"Did it ever end?"
"Oh, no," she said. "Heather's father filed another report with the police two months later. He said that someone was stealing his mail. One Saturday afternoon, he happened to look outside and saw Jilly opening his mailbox. She was looking for letters from Heather so she could find out where she was."
"She doesn't give up, does she?"
"No, she doesn't. She never had sex with any of the boys in her high school. All her friends believed she was sweet and wholesome. Carrie heard a couple of rumors about Jilly, but not from anyone at school. Heather was the one who was
ostracized, not Jilly. She was that good at being bad."
She stood and stretched her arms above her head. "Do you want something to drink?"
After the story she'd just told him, hard liquor sounded good to him, but he settled on a Diet Coke instead. She got herself a
bottle of Evian water and handed him his soda.
He opened the can, took a swig, and asked, "Did your grandparents try to get her some help when she was little, or did they
know then that something was wrong with her?"
"Grandfather left when Carrie and Jilly were little girls, and Grandmother Lola lived in what Carrie called a fantasyland. She
had an excuse for every atrocity Jilly committed."
"When did Jilly get pregnant with you?" he asked. "Her senior year. Carrie thought her pregnancy saved Heather because Jilly
had other things to think about. Jilly tried to get an abortion, but the doctor wouldn't do it because she was too far along. She
gave birth and left town three days later. And that was the last entry in the diary," she added.
"Leaving me behind was the last straw for Grandmother. She dragged all of Jilly's things out to the curb for the trash collector. When she was packing up her things from the closet, she found a shoe box full of mail from Heather's house, and guess what
else she found?" "The acid."
Avery nodded. "The beaker was only half full, but it would have been more than enough to kill Heather. I think Jilly didn't
forget about that girl. I think she was biding her time."
A clap of thunder jarred her. She flinched in reaction, then got up and walked to the window to look out. Dark angry clouds loomed overhead. Lightning sliced across the sky, and then there was another booming blast of thunder.
She didn't turn around as she said, "Carrie didn't think Jilly was very smart. She used her body to get what she wanted. She's obviously become more devious and clever over the years. Carrie said there wasn't a man alive who was immune to her charms."
"Do you believe that?"
"Skarrett obviously became obsessed with her, and look where he ended up. When I was five years old, Jilly and Skarrett came to the house. Jilly told Grandmother she had to pay to keep me. Fortunately, Carrie was home. She told Jilly she didn't have any legal rights to me and pushed her out the door. It was a horrible fight, but Skarrett kept his distance… then. Jilly kept screaming, 'You're dead, Carrie. You're dead.' "
"Where were you while all this was going on?"
She turned around and looked at him. "I don't remember any of it, but Carrie told me she found me hiding under my bed. After they left, Carrie promised me they would never come back."
She took a gulp of her water, put the lid back on, and stared down at her hand. There was a deep indentation in her palm from where she'd been gripping the bottle cap.
"But they did come back, didn't they?"
"Yes."
He watched her closely as she closed her eyes and told him what had happened on February fourteenth, all those years ago.
When she was finished, she said, "Skarrett's her puppet. And I think she's got Monk doing her bidding now too. She's playing both of them to get what she wants."
She put the bottle down on the table and took a step toward John Paul. "So now you know."
"Now I know…"
"So?" she demanded. "Tell me what you think."
He shrugged. "I think you're right. Jilly is a maniac."
She threaded her fingers through her hair and took another step toward him. "No, that's not what I was asking."
"Then what?"
She stopped a foot away from him. "Aren't you sorry?"
He felt as if he were playing twenty questions. In exasperation, he asked, "Sorry about what?"
"Getting involved with me. It's a temporary situation, but even so…"
"Hell, no."
She stepped back. "John Paul, you've got to be a little repulsed…"
"Afraid not."
She glared at him. "Why not? I don't come from a normal family. Genetically speaking, I'm a mess."
"Sugar, no need to be so melodramatic and no need to shout at me either. I can hear just fine."
"How can you smile after what you just heard? How can you-"
"Avery, you didn't do any of those things. Jilly did."
He thought he was being extremely logical, but she wasn't the least bit interested in being reasonable. "Now do you understand why I won't ever get married?"
Before she could take another step away from him, he reached for her. He put his hands on her hips and slowly pulled her
toward him.
"No, I don't understand."
She tried to push his hands away, but they were cemented to her body.
"You're going to have to explain it to me. Are you afraid you'll sneeze and turn into a sociopath?"
"No, of course not, but I can't have children, and even if I could…"
"I know," he said softly. "You wouldn't risk it."
"Men want children."
She stood between his knees, frowning at him while she shifted from foot to foot.
"Some do," he agreed. "Some don't."
"Do you?"
He wasn't going to lie to her. "I always figured I'd settle down one day and have a couple of kids. I still might," he said. "But, Avery, there are a lot of children out there who need good homes."
"Do you think after doing a background check on my family that I would ever qualify?"
"Yes, I do."
"I won't get married."
The defiance was back in her voice. She was trying to hide her vulnerability, but it wasn't working. He knew she was hurting inside.
"Did I ask you to marry me?"
"No."
"Okay, then. I think we've had enough heavy talk for a little while. And I also think you need to lighten up a little."
It occurred to her that he was behaving the same way he had when she'd shown him her back. The scars hadn't seemed to
faze him. Obviously, neither did the stories she'd told him about Jilly.
What the hell was the matter with him?
"You need to relax," he told her. He worked her blouse up over her navel and leaned forward to kiss her stomach.
"That's what yoga is for. It helps me relax."
"I've found a better way to unwind."
He unbuttoned her shorts and reached for the zipper. She grabbed his hand.
"What do you think you're doing?"
His smile made her heart race. Her hand dropped to her side, and she watched him unzip her shorts. As they fell to the floor,
he finally answered her.
"It's simple, sugar. I'm going to my happy place."
Chapter 32
Secrets were best shared in the bedroom. They made love, and after he had kissed and caressed every inch of her
beautiful body, she was exhausted.