Second to Cry Read Free Page A

mentioned you were going to try going there.’
    ‘But it was a complete joke,’ Isla said, shaking her head before taking a sip of beer.
    ‘Joke,’ Meegan echoed without any comprehension.
    ‘How so?’
    ‘Basically, everyone there still treats me as a pariah. After everything you’ve done for this God-awful town and still they cross the street to avoid me. It’s ridiculous.’
    ‘They just need time.’
    ‘Aid, I’ve given them time. And you’ve given them a crooked priest but still they want more! So I took Meegs to the stupid toddler group and everyone just ignored me. If she went over to play with their kids they picked their kids up and moved them. I swear to God, I almost slapped one of the stupid bitches!’
    ‘Language,’ Aiden berated his wife, but only lightly as he could see that she was pretty fired up about the situation.
    ‘I’m just sick of feeling like an outsider!’ Isla lamented, the text of the note still burning in her mind. She drank some more beer to calm herself.
    ‘I’m sorry it’s being so tough on you.’ And Aiden was sorry. The horrid feeling of guilt crept up his spine and pinched at the back of his neck. It was his fault they were here, his fault that Isla was so miserable.
    ‘Daddy, look!’ Meegan called for her father and then began to proudly blow bubbles. Aiden looked at her fondly, and then up at Isla who was now smiling at her daughter.
    ‘I guess she’s why I do it,’ Isla admitted. ‘It’s just so hard sometimes.’
    ‘I know.’ Aiden himself was still treated like an outcast who could potentially be harbouring the plague and he knew it wasn’t a nice feeling. For a town which outwardly seemed so loving and community based, the people could be very standoffish.
    ‘Anyway, how was your day?’ Isla changed the topic and continued to prepare dinner. She handed Meegan a bowl of baby food which the little girl promptly dunked both hands into.
    ‘Meegan!’
    ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got it,’ Aiden offered, already wetting a flannel to clean Meegan up. ‘My day was good,’ he spoke as he mopped the contents of the bowel off Meegan’s little hands. ‘I started working on my next case.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘You’ll never guess who it’s for.’
    ‘Who?’ Isla asked, intrigued.
    ‘Buck Fern’s brother.’
    ‘You’re joking!’ Aiden’s wife scoffed as she stirred the pasta. ‘Is he as much of an ass as Buck is?’
    ‘I’ve not met him yet but by all accounts, yes, he is.’
    ‘Sounds like you’re in for a good time at work then.’
    ‘Yeah,’ Aiden sighed, picking up his beer now that Meegan was clean and finally eating her dinner rather than trying to wear it.
    ‘What’s the case?’
    ‘Paternity suit, I think.’
    ‘Ooh,’ Isla’s eyes lit up at the prospect of a scandal. ‘Those are always interesting.’
    ‘I guess.’
    ‘What’s the wife like? I’m guessing he’s married?’
    ‘Yeah he is. I’ve not met her yet either. Apparently she was Miss September one year for
Playboy
.’
    This last piece of information got Isla’s full attention. She turned away from dinner to face Aiden, a wooden spoon held within her hands forcefully, like a weapon.
    ‘She’s a Playmate?’ there was something accusing in her tone and Aiden instantly wished he’d not revealed that particular piece of information to his wife.
    ‘She was. Years ago.’ Aiden tried to sound dismissive, didn’t want to dwell on the topic for too long. He’d forgotten that during college, Isla had applied to be a Playmate, seeing it as a fun way to make a load of extra cash. She hadn’t been accepted and it had remained a sore point for her ever since.
    ‘She must look cheap as that’s what they go for there.’ Isla said bitterly, watching Aiden intently, her eyes narrowed.
    ‘Exactly!’ Aiden agreed. ‘Can we eat yet?’
    *
    ‘You used to hate paternity cases,’ Isla said suddenly as they lay in bed that night, bringing Aiden back from the brink of sleep. It