I swallow around the question, recalling Rita’s claim to have known the prosecutor of my case. I wasn’t aware they were friends.
“She was just informing me how she never believed you were guilty.”
“And this just came up out of the blue during a graduation ceremony?” I glance around us, checking how close others stand. “Maybe now isn’t the time to discuss this.”
“Of course, he’s not guilty,” Nolan states, a little too loudly. A few heads turn in our direction.
“Nolan, I just said not now.” What is happening here?
“You don’t need this, Jake. If she doesn’t believe in you, she shouldn’t be in your life.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe in him,” Rita defends, turning back to Nolan, but now I’m curious what did she say. What have the two of them been discussing?
“You aren’t convinced of his innocence, though,” Nolan blurts.
“I didn’t say that either,” Rita states, holding her own against the growing irritation of my brother.
“Nolan. Relax,” I mutter, glancing over my shoulder once more to find people watching us.
“If you were convinced, you wouldn’t be poking around with the lawyer who put him away.”
Rita turns to me. “I wasn’t doing that.” Her voice remains strong, confident, and I want to believe her. I want to have faith in her like she says she has in me, but something isn’t settling well with this situation.
“Almost ready for dinner,” Rory says, finally making his way over to us, holding Brynne’s hand. The tension around the three of us is thick enough to cut with a knife, but I turn to my nephew and force a smile.
“Ready,” I state, noticing my ex-wife standing behind Brynne. Lisa’s eyes don’t miss my hand on Rita’s back which I slowly drop, and Rita turns her head toward me once again, watching my hand fall away from her.
“Who’s this?” Lisa snaps, but Rory steps forward to offer a hand to Rita.
“Hi. I’m Rory Drummond.” The firmness in his shake, along with the strength in his voice, says he’s gone into future lawyer mode. I’m so damn proud of him. My heart is ready to burst, but that also might be my blood pressure rising at the strain around us. Nolan and Rita. Lisa and Rita. I’m noticing a common denominator, and I’m not liking it.
“Congratulations. Rita Kaplan, fellow alumnae as you are now official alumni.” She smiles with warmth at someone entering her inner circle. Rory introduces Brynne, and I hold my breath as he introduces Lisa as Brynne’s aunt.
“I’m also Jake’s ex-wife.”
Jesus. My eyes briefly close.
“Okay, then,” Rita says as if that wasn’t awkward as fuck.
“Are you joining us for dinner?” Rory asks Rita, who immediately answers, “No,” as I say, “Yes.”
My head turns toward her, wondering when her plans changed.
“I’m only here for the graduation. Have a wonderful night with your family,” she says, turning to step away from us, but I catch the dark robe she’s wearing, distinguishing her as alumni.
“Excuse us,” I say to Nolan and the gang, walking Rita a few steps away.
“Hey. What’s going on?”
“I think it might be best if you celebrated with your family without me.” Rita’s quiet voice disturbs me. It isn’t like her to acquiesce like she is.
“Tell me what happened? Did Nolan say something?”
Rita lifts her head, eyes meeting mine once more. “This is Rory’s day. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“Ruin it?” I question. “It’s dinner.”
Rita turns to glance at the gathering of Nolan, Rory, Brynne, Monica, and Lisa waiting on me. “And I’m uninviting myself. Why don’t you call me when dinner is over?” She pats my chest in a patronizing manner, and I’m not liking the brush-off she’s giving me, especially before my family.
“What is this?” I state, glancing up and down her robed outfit. “Am I not good enough for you? My nephew just graduated from this school. He’s one of you.” I pause. “Is it that I’m not?”
“Jake,” she mutters under her breath, eyeing my family, who is surely staring at us.
“Is that it? I’m not some fancy attorney. I’m the criminal.” My voice rises a bit, and I swallow the lump in my throat.
“That is not it,” she says, leveling me with a hard stare. “I think it best if you call me once your family meal is over.”
I match her stare. In the time it took for Rory’s ceremony to finish, something changed her mind about us, and now she doesn’t want to spend time with my family. She doesn’t want to be with me. Well, screw