Darren Effect Read Free Page A

him.
    But she
was
without him.
    She looked at herself in the mirror again and watched her eyes well up, her chin and then her mouth collapse.
    â€œStop it!” she whispered to the mirror, ashamed of herself, then splashed on more cold water, dried her face, and applied another coat of face cream. She had ten minutes before her first appointment. She’d be fine. She had a solid capacity for recovery, her mother had always said so. In ten minutes, no one would know she’d been crying. She checked her teeth. Looked around for a comb, gave up and ran her fingers through her hair. She felt a surge of energy.
    She returned to her office, picked up the phone and called her mother, waking her.
    â€œDid you discover anything?” Heather asked.
    â€œYou really want me poking around?”
    â€œYes! I asked you to. I want to know anything.
Where is he?
    He’s not at the hospital.”
    â€œHe’s not?”
    Heather paused and took a moment to consume her exasperation. “No. I already told you that. Because I called. At least he’s not where he was. He may have been moved.”
    â€œI could ask around. You know this town is small. A person would be a fool to have an affair in this town, Heather.”
    â€œIt’s too late for that advice.”
    â€œDon’t yell me at me, honey.”
    Heather was aware of her mother sitting up and reaching for her pack of cigarettes.
    â€œ
Mother!
Please.”
    â€œHoney — ”
    It was lit. The first inhalation.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI’m worried about you.”
    â€œI’m
fine
. But I’m busy — ”
    â€œYou’re busy? Right now? It’s not even nine o’clock.”
    â€œNo. I’m just busy. I mean, I don’t have much time. I just feel so
rushed.”
    â€œI wonder if you should see someone. You seem in such a panic. It’s awfully early in the morning to be in such a rush and panic. How many cups of coffee have you had?”
    â€œNone. Do this. Just do this.”
    â€œOn one condition.”
    â€œAbsolutely no conditions.”
    â€œYou stop — ”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œ — driving by their house.”
    Heather paused. “How did you know that?”
    Exhalation. “It’s a small town.”
    Mandy was driving, which made everyone a little nervous. Bill sat in the front beside her, and Heather in the back, causing her to feel tolerated yet banished, like a child. When Mandy braked at the stop sign at the bottom of the street, Bill pitched forward in his seat like a rag doll, as though he had expected Mandy to sail through the intersection. Heather suspected he and Mandy had just had sex.
    Bill straightened, then glanced into the back seat, and Heather gave him a weak smile. She felt remotely embarrassed. She knew she looked wrecked and that Bill would have beentold, at the very least, that it was the result of a disastrous love affair. Bringing her along on these outings had become a habit of theirs, but Heather knew it was Mandy’s crusade, not Bill’s.
    Mandy parked directly in front of the Legacy Café and Heather watched Bill glance up to see two women in conversation just outside the entrance. When he turned quickly back to study the dashboard, Heather took a better look at the women. One was staring into the car at Bill, nodding, chatting with her companion, even laughing, but she had clearly fixed her eye on Bill. Heather longed to escape the next few minutes.
    Mandy pulled her scarf in at her throat, then gathered up her purse and keys and gloves. Neither Heather nor Bill had moved.
    â€œHold on a minute, Mandy,” Bill said. Heather thought it was a mistake to have said anything. Better to just walk on in.
    â€œHow come?”
    â€œThat woman.”
    â€œOh, for the love of . . . ”
    Mandy leaned across Bill to look up at the café. Other than these two women, there was no one else out on this raw November morning.