The Cinderella Hour Read Free Page A

swum for Larken High,
remembered a swimmer he had competed against. Jared Kilcannon had been poised
for collegiate super-stardom—and maybe Olympic gold—until a motorcycle accident
ripped his rotator cuff to shreds. Jared’s name had recently emerged again. He
was coaching at a lesser school downstate. Trey picked up the phone and as they
say, Mrs. Evans said, the rest was history. Under Jared’s guidance, the Larken
High Cougars had gone from last to first.
    “Does Luke swim?” Snow asked.
    “He did. I’m not sure if he does anymore. And I’ve heard
rumors . . . But, well, you know what they say about half truths, don’t you,
Snow? A half truth is a whole lie.”
    Snow had never heard that before and didn’t want to examine
it very closely. Leigh created her world, their world, on half truths—at best. “What
does that have to do with whether Luke swims?”
    “Rumors are half truths, don’t you think? Sometimes less than
half. I’ve heard rumors about Luke’s swimming, or rather his not swimming, but
I have no idea which of those rumors, if any, are true. Suffice it to say that
for whatever reason swimming isn’t Luke’s cup of tea.”
    “Are Jared and the Larkens close?” Leigh wondered.
    “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t know. The Larkens’ social
circle is very different from mine, a social circle unto itself. I do know that
Jared’s become one of the town’s most popular citizens. Swimming is huge in
Quail Ridge. We don’t have a football team, so it’s really the competitive sport. I also know that for the past few summers Jared’s been
giving private swimming lessons, among other things, at Hilltop Country Club.”
    “Other things?”
    “I gather he’s an excellent golfer. A gifted athlete over
all. He gives golf lessons, too, and plays golf with club members whenever they
need someone to round out a foursome.”
    “Does he play with women as well as men?”
    “That I don’t know. But I’m sure they would be delighted if
he did. He’s very good-looking, very charming.”
    “Having the rich ladies of Hilltop Country Club drooling over
him can’t make his wife too happy.”
    “Oh. I forgot to tell you. Jared’s a single parent, Leigh.
Like you. Unlike your valiant policeman husband, however, Jared’s wife—Luke’s
mother—didn’t die. She simply left.”
    “Left?”
    “It was awful. One evening, six years ago, she and Jared
loaded up her car and off she went. I watched it happen, although I didn’t know
at the time what I was seeing. She was going on a trip, I thought. Maybe she
and Luke were going. He also helped load the car. I remember him standing in
the driveway, holding a box, waiting to be told where to put it. The box was
gigantic for him. He was only five. It looked heavy, too. But he held it and
held it while his parents talked. When Suzanne finally took it from him, she
put it in the car and drove away.” Mrs. Evans drew a shaky breath. “Luke waved
goodbye. She didn’t. She didn’t even look back.”
    “Why?”
    “Why did Suzanne Kilcannon leave? I have no idea, Snow. Jared’s
always gentlemanly when he talks about it. The marriage didn’t work out. He
wishes her well. She has problems of her own to resolve. That sort of thing.
And he always says that he’s the lucky one . . . because he . . . has their
son.”
    Mrs. Evans’s sudden shakiness became distress. Instead of
ignoring it, as the old Leigh would have, Snow’s mother leaned forward and
covered Mrs. Evans’s hands with her own. The gesture reminded Snow of Scarlett
pretending to comfort her archrival Melanie.
    Mrs. Evans seemed comforted, as Melanie had.
    “What is it, Bea?” Leigh asked, addressing her for the first
time by her first name. “What’s wrong?”
    “It has more to do with me than Jared or Luke.”
    “We’d like to hear,” Leigh said so convincingly Snow believed
it must be true. “If you want to tell us.”
    “It’s just unimaginable to me that a mother could ever