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Phoebe had remained by the front door. Lilith must have realized by the sound of Phoebe's voice that she wasn't right behind her. With faltered steps, she finally came to a stop in the middle of the hallway. She turned around with a tight smile, as if she had already prepared herself for the inevitable. Her reaction alone told Phoebe that her mother had suspected all along that Chloe had overheard her and Aunt Trish talking in private.
"What secret have you been keeping from me?"
Chapter Seventeen
Chloe
The warmth of the diner was a nice respite from the dropping temperatures outside. The bell above the diner's door chimed Chloe's arrival, garnering several stares from the patrons. Considering how news traveled so fast in this town, they had no doubt heard about Chief Bennett's visit to the Burrow residence earlier this afternoon.
Betty was in the process of pouring someone coffee at the counter, and the familiar clatter of dishes and murmurs of conversations gave off normalcy after what Chloe would term a chaotic day. She could have done without the stares of interest, though.
"Phoebe's onion rings are still in the fryer," Betty called out as she set the glass carafe onto its burner. "Shouldn't be much longer."
"No worries, Betty," Chloe replied as she began to take off her gloves. "It's cold out there."
Chloe held onto her gloves as she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Maybe if she feigned interest in something on the screen, Betty wouldn't bring up what had happened near the pond today. Chloe held her phone close to her face without taking a seat at the counter. Movement out of the corner of her eye had her glancing in the direction of a booth on the far side of the diner.
Trish and Billy were sitting opposite one another, though Trish was speaking with someone on her phone. Billy was waving a hand at Chloe, and she would rather talk to them than be ambushed by Betty. Chloe weaved through the tables until she came to a stop in front of their table.
"…back yet? Does Kenneth need Billy to help him?"
Billy motioned for Chloe to take a seat, prompting Trish to scoot over in the booth. Chloe sat on the edge, knowing that she wouldn't be able to stay too long. Trish had to be speaking with Lilith, and Chloe figured that Trish and Billy had been filled in on today's events.
"That's probably for the best." Trish paused to hear Lilith's side of the conversation. The way Phoebe's aunt tensed told Chloe that Lilith had spilled the beans about Phoebe confronting her, which meant that Trish now knew Chloe had overheard their conversation yesterday. "Can we talk about this later?"
Billy had already finished his dinner, and he slid his plate to the end of the table. He did the same with Trish's dinnerware before draining what was left of his soda.
"Lilith, I've really got to go," Trish explained before lowering the phone and disconnecting the call. She cleared her throat and reached for her water. "Chloe, we just heard about what happened out at the pond. Lilith is beside herself, and Kenneth just returned from buying some kind of security system. Are you two okay?"
"Yes," Chloe replied, wishing she could just leave it at that, but she wasn't made that way. Not that Trish and Billy had noticed, but Chloe had already texted Phoebe that she should walk over to the diner. Lilith hadn’t given an inch. She had remained stoic in her resolve to keep Phoebe in the dark. "Trish, did Lilith just tell you that I overheard your conversation with her yesterday?"
"I don't know what you think you—"
"Phoebe deserves to know the truth, especially if it has to do with Jenna's death," Chloe pushed as she clutched her phone and gloves, hoping that Phoebe wouldn’t be too upset when she learned of Chloe's interference. She glanced in Billy's direction to gauge his opinion on the subject. He was staring at his wife with a raised eyebrow, almost as if he agreed with Chloe. "Trish, I don't mean to overstep, but—"
"Lilith is Phoebe’s mother. I’m her aunt. I can't go against Lilith’s wishes," Trish said firmly, pushing her water out of the way.
"You know how hard it was for Phoebe to lose her sister. Don't you think she deserves to know everything, especially if it could help explain what happened that day?"
"What Lilith is keeping from Phoebe doesn't have anything to do with Jenna. Not in the way that you’re implying. It's...it's something else." Trish reached for her jacket, which was tucked into the corner of the booth. "Billy, we should—"
"Trish?" Billy reached an arm over the table, waiting patiently for his wife to take his hand. "It's been over a decade. Don't you think maybe it's time for Phoebe to know the truth about her family?"
"Family?" Chloe was more confused than ever, and she had to wave at Betty when the waitress called her name. Dinner could wait. "I'll be there in a minute, Betty."
Billy made it seem as if he had never been okay with keeping Phoebe in the dark about…well, whatever it was Lilith and Trish had been hiding. Chloe decided to press further while she had Billy on her side.
"Please, Trish," Chloe said as she urged the woman to tell the truth. Chloe was also doing her best to buy Phoebe some time. Just how long did it take her to put on boots and throw on a jacket? "How bad could it be if it's not about Jenna?"
Trish released Billy's hand to run a hand through her hair, so much like Phoebe's blonde strands. It was obvious that Trish was about to make some excuse to buy her sister some additional time, and not even her husband could convince her otherwise.
Fortunately, the bell above the diner's door chimed once again.
Phoebe crossed over the threshold with purpose. A few snowflakes made their way inside behind her, but they quickly melted in the warmth before ever reaching the grey welcome mat.
Chloe thought she heard a soft groan of protest emanating from Trish's direction, but a glance at the woman’s features displayed more irritation than hesitation. Chloe was unapologetic, and she made sure that her stance was known.
"I'm not sorry for texting Phoebe. I stand by my opinion that she deserves to know the truth."
