nibble on another sparerib between bites of butter-slathered fresh dill bread. She was glad she’d come. Ginny, of course, would never have asked her to. She would never have called and said “Jess, I need a friend.”
“Yeah, well, that’s life. We had a good few years.”
“And Lisa,” Jess said. “You got to share Lisa.”
Ginny nodded and kept eating while Jess tried not to stare. She couldn’t believe how ghastly Ginny looked. Even with makeup, Ginny’s face had a pasty pallor, as if the lifeblood had been sucked from her, as if she’d died along with Jake. And the baggy brown dress she was wearing was so … sexless. Not like Ginny at all.
“Ginny?” she asked quietly. “What are you going to do now?”
As if the pendulum of her clock began losing time, Ginny slowed her chewing, slowed her breathing. She lowered her eyelids. “Luckily, Jake was between film projects, so I don’t have to worry about his business right now. But don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Right.
Jess sipped her wine. “Change is scary,” she said. “We’ve both had a lot.”
Ginny didn’t respond. Jess sensed that Ginny didn’t want to talk about it, and it wasn’t the time to try and force her.
“So what do you think?” Jess asked. “Should I try to findout if there’s anything to this letter? If my baby is still alive?”
“Shit. Don’t ask me.”
“But it’s worked out so well with you and Lisa.…”
“Yeah, well …” Ginny began, and then a smile crossed her mouth. “Lisa’s a good kid.”
“I’m not sure Maura will speak to me again if I do. I think she’d be pretty upset.”
“She’ll get over it. Kids are resilient.” Ginny polished off the last bit of her dinner.
“But how can I find out anything? With Miss Taylor gone …”
“You said her sister is still alive.”
“Alive, yes. But she’s not very friendly. Besides, how would she know?”
“Maybe Miss T. told her. Or maybe she has some old records or something. I remember Miss T. always was writing stuff down in those leather journals. God knows what she put in there. She probably recorded all the times we were bad.”
“Like when you took off for the Dew Drop Inn?”
Ginny laughed. “I still can’t believe the old bitch caught me.”
“She had friends in high places.”
“Old Sheriff Wilson—the mailman with a badge. God. I can’t believe Miss T. was sleeping with him. Hey—do you suppose she wrote about him in her journals?”
Jess was pleased to see that a small sparkle had returned to Ginny’s eyes. Not the same hell-raising, screw-the-world sparkle that had been the trademark of her youth, but a sparkle nonetheless. “I doubt it,” Jess replied. “But it would be fun to find out, wouldn’t it?”
Reaching for a last remnant of dill bread that lingered in the basket, Ginny proclaimed, “Then here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going back to see Miss T.’s sister. You’re going to win her over with your charm, and you’re going to ask her if Miss T. left her journals behind.”
“Oh, Ginny, I don’t know.…”
“Hey.” Ginny’s eyes were dancing, her face brightening. “If you want to find out about your baby, it’s probably your best shot. You can do it, kid. Just think about all the devious things I taught you.”
Jess laughed. “That was a long time ago, Ginny.”
Ginny shrugged. “Like I said, I think it’s your best shot.” She glanced around the restaurant and added, “I wonder if this place has anything decent for dessert.”
Chapter 5
Two days later Jess found herself back on the other side of the continent, standing once more at the front door of the weathered Cape Cod cottage, wondering if she was out of her mind. She was not, after all, Ginny, who had been born with a gene called “brazen” and baptized into a life that necessitated its use for survival. And as Jess held her breath and rang the bell, she reminded herself that Ginny had nothing to
“Yeah, well, that’s life. We had a good few years.”
“And Lisa,” Jess said. “You got to share Lisa.”
Ginny nodded and kept eating while Jess tried not to stare. She couldn’t believe how ghastly Ginny looked. Even with makeup, Ginny’s face had a pasty pallor, as if the lifeblood had been sucked from her, as if she’d died along with Jake. And the baggy brown dress she was wearing was so … sexless. Not like Ginny at all.
“Ginny?” she asked quietly. “What are you going to do now?”
As if the pendulum of her clock began losing time, Ginny slowed her chewing, slowed her breathing. She lowered her eyelids. “Luckily, Jake was between film projects, so I don’t have to worry about his business right now. But don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Right.
Jess sipped her wine. “Change is scary,” she said. “We’ve both had a lot.”
Ginny didn’t respond. Jess sensed that Ginny didn’t want to talk about it, and it wasn’t the time to try and force her.
“So what do you think?” Jess asked. “Should I try to findout if there’s anything to this letter? If my baby is still alive?”
“Shit. Don’t ask me.”
“But it’s worked out so well with you and Lisa.…”
“Yeah, well …” Ginny began, and then a smile crossed her mouth. “Lisa’s a good kid.”
“I’m not sure Maura will speak to me again if I do. I think she’d be pretty upset.”
“She’ll get over it. Kids are resilient.” Ginny polished off the last bit of her dinner.
“But how can I find out anything? With Miss Taylor gone …”
“You said her sister is still alive.”
“Alive, yes. But she’s not very friendly. Besides, how would she know?”
“Maybe Miss T. told her. Or maybe she has some old records or something. I remember Miss T. always was writing stuff down in those leather journals. God knows what she put in there. She probably recorded all the times we were bad.”
“Like when you took off for the Dew Drop Inn?”
Ginny laughed. “I still can’t believe the old bitch caught me.”
“She had friends in high places.”
“Old Sheriff Wilson—the mailman with a badge. God. I can’t believe Miss T. was sleeping with him. Hey—do you suppose she wrote about him in her journals?”
Jess was pleased to see that a small sparkle had returned to Ginny’s eyes. Not the same hell-raising, screw-the-world sparkle that had been the trademark of her youth, but a sparkle nonetheless. “I doubt it,” Jess replied. “But it would be fun to find out, wouldn’t it?”
Reaching for a last remnant of dill bread that lingered in the basket, Ginny proclaimed, “Then here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going back to see Miss T.’s sister. You’re going to win her over with your charm, and you’re going to ask her if Miss T. left her journals behind.”
“Oh, Ginny, I don’t know.…”
“Hey.” Ginny’s eyes were dancing, her face brightening. “If you want to find out about your baby, it’s probably your best shot. You can do it, kid. Just think about all the devious things I taught you.”
Jess laughed. “That was a long time ago, Ginny.”
Ginny shrugged. “Like I said, I think it’s your best shot.” She glanced around the restaurant and added, “I wonder if this place has anything decent for dessert.”
Chapter 5
Two days later Jess found herself back on the other side of the continent, standing once more at the front door of the weathered Cape Cod cottage, wondering if she was out of her mind. She was not, after all, Ginny, who had been born with a gene called “brazen” and baptized into a life that necessitated its use for survival. And as Jess held her breath and rang the bell, she reminded herself that Ginny had nothing to
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