but… What’s the point?” Sara threw up her hands. “I’m never going to connect with anyone like that again. Jeffrey ruined me for everybody else.”
“You’ll never know if you don’t try,” Tessa countered. “Don’t deny yourself, Sara. Jeffrey wouldn’t want that.”
“Jeffrey wouldn’t want me to ever touch another man ever again and you know it.”
“You’re probably right.” Still, she said, “I think Will could be good for you.”
Sara shook her head, wishing Tessa would drop the subject. Even if Will was available-even if by some miracle he was interested-Sara would never date another cop again. She couldn’t have a man leave her bed every morning not knowing whether or not he would come back in one piece that night. “I told you. He’s married.”
“Now, there’s married and there’s married.” Tessa had dabbled in more than her share of trysts before settling down. She’d practically had a revolving door to her bedroom. “Where’d he get that scar on his lip?”
“I have no idea.”
“Makes you want to kiss his mouth.”
“Tess.”
“Did you know about him growing up in a home?”
“I thought you were in the kitchen when he talked about that.”
“I had my ear pressed to the door,” she explained. “He eats like the kids at the orphanage.”
“What do you mean?”
“The way he sort of wraps his arm around his plate so no one can steal his food.”
Sara hadn’t noticed, but now she realized it was true.
“I can’t imagine growing up without parents. I mean-” She laughed. “After tonight, it seems ideal, but it must’ve been hard for him.”
“Probably.”
“Ask him about it.”
“That would be rude.”
“Don’t you want to know more about him?”
“No,” Sara lied, because of course she did. She wanted to know about the scars. She wanted to know how he had entered the system as an infant and never been adopted. She wanted to know how he could stand in a room full of people and still seem completely alone.
“The kids in my orphanage are so happy,” Tessa said. “They miss their parents-there’s no question about that. But, they get to go to school. They get three meals a day, clean clothes. They don’t have to work. The other kids who still have parents are jealous.” She smoothed out her skirt. “Why don’t you ask Will what it was like for him?”
“It’s none of my business.”
“Give Mama another go at him and you’ll find out everything.” Tessa pointed her finger at Sara’s chest. “You have to admit she was at the top of her game tonight.”
“I don’t have to admit anything.”
Tessa affected their mother’s soft accent. “Tell me, Mr. Trent, do you prefer boxers or briefs?” Sara laughed, and Tessa continued, “Was your first sexual experience from a missionary position or more of a canine nature?”
Sara laughed so hard that her stomach ached. She wiped her eyes, thinking this was the first time she was actually happy to be home. “I’ve missed you, Tess.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Sissy.” Tessa struggled to stand. “But right now, I’d better go to the bathroom before I pee in my pants from all this laughing.” She made her way up the stairs, taking them one tread at a time. The door closed softly behind her.
Sara stared into the basement. Her mother’s rocking chair and lamp were in a corner by a small window. The ironing board was out, ready to be used. Plastic containers along the back wall held all of Sara and Tessa’s childhood mementos, at least the ones that her mother deemed worth keeping. Yearbooks, school photos, report cards, and class papers filled two boxes for each girl. Eventually, Tessa’s baby would get her own box. She would have baby shoes and flyers from school plays and piano recitals. Or soccer trophies, if Tessa got her way.