was in hysterics, at points incoherent. The reason for her calls: her lab report was inexplicably missing and surprise, surprise, she was blaming Simon for the disappearance.
Maggie couldn’t say why Simon might have taken it, only that she was sure he did. Eventually she calmed down because there wasn’t anything Nina could do to fix the situation. She was headed to Carson after work, not home, though Nina had told Maggie that she needed to work late again.
“Glad your job is going so well,” said Maggie after Nina made her evening plans known. It was a perfect blow to unleash a fresh torrent of guilt.
Nina had had that heart-to-heart with her daughter the previous night as Simon had suggested, but Maggie denied being upset about the job. It seemed her daughter was equally skilled as Simon at delivering mixed messages in that regard. Then again, it made sense to Nina that Maggie would try to hide her true feelings. Nina made it quite clear she loved working again.
Thinking of Maggie’s sacrifice brought on a nearly irresistible pull to get home, but there was another pull with even more force taking her in the opposite direction. Nina had to know. She simply had to confront Teresa.
Nina called Simon after speaking with Maggie, to warn him of the coming storm.
“It’s always something with her,” Simon said, sounding more exasperated than normal. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll prep myself. I’m not going to say I told you so, but—”
He didn’t bother finishing his sentence, and Nina didn’t need to hear it. The timing for her next bit of news couldn’t have been worse.
“So hon, Rona’s put a new case on my desk, and I have to jump on it right away, bit of a family emergency. I’ll be home a little late. Do you mind eating without me?”
She pictured Simon alone with Maggie sulking at the kitchen table and guilt ate away at her anew. A protracted silence ensued.
“I’d say we’ve got a bit of an emergency on our hands, too,” Simon said. “What time?”
His voice carried an edge, notable only because he so seldom spoke with one.
“Maybe after seven,” Nina said.
A worry struck her: What if he drives by The Davis Family Center and sees no lights on? But why would he? she asked herself. Because lying takes effort … because eventually everyone gets tripped up in their deceits … because secrets don’t stay hidden forever. Nina silenced the chorus in her head.
“Another late night,” Simon said, still no joy in his voice. He wasn’t asking for details about the new, albeit fictional case. No, he sounded downright angry. Nina contemplated abandoning her plan, but she was committed now.
“I know it’s been hard,” she said, putting extra sweetness in her voice. “I promise it’ll get better once I get my rhythm going. It’s an adjustment period, that’s all.”
“I understand, darling,” Simon said, his tone brightening. “Not to worry.”
“Thanks, babe.” Nina breathed easier.
“You know,” said Simon, “since you’ve been so focused on your job, and it’s been a lot more all-consuming than either of us thought, and with all the issues at home, perhaps you shouldn’t go on that girls’ weekend with Ginny and Susanna?”
“What? No!” Nina sounded indignant. “We’ve had it planned for ages.”
“Well, that’s before you took a new job that’s taking up all your time, and before I made things even worse with Maggie. And now this lab report disaster? I hate to say that I could use a buffer around here, Nina, but you’re putting a lot on me.”
“Connor can look after Maggie when I’m away; you don’t have to do anything.”
Nina’s voice carried a gasp of desperation; she’d been looking forward to this weekend for ages, but her earlier misgivings, the same ones Simon expressed, had returned with a vengeance.
“That’s really not my point, is it?” Simon rebutted. “Things are falling apart here. You’re working all the time and then you’re going off with your girlfriends. That leaves me to deal with everything and it doesn’t exactly seem fair. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Nina swallowed hard, because a part of her understood his logic and agreed. She also wanted to avoid a fight at any cost, because right now her focus was on matters more pressing.
“I get it, I really do,” she said. “I’ll talk to Ginny and Susanna, maybe we can reschedule.”
Maybe they can get even more upset with me, Nina lamented.
“Thanks for being so understanding, honey. I’ll have dinner waiting for you when you get home.”
“Sounds