The Bookstore on the Beach - Brenda Novak Page 0,78
her take the last bit of lasagna on her own plate and then slide it over to you. She said she was too full when she gave it to you, but I was watching her. I think she was protecting it to be sure you got enough, since it’s your favorite meal. That was pretty special, proof of how devoted she is to you.”
“Yeah, I noticed that, too.”
“That had to have felt pretty nice. We could all use someone looking out for us, right?”
“It is nice,” she admitted. Autumn finally saw a small smile appear on her daughter’s face—but it slipped away as she sobered again and said, “Have you ever had a friend like that?”
“A best friend? Sure. I still keep in touch with some of the girls I knew in high school and college, but I married young and had you right away, and when my focus changed, we drifted apart. It’s hard to keep up with long-distance relationships, especially once everyone gets on with their life and everything gets so busy.” She bent her head to catch her daughter’s eye. “Why? What’s going on? Don’t tell me you and Sierra had a fight.”
“No. We aren’t fighting. She just said something that’s sort of bothering me.”
“Last night at dinner? What was it?”
“It was after dinner, when I walked her out. She said that she was different, and that you could tell.”
“Well, I noticed the tattoo and the piercings right away.”
“So you didn’t like them.”
“I’d want you to wait until you were older to make those kinds of decisions, but I’ve never believed that sort of self-expression means a person’s bad in any way.”
Taylor stared down at her hands while digging at her cuticles. “What if it’s not just the piercings and the tattoo?”
She’d lowered her voice, but fortunately, Autumn was still able to hear. “What do you mean?”
“I think she might be...you know...not like most other girls.”
“You’re saying she’s different in more than the way she looks?”
She nodded. “I—I think she might be...into girls.”
“A lesbian.”
“I can’t say for sure,” she said quickly. “She hasn’t come right out and said that. I just... I think maybe that’s the case and wonder what you’d think if she was.”
“Well, let me ask you—do you believe people choose their sexuality?”
“No. But even if some do, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business.”
“Neither do I.”
“So you wouldn’t care if Sierra was a lesbian.”
Autumn struggled to choose the right words. This obviously meant a great deal to her daughter. “I’ll tell you what’s important to me.”
Taylor pulled back the curtain of her hair, tucking it behind her ears so that she could see. “What’s that?”
“Is Sierra a good person?”
Taylor began to blink quickly, which led Autumn to believe she was fighting tears. “She’s the best person I’ve ever known.”
“Then she must be a great friend.”
Taylor nodded. After a sniff, the sheen of tears in her eyes disappeared, and she seemed much happier. “What if I get a tattoo?” she asked.
“Before you’re eighteen, you mean?”
“This summer.”
Autumn put an arm around her daughter and gave her a squeeze. “That I might have a problem with,” she said, and they both laughed.
* * *
Mary was manning the register when the phone rang at the store. Autumn hadn’t arrived yet, but Laurie was rearranging the back room to make space for a large shipment they were expecting this afternoon.
“Beach Front Books,” Mary answered.
“Is this...is this Mary Langford?”
Her heart skipped a beat. It was a woman, and she was fairly certain she recognized the voice. But she couldn’t believe what her brain was telling her. She thought she was just being paranoid. So she answered. “Yes...”
“This is Tammy.”
Mary almost dropped the phone. She’d blocked her number when she called the Skinners’ daughter, but Tammy wasn’t calling her cell. She was calling the store, which meant Drake D. Owens had lied when he’d said he’d protect her identity. Not only had he given Tammy her assumed name, he’d told Tammy where she worked, and it made sense—after all, Tammy had paid him to find her.
“Please...don’t hang up,” Tammy said when Mary hesitated.
Mary glanced over her shoulder. She didn’t want to have this conversation, not with Laurie around. She told Laurie almost everything, and she would probably tell her about this, too, but later, once she’d had a chance to process it herself—not when she was filled with panic that everything she’d worked so hard to protect was now compromised.
“I—I don’t mean you any harm,” Tammy said. “I’d like to talk.