Page 19 of Played by Him

Ten

I really didn’t wantto do this.

If I didn’t figure out a way to get past how much I hated delivering bad news, I had a feeling Burkart Investigations wouldn’t last long. As much as I wished I could guarantee that I’d be able to solve every case I took on and do it in a way where no one would ever get hurt, it wasn’t possible. Hell, most of my jobs would consist of me telling someone that their significant other was being unfaithful. Not exactly the stuff dreams were made of.

I texted Jenna to let her know I was coming by, and she’d said that was fine. She didn’t ask what’d happened, and as I drove to her house, I wondered if she was trying to talk herself down from being too hopeful.

How shitty were our lives that we felt like we couldn’t hope for something as simple as a relationship with a sister?

Jenna and Rylan’s house impressed me every time I came. Maybe in a couple years, the massive mansion would just be my friends’ house, and I wouldn’t blink at the fact that my entire building could fit inside the house. Twice.

“Rona, nice to see you,” Rylan said as he opened the door. His shirt was dusted with what looked like flour, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. “Come on in. The kids and I are making pizza for dinner. Can I interest you in joining us?”

The offer threw me. “Uh, I’m just here to talk to Jenna, but if this is a bad time…?”

“Not at all,” Rylan said with a smile. “It’s my turn to take care of dinner tonight, which means she’s either in the library with a new book or she’s taking a bath.”

“I’ll check the library first.” Since she knew I was coming, the library seemed like the best bet.

“Down the hall, second door on the right.” Rylan gestured toward the hallway. “If she’s not there, feel free to come back and help us with the pizzas until she’s out of the tub.”

I nodded and headed to the library, a massive room filled with more books than I could imagine reading in a lifetime. Jenna was curled up in a comfortable-looking armchair, a book on her lap. I doubted she was reading it though. Her expression was vacant, troubled, but as soon as she heard me, her head jerked up, her eyes wide.

“Hey.” Her voice sounded strained. “You made good time.”

“Traffic was light,” I said as I took a seat in the chair across from her.

“It’s not good news, is it?” she asked softly. “Did something happen to her?”

“No, no,” I rushed to reassure her. “She’s fine. Nice house. Good parents.”

The relief on her face was obvious. “I know you’d said that before but…”

“Looks can be deceiving,” I said. “I should know.”

“But you still have bad news.” She looked like she was bracing herself, and it killed me to know that what I had to tell her would hurt her.

“It’s not great news,” I admitted. “I confirmed that Stacey is your sister, but she doesn’t know that she’s adopted.”

Jenna nodded as she folded her arms across her chest, one of those almost-unconscious movements that people made when they felt the need to protect themselves from some emotional threat.

“They don’t want me to meet her.”

“I’m so sorry, Jenna.”

“I get it,” she said. “They’re her parents. They have the right to decide whether or not they tell her about the adoption. I show up, and she’ll start asking questions that they’re not going to want to answer.”

She pushed herself out of the chair and walked over to the window. She didn’t say anything as she stared outside, but I doubted she was seeing anything.

“I didn’t tell them who you were,” I said, “but I did give them an idea of who Marcy – Helen – was, and I told them a bit about you. About how you were a good person, had a family. I told them to contact me if they change their minds.”

“You did the right thing,” she said. “Telling them about Helen. I doubt she’ll ever try to contact any of them, but if by some strange fluke she does, at least her parents will know to keep Stacey away from her.”

“They’ll have to tell her the truth sometime,” I said, “and maybe they’ll change their mind. Rather than risking her trying to find Helen, they’ll know they can reach out to you.”

She didn’t look at me. “Maybe.”

After nearly a full minute of silence, I excused myself. As I came down the hall, I heard Rylan and the kids laughing. Such a light, happy sound. It seemed so out of place after the gloom in the library. I almost considered going back and telling Jenna to go be with her family, but I’d been in a similar place before. Sometimes, forcing in the light didn’t push away the darkness. It just made it clear that sometimes there were places that even the light couldn’t go.

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