Chương 7
Her coffee had gone untouched.
The surface had developed a thin oily sheen under the pendant light.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time the message was from Peter.
I don’t know what’s happening, but Mom locked herself in her bedroom and Denise is yelling at Daniel in the driveway.
Claire stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
Also your cake is here.
Sorry, Mom’s cake.
Long day.
Claire almost smiled.
Instead she called Daniel.
He answered before the first ring finished.
“Claire?”
“You read all of it.”
Silence.
“Yes.”
“You knew.”
“Since this morning.”
She closed her eyes.
“This morning.”
“I found it around eight.”
“And then you came to your mother’s birthday party.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You could have called me.”
“I was trying to talk to Mom first.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed to know if it was true.”
“What part?”
“That Dad wasn’t my father.”
Claire looked at Frank’s handwriting.
“He was your father.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes.”
“No, Claire, I don’t think you do.”
His voice cracked on the last word.
She went quiet.
For the first time since he had appeared at Evelyn’s house, she heard what had been underneath everything.
Not suspicion.
Not really.
Terror.
Daniel spoke again, more softly.
“I spent the whole drive back trying to remember if I ever looked like him.”
Claire pressed her thumb against the edge of the paper.
“You have his hands.”
“That’s not biology.”
“No.”
“He taught me to shave.”
“I know.”
“He taught me to drive.”
“I know.”
“He hated the way I loaded a dishwasher.”
“He hated the way everyone loaded a dishwasher.”
Daniel laughed once, then inhaled sharply.
Claire could picture him rubbing his forehead.
“Did you think Mara wasn’t yours?”
She heard him stop breathing.
“That isn’t a complicated question.”
“I didn’t know what to think.”
“Did you think I cheated on you?”
“Claire—”
“Did you?”
“For about ten minutes.”
The honesty hurt more than a lie might have.
“And after ten minutes?”
“I read the rest of the letter.”
Claire looked upstairs.
“And you still didn’t call me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Daniel was silent long enough that she thought the call had dropped.
Then he said, “Because for ten minutes I believed something about you that I should never have believed.”
Claire leaned back.
“And you were ashamed.”
“Yes.”
“That didn’t stop you from lying about Baltimore.”
“No.”
“That happened before you found the letter.”
“Yes.”
“So don’t make the letter carry everything.”
“I’m not.”
“You went searching for proof without me.”
“I did.”
“You let your mother turn Mara into a question mark.”
“I didn’t know she’d removed the pictures.”
“But you knew she was questioning whether Mara belonged.”
“Yes.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“That’s the part I can’t get around tonight.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t get to know yet.”
Daniel went quiet.
Claire immediately regretted the cruelty of it.
She let the silence stay anyway.
Finally Daniel said, “Mom won’t talk to me.”
“Maybe she’s afraid.”
“Of what?”
Claire looked at Frank’s last lines.
“That you’re going to ask who your biological father is.”
Daniel did not answer.
From upstairs came the soft thump of Mara getting out of bed.
Claire heard small feet cross the hall.
A toilet flushed.
Daniel spoke before Claire could.
“I already asked her.”
Claire straightened.
“And?”
“She said she doesn’t know.”
Claire’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“Do you believe her?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because she didn’t say she doesn’t know who he is.”
Daniel’s voice had gone flat.
“She said she doesn’t know which one.”
Daniel’s voice came back through the phone, quieter now.
“She said it like she wished she could take the words back.”
Claire pressed two fingers against her forehead.
“Where are you?”
“Peter’s driveway.”
“Stay there.”
“I wasn’t planning on driving.”
“That isn’t what I said.”
“No.”
She heard Peter somewhere near him, followed by the metallic clink of keys.
“What was that?”
“Peter took my keys.”
“He took them?”
“I put them on the hood.”
“Why?”
“I was yelling at Denise.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“Did you hit anyone?”
“No.”
“Did anyone hit you?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“That’s a low bar.”
“It’s the bar I have available tonight.”
A floorboard creaked upstairs.
Mara appeared in the kitchen doorway carrying the stuffed rabbit Daniel had once driven forty minutes back to a hotel to retrieve.
Her hair was flattened against one cheek.
Claire covered the phone.
“What happened?”
“I’m thirsty.”
“There’s water beside your bed.”
“It tastes like bedroom.”
Claire stared at her.
Mara stared back with the solemn certainty of someone presenting scientific evidence.
“Give me a minute.”
Claire uncovered the phone.
“I need to go.”
“Claire.”
“What?”
“Don’t call Mom tonight.”
The request irritated her instantly.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“I know.”
“Then why say it?”
“Because she’s scared, and when she’s scared she says things that make everything worse.”
“Like she doesn’t know which man fathered you?”
Daniel went silent.
Claire regretted it before he answered.
“Yeah.”
His voice had changed.
“Like that.”
She softened despite herself.
“Don’t come here tonight.”
“All right.”
“I mean it.”
“I heard you.”
Claire ended the call.
Mara had opened the refrigerator.
“What are you doing?”
“Seeing if there’s anything better than bedroom water.”
Claire removed the orange juice from her hand.
“At nine thirty, there isn’t.”
“This family has too many rules.”
“Drink.”
Mara drank from the glass Claire filled and wiped her mouth with her pajama sleeve.
“Did Dad do something bad?”
Claire leaned against the counter.
“He did something that hurt me.”
“Like cheating?”
“Where are you learning this stuff?”
“Lily’s dad told Dad that Lily’s mom cheated.”
“When?”
“Soccer.”
“Of course.”
“He said another word too.”
“I don’t want that word.”
“You don’t know which word.”
“I’m comfortable taking the risk.”
Mara considered this, then carried her glass upstairs.
“Can I sleep in your bed?”
“Yes.”
“Are you coming?”
“Soon.”
“That means no.”
“It means soon.”
May you like
Mara disappeared.
Claire waited until she heard the bedroom door close before calling Peter.
