AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I wanted to speak to him in regard to a reference for Mr. Douglas Wentworth.”
The line went silent for a few long seconds.
“Mr. Wentworth put Mr. Truett as a reference in regard to what, may I ask?”
“I’m not sure if he actually listed him as a reference, although I assume as a past employee of the city, Mr. Truett would have been listed as one. I’m just looking for a little clarification.”
“In that case, let me direct to you to the city attorney, Mr. Watts. He’s really the one to answer your questions.”
The city attorney? That seemed like a bit of an overkill, but maybe that’s how they rolled in Old Explorer’s Bay. You could never be too careful with the kind of information you gave out over the phone. Especially to someone claiming to be in a position of authority. For all they knew, she was some quack
calling off the street. After a few clicks, her call went over to voicemail.
“You’ve reached the law offices of Brian Watts. I’m currently unavailable but if you leave a name and number along with a short message, I’ll return your call as soon as possible.”
Mimi left a message asking if he could call her back. She didn’t want to get too specific in a voicemail, so she simply said she had a few questions about Doug that she hoped he might be able to answer.
She was getting dinner started when she heard Claire’s car pull up in the driveway.
“Hey!” Claire came bouncing into the kitchen, her long brown hair swinging from side to side in a ponytail. “Can you believe graduation is next week? Can we go shopping for a new dress? I’ve been meaning to ask you but you’ve been so busy with Aunt Allie’s wedding and all the mayor stuff.” She plucked a cookie from the pantry. She seemed so happy. And for the first time in forever, they were alone in the house. Just the two of them. It was the opportunity Mimi had been both wishing for and dreading at the same time.
“Where’s Cameron?”
“Baseball practice. Remember?”
No. Mimi had forgotten. Just like she’d almost forgotten about Claire’s graduation, as well. “Of course we can get you a new dress. And…we need to plan a little party afterward. Just family and some close friends.”
“Sure. That would be cool. Can you make your lasagna?” Without waiting for an answer, Claire started to leave the kitchen.
“Wait a minute, honey. We need to talk.”
Claire turned and looked at her. “What did Buttercup do now? Did she shred something up? I swear, I’ve been trying to train her to use her scratching post.”
“It’s not Buttercup, although, the other day I went in your room to find her and she was trapped in one of your dresser drawers.”
“I can’t believe she’s still doing that! She was okay, though, right?”
There was no easy way to say this, so Mimi just went for it. “I found your acceptance letter to FSU. Why did you lie to all of us, Claire?”
There was a moment of shock, before Claire’s blue eyes narrowed in anger. “You looked through my stuff?”
“I told you, Buttercup was trapped in the drawer. The letter was clearly visible. I admit, I didn’t have to open it, but I did anyway. And I’m glad I did.”
Claire instantly went into defensive mode. “Okay, so big deal. I lied. I just didn’t want to go to FSU and I knew you and Dad would give me a hard time about it. It’s my life, I should be able to go to whatever school I want to.”
“I agree. And if you’d told us you gotten accepted into FSU but had decided to go to community college instead, your dad and I would have fully supported you. It’s the lie that has us concerned.”
“Us, huh? So I guess Dad told you all about Adam.”
“Why are you keeping him a secret? Why did you pretend to break up with him? I just don’t get it.”
Claire’s face clouded over. “We did break up,” she said, her voice quivering for just a second. “But then after a few months we got back together and…I don’t know. I knew you weren’t crazy about him so it just seemed easier to not tell you. I didn’t lie, not exactly. Not about that.”
“Oh, please. You’re a smart girl, honey. Let’s not quibble over semantics.”
“Okay, so what now? Are you and Daddy going to force me to go to FSU?”
“Of course not. But I’m concerned about this lie. Don’t you see, honey? It makes me think there’s something bigger going on here.”
